Category Archives: Stoker

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

Stoker 1st Class Frederick Lutitt

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Stoker 1st Class Frederick Lutitt

Frederick Lutitt was born on 23rd May 1897, one of thirteen children – and one of twins – to Thomas and Mary Lutitt. Thomas was a sailor and so was away at sea a lot of the time. This left Mary raising the family alone, and the conditions seemed to have been against her.

The 1891 census recorded Mary as living at 11 Meard Street in St James, London. She was sharing the property with four other families at the time, although, with eight children by this point, hers was the largest. She was 40 year old and was earning some money working as a tailoress, as where here two oldest daughters.

Ten years later, and by now Mary was living in a new house; Thomas was away again, but four of her children – including Frederick – were still living at home, and there was also a boarder, 16-year old printer’s boy Albert Poulter. Frederick and his twin, Charles, were working as errand boys at the local docks, while Mary was still tailoring.

Frederick was keen on bettering himself, however, and, on 25th January 1906, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. He signed up as a Stoker 2nd Class for an initial five year term of service, with another seven years in the reserve. His service records show that he has begun work as a labourer, and that he was 5ft 3.5ins (1.61m) tall, had brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker Lutitt served on four ships during his term of service – HMS Acheron, Attentive, Endymion and Indomitable – and was promoted to Stoker 1st Class. Between each posting, however, he returned to his base port, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, which was also known as HMS Pembroke.

Frederick was stood down from active duty in January 1911 and that year’s census found him living back with his family in two rooms off Tottenham Court Road. Tailoress Mary was still very much the head of the household, with Frederick and Charles – who was employed as a trouser presser still at home. Mary’s daughter, Ada, had moved back in with her two children in tow.

Storm clouds were gathering over Europe, and Frederick’s time on reserve was limited. He was recalled to HMS Pembroke in October 1912, and soon found himself at sea, on board the cruiser HMS St George. The following year, he was assigned to another cruiser – HMS Apollo – which had been converted to a minelayer.

Romance was in the air for Stoker Luttit, and on 11th April 1914, he married Edith Lambert. She was a plumber’s daughter from Kentish Town, and the couple wed at St Pancras Register Office, while he was on leave.

Two further postings awaited Frederick, the minesweeper HMS Bluebell and the coastguard gunboat, HMS Colleen. By July 1917, however, he found himself back at the dockyard in Chatham. It was a busy place that summer, and temporary accommodation was installed at Chatham Drill Hall. Frederick found himself billeted there.

On the 3rd September 1917, the German Air Force carried out its first night air raid: Chatham was heavily bombed and the Drill Hall received a direct hit; Stoker 1st Class Lutitt was among those killed instantly. He was just 30 years of age.

Frederick Lutitt was laid to rest, alongside the other victims of the Chatham Air Raid, in the Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham.

Frederick’s headstone gives the incorrect initial, but the details are correct.

Frederick’s older brother, Richard, served in the army. Initially enlisting in 1893, he served in Malta. He was called back into service in April 1915, joining the West Riding Regiment as a Private. Sent to France, he was killed on 12th December 1917, at the age of 42 years old; he left behind a widow and five daughters. He was buried at the Windmill British Cemetery in Monchy-le-Prieu.

Commonwealth War Graves, County Durham, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, Stoker, story, war

Stoker George Bell

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Stoker George Bell

George Joseph Bell was born on 9th October 1890 in South Shields, County Durham. He was one of four children – all boys – to George and Eleanor Bell. George Sr was from Chatham in Kent and worked as a boilermaker for a shipbuilder.

Both of George Jr’s parents died when he and his siblings were in their teens. Times were definitely harsh for them: George’s older brother Robert was a coal teemer – unloading the carts at the Tyneside docks. His younger brother, Matthew, was a pit pony driver for the Bolden Colliery. George himself was a pressed glass manufacturer.

The 1911 census recorded Robert, George and Matthew boarding with the Easter family; renting a room in a three-bedroomed house on Commercial Road, South Shields, within spitting distance of the docks and river.

