Category Archives: Stoker

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, Middlesex, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class Frederick Benmore

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Stoker 1st Class Frederick Benmore

Frederick George Benmore was born in Blackwall, Middlesex, on 5th November 1895. The middle of nine children, his parents were William and Emily Benmore. William was a barge builder, and the family grew up around the docklands, first taking rooms as 212 Leven Road, Bromley-by-Bow, then at 5 Oak Road, Canning Town.

By the time of the 1911 census, Frederick was working as a labourer, picking iron to earn his keep. His was one of three wages coming into the household: his older brother William was a dock labourer, boiling pitch, while William was employed as a sawyer, building barges.

When war broke out, London’s docks were a key focal point. Keen to play his part, keen to earn a regular pay packet, Frederick stepped up, and enlisted. He joined the Royal Navy on 29th July 1915, as a Stoker 2nd Class. His service papers show that he was 5ft 5.5ins (1.66m) tall, with brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion. He had a number of tattoos on both forearms.

Stoker Benmore’s base would be HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. He was quickly put to work, and was assigned to the depot ship HMS Tyne. She would remain his home until the end of May 1917, by which point he had been promoted to Stoker 1st Class. His annual reviews note a very good character, and a satisfactory ability.

By the summer of 1917, Frederick was back at HMS Pembroke. It was a particularly busy place at that point in the war and temporary barracks had been set up. Stoker Benmore found himself billeted at The Drill Hall, waiting for his next posting.

On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line, as the German Air Force launched a bombing raid. One of the bombs landed squarely on the Drill Hall, and Stoker 1st Class Benmore was among the dozens to be killed. He was 21 years of age.

The body of Frederick George Benmore was taken back to London for burial. He was laid to rest in the East London Cemetery, Plaistow.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

Chief Stoker, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Leading Stoker, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker Petty Officer William Bruce

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Stoker Petty Officer William Bruce

William Bruce was born in Chatham, Kent, on 3rd July 1873. The oldest of fourteen children, his parents were David and Sarah Bruce. David worked as a blacksmith in the local dockyard, and this is a job that William also followed when he finished his schooling.

For the early part of William’s life, the Bruce family lived on Fort Pitt Street, initially at No. 29, then, as the family grew, No. 42. Working as a blacksmith brought in a salary, but the navy offered William more of a career and, on 20th June 1893, he signed up.

Stoker 2nd Class Bruce’s service papers show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall, with dark brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion. He would spend a total of 13 years with the Royal Navy and, unsurprisingly, given where he was living, he would be based out of HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham.

William spent six months at HMS Wildfire – the dockyard in Sheerness, Kent – during the summer of 1893, before returning to Pembroke. She would remain his home for the next three years, during which time he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class. His time back at Pembroke was not without incident, however, and he spent three days in the cells for an unconfirmed misdemeanour in August 1894.

On 14th January 1896, Stoker Bruce was given his first sea-going posting, on board the cruiser HMS Endymion. Over the remaining nine years of his initial contract, he would go on to spend time on three further ships. William’s commitment to the role was now becoming evident: he was promoted to Leading Stoker 2nd Class in October 1900, and Leading Stoker 1st Class less than four years later.

Away from the sea, love was blossoming for William. On 12th February 1900, he married Nellie Benster, a dressmaker and lady’s companion from Chatham. The couple took rooms at 145 Thorold Road, a home for the new bride while her husband was away at sea.

When Leading Stoker Bruce’s 12-year contract came to an end, he immediately renewed it. In August 1905, he was assigned to the battleship HMS Resolution, and he remained on board for the next nine months. William’s next assignment was another battleship, HMS Triumph, and he would be attached to her for nearly six years.

On 1st July 1906, William was promoted to Stoker Petty Officer. He retained this rank until December 1910, when he reverted to Leading Stoker. His papers hint at the cause for this demotion: his annual review had dropped from very good to merely good after he took the new role.

Over the next two years, Leading Stoker Bruce went on to serve on three further ships: the depot ship HMS Aquarius, the cruiser HMS Talbot and the sloop HMS Cadmus. By December 1912, William seems to have proved his mettle once more, and was promoted to Stoker Petty Officer again.

