Category Archives: Sergeant

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Northamptonshire, photography, Royal Army Service Corps, Sergeant, story, war

Serjeant George Twiselton

Leave a comment
Serjeant George Twiselton

George Twiselton was born in Milton Malsor, Northamptonshire, in the spring of 1878. The third of nine children, he was the second of two sons to Reuben and Eliza Twiselton. Reuben was a general labourer, working for the local railway and brewer, and his son was to follow suit, taking up employment as a drayman.

In 1903, George married Annie Branson. She was a cooper’s daughter from Northampton, and it seems likely that George and his future father-in-law knew each other through their combined work. By the time the young couple married, Annie was working as a domestic servant for the Burnham family, and was living at 50 Middle Street, Bradwell, Buckinghamshire (now part of Milton Keynes).

The 1911 census found George and Annie living in Milton Malsor. They had four children by this point: Edith, Doris, Reuben and Clara. George was still employed as a brewer’s drayman, and this would stand him in good stead when war broke out a few years later.

Details George’s time in the army have been lost to time, but it is clear that he had enlisted by 1916, and was assigned to the Royal Army Service Corps. His previous time with horses led him to be attached to the 381st Mechanical Transport Company, and he spent time in France, eventually rising to the rank of Serjeant.

George survived the war, and returned home after the Armistice. However, he contracted influenza early in 1919, and would succumb to the condition on 9th March: he was 40 years of age.

The body of George Twiselton was laid to rest with full military honours in the graveyard of Holy Cross Church, in his home village of Milton Malsor.

Serjeant George Twiselton
(from miltonmalsorhistory.org.uk)

With her husband dead, and six children to raise, Annie had to find the strength to continue. The 1921 census found her living with her four youngest – including her only son, Reuben. She was employed on home duties, while her 13-year-old boy was working as a farm servant.

Reuben’s story is a testament to his father’s determination:

At the outbreak of WW2 Reuben, the only son of George, joined his father’s old RASC regiment and went to France as an ambulance driver with the British Expeditionary Force. Along with many others, he withdrew to the Dunkirk beaches but turned down evacuation back to the UK, choosing instead to stay behind and give assistance to the many wounded. He was later taken prisoner and held a Prisoner of War for 5 years until released by American soldiers in 1945. He died in 1988 aged 81 years.

[Milton Malsor History website]

Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Driver, Great War, history, illness, Lancashire, Lance Corporal, Northamptonshire, photography, Quartermaster, Royal Army Service Corps, Sergeant, story, war

Company Quartermaster Serjeant Charles Frost

Leave a comment
Company Quartermaster Serjeant Charles Frost

Charles Albert Frost was born in Daventry, Northamptonshire, at during the winter of 1882/3. The third of eight children, his parents were William and Louisa Frost. William was a foreman at a shoe factory in Northampton and, at the time of the 1891 census, the family were living at what looks to be 47 Ardington Road or Abington Road (the return is not clearly legible).

Charles also found work in the shoe trade when he completed his schooling, but his is not a career he wanted to make for himself. Instead he was drawn to the army and, on 26th January 1900, he joined up. The now Driver Frost’s service records show that, at 18 years of age, he was 5ft 4.5ins (1.63m) tall and weighed 127lbs (57.6kg). He had brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Assigned to the Army Service Corps, Charles spent the next few years on home soil. Attached to the 17th Company, he would work hard and that dedication would pay off. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in April 1902, and 2nd Corporal just six months later. By January 1903 he had risen to Corporal, extending his term of service the same month.

Interestingly, in March 1904, Charles reverted to the role of Driver at his own request. He would remain at that rank until for the next four years, when he was stood down to reserve status.

The 1911 census found Charles living back home with his parents and siblings. By this point there were six adults and three children living at 74 Hood Street, Northampton, a seven-roomed terraced house on the east of the town centre. Charles had found work as a blouse cutter in a local factory, and with his father and older siblings all involved in factory work in some way.

Life on civvy street seemed not to appeal, however, and in November 1911 Charles was re-engaged with the Army Service Corps. This was initially planned to be for four years, but he would remain in the army for nearly twice that long.

In August 1914, Driver Frost was shipped out to France. and, barring leave, he would remain there for the next three years. In the summer of 1915, he returned home briefly, marrying Daisy Harris at St Edmund’s Church in Hardingstone, Northamptonshire, when he did so. He was soon sent back out to France, however, and remained on the other side of the Channel until April 1917.