George was, by this point, courting a young lady a few doors down from him. Harriet Shield was the daughter of one of the dock labourers; the couple married at St Hilda’s Parish Church on 30th November 1912.

War was coming to Europe, and on 18th December 1914, George enlisted to play his part. His service records show that he stood 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall, had blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having tattoos of a heart and his initials on his left forearm.

George joined the Royal Naval Reserve – this suggests that he had previously had some sea-going experience, although there is no specific evidence of this. He was given the role of Stoker, and was sent to HMS Pembroke – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – for training.

Stoker Bell’s first posting – and where he spent to most of 1915 – was on board the seaplane tender HMS Engadine. He returned to Chatham that November, before being assigned to the minesweeper HMS Gentian two months later.

After five months patrolling the North Sea, Stoker Bell returned to HMS Pembroke in June 1917. The Dockyard was a busy place that summer, and temporary accommodation was needed quickly. Chatham Drill Hall was brought into service, and George found himself billeted there.

On the 3rd September 1917, the German Air Force carried out its first night air raid: Chatham was heavily bombed and the Drill Hall received a direct hit; Stoker Bell was among those killed instantly. He was just 27 years of age.

George Joseph Bell was laid to rest alongside the other victims of the Chatham Air Raid, in the Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham.

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

Stoker 1st Class Henry Hill

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Stoker 1st Class Henry Hill

Henry Charles Hill was born in Eton Wick, Berkshire, on 16th December 1894. He was the son of Alfred and Sarah Hill and was one of seven children – tragically only he and his younger sister survived childhood. Arthur was a wheelwright and, while Henry worked as a jobbing gardener when he left school, by the time he was eighteen, he had found employment as a cycle fitter.

Storm clouds were brewing over Europe and, on 14th April 1913, Henry enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class. His service records show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall, had brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion; it was also noted that he had a scar under his left eye.

Henry was sent to HMS Pembroke – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – for his training, but was given his first posting on HMS St George on 22nd November 1913. After five months on board, he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class and transferred to the battleship HMS King George V.

Stoker Hill spent more than three years at sea, before returning to HMS Pembroke in July 1917. The Dockyard was particularly busy that summer, and the large number of extra servicemen meant that Henry was billeted in temporary accommodation in Chatham Drill Hall.

On the 3rd September 1917, the first night air raid carried out by the German Air Force bombarded the town, and scored a direct hit on the Drill Hall; Stoker Hill was among those killed instantly. He was just 22 years of age.

Henry Charles Hill was laid to rest, along with the other victims of the Chatham Air Raid, in the Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham.

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

Stoker 1st Class Leonard Fish

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Stoker 1st Class Leonard Fish

Leonard Fish was born on 24th November 1893, one of eleven children to Arthur and Elizabeth. Arthur was a maltser (brewer) from Hertfordshire and is was in Ware that Leonard was born.

While Leonard’s older brothers followed in their father’s brewing footsteps, he worked as a farm labourer after leaving school. He wanted bigger things, however, and, on 25th February 1913, he enlisted in the Royal Navy.

Leonard’s service records show that he stood 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall, had brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He enlisted as a Stoker 2nd Class, and was sent to HMS Pembroke – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – for training.

Over the next four years, Stoker Fish travelled far and wide. His initial sea posting was on board the battleship HMS King Edward VII; he served on board for nearly two-and-a-half years, gaining a promotion to Stoker 1st Class in the process.

After a brief spell back in Chatham, Leonard was sent to HMS Vivid – a similar shore-based establishment in Devonport – and from there he was assigned to the newly fitted out battleship HMS Royal Oak. Within the month she was at the heart of the Battle of Jutland, and continued to protect the North Sea convoys.

Stoker Fish returned to HMS Pembroke in August 1917. The Dockyard was particularly busy that summer, and the large number of extra servicemen meant that Leonard was billeted in temporary accommodation in Chatham Drill Hall.

