Tag Archives: 1915

Commonwealth War Graves, East Kent Regiment, Great War, history, illness, Kent, photography, Private, Royal West Kent Regiment, story, war

Private Charles Grigsby

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Private Charles Grigsby

Charles Grigsby was born in Boughton Monchelsea, a village to the south of Maidstone, Kent, in the summer of 1878. His parents were farm labourer William Grigsby and his wife, Elizabeth, and he was one of four children. Charles’ mother passed away when he was just three years old, and William married again – to another Elizabeth. They had six children – half-siblings to Charles.

Charles falls off the radar for a few years – his First World War service records suggest that he had enlisted with the East Kent Regiment, and so may have been serving abroad at the time of the 1891 and 1901 censuses.

In 1904 he was back in Kent, however, where he married Henrietta Harpum. The daughter of a soldier, Henrietta had been born in Shoeburyness, Essex, but the family had moved to Frindsbury, Kent, not long afterwards.

The 1911 census found the Grigsbys living in the village of Eccles, near Aylesford. Charles was working as a blacksmith’s striker at the local cement works, and they had their Henrietta’s nephew, George, living with them at the time the record was taken.

When war was declared, Charles stepped up again to play his part. He enlisted on 24th August 1914, and was assigned to the Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). Private Grigsby’s service records confirm that he was 5ft 6.5ins (1.69m) tall, and weighed 129lbs (58.5kg). He had brown hair, blue eyes and tattoos on both arms.

Tragically, Henrietta died not long after her husband joined up, although the exact date and cause of her passing is lost to time. Assigned to the 6th (Service) Battalion, Charles was, by this time, based in Hythe, on the Kent coast.

Private Grigsby’s time back in the army was to be a short one, however. He was admitted to Shorncliffe Military Hospital in January 1915, suffering from bronchial pneumonia, and is was this lung condition that was to take his life just weeks later. He passed away on 22nd February 1915, at the age of 35 years old.

Charles Grigsby was brought back to Aylesford by his siblings. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Peter & St Paul’s Churchyard. It is likely that he was buried alongside Henrietta, although the exact location of his grave is not longer known. Instead, he is commemorated on a joint headstone in the First World War section of the graveyard.

Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Great War, history, injury, Kent, Monmouthshire, Monmouthshire Regiment, photography, Private, story, Surrey, Wales, war

Corporal John Cudby

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Corporal John Cudby

Frederick John Cudby – who was known by his middle name – was born in the summer of 1884 in Farnham, Surrey. The fourth of six children, his parents were William and Caroline Cudby. William was a bricklayer from Essex, while his wife was from Ramsgate in Kent. The family went where his work was, and by the mid-1890s, they had moved to Blaenavon in Monmouthshire.

When he left school, John found employment as a mechanic, working as an engine oiler at a local works. William passed away in 1901, and by the time of the next census, in 1911, John was working as a mason’s labourer. The family were all still living in Blaenavon, helping Caroline by keeping money coming in .

When war came to Europe, John was quick to serve King and Country. He enlisted in the Monmouthshire Regiment and, as a Private, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion. His troop was soon sent to France and, by November 1914, he was entrenched at Ypres, near Ploegsteert Wood.

Promoted to Corporal, little of John’s service information survives. It is clear that he was wounded during a skirmish and that he was medically evacuated back to Britain. It seems likely that he was admitted to the Preston Hall Military Hospital in Aylesford, Kent, and that this is where he subsequently succumbed to his injuries.

Corporal Frederick John Cudby died on 6th June 1915, at the age of just 30 years old. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Peter and St Paul’s Church in Aylesford, Kent.

While buried in the churchyard, the location of John’s grave is not known. Instead, he is commemorated on a joint headstone in the First World War section of the graveyard.

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Leading Signalman, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Leading Signalman Albert Pomeroy

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Leading Signalman Albert Pomeroy

Albert Pomeroy was born on 22nd May 1882 in Totnes, Devon. The tenth of thirteen children, his parents were William and Susanna Pomeroy. William was a labourer at a cider store, and his son found work as a page when he left school. However, it is clear that he lusted after a life of adventure.