William remained on Cadmus for more than three years, returning to Chatham in the spring of 1916. Over the next few months, his health began to suffer and he was admitted to the town’s Royal Naval Hospital with pneumonia. The condition would get the better of him, and he passed away on 20th October 1916, at the age of 43 years old.

The body of William Bruce was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.

Additional, Cambridgeshire, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class Herbert Bavister

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Stoker 1st Class Herbert Bavister

AN AIR-RAID VICTIM

Killed in Barracks After Passing Through Many Battles

A Cambridge family which already had a splendid record suffered another loss by air raid on the Chatham-Sheerness district on Monday night in the death of Stoker Herbert Bavister. It will be remembered that a bomb fell on the naval barracks at Chatham, causing terrible casualties…

Stoker Bavister, the son of Mrs Bavister, of 68, New-street, was 28 years of age, and had been in the Navy over seven years. He had a grand record, having taken part in the Battle of Falkland Isles on December 8th, 1914, in the attack on the Dardanelles, both in the attack on the outer forts on February 19th and on the Chanak Forts on March 18th, 1915, and in the Battle of Jutland on March 31st-June 1st, 1916. He did not receive a scratch in any of these battles.

There are three brothers in the Army, on of whom – Pte. J Bavister, of the Rifle Brigare – was taken prisoner by the Germans during the retreat from Mons. The other two are Pte. W Bavister, of the Bedford Regiment, and Pte. A Bavister, of the Middlesex Regiment. Stoker Bavister was well known in Cambridge, and will be greatly missed by a wide circle of friends.

[Cambridge Daily News: Saturday 8th September 1917]

Herbert Lewis Bavister was born in Cambridge on 31st July 1889. The youngest of eight children, his parents were farm labourer William, and his wife, Ann. The 1891 census found the family living at the long-since-gone 8 Wellington Passage, to the east of the city centre.

By the time of the 1901 census, it seems that family were splitting. William was missing from the document and, given his age, and his passing a few years later, it may be that he had been admitted to a hospital or institution. Anne was living in a small cottage at 9 Albert Street, and was working as a charwoman. She was supported by three of her sons – Simon, Alfred and William – all of whom were employed as carters on a farm, while 11-year-old Herbert completed the household.

The 1911 census found a further moved for Ann and Herbert. The other children having flown the nest, it was just the two of them, living at 64 New Street, a one-up, one-down cottage on the outskirts of the city. Now 66 years of age, Ann was not working, and it was down to Herbert, employed as a fishmonger’s assistant, to bring in the money.

Supporting his widowed mother was clearly important to Herbert, and his shop salary was not enough to provide for her properly. He needed a regular pay packet, and the Royal Navy seemed to offer that security. On 30th May 1911 he enlisted, and was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. With the rank of Stoker 2nd Class, his papers show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall, with brown hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion.

Following his induction, Stoker Bavister was given his first assignment, on board the battlecruiser HMS Inflexible. She would be his home for the next six years, and the newspaper article both outlines his time on board and his promotion to Stoker 1st Class, which came in June 1912.

The summer of 1917 found Herbert back on dry land in Chatham, his tenure aboard Inflexible at an end. HMS Pembroke was a particularly busy place at that point in the war and temporary accommodation was set up. Stoker Bavister found himself billeted at The Drill Hall, away from the main barracks.

On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line, as the German Air Force launched a bombing raid. One of the bombs landed squarely on the Drill Hall, and Stoker Bavister was amongst the dozens killed. He was just 28 years old.

The body of Herbert Lewis Bavister was taken back to Cambridgeshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the city’s Mill Road Cemetery.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Leading Stoker, Oxfordshire, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker Petty Officer Alfred Bishop

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Stoker Petty Officer Alfred Bishop

Alfred Bishop was born on 18th June 1892 in the Oxfordshire town of Burford. The oldest of eleven children, his parents were Samuel and Emily Bishop. Samuel was employed by a local tannery, and the 1901 census found the family living on Guildenford, to the east of the town centre.