On the 3rd September 1917, the first night air raid carried out by the German Air Force bombarded the town, and scored a direct hit on the Drill Hall; Stoker Fish was among those killed. He was just 23 years of age.

Leonard Fish was laid to rest, along with the other victims of the Chatham Air Raid, in the Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham.

Stoker Leonard Fish
(from ancestry.co.uk)

Leonard’s older brother Frederick Fish also fought in the First World War.

Frederick was born three years before Leonard, and enlisted in the Royal West Kent Regiment in 1915. He was sent to France at the end of July, and gained the rank of Corporal.

He was killed in the fighting at the Somme on 13th July 1916. He was just 26 years of age, and left a widow, Ellen.

Corporal Frederick Fish was laid to rest in the Serre Road Cemetery No 2 in Beaumont-Hamel.

Corporal Frederick Fish
(from ancestry.co.uk)
Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, Kent, killed in action, London, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, Sussex, war

Stoker 1st Class Frederick Cable

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Stoker 1st Class Frederick Cable

Frederick Charles Cable was born on 22nd November 1890 in Eastbourne, West Sussex. He was the younger of three children to John and Louisa Cable, and the family lived on one floor of a three-storey house in the middle of the town.

When Frederick was born, John was working as a billiard marker, but it seems that this was a poor way to scratch together a living for a young father. The 1901 census found the family in London, where John had been born, and where he was not employed as a hotel waiter.

Sadly, the new set-up was not to last long: John died in 1905, leaving Louisa to raise her boys on her own. The next census record, in 1911, records the two of them living a five-room terraced house in East Finchley. They were not alone, however, as they were sharing it with a widow – Elizbeth Hickinbottom – and her 34-year old son, George.

A year later, George and Louisa married, and went on to have a daughter, also called Louisa. Frederick, meanwhile, was to find love of his own, and, in the spring of 1914, while working as a milkman, he married Dorothy Ada Laurence. They would go on to have a son, who they named after his father, a year later.

By this point, war was raging in Europe, and Frederick was called to do his duty in May 1915. His records show that he was 5ft 7ins (1.70m) tall, had dark brown hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion and was given the rank of Stoker 2nd Class.

Over the next couple of years, Frederick served on two ships – HMS Actaeon and HMS Weymouth – and it was on board the latter that he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class in April 1916. The majority of his time, however, was spent on shore-based establishments: HMS Victory in Hampshire and HMS Pembroke in Kent.

The Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham (HMS Pembroke) was where he spent most of his time, and was where he returned to in the summer of 1917. It was a particularly busy place at that point in the war and temporary accommodation was set up. Frederick 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 Cable was killed instantly. He was just 26 years old.

Ninety-eight servicemen perished during the Chatham Air Raid that night. They were buried in a mass funeral at the Woodlands Cemetery in nearby Gillingham. This, too, is where Frederick Charles Cable was laid to rest.

Frederick’s brother John Cable also fought in the First World War. He served as a Sergeant in the 21st Battalion Middlesex Regiment and was killed at the Battle of St Quentin on 25th March 1918. He was 28 years old and left a widow and three children. #

Serjeant John Cable is commemorated on the Arras Memorial in Northern France.

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

Stoker 2nd Class Charles Cash

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Stoker 2nd Class Charles Cash

Charles Cash was born on 8th August 1893 in Stepney, East London. He was one of seven children to Samuel and Clara Cash. The 1901 census gives Samuel’s trade as a fish porter, while his wife was recorded as a scrubber in a Sick Asylum.

Samuel died not long after the census was taken, and the family seems to have dissipated. Charles is recorded as having entered the local workhouse with his younger brother on 1st August 1906: the reason for admission being being deserted by their mother.

The next census record – taken in 1911 – raises some hope for Charles as it found him living with his mother’s sister and brother-in-law in Bow, where he was working as a labourer in a chemical works.

