Richard Charles Gladstone Ryan was born in Talia, South Australia, on 31st March 1895. The son of Richard and Margaret Ryan, he was the older of two chidren.
There is little information available about Richard Jr’s early life. When he finished his schooling, he found work as a farm hand, and this was the trade he was following when war broke out. In his spare time, he was a member of the Elliston Rifle Club, and, on receiving the call to serve his King and Empire, he stepped up to play his part.
Private Ryan’s service papers show that he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 13th March 1916. The document shows that he was 5ft 4.75 (1.64m) tall, and weighed 143lbs (64.9kg). A Roman Catholic, Richard had auburn hair, brown eyes and a medium complexion.
Richard ‘s unit – the 50th Battalion of the Australian Infantry – left Adelaide on 21st September 1916. The ship he was on, the A73 Commonwealth, would take nearly two months to reach Britain, and he disembarked in Plymouth, Devon, on 14th November. From there, he was marched to the ANZAC base in Codford, Wiltshire.
Soon after arriving, Private Ryan became unwell. He had contracted pneumonia, and was admitted to the No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital in Codford on 13th December 1916. His condition quickly worsened, and he passed away just three days later. He was 21 years of age.
The body of Richard Charles Gladstone Ryan was laid to rest in the newly extended graveyard of St Mary’s Church in Codford.
John Stuart Butler was born on 8th May 1896 in Warminster, Wiltshire. The middle of three children, he was one of three boys to John and Harriet Butler. John Sr was a coachman, and the family lived at 3 St John’s Terrace on the eastern side of the town.
When John Jr – who was known as Jack to avoid any confusion with his father – finished his schooling, he found work as an office boy. He sought a life of adventure, however, and looked to the Royal Navy.
Jack enlisted on 3rd June 1912 and, being underage, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class. Initially sent to HMS Impregnable, the training base in Devonport, Devon, within three months he had been promoted to Boy 1st Class.
Over the next year-and-a-half, Jack served on three separate ships. After leaving Impregnable, he was assigned to armoured cruiser HMS Royal Arthur. From there he moved to the battlecruiser HMS New Zealand and the battleship HMS Dreadnought. In between assignments Boy Butler’s returned to what became his shore base, HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire.
While assigned to Dreadnought, Jack came of age. He was formally enlisted in the Royal Navy, his service papers confirming that he was 5ft 6.5ins (1.69m) tall, with brown hair, grey-blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having a scar on his right side.
In May 1915, Jack was promoted again, this time to Able Seaman. His annual reviews noted his character was very good, but that his ability was satisfactory. He would remain on HMS Dreadnought for nearly three years, before being reassigned to HMS Mohawk, a destroyer that was attached to the Dover Patrol, protecting the English Channel against German incursions, in July 1916.
On the night of the 26th October 1916 a number of enemy torpedo boats carried out a raid into the Channel. When one of the German vessels sank HMS Flirt, Mohawk was one of six ships sent to retaliate. As she left Dover harbour, she was hit by a barrage of shells. Her steering jammed, but she remained floating. The German torpedo boats escaped, but four of the Mohawk’s crew – including Able Seaman Butler – were killed. He was just 20 years of age.
The body of John Stuart “Jack” Butler was taken back to Wiltshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St John’s Church, on the same road as where his grieving parents were still living.
Charles James Welling was born on 23rd October 1860, and was the oldest of three children to Charles and Ann Welling. The Wellings were a military family, Charles Sr employed as a Serjeant Instructor of Musquetry in the Parkhurst Barracks on the Isle of Wight when his son was born.
Ann had been born in South Africa while her Irish parents were based out there. She and Charles Sr married in Farnham, Surrey, presumably where the families were based by that point.
Charles Jr’s mother died in 1863, just a month after giving birth to his youngest sibling. His father married again, to Sarah Ash, and by 1871, the Wellings were living in barracks at the School of Musketry in Hythe, Kent.
Being his father’s son, Charles Jr was set to make his own mark on the world and, on 21st January 1876, he joined the Royal Navy. Too young to formally enlist, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and sent off to HMS Impregnable, the shore base in Devonport, Devon, for his training.