Back on home soil, Charles’ career had taken a surprising turn. In January 1915 he was promoted to Acting Corporal, rising to Acting Sergeant just four months later. By November 1916 he had been promoted to Acting Quartermaster Sergeant, a role that was formalised just four months later.

In May 1918, Daisy gave birth to their first – and only – child, a boy they called Eric. Tragically, he passed away just three weeks later, from a combination of pemphigus and asthma: with Charles away, Daisy had to register the death.

Quartermaster Sergeant Frost survived the war, but was admitted to the Mill Road Hospital in Liverpool, Lancashire, on 28th June 1919. He was suffering from a cerebral tumour, but his treatment would prove ineffectual. He died at 3:20am on 4th July 1919: he was 37 years of age.

The body of Charles Albert Frost was taken back to Northamptonshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Edmund’s Church, Hardingstone, alongside Eric: a father and son reunited.

Daisy had not lost her son and husband in just over a year. The 1921 census found her back living with her father and sister, carrying out home duties while they worked.

accident, Air Mechanic, Commonwealth War Graves, County Cork, Great War, Hampshire, history, Ireland, photography, Royal Air Force, Sergeant, story, war

Serjeant Jack Hogan

Leave a comment
Serjeant Jack Hogan

The personal life of Jack Hogan is a challenge to piece together, and much of the information is pulled from his service record. This confirms that he was born in 1890 in Cork, Ireland, and gives his next of kin as his mother, Annie Hogan, who was living in Southsea, Hampshire. He seems to have been born John Hogan, Jack being a common nickname, but there are too many census records with potential matches to narrow down a definite connection.

A Roman Catholic, Jack was 5ft 5.5ins (1.66m) tall. He had dark hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having two small moles on his left cheek. He enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps as an Air Mechanic 2nd Class on 1st October 1915, leaving his job as a motor and cycle fitter to do so.

Jack seemed to have been proficient at what he was doing, and was promoted to Air Mechanic 1st Class less than a year after enlisting. On 5th February 1918 he rose again, taking the role of Acting Sergeant. When the Royal Air Force was formed in April that year, his rank was made permanent.

Sergeant Hogan was attached to the 29th Training Depot Station near East Boldre, Hampshire. On 4th August 1918, he was piloting an Avro 504, when it collided with another aircraft. There is little recorded about the incident, and his RAF Casualty Card does not give details of the other vehicle or its pilot. Jack’s biplane fell to the ground and he was killed. He was 28 years of age.

The body of Jack Hogan was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Paul’s Church in East Boldre, not far from the base that had become his home.

accident, Canada, Canadian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, Lieutenant, photography, Royal Air Force, Sergeant, story, war

Lieutenant Austin Blackie

1 Comment
Lieutenant Austin Blackie

Austin Wyard Blackie was born in Spring Bay on Ontario’s Manitoulin Island on 17th November 1895. The seventh of eight children, his parents were farmers John and Mary Blackie. John took the family to where the work was: by the time of the 1901 census they had relocated to Algoma, 190km (120 miles) to the north west.

Little further information is available about Austin’s early life. When war broke out, he stepped up to play his part. His military records take a bit of unpicking, but he joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 10th April 1916, and was assigned to the 227th Battalion as a Sergeant. He was dismissed from service on 15th December 1916, as he was deemed medically unfit.

Undeterred, Austin’s service papers confirm that he re-enlisted on 7th March 1917, and that he was a student at the University of Toronto Officers’ Training Corps at the time. This document also gives his year of birth incorrectly as 1894.

Austin’s medical in 1917 confirmed that, at 22 years of age (based on the incorrect year of birth), he was 5ft 7.5ins (1.71m) tall and weighed 143lbs (64.9kg). He had fair hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion, good hearing and 20/20 vision. He was also recorded as having a number of scars: two either side of his stomach from an operation, and a third on the right side of his left ankle.

Sergeant Blackie’s time in the army was not destined to be a lengthy one, and there is a sense of his determination to better himself. On 5th May 1917, he was discharged from service again, but this time because he mad the transfer to Canadian Royal Flying Corps.

At this point, Austin’s trail goes frustratingly cold. He was shipped out to Britain, and was based at the 29th Training Depot Station in East Boldre, Hampshire. When the Royal Air Force was formed, he transferred across, and, at some point during this time, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.