Alfred would initially follow his father into the tannery, where he was employed as a harness maker. However, he had his sights set on bigger and better things and, on 24th January 1911, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. His service records show that he was just under 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall, with brown hair, hazel eyes and a ruddy complexion. The document also noted a scar on his left groin following a varicocele operation.

Stoker 2nd Class Bishop was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. In August 1911 he was given his first posting, on board the cruiser HMS Black Prince. She would remain his home for the next nine months, during which he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class.

Over the next four years, Alfred would serve on five further vessels, returning to HMS Pembroke between each assignment. On 10th April 1916, he joined the crew of the cruised HMS Liverpool, and would remain with her for more than two years.

By this point Stoker Bishop’s annual reviews were increasingly positive, noting a very good character and a superior ability. This would pay off: in June 1916 he was promoted to Leading Stoker, with a rise to Stoker Petty Officer following two years later.

Alfred remained in the Royal Navy until 6th August 1919, when he was medically discharged with tuberculosis. By this point he had served for more than eight years, and had served on eight vessels.

Following his discharge, Alfred returned to Oxfordshire. The 1921 census found him living at 9a Markey Square with his wife, Eliza, and their five-month-old daughter, Bertha. There is little information about Eliza, but it seems likely that the couple met after her husband had returned home.

At this point, Alfred Bishop’s trail goes cold. He passed away on 29th August 1921, at the age of 29 years old. His body was laid to rest in the graveyard of St John the Baptist’s Church, in his home town of Burford.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class Lancelot Cramp

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Stoker 1st Class Lance Cramp

Lancelot Percival Cramp was born in the Kent village of Sutton on 7th June 1891. The youngest of five children, his parents were bootmaker Alfred Cramp and his wife Elizabeth.

Lancelot – who preferred to be called Lance – seems to have had a disjointed childhood. Neither of his parents are recorded in the 1901 census, while he is noted as living with his widowed aunt, also called Elizabeth, in Ticehurst, Kent.

By the time he completed his schooling, Lance found work as a tinsmith. However, he sought a bigger and better career and, on 30th April 1910, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. Assigned the role of Stoker 2nd Class, his papers note that he was 5ft 3ins (1.6m) tall, with auburn hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker Cramp was sent to HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. He was then sent to the battleship HMS Renown for his first assignment.

Over the next four years, Lance would serve on seven ships in total, returning to Portsmouth in between assignments. His service record notes a very good character and satisfactory ability and, in September 1911, he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class.

On 8 February 1914, Lance was given a new posting aboard the battleship HMS Bulwark. When war broke out, she was assigned to the Channel Fleet, which had the responsibility for patrolling and protecting Britain’s southern coastline.

On the morning of 26 November 1914, Bulwark lay anchored in the River Medway near Sheerness while taking on shells and ammunition. During the process, improperly stored cordite charges overheated and ignited nearby munitions. The massive explosion that followed tore the ship apart, killing more than 740 members of the crew. Stoker Lance Cramp was amongst those who died: he was 23 years of age.

Those who were killed in the explosion were buried in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent. The body of Lancelot Percival Cramp was identified, and laid to rest in a marked grave.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war, Wiltshire

Stoker 2nd Class George Mead

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Stoker 2nd Class George Mead

George Mead was born on 18th September 1900 in the Wiltshire village of Semley. The youngest of eleven children, his parents were police sergeant George Mead and his wife, Rebecca.

The 1911 census recorded the Mead family as having moved to Chapmanslade, near Westbury. George Sr and Rebecca were set up in a five-room cottage, Forest View, with George Jr and two of his older sisters – Edith and Margaret – also living there.

Rebecca passed away when her youngest was just sixteen years of age and, on 12th March 1917, George Jr’s older brother Charlie, a Private in the Worcestershire Regiment, was killed in action while fighting in France. It seems that his younger sibling was keen to prove his mettle before peace was declared and, on the day after his eighteenth birthday, he gave up his job as a carter and enlisted in the Royal Navy.

Stoker 2nd Class Mead’s service records show that he was 5ft 10.5ins (1.79m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He was sent off to HMS Vivid – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, Devon – for his training.