Over the next eighteen months, Boy Welling learnt his trade, spending time at HMS Ganges – another shore base near Ipswich, Suffolk – and the sloop HMS Penguin. It was here that Charles came of age in 1878, and he officially joined the Royal Navy with the rank of Ordinary Seaman. His service papers show that he was just 4ft 10.5ins (1.49m) tall, with light brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.
Ordinary Seaman Welling career was to take a turn in 1880, when he began training as a signaller. His initial contract with the navy was for ten years, and, by the time that came to an end in May 1889, he had served on eight ships in all, rising through the ranks from Signalman 3rd Class, to Signalman 2nd Class in August 1881 and Qualified Signalman seven years later.
When Charles’ term of service came to an end, he immediately renewed it, and with the new contract came a promotion to Leading Signalman. The next decade saw him travel the world, returning to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, in between voyages. His commitment to the role paid off: in March 1894 he was promoted to 2nd Class Yeoman of Signals. Just eight months later he took the rank of Yeoman of Signals.
It was around this time that Charles married the love of his life, Harriet Carlaw. Born in London, the couple exchanged vows in St Pancras, Middlesex, on 13th January 1894 and had a son, also called Charles, the following year.
Charles’ naval career continued its upward trajectory, and on 1st March 1898, he was awarded the rank of Chief Yeoman of Signals. By this point HMS Pembroke had become his permanent base and, at the end of his contract in 1899, he was stood down to reserve status.
The 1901 census shows what may have been a downward step for the Wellings: it recorded the family living in rooms at 136 Bayham Street, Camden, Middlesex, where Charles was working as a messenger.
Opportunities come in the most unexpected of places, however, and the following census found them living at Pier House, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, where Charles was employed as a lighthouse keeper.
By this point, Charles had been invalided out of the navy for medical reasons. The writing on his service papers is unclear, and his dismissal seems to have been as a result of disease of gestes, possibly the neurological disorder dystonia.
When war broke out in 1914, however, anyone with experience was called upon to play their part. Given his age at the time, it seems likely that Charles volunteered for service, reporting to HMS Pembroke on 2nd August 1914. He was given his old rank of Chief Yeoman of Signals, and remained at the naval base for the next two years.
Charles’ health was definitely suffering by this point, and he was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, in September 1916. Suffering from the heart condition endocarditis, this would take his life. He passed away on 16th September, at the age of 55 years old.
With Harriet still living in Sunderland, Charles’ body was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the base he had called home for so long.
Charles and Harriet’s son had also stepped up to play his part when war broke out. Enlisting in the Royal Engineers, Pioneer Welling soon found himself in the Middle East. While serving in Palestine, he contracted malaria, and passed away from the condition on 16th October 1918. Charles was just 23 years of age, and was laid to rest in Haifa War Cemetery.
It is tragic to note that Harriet had lost her husband and her son within two years.
Harry Cooper Vince was born in Battersea, Surrey, on 14th January 1896. The 1901 census noted he was the son of Elizabeth Vince, a cook for barrister and solicitor Robert Purvis. The next census found Harry, Elizabeth and Elizabeth’s husband Harry, as one of four families to have taken rooms at 47 Bessborough Place, Pimlico.
Harry sought a life of adventure and, on 21st March 1912, he gave up his work as a kitchen boy to enlist in the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class. He was dispatched to the training ship HMS Impregnable.
On 6th September 1912, having been promoted to Boy 1st Class, Harry was assigned to the battleship HMS Vanguard. Over the next couple of years he learnt his trade, and would come to be based out of HMS Pembroke – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – in between voyages.
Harry came of age on 14th January 1914, and was formally inducted into the Royal Navy as an Ordinary Seaman. His service records note that he was 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also recorded as having small moles on his right buttock,
By the late spring of 1916, Harry had been assigned to the submarine depot ship HMS Bonaventure. He would remain on board for two years, during which time he was promoted to Able Seaman.
