Tag Archives: 1915

Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Dorsetshire Regiment, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, India, Mesopotamia, photography, Private, Royal Navy, story, war

Private Thomas Adams

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Private Thomas Adams

Thomas Charles Adams was born on 18th April 1891 in Ilfracombe, Devon. The oldest of four children, his parents were Thomas and Amanda Adams. Thomas Sr was a mason turned builder, but his son seemed keen to carve his own path in life.

On 5th October 1905, Thomas Jr enlisted in the Royal Navy. His papers show that he was 5ft 6ins (1.67m) tall, with dark hair, hazel eyes and a dark complexion. His time with the navy seems to have been brief, he was sent to HMS Impregnable for training, but was discharged on 9th November 1905, the reason given being “Invd”. Later documents suggest that he was dismissed because he was under the regulation chest measurement, but it was likely due to the fact that he had added two years to his age in order to be accepted.

Thomas returned home, and found employment as a fitter. He was not to be deterred, however, and joined the Dorsetshire Regiment as a volunteer. On 30th January 1907 he gave up his job, and enlisted in the army full time. Thomas’ papers give similar physical descriptions to his naval record, but also include his weight, 123lbs (55.8kg).

Private Adams was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, and spent the next two years on home soil. On 5th January 1909, however, the life of adventure he had wanted truly began. His unit was sent to India, and he would remain overseas for more than six years. His time overseas was not without incident, however, and he had four separate admissions to hospital with neuralgia (in April 1909), gonorrhoea (1910 and 1912) and malaria (in 1914).

By May 1915, Thomas was back in Britain. He was still having health issues, however, and he was admitted to Netley Hospital, Hampshire, suffering from tuberculosis. The condition would lead to his discharge from the army, and he was formally stood down on 15th June 1915.

At this point, Thomas’ trail goes cold. It is likely that he returned to his family, who were now living in Combe Martin, Devon. This is where he passed away, on 14th October 1915, at the age of 24 years old.

The body of Thomas Charles Adams was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Peter’s Church, Combe Martin.

Canada, Canadian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, injury, Lieutenant, London, photography, Somerset, story, war, Wiltshire

Lieutenant Henry Jones

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Lieutenant Henry Jones

Lieut. H C Jones, of the 3rd Battalion Toronto Infantry, sone of Mr C J Jones, solicitor of Bradford-on-Avon, died on Friday morning in a London nursing home, as the result of wounds received in France about six weeks ago. Lieut. Jones, who was about 30 years of age, served his apprenticeship at Messrs. Stothert and Pitt’s, Bath, and afterwards went to Canada. He returned to England with the first Canadian contingent, as a sergeant in the Mechanical Transport. He received his commission in the Toronto Infantry last summer. Six weeks ago he was dangerously wounded in the jaw by shrapnel, while serving in France, and was taken to the Duchess of Westminster’s Hospital at La Touquet. There he was operated on by Dr Fraser, of Bath. He was later taken to a nursing home in London, where he underwent several operations. Death, however, took place yesterday morning, as stated above. Lieut. Jones’s only other brother is Second Lieut. B Jones of the… Wiltshires, and is serving in France. His eldest sister is also in France, serving as a military nurse.

[North Wilts Guardian: Friday 7th January 1916]

Henry Charles Jones was born on 22nd November 1884 in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire. The oldest of four children, his parents were Charles and Alice Jones. As the newspaper report suggested, Charles was a solicitor and, by the time of the 1891 census, the family were living in some comfort at 3 Woolley Street, near the town centre. Alice was supported by a domestic servant and two live-in nurses for the children.

The status quo remained until Henry moved to Bath to serve a the engineering company in Bath. From here, as the North Wilts Guardian suggests, he emigrated to Canada, although the exact dates for the move are unclear. He had certainly relocated to Valcartier, Quebec, by the summer of 1914, and was emplpyed as a chauffeur.