Mr A C Hallett, Deputy County Coroner, held inquests on Tuesday, of Lieut. Austin Wyard Blackie, RAF, of California, and Second-Lieut. Arthur Fred Belyea, RAF, of Calgary, Canada, who met thwir deaths while flying. The evidence showed that their machines collided at a great height, and that death in each case must have been instantaneous. Verdicts of “Accidental death” were returned.

[Hampshire Advertiser: Saturday 21st September 1918]

The report’s suggestion that Austin was from California is incorrect, although his parents had, by this point, moved there from Canada.

The RAF’s own report gave a little more detail on what happened:

The court considered the evidence, found that the cause of the accident was entirely due to misadventure in that the [Lieutenant Blackie’s] foot became entangled behind the rudder bar, the machine thus being our of control.

It appears that Austin had been offered a different aircraft to the Sopwith Camel in which he he had been killed. “He apparently took his machine up without asking his Flight Commander’s permission or his Instructor’s, contrary to standing orders.”

Second Lieutenant Belyea’s report card adds a stark twist to the crash: “The cause of the accident was in our opinion an error of judgement on one pilot (unknown) in flying his machine into the other machine from the rear, causing the left hand frame of Camel C8322 and the right hand frames of Camel C96 to collapse, thus causing each machine to spin to the ground. The one pilot was probably attempting to obtain good photographs of the other machine.”

Austin Wyard Blackie was just 22 years of age when he died on 17th September 1918. He was laid to rest alongside Second Lieutenant Belyea in the graveyard of St Paul’s Church, East Boldre, not far from the base in which he had served.

You can read about Second Lieutenant Belyea’s life here.

Lieutenant Austin Blackie
(from findagrave.com)
Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Devon, Egypt, Great War, history, illness, New Zealand, photography, Private, Sergeant, story, war, Wiltshire

Corporal Charles Ziesler

Leave a comment
Corporal Charles Ziesler

Charles Frederick Wilhelm Ziesler was born on 12th February 1877 in Timaru on New Zealand’s South Island. The oldest of nine children, his parents were Norwegian-born Johan Ziesler, and his New Zealand wife, Lucy.

Little information is available about Charles’ early life, but it is clear that he found work as a clerk when he finished his schooling. By the time of the 1899 electoral role, he had set up home at 258 Hereford Street in the Canterbury area of Christchurch.

Things were to change, however, and Charles emigrated to Australia. Taking up a job as a fire adjuster for an insurance company, he settled in the Subiaco suburb of Perth. In 1909 he married Martha Grimwood: the couple went on to have three children, and lived in a house at 97 Park Street.

When war broke out, despite his age, Charles stepped up to serve the Empire. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 12th November 1915, and was initially attached to the 35th Depot. His service papers show that he was 5ft 11ins (1.8m) tall and weighed 182lbs (82.6kg). He was recorded as having brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.

After several weeks’ training, Private Ziesler’s unit left Australia for the battlefields of Europe. Arriving in Suez, Egypt, on 11th March 1916, he would receive further instruction there over the next couple of months. While many of the ANZAC battalions then set sail for the Dardanelles, the 35th Training Battalion, of which Charles was now a part, headed for Britain.

Private Ziesler arrived in Plymouth, Devon, on 16th June, and was marched into Rollestone Camp in Wiltshire. His preparation continued, and, in August, he was promoted to the rank of Corporal. Charles’ service records suggest that he did not serve on the Western Front, instead remaining attached to the Training Battalions based around Salisbury Plain, in Tidworth and Codford.

By the summer of 1918, Corporal Ziesler had been in Britain for two years and had been promoted to the rank of Acting Sergeant in the 51st Battalion of the Australian Infantry. In June he fell ill, and was admitted to the No 3 New Zealand General Hospital in Codford, suffering from bronchopneumonia. The condition was to prove his undoing: he passed away on 26th June 1918, at the age of 41 years old.

Thousands of miles from home, the body of Charles Frederick Wilhelm Ziesler was laid to rest in the ANZAC extension to the graveyard of St Mary’s Church, Codford, Wiltshire.

Charles’ belongings were returned to his widow: these included his clothing (a leather vest, fur vest, boots, puttees, cap, breeches, underpants and singlets) and more personal items (pipes, coins, photo albums, letters).