The next four months would go by in a bit of a blur for Able Seaman Vince. During this time he moved between three ships – the submarine depot ships HMS Dolphin and HMS Maidstone. The last of the three was HMS Lucia, originally the British-built steamship Spreewald, captured from the German Navy in 1914.
In September 1916, Harry was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, suffering intestinal obstructions. These would prove too severe, and he succumbed to peritonitis on 13th October 1916. He was 20 years of age.
The body of Harry Cooper Vince was laid to rest in the military section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the naval base he had called home.
Interestingly, Harry’s service records not an irregularity in his name: “Registered at Somerset House in the name of Ball. Boy kept in ignorance of the fact for obvious reasons.” It would seem that Elizabeth may not have been married at the time her son was born. It also throws some potential doubt as to who his father was.
The early life of George John Ball is a challenge to piece together.
His naval records confirm that he was born in Bedminster, Somerset, on 11th October 1865. There are census records that link his name to parents coal miner Luke Ball and his wife, Ann, but these cannot be confirmed.
George’s papers show that he found work as a butcher when he finished his schooling. He was set on a life at sea, however, and, on 25th November 1880, he joined the Royal Navy. Given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, he was sent to the training base HMS Impregnable for his induction. The Devon establishment would remain his home for the next two years, and, during this time, he rose to the rank of Boy 1st Class.
On 10th October 1882, George was given his first sea-faring assignment, on board the armoured cruiser HMS Northampton. He stayed with her for the next two years, during which time he came of age. Now formally inducted to the Royal Navy, he was promoted to Ordinary Seaman. His service records from the time give an indication as to the man he had become. Short of stature, he was just 5ft 1.5ins (1.56m) tall, and had light brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion.
Ordinary Seaman Ball signed up for a ten-year contract. Over that time, he would serve on a total of eight vessels, rising to the rank of Able Seaman in January 1889. George’s slate was not completely clean, however, and his record notes three serious demeanours in that time.
In the spring of 1888 George spent 27 days in Canterbury Gaol for ‘breaking out of [the] ship’ he was then serving on, HMS Duncan. He was sent to the brig for a further fourteen days in January 1892 for an undisclosed crime.
Able Seaman Ball was also fined £3 10s (£575 in today’s money) for staying away beyond his allotted shore leave. His papers note an absence of seventeen weeks from 10th October 1893, and this time would have been added to the end of his contract.
George re-enlisted on 9th February 1894, and his service record noted that he had grown half and inch (1.3cm) since he enlisted. He had also had a number of tattoos in that time, including an anchor on his right arm and a bracelet and sailor on his left.
Over the next decade, Able Seaman Ball continued his steady progression through the ranks. He would serve on seven ships, returning to what had become his shore base – HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – in between assignments. In October 1897, George was promoted to Leading Seaman: by the following July he was given the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class.
On 29th April 1904, after more than twenty years in service, George was formally stood down to reserve status. The next document for him – the 1911 census – gives an insight into his life away from the sea. By this point, George was living in a small terraced house at 234 Luton Road, Chatham, Kent.
The document confirms he had been married for fourteen years, to a woman called Sarah. The couple had a daughter – six-year-old Doris – and Sarah’s son from a previous marriage, Albert, was also living with them. George had not distanced himself too far from the sea, however. He was employed as a Ship’s Canteen Manager, a position his stepson also held.
When war came to Europe, George was called upon to play his part once more. Taking up the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class again, he would be based at HMS Pembroke – Chatham Dockyard – and he remained in service for the next two years.
In August 1916, George was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, with a combination of pychtis and a stricture. The conditions were to prove fatal: he breathed his last on 31st August 1916, at the age of 50 years old.
George John Ball was laid to rest in the military section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the dockyard that had been his home for many years.
William James King was born on 7th March 1883 in Kensington, Middlesex. He was the fourth of eight children to bricklayer and builder’s labourer John King and his wife, Hannah.
There is little specific information available about William’s early life. The 1891 census found the family living at 16 Burlington Mews in Paddington, but he does not appear on any census returns after this date.