On 2nd September 1897, Albert enlisted in the Royal Navy. Aged just 15 years old, he was initially given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and sent to HMS Impregnable, a training ship based in Devonport. He remained on board for just over a year, rising to Boy 1st Class in the process.

Boy Pomeroy moved to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Plymouth, in December 1898, and remained there until he was given his first formal sea-faring post nine months later. The cruiser HMS Terrible was to be his home from September 1899 until the spring of 1902.

On 22nd May 1900, during his time on board Terrible, Albert came of age, and he was formally enrolled into the Royal Navy. His service records confirm that he was 5ft 3in (1.60m) tall, had dark brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion.

Albert was given the rank of Ordinary Seaman, but seems to have been well thought of as, just over a year later he was promoted to Able Seaman. Over the next eleven years, he served on a further ten ships, returning to HMS Vivid between voyages. On 21st May 1912, having completed the twelve years of his naval contract, Able Seaman Pomeroy was formally stood down to reserve status.

Albert’s trail goes cold for a few years. His father had passed away in 1910, so it seems likely that Albert returned home to Totnes to support his mother.

His time on reserve was not to be long, however, and, in August 1914, he was called back into duty. He received a promotion – to Leading Signalman – and assigned to the troop ship HMS Tamar. He moved to another troop ship – HMS Hardinge – in March 1915, but returned to Devonport a couple of months later.

In September, Leading Seaman Pomeroy was back in Totnes, possibly on leave, but had fallen ill. He contracted meningitis, and this was to prove fatal. Albert passed away at his mother’s home on 2nd September 1915, at the age of 33 years old.

Albert… was one of six brothers serving King and country, while another brother, who died some years ago, was in the 20th Hussars, and his late father was a naval pensioner. Albert Pomeroy saw service with Sit Percy Scott in South Africa, went to Pekin [sic] with the Naval Brigade, was engaged in operations in Somaliland, and until a few weeks ago was on active service with the British fleet.

Western Times: Tuesday 7th September 1915

Albert Pomeroy was laid to rest in the cemetery of his home town, Totnes, Devon.

Susanna went on to live into her eighties. Remaining in Totnes, when she passed away, on 27th December 1933, at the age of 88, she was reunited with her son in Totnes Cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, photography, Royal Engineers, Sapper, Somerset, story, war, Wiltshire

Sapper Albert Headington

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Sapper Albert Headington

Albert Edward Headington was born on 5th December 1876 in Keynsham, near Bristol, in Somerset. The ninth of eleven children, his parents were Joseph and Jemima Headington. Joseph was a stonemason and, while he seems not to have had his father’s talents, Albert worked with the same material, becoming a bricklayer’s labourer when he left school.

On 29th May 1899, Albert married Ellen Gray. She was a mason’s daughter from Semley in Wiltshire, and it seems that he was either working there or had some connection with the family through his father’s work. The couple settled down in Keynsham, and went on to have two children, Harold, who was born in 1900, and Edith, who was born in 1912.

By the time of the 1911 census, the family had settled in a small house in the middle of Keynsham. Albert had, by this point, found other employment, and was working for Great Western Railways as a packer.

When war broke out, Albert stepped up to play his part. He enlisted on 22nd June 1915, joining the Royal Engineers as a Sapper. Sent for initial training in Chatham, Kent, he returned home on leave at the end of August. Tragically, he had fallen ill by this point, and died at home on 4th September 1915, having contracted cerebrospinal meningitis. He was 38 years of age.

Albert Edward Headington was laid to rest in the quiet cemetery of his home town of Keynsham.

Ellen went on to live a full life. She and Edith emigrated to Canada in 1921, following Harold, who had made the same move a year earlier. They all settled in the town of Welland, Ontario, not far from Niagara Falls.

Both of Albert and Ellen’s children married and had children of their own. Ellen never remarried, and passed away on 4th November 1956, at the age of 80 years old. She was laid to rest in the Holy Trinity Anglican Cemetery in Welland.

Canada, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, Seaman, story, war

Seaman Rendle Pike

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Seaman Rendle Pike

Rendle Anthony Pike was born on 9th May 1895 in Newfoundland. He was one of nine children to Lewis and Mary Pike, but there is little additional information about his early life.