Martha may have taken comfort from a detailed letter she received about her late husband’s funeral. “The late Sergeant Ziesler was held in a very high esteem by all ranks in the Unit, and always proved himself a keen soldier, a true and sympathetic comrade and a friend in need and deed. His loss to the Unit is very keenly felt.”

(The CWGC records record the last full rank Charles held: as he held the role of Acting Sergeant, he is noted at the level below, Corporal.)

Corporal Charles Ziesler
(from findagrave.com)
Commonwealth War Graves, East Lancashire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Lancashire, Lance Corporal, Manchester Regiment, Oxfordshire, photography, Private, Sergeant, story, Sussex, Training Reserve Battalion, war, Wiltshire

Sergeant Charles Chown

Leave a comment
Sergeant Charles Chown

Charles Allen Chown was born in the Sussex village of Lyminster, at the start of 1882. The tenth of eleven children, his parents were Samuel and Mary Chown. Samuel was a general labourer, and when he passed away in 1898, Charles and his siblings rallied to support his now widowed mother.

The 1901 census found Mary, Charles and his brother Jesse living at 32 Lennox Road, Worthing, West Sussex. Jesse was employed as a brickmaker, while Charles had found work as a solicitor’s clerk. The family had two boarders, Helen and Rosie Bulbeck, and Charles’ niece, Minnie, was also staying with them.

Away from work, Charles was a music lover, and joined the local operatic society. In 1904 he appeared in a local version of Iolanthe, his “piece of portraiture being described as one of the successes of the occasion, for his facial play was good, and the drolleries of the character were displayed in an each and natural manner.” [Worthing Gazette: Wednesday 12th September 1917] In the following year’s Mikado, he took the role of the Lord High Executioner, and he was noted as being a “born comedian, with the most mobile countenance and a singularly dry form of humour…” [Worthing Gazette: Wednesday 12th September 1917]

By the time of the 1911 census, Charles had moved on with work, and moved out of home. Taking a room at 7 Tarring Road, Worthing, his landlords were Harold and Rose Ward. Still employed as a clerk, he was now employed by one of the estate agents in the town, although it is clear that his passion was elsewhere. When he joined up in the autumn of 1914, he gave his trade as musician.

Charles enlisted on 7th October 1914 in Ashton-under-Lyme, Lancashire. What took him north is unclear, although a theatre tour is a possibility. His service records note that he was 5ft 8.5ins (1.74m) tall and weighed 138lbs (62.6kg). He had dark brown hair, brown eyes and a sallow complexion.

Initially assigned to the Manchester Regiment, Private Chown was soon transferred to the 8th (Service) Battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment. He was obviously dedicated to his job: by the end of October 1914 he had been promoted to Lance Corporal, and within six weeks he rose to Sergeant.

In July 1915, Charles’ unit was dispatched to France. That autumn, they remained based near Tilques, in Northern France, but Sergeant Chown’s health was beginning to suffer. After just three months overseas, he was medically evacuated to Britain to receive treatment for pleurisy, and was hospitalised in Chatham, Kent.

When he recovered, Sergeant Chown was reassigned to the 10th Battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment, before being transferred to the 47th Training Reserve Battalion in September 1916. That winter, however, his health received a setback, and he contracted tuberculosis. He would spend the first half of the following year in hospitals in Aldershot in Hampshire, Sutton Veny in Wiltshire and, from May 1917, the 3rd Southern General Hospital in Oxford.

Sergeant Chown’s health would continue to deteriorate, and he was formally discharged from the army on 6th July 1917. He returned to Worthing, and his mother’s home, 2 Montague Place. Charles would eventually succumb to his medical condition, and he passed away on 31st August 1917, at the age of 35 years old.

The body of Charles Allen Chown was laid to rest in the family plot in Broadwater Cemetery, Worthing.

accident, Bugler, Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Great War, Hampshire, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Private, Royal Marines, Sergeant, story, war

Sergeant Herbert Marriott

Leave a comment
Sergeant Herbert Marriott

Herbert Ernest Marriott was born on 15th November 1881 in the Hampshire village of Alverstoke (now part of Gosport). The younger of two children, his parents were George and Sarah Marriott. George was a navy pensioner, who died a matter of months after his youngest son was born, leaving Sarah to raise their two children alone.

The 1891 census found Sarah living at Prince Alfred Cottage in Alverstoke, with her two sons – Herbert, aged 9, and Joseph, aged 22 – and grandson, one-year-old Charles. She was employed as a launderess, while Joseph was employed as a bricklayer’s labourer.