On 4th August 1906, William married Marion Oliver. Born in Chelsea, she was the daughter of a house painter, and the couple exchanged vows in St Luke’s Church, Paddington. The marriage certificate noted William’s trade as a bricklayer, and the couple went on to have two children: daughter Gwendoline, born in 1911, and son Henry, born two years later.
When war came to Europe, William was quick to step up and play his part. He enlisted on 5th October 1914, joining the Royal Marines. His service records show that he was 5ft 4ins (1,62m) tall, with brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion.
Sent to Deal, Kent for training, Private King was initially assigned to the 2nd Field Company of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. Appointed to the rank of Lance Corporal he soon found himself ensconced at Gallipoli. On 15th May he was medically evacuated to Britain with an injury to his spinal cord. Admitted to Charing Cross Hospital, London, he was discharged from the army on 27th March 1916.
William’s treatment was ongoing, and by the autumn of 1916, he had been admitted to Gillingham Hospital in Kent. It was here that he would died, passing away on 20th November: he was 33 years of age.
William John King was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.
Robert William Holdsworth was born on 11th February 1880 in Pilmoor, Yorkshire. The third of nine children, his parents were John and Fanny. John was a railway signalman, and, by the time of the 1891 census, the family had moved to Kirby Wiske, near Thirsk.
When he completed his schooling, Robert found work as a blacksmith. Moving away from home, by 1901, he was boarding at the Albion Foundry on New Street in Pocklington. The job, however, was a stepping stone to bigger things, and, on 28th July 1902, he enlisted in the Royal Navy.
Blacksmith’s Mate Holdsworth’s service records show that he was 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall. He had dark brown hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion. It was also noted that he had a scar on his right elbow.
Robert was initially sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. He would spend the next year at the base, and was promoted to Blacksmith proper in April 1903. Over the twelve years of his initial contract, he would serve on board seven ships, returning to Chatham in between assignments. The 1911 census recorded him as being one of 283 crew aboard HMS Patrol, a scout vessel moored in Harwich Harbour, Essex.
In the summer of 1916, Robert married Minnie Eames. Born in Kensal Rise, London, by the time of the nuptials, her family had moved to Gillingham, Kent, where her father James worked as a night watchman. Minnie was working as a shop assistant by this point, and was living with her parents and older brother at 35 Wyles Street.
Back at work, Blacksmith Holdsworth had renewed his contract. His annual reviews noted both very good conduct and superior ability, and he had added another string to his bow – the role of Diver – in the spring of 1912. In April 1913 he was assigned to HMS Astraea, on board which he would spend the next three years. The cruiser patrolled the seas off the eastern coast of Africa, bombarding Dar-es-Salaam in the autumn of 1914.
By the summer of 1916, Blacksmith Holdsworth was back at HMS Pembroke, where he would remain for the rest of the year, barring a couple of months’ on board HMS Royal Arthur. On 2nd December Robert was feeling unwell, and was moved the Hospital Ship Garth Castles. He had suffered a cardiac arrest, but his transfer would prove too late: he died that afternoon, at the age of 36.
The body of Robert William Holdsworth was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the naval base he had called home, and within walking distance of where his widow still lived.
Blacksmith Robert Holdsworth (from ancestry.co.uk)
The epitaph on Robert’s headstone reads: In loving memory of Robert William Holdsworth, 1st Class Petty Officer (Blacksmith & Diver). There is no evidence in his service records for the PO rank, although this may have been an informal nod to his dual roles.
Frederick Dennington was born in Wrentham, Suffolk, on 18th February 1877. The youngest of eleven children, his parents were William and Eliza Dennington. William was a house painter, and the family lived in a cottage on Southwold Road on the outskirts of the village.
Frederick was not to follow his father’s trade, and when he completed his schooling he found employment as a groom. Working with horses was one thing, but he wanted to make a bigger splash in the world, and so, on 28th April 1892, he joined the Royal Navy.
Too young to formally enlist, Frederick was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and was sent to HMS Impregnable, the training ship moored at Queensferry on the Firth of Forth, for his induction. Over the next three years, Boy Dennington would learn the tools of his trade, and spent time on another training vessel – HMS Lion – and at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent.