Tragically, George Jr’s time in the navy was to be short. He contracted pneumonia and as admitted to the naval hospital in Plymouth. The illness was to prove too severe, and he passed away on 7th October 1918: he was eighteen years of age, and had been in the Royal Navy for just 18 days.

The body of George Mead Jr was taken back to Wiltshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the extension to St Margaret’s Church, Corsley, not far from where his grieving father still lived.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Northamptonshire, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker Herbert Barber

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Stoker Herbert Barber

The early life of Herbert Frederick Barber is a challenge to unpick. His navy service papers confirm that he was born on 12th December 1877 in Great Billing, Northamptonshire. His is not an uncommon name for the area, and Herbert Barbers appear on a number of census records. His parents are likely to have been shoe maker Frederick Barber and his wife, Jane.

In the summer of 1898, Herbert married Agnes Wood. He had found work as a bricklayer’s labourer by this point, and had set up home in Weston Favell, to the east of Northampton town centre. Agnes was a farm labourer’s daughter from nearby Great Billing: the couple went on to have six children – of whom four survived infancy.

The 1911 census found the Barber family – Herbert, Agnes and children Edith, Lilian, Fred and James – living in a five-roomed house in Weston Favell. Herbert was still labouring, but gave his employer as the navy.

When war broke out, Herbert stepped up to serve his country. He enlisted on 22nd September 1915, and his service records give his occupation as a gas stoker (although this was crossed out and replaced with “feller’s mate”). He was recorded as being 5ft 8.5ins (1.74m) tall, with grey hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.

Herbert took on the role of Stoker 1st Class, and was sent to HMS Victory – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire – for his training. He remained there for six months – including ten days in the cells for an unrecorded offence – before being sent down the coast to Dartmouth in Devon.

Stoker Barber remained on-shore for his naval career. By July 1917 he had returned to Portsmouth, and this is where he would stay for the next fourteen months. In the summer of 1918 he fell ill, and was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Haslar with pneumonia. The condition would prove his undoing: he passed away on 7th September, at the age of 40 years old.

Barber, Pte. [sic] HF, husband of Mrs Barber of Weston Favell, and son of Mr and Mrs F Barber, Great Billing, died of pneumonia on September 7, after four days’ illness at RN Hospital, Haslar.

[Northampton Mercury – Friday 20 September 1918]

The body of Herbert Frederick Barber was taken back to Northamptonshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the Great Billing Roman Catholic Cemetery.

Agnes was left to raise her children alone. The 1939 England and Wales Register found her living at 10 High Street, Weston Favell, next door to her son Fred and his family. Working as a small shop keeper, she also had two boarders to bring in some additional money.

Agnes lived on until the age of 98: she died on 27th February 1975.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, Herefordshire, history, illness, Kent, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class Herbert Lee

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Stoker 1st Class Herbert Lee

Herbert Lee was born in the Herefordshire village of Dilwyn on 16th August 1896. The sixth of eight children, he was one of five sons to Charles and Frances Lee. Charles was a waggoner on a local farm and, when he finished his schooling, his son found work as a farm hand there.

When war broke out, Herbert was quick to step up and play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Navy on 14th October 1914, taking on the role of Stoker 2nd Class. His service papers show that he was 5ft 4.5ins (1.64m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker Lee was sent to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – also known as HMS Pembroke – for his training. Over the next five years, he seems to have been mainly shore-based, transferring between units in Chatham and at HMS Victory, the navy dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire. In August 1915, he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class, and his records note a very good character with a superior ability.

Herbert survived the war and, by the start of 1919, he was back in Chatham. He had fallen ill by this point, and, having contracted the highly contagious tuberculosis, he was medically discharged from navy service on 19th March 1919.

Herbert Lee battled his condition bravely, but would ultimately succumb to it. He passed away on 8th October 1920, at the age of 24 years old. He was laid to rest in the tranquil surrounds of St Mary’s Churchyard in his home village of Dilwyn.

Commonwealth War Graves, Essex, Great War, Hampshire, history, Kent, killed in action, Leading Telegraphist, London, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, Telegraphist, war, Wiltshire

Leading Telegraphist Leonard Wort

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Leading Telegraphist Leonard Wort

Leonard James Wort was born in the Wiltshire village of Woodfalls, on 28th September 1888. He was the second of eleven children – and the oldest son – to James and Annie Wort.