On 23rd September that year, with war declared in Europe, Henry joined the Canadian Infantry. His service papers show that he was 5ft 8.5ins (1.74m) tall, with dark brown hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion. He was noted as having two vaccination scars on his left arm, an appendectomy scar on his left side, a scar over his left knee and a mole on the back of his neck.

By the summer of 1915, Lieutenant Jones was in France when he fell ill. He was admitted to the 3rd London 85th Field Ambulance on 26th August, suffering from diarrhoea, and remained there for three days.

It was on 17th November 1915, that Henry was wounded. Where he was based at the time is unclear, but his unit – the 3rd Battalion (Toronto Regiment) were ensconced on the Western Front that autumn. The newspaper report outlined the progress his treatment took from there. He contracted septic pneumonia and it is to this that Lieutenant Jones seems to have succumbed. He died on 31st December 1915, at the age of 31 years old.

The body of Henry Charles Jones was taken back to Wiltshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of Christ Church, Bradford-on-Avon.

Their son’s death seems to have taken its toll on Henry’s parents. Charles died a year later, at the age of 67: Alice died just two months later, at the age of 62.

Henry’s headstone incorrectly gives the date of his death as 31st December 1914.

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Driver, Great War, history, photography, Royal Army Service Corps, story, unknown, war

Driver Arthur Dowland

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Driver Arthur Dowland

Arthur Dowland was born in the spring of 1884, and was the third of seven children to Austin and Maria Dowland. Austin was a coachman from Dorset, and the family seemed to travel with his work. By the time Arthur was born, they were living in Bourton, on the Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire borders.

There is little in the way of documentation to track Arthur’s life. He does not appear in the 1911 census, and a separate record suggests that he may have emigrated to Canada for work, returning to Britain by the time war broke out.

Driver Dowland’s service papers have been lost to time, but it is clear that he had enlisted in the Army Service Corps, and was attached to one of the Horse Transport companies.

Arthur’s time in the army was not to be a lengthy one, and it appears that he fell ill while training. He passed away at his parents’ home in Gillingham, Dorset, on 4th April 1915, at the age of 31 years old.

The body of Arthur Downland was laid to rest in Gillingham Cemetery .

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, story, Uncategorized, war, Wiltshire, Wiltshire Regiment

Private Joseph Barnes

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Private Joseph Barnes

Joseph Arthur Barnes was born in the spring of 1887, and was the youngest of four children to George and Hannah Barnes. George was a farm labourer from Longbridge Deverill, Wiltshire, and this is where he and Hannah – or Anna – raised their family.

When he completed his schooling, Joseph found work as a horseman on the farm, alongside his older brother, George. On 30th July 1913, he married Minnie Ring, a furniture maker’s daughter from the village. The couple exchanged vows in the parish church.

War was on the horizon, and a little over a year after their marriage, Joseph stepped up to play his part. He joined the Wiltshire Regiment and was assigned to the 3rd Battalion. Private Barnes was sent to Dorset for training, but his time in the army would not be a lengthy one.

Joseph contracted pneumonia, and was admitted to hospital in Weymouth. The condition would provide to severe, however, and he passed away on 9th April 1915: he was 27 years of age.

The body of Joseph Arthur Barnes was taken back to Wiltshire for burial: he was laid to rest in the tranquil surrounds of St Peter & St Paul’s Church, Longbridge Deverill.

Joseph’s brother George also served in the First World War. Assigned to the 1st Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment, he served on the Western Front. Private Barnes was killed in action on 5th August 1917, at the age of 33. He is commemorated on the Menin Gate.

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Driver, Great War, history, Ireland, photography, Royal Army Service Corps, story, unknown, war

Driver Walter Crabb

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Driver Walter Crabb

Walter George Crabb was born in the spring of 1893 in the Castleton area of Sherborne, Dorset. The oldest of ten children, his parents were Fred and Selina Crabb. Fred was a sawyer, but when Walter completed his schooling, he found employment as a bricklayer’s labourer. The 1911 census recorded the family as living in a 5-roomed cottage on Long Street.