Things continued to look up for young Charles. On 1st August 1915 – nine years after entering the workhouse, he married Florence Elizabeth Ribbons, a labourer’s daughter from Poplar. The couple went on to have one child, a daughter named after her mother, in October 1916.

War was, by this point, raging across Europe and, despite having a new baby, Charles had to play his part. On 12th December 1916, he joined the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class, and, given his age, it is likely that he was drafted, rather than volunteering.

Stoker Cash’s service records show that he was 5th 7.5ins (1.71m) tall, he had dark brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion. He was posted to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, and it was here that he served for nine months.

The summer of 1917 was particularly busy for the base, and temporary accommodation was set up in the Drill Hall; this is where Charles found himself billeted.

On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line as a wave of German aircraft bombed the town. The Drill Hall received a direct hit, and Stoker Cash was amongst those to be instantly killed. He was just 24 years old.

Ninety-eight servicemen perished during the Chatham Air Raid that night. They were buried in a mass funeral at the Woodlands Cemetery in nearby Gillingham. This, too, is where Charles Cash was laid to rest.

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

Stoker 2nd Class Harry Barker

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Stoker 2nd Class Harry Barker

Harry Barker is one of those people whose lives are likely to remain lost to time as very little information remains that can be directly connected to him.

The only document that can be directly attributed to him is his Royal Navy service record. This confirms Harry’s date and place of birth as 5th January 1896 in West Dereham, Norfolk and confirms that he was a farm labourer before enlisting.

Census records confirm that, in 1901 there was a Harry Barker living in that village. He was residing with his grandparents – Robert and Elisabeth Barker – their son, Cornelius, and five more of their grandchildren.

One of the Barkers’ grandsons, Sidney, appears next to a Harry Barker on the 1911 census. Both were inmates at the Downham Union Workhouse, as does a Cornelius Barker. It seems likely, therefore, that the three are connected, and that this is the Harry Barker who appears on the service records five years later.

Harry’s records show that he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class on 27th October 1916. He was 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall, had brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker Barker was initially stationed at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. After six months he received his first ocean-going post, aboard the dreadnought battleship HMS Hibernia. He spent five months on board, before returning to Chatham.

He was billeted in the Drill Hall, which had been set up with temporary accommodation during 1917, when the barracks themselves became overcrowded.

On the 3rd September 1917, the German Air Force carried out one of its first night-time air raids on England: Chatham was heavily bombed and the Drill Hall received a direct hit. Stoker Barker was amongst those killed instantly. He was just 20 years of age.

Harry Barker was laid to rest, along with the other victims of the Chatham Air Raid, in the Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham.

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

Stoker 1st Class Joseph Jackson

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Stoker 1st Class Joseph Jackson

Joseph Charles Sackett Jackson was born in Rotherhithe, Surrey, on 4th May 1884, and was on of seven children. His father – post office worker Joseph Jackson Sr – died in 1895, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise the family.

She soon married Matthew Newton, a widower himself, and the 1901 census found the couple living in Asylum Road, Peckham with eleven of their children and step-children. Joseph, who was 17 years old by this point, was one of only four of the household to be working, and was employed as a brass turner.

Keen to better himself, Joseph looked to a longer career and, in September 1901, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. His service records show that he was 5ft 3ins (1.6m) tall, had dark brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion.

Initially underage, he served on the home front, Joseph was based at the shore establishments around the country – HMS President (London), HMS Pembroke (Chatham Dockyard, Kent) and HMS Victory (Portsmouth, Hampshire). In 1906, when he turned 23, he formally enlisted in the Royal Navy, and was given the rank of Stoker 2nd Class.

Over the next year, Joseph served on three vessels – HMS Hawke, HMS Dido and HMS Pathfinder – and was promoted to Stoker 1st Class. He continued his work at sea, but returned to HMS Pembroke in between voyages.

In the summer of 1913, Stoker Jackson was assigned to the battleship HMS Dominion, and it was here that he spent the next four years. He was promoted again, this time to Leading Stoker. He returned to HMS Pembroke in August 1917, although he was again given the rank of Stoker 1st Class.