James was a sawyer, but Leonard sought a better life for himself. Initially finding work as a blacksmith’s mate when he completed his schooling, but took up a career in the Royal Navy at the start of 1907. Employed as a Stoker 2nd Class, documents show that he was 5ft 6.5ins (1.69m) tall, and that he had brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having scars on the thumb and finger of his left hand.

Leonard was sent to the training ship HMS Nelson for his initial induction. He remained there for four months, before being given his first sea-faring appointment, on board the cruiser HMS Spartiate. Over the next seven years, he would serve on nine ships in total, but his service took an unexpected route.

In February 1908, Leonard was promoted to Stoker 1st Class, and the next expected progression would have been to Leading Stoker. However, year later, while serving on HMS Hindustan, he took a different route, and became a Telegraphist. He appears to have enjoyed this role, and been more than capable of carrying it out: his annual reviews noted his superior ability on more than one occasion.

Over the next few years, Leonard spent time at HMS Victory – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire – presumably to receive the training needed to undertake his role. At the start of 1911, he was promoted again, taking the rank of Leading Telegraphist.

Away from the sea, love was blossoming. Leonard had met Florence Bysouth, a casemaker’s daughter from Bankway, Hertfordshire. The couple exchanged their vows in Bromley, Kent, but had set up home in Poplar, East London.

In November 1912, Leading Telegraphist Wort was assigned to the pre-dreadnaught battleship HMS Bulwark. Part of the Channel Fleet, she was tasked with patrolling the southern coasts of Britain. On 26th November 1914, Bulwark was moored in the River Medway, close to Sheerness, and was being stocked with shells and ammunition. That morning, some of the cordite charges overheated, detonating the shells stored nearby. The resulting explosion ripped through the battleship, and more than 740 crew were killed. The body of Leading Telegraphist Wort was recovered: he was 26 years of age.

Those who were killed in the explosion were laid to rest during a mass funeral in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent. As his body had been identified, Leonard James Wort was laid to rest in a marked grave.

Leading Telegraphist Leonard Wort (from findagrave.com)

Leonard was not the only one of the Wort sons to sacrifice his life during the First World War. His younger brother, Alfred, also enlisted in the Royal Navy, giving up his role as footman and valet to serve as an Officer’s Steward.

Alfred’s service records show that he was attached to HMS Vivid – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport – when, on 4th April 1918, he drowned. He was 26 years of age, and left a widow and son.

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Essex, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Leading Stoker, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Leading Stoker Percy Curtis

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Leading Stoker Percy Curtis

Percy John Curtis was born on 2nd January 1889, the second of twelve children to Tom and Sabina Curtis. Tom was a general labourer from Todber, Dorset, and this is where the family were born and raised.

Much of Percy’s life is a mystery. He found work at sea when he finished his schooling, and in October 1911 he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Stoker 1st Class. His service papers show that he was 5ft 3ins (1.6m) tall, with brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker Curtis was initially assigned to the cruiser HMS Pathfinder, and remained on board until the summer of 1912. After a short sting at HMS Victory – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire – he was given another posting, aboard the battleship HMS King George V. She would become his home for the next four years, during which time Percy was promoted.

In September 1916, the now Leading Stoker Curtis returned to shore and to HMS Victory. He would remain at the base for the rest of his time in the navy.

On 5th November 1918, Percy married Kathleen Francis. She was the daughter of a Co-operative store manager from Dovercourt, Essex. She seems to have stayed with her family while her new husband was working, and a later census records confirms that she had returned (or remained) there after his death.

Percy’s service record gives a intriguing hint as to what happened, to him. By the end of the war he had been assigned to HMS Victory’s accounting branch. His papers simply state that he “Found dead on board 17 March 1919”. No cause of death is confirmed, although another naval document does confirm that it was due to illness, rather than any foul play. He was 30 years of age.

The body of Percy John Curtis was taken back to Dorset for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in Todber Churchyard, alongside his father, who had passed away the year before.