Tag Archives: 1916

Air Mechanic, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, photography, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, story, Suffolk, war

Air Mechanic 1st Class Reginald Blowers

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Air Mechanic 1st Class Reginald Blowers

Reginald Blowers was born in Carlton Colville, near Lowestoft, Suffolk, on 15th December 1892. He was the third of six children to Edward and Mary Bowers. Edward was a brickmaker, and the 1901 census recorded the family living at Brickyard Cottages, off Victoria Road.

The next census, taken in 1911, showed a big change for the family. Edward was now listed as a fisherman, the Third Hand on the vessel Passion Flower which, at the time the return was collected, was moored in Padstow, Cornwall.

Meanwhile, Mary and the children, along with her nephew Alfred, were living a 1 Stanley Road, Oulton Broad. Alfred was a fisherman, while Reginald was now employed as a carpenter. Two of his siblings were also working: sister Alice was a general servant, while 13-year-old brother Edward was an errand boy.

When war broke out, Reginald’s skills stood him in good stead. He enlisted in the Royal Navy on 23rd November 1914, and was assigned to the Royal Naval Air Service as an Air Mechanic 1st Class. His service papers note that he was just under 5ft 5ins (1.64m) tall, with bark brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion.

Air Mechanic Blowers was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. In April 1915, he transferred to HMS President II, another shore base, which served ports in London, Chatham and Sheerness.

In the winter of 1915/16, Reginald fell ill. He had contracted tuberculosis, and was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham. Sadly, his condition would prove fatal: Air Mechanic Blowers passed away on 10th January 1916, at the age of 23 years old.

The body of Reginald Blowers was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the dockyard he had come to know as home.

Armourer, Armourer's Crew, Armourer's Mate, Chief Armourer, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Kent, photography, Royal Navy, Scotland, story, war

Chief Armourer William Dimmick

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Chief Armourer William Dimmick

William Henry Dimmick was born in Titchfield, Hampshire, on 10th November 1871. The oldest of four children, his parents were John and Harriett Dimmick. John was a butcher, but when he completed his schooling, he became chose a different path.

The 1891 census recorded William as lodging with the Merritt family in Clanfield, to the north of Waterlooville, Hampshire. He was employed as a blacksmith, but either this was a means to an end, or he had itchy feet.

On 30th June 1893, William enlisted in the Royal Navy. Part of the Armourer’s Crew, his service records show that he was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, with light hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He was sent to HMS Excellent, the shore base on Whale Island in the Solent, and she would become the home to which he would return over the next few years.

Armourer’s Crew Dimmick’s contract was for twelve years and, during that time, he would serve on five separate ships. A lot of his time, however, was spent ashore, and his service papers note spells at both HMS Wildfire and HMS Pembroke, both on the North Kent Coast.

William’s time was not mis-spent, however, and he started to rise through the ranks. On 20th April 1897 he was promoted to Armourer’s Mate; in November 1898 he was made an Armourer. On 1st November 1902 he rose to Acting Chief Armourer, a role that was made permanent twelve months later.

Away from work, William found love. He married Florence Dunford in around 1902, and the couple would go on to have three children – William Jr, John and Florence Jr – between 1902 and 1911.

When William’s contract came to an end, he immediately re-enlisted. Over the next few years, he was given five more postings, before being assigned to HMS Natal in September 1912. An armoured cruiser, she was attached to the Grand Fleet during the First World War, but did not take part in any battles.

On 30th December 1915, Natal was moored in the Cromarty Firth, when an internal explosion from faulty cordite ripped her apart. She sank, and at least 390 crew and civilians were killed.

The next record for William is that of his passing – from pneumonia, at home, on 28th January 1916. He was 45 years of age. It is unclear whether he had been on board Natal a month before, and whether there was any connection between his illness and the explosion.

The family were living in Sheerness, Kent, at the time of William’s death, His body, however, was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from HMS Pembroke, the dockyard in Chatham, Kent, which he had called home for some time.

