Tag Archives: 1916

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Leading Seaman, Middlesex, Ordinary Seaman, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, Ship's Corporal, story, war

Ship’s Corporal Thomas Berry

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Ship’s Corporal Thomas Berry

Details of the civilian life of Thomas Joseph Berry are a challenge to piece together. He is not recognisable in any census returns, and baptism records don’t tally either.

The main resource for building a picture of Thomas’ life is the service record for his time in the Royal Navy. This provides his date of birth – 6th May 1882 – and suggests that he was born in Hornsey, Middlesex. He was working as a cabinet maker when he enlisted, the document also confirming that he was 5ft 4ins (1.62m) tall, with brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion.

Thomas began his naval career on 29th July 1898. Below the age to formally enlist, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class. Over the next eighteen months, his time was split between two training ships based in Devonport, Devon, HMS Impregnable and HMS Lion. In April 1899 he was promoted to Boy 1st Class.

In February 1900, Thomas moved to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport. On 6th May he came of age, and was formally enrolled in the navy, receiving the rank of Ordinary Seaman. From this point his career took off and, over the next sixteen years, he would go on to serve on board fifteen ships, seeing the world.

At his annual reports, Thomas’ conduct was regularly identified as Very Good, and his commitment was reflected in the progress he made through the ranks. By June 1901, he had been promoted to Able Seaman Berry. The summer of 1907 saw him move up to Leading Seaman, and three years later, Thomas was a Petty Officer. In November 1911 he was made Ship’s Corporal 2nd Class, and by the following spring he had been promoted again, this time to Ship’s Corporal 1st Class.

Away from the Royal Navy, Thomas’ personal life was developing. Again there is little documentation to provide any specifics, but he married a woman called Albertine Elizabeth in the early 1910s. The couple went on to have a son, Bernard, who was born on 15th January 1913, and the family seemed to settle down in Paignton, Devon – a later record giving Albertine’s address as 3 Alma Terrace, Well Street.

When war broke out in the summer of 1914, Ship’s Corporal Berry was serving on board the protected cruiser HMS Blake. In February 1916, he was assigned to the battleship HMS Revenge which served in the English Channel.

By this point, Thomas’ health seemed to be taking a downturn. He was posted back to HMS Vivid on 7th March, but was then transferred to Devon County Asylum in Exminster, suffering from “general paralysis of the insane“. His condition worsened and he passed away on 29th April 1916: he was days away from his 34th birthday.

Thomas Joseph Berry’s body was brought back to Paignton for burial. He was laid to rest in the town’s cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Gunner, history, illness, London, photography, Royal Field Artillery, Somerset, story, war

Gunner Henry Morris

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Gunner Henry Morris

The early life of Henry Morris is difficult to pin down although later records suggest that his parents were William and Elizabeth from Bath, Somerset. A baptism record from December 1882 shows Henry Morris, with a mother called Elizabeth, but no father is noted, so there is no way to confirm any connection.

The first concrete information for Henry is the 1911 census: this records Henry Morris living with his wife, Eliza, their son, Henry Jr, and Eliza’s mother, Emma Derrick. He was working as a poulterer, employed by a fishmonger’s, with Eliza also working as a fish hawker. Henry and Eliza – who had married in 1905 – would go on to have a second child, Emma, who was born in November 1911.

When war broke out, Henry stepped up to serve his King and Country. Full service records are lost to time, but it is clear that he had enlisted by the spring of 1916, joining the Royal Field Artillery as a Gunner. Documents suggest two different units in which he served: the 26th Division Ammunition Column and the 5th (Reserve) Brigade.

By the autumn of 1916, Henry was suffering from nephritis. He was admitted to the military hospital on Endell Street, London, but his condition was to prove fatal. He passed away on 24th November 1916: he was 32 years of age. With a few discrepancies, a newspaper article gave a little more information about his life:

Henry Morris, RFA, 67 Avon Street, died this morning… He was invalided home from Salonika, and arrived in London nine weeks ago, He was married, and leaves a widow and two children… For eleven years Driver Brooks worked for Mr Broadhurst, fishmonger, York Buildings, Bath, and joined the army sixteen months ago.

[Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette: Saturday 25th November 1916]

Henry Morris was taken back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in Bath’s sweeping Locksbrook Cemetery.