Herbert was keen to build a career for himself and, on 20th July 1897, he enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry. His service record shows that he was 5ft 7.5ins (1.71m) tall, with dark brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also recorded as having a small scar on his left shoulder.

Private Marriott was sent just along the coast to Portsmouth for his training: this would become his land base in between voyages. He evidently showed some musical talent as, just two months after enlisting, he was given the rank of Bugler. Over the years the career he had sought grew, and his abilities grew with it.

Between 1897 and 1914, Herbert would serve on nine vessels in total. In February 1900 he became a Private once more, but by the end of the following year he had been promoted to Corporal. He continued to rise through the ranks, becoming Lance Sergeant in January 1905 and full Sergeant in the summer of 1907.

In the spring of 1901, Herbert married navy pensioner’s daughter Annie Hill. The newlyweds would set up home at 140 Queen’s Road, Gosport, and have six children between 1904 and 1914.

Back at sea and, by the time war was declared, Sergeant Marriott had been assigned to the battleship HMS Bulwark for two years. Part of the Channel Fleet, she was charged with patrolling and protecting the water off the south coast of England.

On 16th November, Bulwark was moored in the River Medway, near Sheerness, Kent, and being restocked with ammunition. A number of cordite charges had been stored incorrectly and overheated. These detonated the nearby shells and the resulting chain reaction of explosions ripped apart the battleship, sinking it and killing more than 740 crewmen, including Sergeant Marriott. He had turned 33 years of age just the day before.

The bodies recovered were laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent. As his had been identified, Herbert Ernest Marriott was buried in a marked grave.

accident, Canada, Canadian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Great War, Hampshire, history, Lancashire, photography, Private, Royal Air Force, Second Lieutenant, Sergeant, story, Surrey, war

Second Lieutenant Wesley Archibald

Leave a comment
Second Lieutenant Wesley Archibald

Wesley Alexander Archibald was born in Flatlands, New Brunswick, Canada, on 19th October 1894. The oldest of ten children, his parents were Scottish-born couple James and Jane Archibald. It is unclear what employment James was in, but when he completed his schooling, Wesley found work as a telegraph operator.

When not working, Wesley was an active member of the Irish Fusiliers of Canada, and, by the time was broke out, he had been with the 11th Regiment for a year.

Wesley enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 29th November 1915. His service records show that he was 5ft 6.5ins (1.69m) tall, with black hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having a large scar on the outer side of his right thigh.

Private Archibald’s initial training was completed on home soil. His unit – the 121st Battalion – left Halifax on 14th August 1916, and arrived in Liverpool, Lancashire, ten days later. His dedication to the role was clear: his unit moved to Bramshott, Surrey, and he had been promoted to Corporal by the time he arrived there, and Sergeant just two months later.

In January 1917, Wesley was assigned to the 7th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force and sent to the Front Line. Over the next few months, his unit saw some fierce fighting at Arras, Vimy and Hill 70. On 9th July Sergeant Archibald was awarded the Military Medal for his actions.

By the end of 1917, Wesley was seeking more adventure, and, on 10th December, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. Attached to the 29th Training Depot Station, he was based near Beaulieu in Hampshire when the Royal Air Force was created. Over the next year he learnt his new trade and, on 7th November 1918, he was appointed Second Lieutenant.

The following day, Wesley was preparing for a flight in his Sopwith Dolphin. The aircraft took off, but the engine stalled, and the plane crashed. Second Lieutenant Archibald was killed instantly. He was 24 years of age.

The body of William Alexander Archibald was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Paul’s Church in East Boldre, not far for the airfield he had called home.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, Norfolk, photography, Royal Garrison Artillery, Sergeant, story, unknown, war

Serjeant William Low

Leave a comment
Serjeant William Low

In the graveyard of St John the Baptist Church in Marldon, Devon, is a headstone commemorating Sergeant William Low of the Royal Garrison Artillery. The marker notes his parents as being Thomas and Mary Low, and that he was their eldest son.

Details of William’s early life are a challenge to piece together. Born early in 1872, he was the oldest of eight children. The 1881 census found the Low family living in the village of Compton, just to the north of Marldon. Thomas was working as a farm labourer and his children were still at school.

At this point, William falls off the radar. Thomas and Mary continued to live in Compton until their deaths in 1906 and 1907 respectively, but their eldest son is nowhere to be seen. It is possible that he had sought a better life for himself and enlisted in the army when he came of age, but there are no military records to back this up.