When war came to Europe, Walter was quick to step up and play his part. His service records have been lost to time, but it is clear that he had enlisted by October 1914. As a Driver, he was attached to the 108th Horse Transport Company and, by the following spring, was barracked at Curragh Camp, to the south west of Dublin.

The next record for Driver Crabb is his entry in the British Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects. This confirms that he passed away in Curragh Hospital on 12th April 1915. The cause of his death is not recorded, but he was just 21 years of age.

The body of Walter George Crabb was taken back to Dorset for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful surroundings of St Mary Magdalene Churchyard, Castleton.

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Dorset Yeomanry, Great War, history, photography, Private, story, suicide, war

Private George Topp

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Private George Topp

George Rose Topp was born in the autumn of 1891 in the Dorset village of Okeford Fitzpaine. The youngest of four children, he was the second son to Herbert and Louisa Topp. The 1901 census found the family living and working at Knacker’s Hole Farm, alongside George and Olive Savory.

When he finished his schooling, he helped with the farm; by the time of the 1911 census, they had moved on from Okeford Fitzpaine, and had taken up employment at Barter’s Farm in Hinton St Mary, Dorset.

War broke out in the summer of 1914, and George stepped up to play his part. There is little information about his time as a Private in the Queen’s Own Dorset Yeomanry, but a later newspaper report detailed what happened to him.

On Saturday morning a profound sensation was created at Hinton St Mary, when it became known that Mr George Rose Topp… had shot himself. It appears that the deceased was a trooper in the Dorset Yeomanry, who were mobilised in August 1914, and had been home on leave for three weeks, and was to return to camp on the day of the tragedy. Although the deceased had helped his father on the farm for some years, yet during the three weeks he had been home he had not been seen about very much. The deceased was well known throughout the district, and was very highly respected. Much sympathy is felt for the family in the sad occurrence.

An inquest was held on Monday at Barter’s Farm… [Herbert] deposed that his son, who had been living with him, was 23 years of age, and a bachelor… He was home on leave… and was supposed to return on Saturday, July 10th. He had been very bad in his head since he came home and had hardly been out. He had always complained of pains in his head, but not so much lately. He had been seen by the army doctor several times. He did not know of anything else except his head, and he had no trouble that he was aware of. He had never threatened to take his life. He was going by the eleven o’clock train on the day of the tragedy. He got up about seven o’clock and had his breakfast. Witness saw him about 9.45am, and he was getting ready to go to the station. He had packed everything ready to start. It was witness’s gun he used which he was in the habit of using, but had not done so for some time. The gun was kept in the kitchen. He did not think there were any cartridges in the house and he thought he used a “Bonex.” He did not know he was going to use the gun. The gun had a very light pull, and he had never seen any cartridge in the house like the one produced. He left no writing, and the gun had not been lent.

Mr Clifford Rose (cousin of the deceased) corroborated [Herbert’s] evidence, and said that on the morning of the tragedy deceased seemed brighter. He did not think he touched the gun at all before whilst home.

Henry Andrews… was working at Barter’s Farm on Saturday repairing the tibs to the back kitchen. They were out and in the house all the time, but he did not see deceased that morning. He heard a noise before the report of the gun about 10am. He went in and deceased was lying on his back with the gun by his right side. He had his coat on and he called for assistance. They heard the report, and Mrs Topp and Miss Topp were saying he was shot. The door he went in was shut, as was also the other door. He thought Mrs Topp thought he was shot through hearing the gun go off. The head was lying towards the furnace, and the body was in the same position when the police arrived. The gun had not been moved before the police came.

Dr THE Watts-Silvester deposed that he had attended deceased about three months ago for influenza. He knew nothing of the pains in the head. He was called and saw deceased at Barter’s Farm soon after 10am. In the back kitchen the deceased was lying dead on his back with his feet towards the two doors, and head resting on a large saucepan close to the copper. Almost the whole of the top of his head had been blown off to a level below the eyes, both having gone. It had practically disappeared. The gun must have been very close. Below the right chin there was a black mark.