Gunner Henry Morris
(from findagrave.com)
Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, India, Kent, Leading Seaman, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Petty Officer John Baker

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Petty Officer John Baker

John Patrick Baker was born on 20th March 1883, the only child to Henry and Mary Baker. Henry was naval pensioner-turned-labourer from Belfast, Ireland, while Mary was born in Queenstown, Ireland. By the time of the John’s birth, however, they had moved to Kent, settling in the village of Cheriton.

John is noticeable by his absence in the coming years. The 1901 census return found his parents living in the same home, but the only other resident was boarder Jesse Fuller.

The 1911 census, however, helps explain this disappearance. The document records John as being one of more than 500 crew on board the cruiser HMS Highflyer. He was notes as being a Leading Seaman and, on the day that the census was taken, the ship was in the Laccadive Sea, off the coast of western India, to the south of Goa.

John is also noted as being married, and it seems that he wed a woman called Adela the previous year. Her entry in the 1911 census noted she was living in a room at 206 Risboro Lane in Cheriton, Kent. The house was also occupied by the Leach family – William, Hannah and daughter Margaret – and a Christina Hawkes, who was also married. Whether they were all related is unclear, but Adela, at 30 years of age, was working as a domestic servant to pay her way.

Adela and John would go on to have two children: John Jr was born on 31st July 1911 – just four months after the census. His younger brother Ernest was born on 21st May 1914, four months before the outbreak of war.

There is little further information available on the Baker Family. John progressed in his naval career, and had risen to the rank of Petty Officer by the end of 1915. That winter he became unwell, although the condition is not readily documented. He was posted at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, by this point, and he may well have been admitted to the nearby Naval Hospital.

His illness was to prove fatal, however, and Petty Officer Baker passed away on 13th January 1916. He was 32 years of age.

John Patrick Baker was laid to rest in the Roman Catholic section of the Woodland Cemetery in Gillingham, Kent, not far from the base he had known so well.

Army Veterinary Corps, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, London, photography, Private, South Africa, story, Surrey, war

Private Harry Edwards

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Private Harry Edwards

Harry Edwards was born early in 1855 in South London. One of eleven children, his parents were John and Sarah Edwards. John was a carpenter, and the family were raised in Bermondsey, first in a small terrace in Chapel Place, then sharing a slightly larger house in Grange Walk.

Much of Harry’s life is lost to time. He married Mary Ellerington on 27th July 1879: she was a tailor’s daughter from Southwark, and the couple set up home at 29 Newington Causeway. The marriage certificate confirmed that Harry was employed as a warehouseman at the time, and their daughter, Amelia, was born the following spring.

A later document suggests that Harry went on to join the army, fighting as part of the South Africa Campaign. Sadly, however, his service records are lost to time, and so it is not possible to confirm when and for how long he served. Certainly, there is no mention of the family in the census returns from 1881 to 1911, so he may well have been overseas.

The next records available for Harry are those relating to his military service during the First World War. He enlisted early in 1915, joining the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. He found himself in France by mid-April, and was awarded the British and Victory Medals and the 1915 Star for his service.

Private Edwards came down with bronchitis in the spring of 1916: he was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment, and was admitted to the Bath War Hospital in Somerset. It seems that Harry’s age was against him: he passed away from the condition on 17th July 1916, at the age of 61 years old.

Harry Edwards’ family may have been unable to afford the cost of bring him back to London for burial. Instead, he was laid to rest in the sweeping Locksbrook Cemetery, not far from the hospital in which he had breathed his last.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Essex, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, story, war

Private Walter Mitchell

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Private Walter Mitchell

Walter Soper Mitchell was born in the summer of 1878 in Newton Abbot, Devon. The fourth of nine children, his parents were Frederick and Mary. Frederick was a house painter and handyman, and records seem to suggest that he took the family to where the work was. The 1881 census found the family living in Chelsea, West London, and it seems that they stayed in London until 1890.

By the time of the 1891 census, the Mitchells were back in Devon, living at 10 Orchard Terrace in Paignton. Frederick was now working as a plumber, while Walter’s older siblings – brothers Frederick Jr, William and Alfred – were variously employed as a sailor, a painter and a plumber.

Walter, who was 12 years old by this point, was nearing the end of his schooling. When he left, he followed the family trade, and as soon employed as a house painter. The 1901 census found him as the oldest sibling still to be living with Frederick and Mary, although his circumstances were about to change.