Chatham Dockyard was particularly busy that summer, and the large number of extra servicemen meant that Joseph was billeted in temporary accommodation in Chatham Drill Hall.

On the 3rd September 1917, the first night air raid carried out by the German Air Force bombarded the town, and scored a direct hit on the Drill Hall; Stoker 1st Class Jackson was among those killed instantly. He was 33 years old.

Joseph Charles Sackett Jackson was laid to rest, along with the other victims of the Chatham Air Raid, in the Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham.

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

Stoker Petty Officer Oliver Marchant

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Stoker Petty Officer Oliver Marchant

Oliver Marchant was born in Beaminster, Dorset, on 21st September 1874. One of eight children, his parents were agricultural labourer William Marchant and his wife Hannah. Oliver’s parents had been born in Devon, and this is where they moved the family back to.

When he left school, Oliver and his older sister found work as a farm hands. They were employed at Compton Pool Farm, and were fortunate enough to be able to live in. Oliver ended up working on the farm for three years, becoming a groom in the process. A more secure career beckoned, however, and, on 11th January 1894, he enlisted as a Stoker 2nd Class in the Royal Navy.

Oliver’s service records show that he signed up for a period of twelve years. He was 5ft 4ins (1.62m) tall, had dark hair, brown eyes and a ruddy complexion. He was initially posted to HMS Vivid – the Royal Naval Base in Devonport – but soon found himself at sea on board HMS Endymion. He spent a year on board and, during this time, was promoted to Stoker 1st Class.

Over the remaining period of his service, Oliver served on five further vessels, returning each time to HMD Vivid as his base. His hard work paid off, and he was promoted to Leading Stoker and Petty Officer Stoker by the time he renewed his service contract in 1906.

During his time in between sea voyages, Oliver met Alice Honeywill; the couple married in August 1904 and set up home in Newton Abbot. They did not go on to have any children.

Back at sea, and over the next eleven years, Stoker Petty Officer Marchant served on a further eight vessels. In between times, he was based at the barracks in Devonport, and it was here that he returned in November 1917, when he fell ill.

Oliver had contracted tuberculosis and, after a short time in hospital, he was discharged from the Royal Naval on medical grounds, as the condition had rendered him no longer fit enough undertake his work. He returned home to Newton Abbot.

At this point, Oliver Marchant’s trail goes cold. He passed away at his home in Newton Abbot on 4th January 1919, at the age of 44 years old. While the cause is not recorded, it seems likely to have been the result of his lung condition. He was laid to rest in the town’s cemetery.

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

Stoker 1st Class William Bullock

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Stoker 1st Class William Bullock

William Bullock was born on 25th December 1882, one of nine children to William and Ellen Bullock. William Sr was a fish fryer from London, and this is where he and Ellen brought up their family.

When he left school, William worked as a coster and porter, and, in 1909, he married long time love Amelia Horrigan. The couple went on to have four children: two boys and two girls.

War was closing in on Europe and, on 23rd November 1915, William enlisted. He joined the Royal Navy a a Stoker 2nd Class: his service records state that he stood 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall, had dark brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker Bullock’s first posting was HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard at Chatham, Kent. He spent most of his time there, returning to the base after voyages on board HMS Cheerful and HMS Shannon. It was while on board the Shannon that William was promoted to Stoker 1st Class.

In August 1917, William was back at HMS Pembroke. The Dockyard was particularly busy that summer, and the large number of extra servicemen meant that he found himself billeted in temporary accommodation in Chatham Drill Hall.

On the 3rd September 1917, the first night air raid carried out by the German Air Force bombarded the town, and scored a direct hit on the Drill Hall; Stoker 1st Class Bullock was among those killed instantly. He was 34 years old.

William Bullock was laid to rest, along with the other victims of the Chatham Air Raid, in the Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham. Tragically, the Navy Death records state that he was: Buried as “unidentified” in one of the following graves – 516, 522, 735, 642, 935, 937 or 948.