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

Stoker 2nd Class Frederick Crane

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Stoker 2nd Class Frederick Crane

Frederick Leonard Crane was born in Sittingbourne, Kent, on 27th September 1896. The youngest of eleven children, his parents were brickfield labourer George Crane and his wife, Frances.

Frances died in the spring of 1900, and when Frederick left school, he initially found employment as a horse driver on a farm. By the time war broke out, however, he had changed careers, and was working as a blacksmith.

Frederick enlisted on 8th November 1915, joining the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class. His service papers note that he was 5ft 7.5ins (1.71m) tall, and had fair hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. Stoker Crane was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training.

Tragically, Frederick’s time in the forces was to be a tragically brief one. At the end of December, he was admitted to the naval hospital in the town, as he was suffering from cerebro-spinal meningitis. The condition was get the better of him, and he passed away on 2nd January 1916. He was just 19 years of age.

The body of Frederick Leonard Crane was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the Kent port that he had started to call home.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, Royal North Devon Hussars, story, war, Yorkshire

Private Ernest West

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Private Ernest West

Ernest West was born in the autumn of 1894 in Barnstaple, Devon. The middle of seven children, his parents were Charles and Eliza. The 1901 censes recorded Charles as being the innkeepers of a pub on North Street in Braunton, but ten years later he had changed career, and was a corn and manure merchant. The family had moved to Scur Farm to the north of the town centre.

War broke out in the summer of 1914, and Ernest stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Royal North Devon Yeomanry, and was attached to the 1st Battalion. Full service details have been lost to time, but by the autumn of 1915, Private West was in the Balkans, and was among those to land at Sulva Bay on the Gallipoli peninsula.

Ernest survived the fighting, but contracted dysentery. He was medically evacuated back to Britain, and admitted to the 3rd North General Hospital in Sheffield, Yorkshire. Sadly, the condition was to get the better of him, and he passed away on the 13th February 1916, at the age of just 21 years old.

The body of Ernest West was taken back to Devon for burial, and he was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Brannock’s Church, Braunton.

Ernest was not the only West sibling to die during the First World War. His older brother William enlisted in the 1st Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment and, in the autumn of 1917, found himself in the fighting at Passchendaele. He was killed in action on 4th October, at the age of 27. He is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial.

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

Able Seaman William Lang

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Able Seaman William Lang

William John Lang was born on 22nd August 1882, and was one of six children to Thomas and Elizabeth Lang. Thomas was a general labourer from the Devon village of Georgeham, and this is where the family were born and raised.

William initially followed his father into labouring work, but after Thomas died in 1891, he decided he wanted bigger and better things. On 28th February 1899 he joined the Royal Navy. Under the age to formally enlist, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and sent to HMS Impregnable, the school ship based in Devonport, for his training.

It seemed that William impressed his teachers. By the end of November he had been promoted to Boy 1st Class, and in the spring of 1900, he was given his first assignment, on board the frigate HMS Agincourt. In August he was transferred to the battleship HMS Camperdown, and he was within days of arriving that he came of age.

William was now formally inducted into the Royal Navy, and given the rank of Ordinary Seaman. His service papers show that he was a little over 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall, with light brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.

Ordinary Seaman Lang signed up for a period of 12 years, and during that time, he would serve on eight vessels, returning to what would become his shore base – HMS Vivid in Devonport – between assignments. In January 1903 he was promoted to Able Seaman but, while his annual reviews consistently noted a very good character, as time went on, his ability varied from good to moderate.

Able Seaman Lang’s contract came to an end in August 1912, and he immediately re-enlisted. In November 1913 he was assigned to the battleship HMS Colossus, and she would remain his home for the next three years. The posting seemed to suit William well, and his annual reviews reflected this, with superior ability being noted at the end of 1914.