Lewis was a fisherman, and it seems likely that Rendle would have had experience of seafaring when he was growing up. When war broke out, therefore, it made sense that he enlisted in the Royal Naval Reserve.

Again, full details of his service was unavailable, but Seaman Pike joined up within the first year of the war and, by the summer of 1915, he was based at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent.

Tragically, Rendle’s time in the navy was to be a short one. The next record available for him is that of his passing. According to his service documents, he died ‘of disease‘ on 29th August 1915. He was just 20 years of age.

Rendle Anthony Pike was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, Kent, not far from the dockyard at which he had been based.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Ireland, Kent, Northern Ireland, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, Stoker, story, war

Stoker Alexander Maguire

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Stoker Alexander Maguire

Alexander Maguire was born on 28th March 1880 in Glenarm, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Little is known about his early life, apart from his parents’ names – James and Ellen.

Glenarm is a coastal village, and it is likely that Alexander would have had experience of seafaring from an early age. This seems to have spurred him into building a career and, on 16th December 1903, he enlisted in the Royal Naval Reserve as a Stoker.

With war getting closer, Stoker Maguire was called into formal service, and was assigned to the steamer SS Rathlin Head. He sailed the Atlantic in March 1914, and disembarked an New Orleans. It seems, however, that he missed his passage back home, although at this point, his whereabouts become a bit hazy.

Alexander was back in Britain by 13th January 1915, as his service papers record him in Liverpool. He then travelled to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. This looks to have been his last move, however, as he passed away just two days later. The cause of death is simply recorded as ‘disease’: he was 34 years of age.

Alexander Maguire was laid to rest in the Roman Catholic section of Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, Kent, not far from the dockyard to which he had been assigned.

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Ireland, Kent, London, Major, Middlesex, New Zealand, photography, story, war

Major George Hannan

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Major George Hannan

George Madder Hannan was born in Dublin in 1861, the son of banker Benjamin Hannan. There is little concrete information about his early life, but what can be pieced together produces the story of a well-travelled man.

On 22nd January 1896, George was initiated into the Lodge of Otago, a freemason’s collective in Dunedin, New Zealand. He is listed as being a Master Mariner.

George’s marriage certificate records that he wed Mary Carlisle on 27th October 1898. The wedding took place at St Jude’s Church in Kensington, London, and the groom was listed as a Gentleman. Mary was the daughter of a paper manufacturer, and had been born in Lancashire.

The next document for George is the 1911 census. This notes that he ad Mary were still living in Kensington, along with their only child – daughter Grace, who had been born in 1900 – and two servants. This time he is listed as being an army major, a special reserve officer.

Moving forward a few years, the next record for George is the notice of his funeral, in October 1915:

We regret to announce the death of Major Madder-Hannan, which occurred at May Bank on Wednesday morning. Major Madder-Hannan, who had only resided in the village [of Bearsted, Kent] for the past few months, held his commission in the 9th Service Battalion Cameronians. He had been an invalid since taking up his residence here.

Kent Messenger & Gravesend Telegraph: Saturday 16th October 1915

Sadly, no documentation remains about George’s time with the Cameronians. He passed away, presumably through illness, on 13th October 1915, at the age of 54 years of age.

Unusually, given the main family home was in Kensington, George Madder Hannan was buried in the village where he died. He was laid to rest in Holy Cross Churchyard, Bearsted.

Commonwealth War Graves, Denbighshire, Great War, history, illness, Northern Ireland, photography, Rifleman, Royal Irish Rifles, story, Wales, war

Rifleman Joseph Collins

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Rifleman Joseph Collins

Much of Joseph Collins’ life is destined to remain a mystery. He was born in Northern Ireland on 8th November 1897, and was the son of William and Minnie Collins, who lived near Lurgan, in Armargh.

When war broke out, Joseph enlisted, joining the 16th (Service) Battalion – the 2nd County Down Pioneers – of the Royal Irish Rifles. Formed in Lurgan, the regiment moved from Northern Ireland to Seaford in East Sussex in July 1915. By that October, Rifleman Collins found himself on the Front Line in Northern France.

Joseph was invalided on 26th October, and medically evacuated to Britain for treatment. Admitted to the Brynkinalt Hospital in Chirk, Denbighshire, he was operated on, but this was to prove insufficient, and he passed away from his injuries on 8th November 1915 – his eighteenth birthday.