The only other available document relating to him is his entry on the British Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects. This confirms that Sergeant Low had passed away in Lakenham Military Hospital, Norfolk, on 21st February 1916. His next of kin was recorded as being his executor, Edward A Harper, and his effects were recorded as being £24 6s 9d (around £2700 today), with a war gratuity of £8 10s (approx. £950).

The body of William Low, who was 44 years old when he passed away, was taken back to Devon for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of his childhood parish church.

accident, Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Devon, Great War, history, photography, Private, Sergeant, story, war, Wiltshire

Corporal Albert Button

Leave a comment
Corporal Albert Button

The early life of Albert James Button is a challenge to piece together. Born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1892, his father was also called Albert. When he finished his schooling, he found work as a hotel clerk, settling at 58 Stirling Street, Fremantle. He married a woman called Gladys, and, in his free time, he volunteered in the local militia.

When war broke out, Albert stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 9th December 1915, his service papers confirming that he was 5ft 8ins (1.72m) tall and weighed 129lbs (58.5kg). He was noted as having fair hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion: he also had two vaccination marks on his left arm, and a mole on the right side of his neck.

Private Button spent the first half of 1916 training. His voluntary experience put him in good stead, and, he was promoted to Sergeant on 28th March. Towards the end of July, his unit – the 44th Battalion – left Fremantle for Britain, and he arrived in Plymouth, Devon, some two months later.

Sergeant Button was billeted at the ANZAC camp in Codford, Wiltshire. For a unknown reason, when he arrived at the base on 19th September, he was demoted to the rank of Corporal – it is unclear whether or not this was his choice. At this point, he was transferred to the 51st Battalion.

While in Wiltshire, Albert’s training continued. A local newspaper described what happened next:

Mr FAP Sylvester held an inquest at Codford, on Saturday, relative to the death of Corporal Albert James Button, 23, of the Australian Imperial Forces. The deceased, with several of his comrades, was in a bay awaiting his turn to throw a hand grenade, when a private named Taylor, who was in the throwing bay with an instructor, landed his grenade in the opposite direction to that intended, with the result that it pitched into the midst of the soldiers in the waiting bay. Being warned most of the men got away, but the deceased seemed paralysed and stayed until the bomb exploded. He was struck in the head and died almost immediately. Several of his comrades were struck i the legs, but their wounds were not serious. Pte. Taylor’s explanation was that the lever of the grenade caught in his thumb and caused him to swing his arm around. A verdict of “Accidental death” was returned.

[Devizes and Wilts Advertiser: Thursday 30th November 1916]

Albert James Button died on 23rd November 1916: he was 24 years of age. He was laid to rest in the recently extended graveyard of St Mary’s Church, Codford. The epitaph on his headstone starts “In loving memory of my comrade”, but it is unclear who specifically paid for it. Was it Private Taylor? We may never know.

Gladys seems to have distanced herself from her husband’s passing. His memorial plaque and medals were returned undelivered, and his pension seems to have gone unclaimed. It was only in 1923 that the Australian Military Forces were able to confirm that she had remarried, and moved to Sydney.

Private Albert Button
(from findagrave.com)

Private Button’s service papers shed more detail on the incident that took his life. Evidently a summary of notes taken during the inquest, they are light on punctuation:

Inquiry into the death of a soldier in that he on 23.11.16 at Codford whiles in the bay of a live bomb throwing pitch was killed. The bomb was known by 2264 Pte Taylor of 50th Btn now attached to the 13th Inf Btn, which struck against the top of the parapet to the head of the thrower, owing probably to the spin of the bomb came back and dropped on the inside edge of the bay. All men were warned… to reach cover with the exception of 1870 Cpl Button AJJ 51st Battn. who seemed paralysed with fear. He remained in the bay and was found after the explosion lying across the sandbags which were placed at the entrance to prevent the bombs which were thrown against the parapet from falling into the pen. Other soldiers were wounded by shrapnel effect, because instead of falling down flat when a short distance from the bay, continued to run. The bomb not being as was thought a five second bomb, exploded in three seconds (witness 2nd Liet. JW Swanse 45th Bn)… The Court declared that the occurrence was purely accidental owing to the inexperience of live bomb throwing and nervousness on the part of the thrower, also that no blame is attached to any persons concerned in the practice.

[Service papers for Corporal Albert Button]