By the start of 1916, William’s health was beginning to be affected and, he returned to HMS Vivid. He had contracted tuberculosis, and this led to his ultimate discharge from naval service on 22nd March.

At this point his trail goes cold, but it is likely that he returned home. Elizabeth had remarried by this point, and she and her husband, Thomas Physick, were living on a farm in Georgeham. William’s lung condition would get the better of him, and he passed away on 2nd September 1916. He had not long turned 34 years of age.

The body of William John Lang was laid to rest in the family plot in St George’s Churchyard, Georgeham: father and son reunited after 15 years.

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

Private Percy Carpenter

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Private Percy Carpenter

Percy Guy Carpenter was born in Worthing, West Sussex, in the autumn of 1887. One of eight children, he was the middle of three sons to Alfred and Alice Carpenter. Alfred was a chief clerk at the town’s post office, and the 1891 census found the family living on Oxford Road, to the south of the central railway station.

By the time of the next census, taken in 1901, the family had moved to a small cottage at 93 Newland Road. Alfred had changed jobs, and was noted as being the chief clerk at the local gas works. This seemed not to have been a long-term position, however. The 1911 census recorded his occupation as post office clerk (out of employment).

The Carpenter family were still living at 93 Newland Road by this point, and, of the six children who remained at home, all of them were working. Percy was employed as a tailor’s porter, while his sibling’s jobs included chemist’s stock keeper, ironmonger’s clerk and bookbinder’s apprentice.

War came to Europe in the summer of 1914, and Percy would be called upon to serve his country. Little information about his time in the army remains, but it is clear that he enlisted in the Royal Sussex Regiment at some point early in 1915.

Attached to the 2nd/4th (Cinque Ports) Battalion, Private Carpenter found himself in France by the end of March. He remained overseas for a year, but, while there, he contracted pneumonia. Medically repatriated to Britain for treatment, Percy was admitted to the 1st Eastern General Hospital in Cambridge, but died from a combination of pneumonia and nephritis on 18th March 1916. He was 28 years of age.

The body of Percy Guy Carpenter was taken back to Sussex for burial. He was laid to rest in Broadwater Cemetery, not far from where his family still lived in Worthing.

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

Private Harry Parsons

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Private Harry Parsons

Harry Frank Parsons was born on the 23rd January 1894 in Angmering, West Sussex. The third of four children, he was the only son to Henry and Annie Parsons. Henry was a garden labourer, who died when his son was just four years old: by the time of the 1901 census, Annie had lost her husband and two of her daughters. She was living with her surviving children in a cottage close to Worthing town centre.

When he completed his schooling, Harry found work with a local fruit nursery. The 1911 census found him and his mum living at 19 Eldon Road, Worthing: his was the only wage coming in.

War broke out in the summer of 1914, and Harry was quick to step up and play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Sussex Regiment on 11th September and, as a Private, was assigned to the 11th Battalion. His service record shows that he was 5ft 6ins (1.67m) tall, and weighed 129lbs (58.5kg). He was noted as being a Wesleyan, with dark brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Private Parsons spent the next twelve months on home soil, but in the summer of 1915, he developed tuberculosis. The contagious condition led to his discharge from the army, and he was formally stood down on 14th September 1915, having serves for a year and four days.

At this point, Harry’s trail goes cold. It is likely that he returned home, but his lung condition lingered. He passed away on 28th January 1916, five days after his 22nd birthday.

The body of Harry Frank Parsons was laid to rest in Broadwater Cemetery, to the north of Worthing town centre.

Private Harry Parsons
(from ancestry.co.uk)

Annie had now lost three of her children. Her remaining child, daughter Edith, had married a month after her brother’s passing. She would go on to have two children with husband William Hoad, although their oldest, son William Jr, would die when just five years old.

Edith also passed away before her time, dying of tuberculosis and pleurisy in 1941. Annie, who had now outlived her husband and all of her children, lived until the spring of 1949.