Rifleman Collins was well thought of in his regiment, as the comments in the Lurgan Mail [Saturday 20th November 1915] confirmed. Captain HF Sheppard, who commanded Joseph’s Company, noted “I need hardly say I was shocked, as I thought when he left us that the operation necessary for his complaint was certain to prove successful. I had always been attracted by his cheerful temperament, and I was always keenly interested in him as he was one of the first to join my Company.“

Lieutenant E Somerfield noted that Joseph “was a great favourite with the rest of his platoon, and a boy I had great regard for. I can assure you we all feel his loss very keenly.“

The most touching comments, however, come from one of Joseph’s colleagues, Rifleman R McKeown: “I am sending you these few lines to let you know I got a letter today which Joe wrote before he died. The nurse found it in his locker and sent it on to me I am sending you a copy of it and the nurse’s letter. I was never so badly struck in my life as when I heard of his death, for his could not have grieved me more has it been my own brother. The day he went away I never got bidding him good-bye, for the morning he went on the sick list I was on parade, and when I came in he was away. The boys in the platoon and company he was in were all greatly grieved at hearing about his death. You have my sincerest sympathy in your trouble. I don’t know how I am ever going to go home – if I ever do – without him. He was like a brother to me.“

Unable to bring their son back to Ireland, William and Minnie had to be content with the fact that their son was given a military funeral in the town where he died. Joseph Collins was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Mary’s Church in Chirk.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Lance Corporal, photography, Royal Sussex Regiment, story, Sussex, war

Lance Corporal James Matthews

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Lance Corporal James Matthews

James Matthews was born in the summer of 1894, the youngest of five children to James and Margaret Matthews. James Sr was a farm worker from Cuckfield in West Sussex, and it was on Hodshrove Farm in nearby Ansty that the family were raised.

James Jr worked on the farm when he left school, but when war broke out, he found a bigger calling for himself. Full details of his military service are not available, but he seemed to have enlisted early on in the conflict, joining the 9th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment. Originally formed in Chichester, West Sussex, he soon found himself billeted in the South Down near Portslade.

James must have impressed his superiors, as he was soon promoted to Lance Corporal for his work. All was not to go well, however, as, during the early months of 1915, he contracted pneumonia.

Lance Corporal Matthews was admitted to the 2nd Eastern General Hospital in Brighton, but the lung condition was to get the better of him, and he passed away on 7th March 1915. He was just 20 years of age.

James Matthews was brought back to his home village for burial. He lies at rest in Cuckfield Cemetery, in the shadow of Holy Trinity Church.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, Royal Sussex Regiment, story, Sussex, war

Private William Haylor

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Private William Haylor

William Charles Haylor was born in the summer of 1870, in the West Sussex village of Cuckfield. He was one of eight children to agricultural labour Michael Haylor and his wife, Betsy. Michael passed away in 1886 and, with children to raise, his widow took in washing to earn money.

William found work as a farm labourer and, by the time of the 1901 census was living in a cottage at Beech Farm in the village, with his mother, younger sisters, one brother-in-law and six nieces and nephews.

On 25th October 1905, William married Florence Linstead. She was a carter’s daughter from South London, and it is not exactly clear how they met. It seems likely, though, that Florence had taken work on one of the estates in the Cuckfield area. The couple exchanged vows at St Antony’s Church in Florence’s home town, Nunhead, before settling down back in West Sussex.

When war came to Europe, William was keen to play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Sussex Regiment on 9th November 1914 and was assigned to the No.6 Supernumerary Company of the 2nd/4th Battalion. This was a territorial force, set in place for those older volunteers keen to serve King and Country.

Private Haylor’s time in the army was to be brief, however, as at his medical he was found to be medically unfit for military service. No further details are available, but it meant that William had spent just 82 days in the army.

At this point, William’s trail goes cold. He returned home, and presumably continued in his previous line of work. Again, however, the status quo was not to continue for long. He passed away at home, through causes unknown, on Christmas Day, 25th December 1915. He was 45 years of age.

William Charles Haylor was laid to rest in the cemetery in his home village, Cuckfield. He was accorded a military funeral.