In September 1903, Walter married Emily Jeffery. She was a couple of years younger than her new spouse, but, sadly, there is little information about her parents. The 1891 census found her living with her grandparents, while the 1901 return noted her boarding with her aunt and uncle.

Walter and Emily went on to have three children. By the time of the 1911 census, the family were living at 25 Norton Terrace in Paignton, Walter being employed as a house painter by this point.

War came to Europe in the summer of 1914, and Walter was called upon to play his part. Full details of his military service have been lost in the mists of time, but from what remains it is clear that he enlisted in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps at some point after July 1915. He was attached to the 67th Coy., but it is unclear whether he saw any action overseas.

Private Mitchell’s time in the army was not to be a lengthy one. He seems to have been based in Essex, and a later record confirms that he contracted bronchitis and anaemia. This would prove to be his undoing: he passed away in Colchester on 17th February 1916, aged 36 years old.

The body of Walter Soper Mitchell was brought back to Devon for burial. He was laid to rest in what would become the family plot in the sweeping Paignton Cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Gunner, history, illness, Isle of Man, photography, Royal Garrison Artillery, story, war

Gunner Francis Carter

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Gunner Francis Carter

An inquest was held at Plymouth on Monday on Francis Albert Carter, 27, [Royal Garrison Artillery], late of 45 Lang-road, Paignton, auctioneer and valuer. Deceased was visiting his wife, who was staying with friends at St Hilary-terrace, St Jude’s, Plymouth, on the 8th inst., and died suddenly. Dr Ward said death was due to valvular disease of the heart. Deceased had only been in the artillery about three weeks. Deceased… was formerly in business with his brother as a house and estate agent…

[Western Times: Friday 15th December 1916]

Tracing the details of Francis Albert Carter’s life is a bit of a challenge, although the 1911 census records him living at 11 Shirburn Terrace, Torquay, Devon. At 21 years of age, he is noted as having been born in Lezayre, on the Isle of Man. He was living with his mother – the widow Sarah Carter, who was living on independent means – and his brother, 14-year-old Louis, who had been born in Halifax, Yorkshire. Francis was employed as a house agent, while Louis seems to have been his apprentice.

The previous census had recorded the family of three living in Torquay, and confirms that Sarah had been widowed by the time her youngest was four years old.

There is no information about Francis’ marriage, nor any indications as to who his wife might have been.

With regard to his time in the army, it is clear that he enlisted in the Royal Garrison Artillery as a Gunner in November 1916, and was on a break from his training when he visited his wife and her friends on the day he died.

There is little more detail available for Francis Albert Carter. He was laid to rest in Paignton’s sweeping cemetery, not far from where his mother and brother were still living.

Able Seaman, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Kent, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, story, Sussex, war

Able Seaman Russell Engleback

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Able Seaman Russell Engleback

The life of Russell Engleback seems destined to remain lost in the mists of time and the only concrete information for him relate to his military service.

Ordinary Seaman Engleback joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Service on 3rd July 1914, just weeks before the declaration of war. His records confirm his date of birth – 11th August 1896 – and his occupation, which was a printer. He was 5ft 5ins (1.64m) tall, and had dark brown hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion.

Russell was sent to HMS Victory – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire – for training, before being assigned to the battleship HMS Commonwealth in October. He remained on board for the next two years, rising to the rank of Able Seaman during this time.

Able Seaman Engleback returned to HMS Victory in August 1916, but may have moved to another naval base, HMS Pembroke in Chatham soon afterwards. Certainly he was at the Kent dockyard when he fell ill in November, as he was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital around this time.

Russell was suffering from nephritis – kidney disease – by this point, and it was a condition that was to ultimately kill him. He passed away on 23rd November 1916, while still admitted in hospital: he was just 20 years of age.

Russell Engleback was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the Chatham dockyard. His pension records give Fred and Amelia Tiffin – Russell’s Sussex-based mother and stepfather – as his next-of-kin.

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

Stoker 2nd Class John Gearing

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Stoker 2nd Class John Gearing

John Gearing was born in Paddington, Middlesex, on 12th August 1894. There is little concrete information about his early life, although a later document confirms he was the son of Mrs E Gearing, of 5 York Place, Hammersmith.