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

Private Frank Holloway

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Private Frank Holloway

Frank Roland Holloway was born in Bristol, Gloucestershire, early in 1896. One of five children, he was the only son to Frederick and Emily Holloway. Frederick was a general labourer, and by the turn of the century, the family had moved to Hilperton, Wiltshire.

When Frank completed his schooling he found work in a local cloth mill. The 1911 census record the family living on Marsh Road, Hilperton, with four – albeit meagre – wages coming into the household. Frederick was employed by the Anglo Swiss Milk Company as a labourer, while his daughter, Frank’s older sister Edith, was also working in the factory’s tin shop. Emily was helping other people with their laundry, bringing in a few extra pennies.

War broke out in the summer of 1914, and Frank would step up to play his part. His service papers show that he was employed as a rubber worker by this point, and that he was a volunteer with the local militia. He formally enlisted on the 20th February 1915, and was assigned to the 8th Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment as a Private.

Private Holloway remained with his unit for four months, before being discharged from military service, having contracted tuberculosis. Interestingly, his service papers include a statement from Frederick about his son’s health:

I am making an application on behalf of my son. He had been ill now for over 12 months. He served 2 years 175 days in 4th Wilts and 129 days in 8th Wilts. He had not any illness for some years and had been in good health and passed several military doctors for active service, but having left Salisbury Plain he came to Trowbridge where they slept in damp straw also under [a] bad roof in [an] old disused factory. He was a lad in good health and is now suffering with consumption.

Sadly, any response to Frederick’s request for compensation would come too late. Frank passed away on 21st June 1916: he was just 20 years of age.

The body of Frank Roland Holloway was laid to rest in St Paul’s Churchyard, in village of Staverton, the parish church for his home in Hilperton.

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

Stoker 2nd Class Thomas Fisher

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Stoker 2nd Class Thomas Fisher

Thomas Fisher was born in Lyminge, Kent, on 7th October 1876. One of eleven children, his parents were agricultural labourer William Fisher and his wife, Frances.

William moved the family to where the work was. The 1881 census found them living away from the coast to Crundale, Kent; they had moved to Rough Common near Canterbury by 1891.

Thomas followed in his father’s footsteps, and by the time of the 1901 census, he was the oldest of three of the Fisher siblings to still be living at home. Frances died in 1910, and William moved in with his son Albert’s family in Rough Common. Albert was employed as a stoker with the Royal Navy, so presumably this gave his wife, Daisy, and their children, Albert Jr and Esther, some support.

Thomas, meanwhile, was boarding with his sister, Harriet, and her children, also in Rough Common. Again, this was probably to provide her with some financial support while her husband Charles, who was a Stoker Petty Officer in the navy, was also away at sea.

When war broke out, Thomas was called upon to play his part. He enlisted on 22nd March 1916, joining the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class. His service records show that he was 5ft 4.5ins (1.63m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Thomas was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training, but his time there was not to be lengthy. By the end of April, he had been admitted to the naval hospital in the town, suffering from pneumonia. The condition would prove his undoing: he passed away on 4th May 1916, at the age of 39 years old. He had been in the Royal Navy for just six weeks.

The body of Thomas Fisher was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the base at which he had spent his naval career.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, photography, Royal Navy, Ship's Steward, story, unknown, war

Ship’s Steward Joseph Williams

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Ship’s Steward Joseph Williams

In the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, is the grave of Ship’s Steward J Williams, of HMT (or Hired Military Transport) Slav, who died on 4th June 1916, at the age of 53 years old.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission confirms that his first name was Joseph, but their documents do not confirm a place of birth or any relative’s names.

No crew records remain for the Slav, and she was not scrapped until after the war. There are no articles or obituaries in contemporary newspapers for Joseph’s funeral.

The life and times of Ship’s Steward Joseph Williams are therefore destined to remain a mystery, taken with him to the grave in that Kent cemetery.