In June 1893, Frederick was promoted to Boy 1st Class, and the following January he was assigned to HMS Satellite. She was a composite screw corvette, and would remain his home for the next three years. During this time, he proved he came of age, and was formally inducted into the Royal Navy.
Give the rank of Ordinary Seaman, Frederick’s service papers give an insight into the man he was becoming. Short of stature – he was noted as being 5ft 1.5ins (1.56m) tall – he had dark brown hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion. He was also noted as having tattoos on both of his forearms, and rings tattooed on the fingers of his his right hand.
Ordinary Seaman Dennington seemed to impress his superiors and on 5th December 1895 – just ten months after coming of age – he was promoted to the rank of Able Seaman. His contract had tied him to the navy for twelve years, and during that time, Frederick would serve on five further ships. In between each of his assignments, he returned to Chatham, and this would become his longer-term base.
Frederick’s term of service came up for renewal in February 1907, and he immediately re-enlisted. His papers show that he was now 5ft 8ins (1.72m) tall, and his eyes were more grey-blue than grey. While he remained at the rank of Able Seaman, his character was always noted as being very good, and his ability as superior.
Able Seaman Dennington went on to serve on five ships over the next nine years, including three years of HMS Blenheim, and the same length of time on board HMS Duncan. By the autumn of 1916, with war raging across Europe, Frederick had clocked up 24 years in naval service.
By this point, Frederick was unwell. He was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, Kent, with a stricture of the urethra. This was to be a condition that that he would succumb to, and he passed away on 9th December 1916, at the age of 39 years old.
The body of Frederick Dennington was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, Kent, not far from the naval base that has become his second home.
Frederick never married. His probate record confirms that his effects – totalling £147 2s (worth £16,350 in today’s money) – was left to his father, William.
Harold Edward Richard Tindell was born in Sidcup, Kent, on 15th January 1898. The middle of three children, his parents were travelling salesman Lawrence Tindell, and his wife, Alice.
There is little concrete information available about Harold’s life: his family do not appear in the 1911 census, and it is only on his enlistment papers that we get a picture of the young man he had become. He joined the Royal Navy on 28th November 1916, signing up as a Ship’s Steward Assistant.
The document suggests that he had transferred over from the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, giving up his job as a clerk to fully serve his country. His papers show that he was 5ft 4.5ins (1.64m) tall, with brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion.
Ship’s Steward Assistant Tindell was sent to HMS Pembroke – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – for his training. Tragically, however, his time there was to be brief. He contracted cerebrospinal meningitis, dying from the condition on 30th December 1916: he was eighteen years of age, and had been in the Royal Navy for just 32 days.
Harold Edward Richard Tindell was laid to rest in the military section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the base he had so briefly called home.
Harold’s headstone gives his rank as Ship’s Steward Boy: however, his service papers and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission both confirm the role as Ship’s Steward Assistant.
Arthur William Charles was born in Llanrhian, Pembrokeshire, in the summer of 1896. The middle of eleven children, his parents were Joseph and Phoebe Charles.
The 1901 census recorded Joseph as being a butcher and innkeeper in the village, but by the time of the next poll, the family were split. Joseph and Phoebe were now noted as being farmers, living with five of their children plus two servants at Henllys Farm. Arthur, meanwhile, was living with two of his sisters on his brother Thomas’ farm in Mathry. At 14 years of age, he was noted as being a farmer’s son, working on a farm.
When war broke out, Arthur was called upon to play his part. His service papers are long since lost, but he had enlisted in the Welch Regiment by the spring of 1916. Assigned to the 20th (3rd Rhondda) (Reserve) Battalion, he was sent to Bangor, Gwynedd, for training.
Tragically, however, Private Charles’ time there was not to be a lengthy one. He contracted cerebrospinal meningitis, and passed away on 6th August 1916: he was 20 years of age.
The body of Arthur William Charles was taken back to Pembrokeshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the Mathry Congregational Churchyard in Rehoboth.
Death and Service 