John was working as a fireman when war was declared. When he was called upon to serve his King and Country, he chose to enlist in the Royal Navy, joining up on 5th January 1916. His service records show that he was 5ft 9.5ins (1.76m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker 2nd Class Gearing was initially sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. He would remain attached to the base, and was assigned to HMS Victorious, the dockyard’s repair ship, from April 1916.

John’s time in the navy was not to be a lengthy one. Transferred back to HMS Pembroke in September, it seems that his health was becoming affected by the work he was doing. He was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, suffering from what was later identified as carcinoma of the intestines. He passed away from the condition on 22nd December 1916, aged just 22 years old.

John Gearing was laid to rest in the Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the naval base he had come to call home.

Able Seaman, accident, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, London, Middlesex, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Able Seaman Horace Freeman

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Able Seaman Horace Freeman

Horace James Freeman was born in Hackney, East London, on 16th September 1879. The second of five children, his parents were Archibald and Mary Freeman. According to the 1891 census, Archibald was employed as a carman, but the next document had him listed simply as a ‘traveller’.

When he completed his schooling, Horace found work as a baker’s assistant. He sought bigger and better things, however, and, on 13th February 1897, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. His service records show that he was 5ft 5.5ins (1.66m) tall, with brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion.

A few months under full age, Horace was initially given the rank of Boy 2nd Class. He was sent to the training ship HMS Northampton, and seemingly impressed his superiors, rising to Boy 1st Class within a couple of months. He moved to another training vessel, HMS Calliope, in July 1897, and was serving on board when he came of age that September.

Now formally inducted into the Royal Navy, Ordinary Seaman Freeman began what was to be an eighteen year career at sea. He would become based at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, and went on to serve aboard nine ships during his time.

Promoted to the rank of Able Seaman in October 1899, Horace’s time in the navy was not to be without incident. He spent eight separate periods of time in the cells, 158 days in total. Full details of his misdemeanours are lost to time, but at least on at least one occasion he was placed in the brig for refusing orders.

On Christmas Day 1911, Horace married Sarah Byatt. She was a bricklayer’s daughter from Tottenham, and the couple went on to have two children: Clifford, born in 1913, and Leslie, born two years later.

While Sarah was looking after their young family, Horace spent a lot of his time at sea. As time moved on, however, he was based at HMS Pembroke for longer spells, and it was while he was in Chatham early in 1916 that fate befell him.

The body of Horace J Freeman, an able seaman of the RFR, who had been missing from his ship since February 25th, was found floating in South Lock at Chatham Dockyard on Saturday.

[South Eastern Gazette: Tuesday 11th April 1916]

Little additional information is available about Horace’s death, and it is unclear how he had fallen into the lock. He was 36 years of age.

The body of Able Seaman Horace James Freeman was laid to rest in Gillingham’s Woodlands Cemetery, not far from the naval base he had called home for so long.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, Scotland, Stoker, story, unknown, war

Stoker James Clark

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Stoker James Clark

In the regimented Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, Kent, stands the headstone dedicated to Stoker James Clark of the Royal Naval Reserve. The grave marker, and associated documents, confirm James’ age at the time of his passing as 48 years, but gives no details of next of kin or any relatives.

Stoker Clark’s service records are sparse, but confirm a date and place of of birth – 13th December 1867 in Glasgow, Scotland – and his parents’ names, William and Catherine. Sadly, while the document also gives the names of two of James’ siblings – Mary and William – it has not been possible to match these with any census documents from the Glasgow area.

James’ service records state that he joined the Royal Naval Reserve on 1st October 1897. He was 5ft 8.5ins (1.74m) tall, with grey eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having a number of tattoos on his right arm, including a sunrise and a heart.

Stoker Clark’s time in the Royal Naval Reserve are a bit patchy, but it seems that he was called into full duty in 1914. Over the next couple of years he served on three different ships, each time returning to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent.

While his overall service seems to have gone well, in July 1915, he deserted. Full details are not evident, but he was captured, and seems to have returned to duty by the end of the month.

The next record for Stoker Clark is that of his passing. His service records state that he “died suddenly at [Royal Naval Barracks] Chatham on 2nd May 1916 (cause of death at present unknown)”. There is no other information about his death, and, while his siblings were informed of his death, it appears they were unable – or unwilling – to bring his body back to Scotland for burial.

Instead, James Clark was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the dockyard he had called his home.