The jury returned their verdict that the cause of death was a gunshot wound in the head whilst of unsound mind.

[Southern Times and Dorset County Herald: Saturday 17th July 1915]

George Rose Topp was just 23 years old when he ended his life on 10th July 1915. He was laid to rest in the church cemetery in the village of Hinton St Mary.

Coldstream Guards, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, injury, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire, Yorkshire

Private William Loxley

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Private William Loxley

LOXLEY, WILLIAM, Private, No. 14657, 4th Battn. Coldstream Guards, eldest s. of the late William Loxley, Engine Fitter, by his wife, Ellen, dau. of the late Edward Stringer; b. Ecclesfield, co. York, 26th Oct. 1885; educ. there; was a stove and grate fitter; volunteered and enlisted 9 Jan. 1915; went to France, 15 Aug. 1915, and died in Convalescent Home, Westbury, co. Wilts, 27 Nov. 1915, of wounds received in action during the Battle of Loos, 27-29 September 1915. He m. at Grimsby, 4 Aug. 1912, Edith Mary (3, Burton Street, Langsett Road, Sheffield, widow of Philip Munty, and dau. of the late Frederick Charles Unwin.

De Ruvigny’s Role of Honour

William was the second of four children to William and Ellen. The family lived at 50 Town End Road in Ecclesfield, a small stone-built cottage overlooking grassland on the edge of the village.

Aside from his entry in de Ruvigny’s Role of Honour, there is no further information about his widow, although the British Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects names both Edith and William’s nephew – Faedon Muntz – as beneficiaries.

Injured at Loos, a local newspaper provided an obituary:

Giving up his profession for the Army, [William] was drafted out to France, and received a bullet through the forehead. After a long treatment in hospital he was, a fortnight ago, invalided home for ten days, leaving only a few days ago, then appearing to making rapid progress. He had a relapse, and on Friday his memory left him. Later he became delirious and passed away.

[Sheffield Daily Telegraph: Monday 29th November 1915]

William Loxley died at the Haywood House Hospital in Westbury, Wiltshire, on 27th November 1915: he was 30 years of age. His body was laid to rest in the town’s cemetery.

accident, Commonwealth War Graves, Driver, Great War, Hampshire, history, injury, photography, Royal Field Artillery, story, Surrey, war, Wiltshire

Driver Frederick Collier

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Driver Frederick Collier

Frederick William Collier was born in the autumn of 1891. The oldest of four children, his parents were weavers Frederick and Annie Collier. Annie died in 1899, and her widow re-married. The 1911 census found the extended family – Frederick Sr, new wife Rose, Frederick Jr, two of his siblings and his three half-siblings – living at 30 New Prospect Buildings, Westbury, Wiltshire, their home town.

When Frederick Jr completed his schooling, he found work as a grocer’s labourer. War broke out in 1914, however, and he felt drawn to play his part. Full details of his military service have been lost to time, but it is clear that he had enlisted early in the conflict, and certainly by the start of 1915.

Driver Collier was assigned to the Royal Field Artillery, and was attached to the 59th Brigade Ammunition Column. He was sent to Surrey for training, unbeknownst to his unit, in preparation for the Gallipoli campaign. Frederick, however, was not to get his chance to be involved.

Frederick William Collier… died on Wednesday last week from injuries received while attempting to stop horses which were stampeding in his camp, the Ammunition Column, 59th Brigade, at Milford (Surrey)… Collier… was well known in Westbury, and was popular amongst his comrades, and the greatest sympathy is extended to his parents in their bereavement. The young fellow died the same day the accident happened in the hospital at Aldershot.

[Wiltshire News: Friday 2nd July 1915]

Driver Frederick William Collier succumbed to his injuries on 23rd June 1915. He was 23 years of age. His body was taken back to Wiltshire for burial, and he was laid to rest in Westbury Cemetery, not far from where his grieving parents still lived.

Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Great War, history, Lancashire, Lance Corporal, Lance Serjeant, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, Monmouthshire, photography, Private, story, unknown, Wales, war, Wiltshire

Lance Sergeant Henry Lewis

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Lance Sergeant Henry Lewis

The early life of Henry Watkin Lewis is a challenge to piece together, and a lot of the detail comes from his later service records.

The document confirms that Henry was born in Pontypool, Monmouthshire, in December 1885. It gives his next of kin as his aunt, Ann Dunning, and there are no details about his parents.

Henry joined up in the days after war was declared. He was working as a plumber by this point, and enlisted in Preston, Lancashire, although it is not clear whether he was living in the area at this point. His records showing that he was 5ft (1.52m) tall and weighed 116lbs (52.6kg). With brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion, he had a scar across the bridge of his nose and another on his lower lip.

Henry’s military career is an intriguing one. Assigned to the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, he was initially given the rank of Private. He was promoted to Lance Corporal on 5th September 1914, just two weeks after enlisting. Four days later his rank was increased to Corporal, and by 14th October he had been promoted again, this time to Lance Sergeant. There is no evidence of any previous military background for him, and the cause of this rapid rise is unclear.

With any rapid rise, a rapid fall is often likely to follow, and Henry’s case was to be no different. He service records note that he was discharged from the army on 16th January 1915, as he was ‘not likely to become an efficient soldier’. Again, there is no further record as to why, although his papers do not suggest the cause was anything medical.

Lance Sergeant Lewis’ unit was based in Tidworth, Wiltshire, by this point, but he must have moved to Warminster following his discharge. It was here that he died on 23rd April 1915, the cause of his passing unknown. He was 29 years of age.

Henry Watkin Lewis was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Denys’ Church, Warminster.

Commonwealth War Graves, Glamorganshire, Great War, history, Pembrokeshire, photography, Private, story, Surrey, unknown, war, Welsh Guards

Private William Mathias

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FishguPrivate William Mathias

William George Mathias was born in the Pembrokeshire village of Littleston early in 1885. The oldest of five children, his parents were John and Sarah Mathias. John was a farm worker, but when he finished his schooling William found work as a rabbit trapper. This meant a move from home, and the 1901 census found him as a servant for the Evans family, in nearby Mathry.

Agricultural work was not employment that William wanted to dedicate his life to, and he soon found a new opportunity. He took a job as a police constable in Glamorganshire. There is little information about this part of his life, but the 1911 census recorded him as being one of 26 police officers boarding in the village of Gilfach Goch. Interestingly the census includes the annotation “The above are police quartered at the Ogmore Arms, Gilfach Goch, temporarily during the coal strike.”

The Miner’s Strike of 1910/11 resulted in the temporary closure of South Wales mines. Police were shipped in, but this only resulted in riots breaking out. In November 1910 disorder broke out in Tonypandy, Pontypridd and Gilfach Goch, amongst other locations. Nearly 80 police and more than 500 civilians were injured, although the exact number of miners wounded is unclear, as many refused to seek medical treatment for fear of being singled out.

As the strike moved into 1911, the army was called in, with four detachments of the Somerset Light Infantry being called into Penygraig, Llwynpia, Clydach Vale and Gilfach Goch. Stones were thrown by the rioters, and a number of William’s police colleagues were injured: thirteen of the Gilfach miners were arrested and prosecuted for their involvement in the unrest.

The decision to send troops in was contentious, and anger became directed at the then Home Secretary, Winston Churchill, for the decisions he took. Ultimately, the miners were defeated, their calls for better living conditions and higher wages went unanswered.

William continued in the police force until war broke out. His time in the army is lost to history, but it is clear that he enlisted in the Welsh Guards as a Private. Sent to Caterham, Surrey, for his training, his time serving King and Country was not to be a lengthy one. In May 1915 he was admitted to a military hospital, though the cause is not clear. He passed away on 20th May 1915: he was 30 years of age.

The body of William George Mathias was taken back to Pembrokeshire for burial. He was laid to rest in Fishguard’s Hernon Baptist Burial Ground.

Private William Mathias
(from findagrave.com)