Tag Archives: 1916

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.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Middlesex, photography, Private, Royal Marines, story, war

Private John Roche

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Private John Roche

In the middle of the military section of the Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, Kent, is a headstone commemorating the life of John David Roche.

Details of John’s life are a challenge to piece together, although a later document gives his next-of-kin as Mrs E Roche of 108 Osnaburgh Street, Regent’s Park, London. There is a baptism record from 1897 for John David Roche, whose mother’s name was given as Lizzie. John’s father is listed as David, and the christening took place in Chelsea. There are no other records or census returns to give any further family background.

John’s time in military service is also hard to determine. That he joined the Royal Marine Light Infantry is clear, although when he enlisted and where he served are sadly lost to time.

Details of Private Roche’s passing are also unclear. He is noted as having died of disease, although the specific cause is not detailed. Given the location of his burial, it seems likely that he passed either at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, or at the hospital in the town connected to it.

John David Roche passed away on 2nd June 1916. If the baptism was correct, he was a day short of his 19th birthday.

Able Seaman, Commonwealth War Graves, County Antrim, Great War, history, illness, Ireland, Kent, Northern Ireland, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Able Seaman Charles Dorman

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Able Seaman Charles Dorman

Charles Columbus Dorman was born on 21st October 1892, and was the middle of three children to James and Margaret Dorman. Charles’ parents both hailed from Belfast, Country Antrim, but the 1901 census records his and his older sister’s birthplace as America. No baptism documents are available and no later information supports this, so, while his unusual middle name may suggest the place of his birth, it seems destined to remain unclear.

When he left school, Charles found work as a printer’s apprentice. He sought more, however, and was drawn to a life at sea. On 29th November 1910, he enlisted in the Royal Navy as an Ordinary Seaman. His service records confirm that he was 5ft 3.5ins (1.61m) tall, with brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion.

Charles was sent to HMS Pembroke – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – for his training. In January 1911, he was assigned to the ill-fated HMS Bulwark, before moving to the battleship HMS Implacable three months later. He would remain on board until the summer of 1914, gaining a promotion to Able Seaman during his three year stint there.

Charles was serving on Implacable when war was declared. At the beginning of September, after a week back in Chatham, was assigned to the sloop HMS Cormorant. After six months aboard, the cruiser HMS Blenheim became his home, and he spent the next month supporting troops who were being sent to Gallipoli.

By this point, Able Seaman Dorman had become unwell. He had contracted the autoimmune disease pemphigus, resulting in blistering to his skin and body. He returned to HMS Pembroke, and was stood down from the service on medical grounds 9th July 1916.

It is unclear whether or not Charles was admitted to hospital for his condition. Either way, he succumbed to the illness on 31st August 1916. He was just 23 years of age.

Charles Columbus Dorman’s family appear to have been unable to bring their boy back to Ireland for burial. Instead, he was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the Kent naval base he had come to call home.

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

Seaman Charles English

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Seaman Charles English

Charles William English was born on 30th August 1895 in the Suffolk town of Southwold. According to his later naval service records, his parents were Ellis and Sarah English, although there is little other information available to back this up.

Charles evidently had a draw to the sea and, when he enlisted in the Royal Naval Reserve on 10th January 1914, he was working as a fisherman. His service records confirm that he was 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall, with grey eyes and a fresh complexion.

Over the next few years, Seaman English served off the east coast, and was attached to HMS Mantua, a former cruise ship taken over by the Royal Navy to patrol the North Sea. In between trips, Charles made HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, his home and it was to here that he returned in the autumn of 1916 when he fell ill.

Charles was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in the town, tests showing that he was suffering from lymphatic leukaemia. This was to prove fatal, and Seaman English passed away on 26th September 1916, aged just 21 years of age.

It seems likely that Charles William English’s family were unable to foot the bill for bringing their son back to Suffolk. Instead, he was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the base he had come to call home.

Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, story, war

Boy 1st Class Sidney White

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Boy 1st Class Sidney White

Sidney James White was born on 9th April 1899 in Bath, Somerset. The second of six children – and the oldest son – his parents were Sidney and Ann White. Sidney Sr was a butcher by trade and, by the time of the 1911 census, the family were living in Walcot Buildings in the city.

Sidney Jr was only 15 years of age when war came to Europe. However, he was still keen to do hit bit and, on 13th October 1915, he gave up his job as a fitter’s mate and enlisted in the Royal Navy. As he was underage, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, his service records showing that he was 5ft 7.5ins (1.61m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Boy 2nd Class White was dispatched to the ship HMS Impregnable for his initial service. Moored in Devon, she was a training vessel, used to school young recruits in the art of seamanship. In May 1916, Sidney was promoted to the rank of Boy 1st Class, but his time in the Royal Navy was to be cut tragically short.

Holed up in cramped billets, disease often ran rife in military barracks, and Sidney was not to be immune. He contracted meningitis, and was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Plymouth. While initially appearing to recover, the condition was to prove too severe, and his young body succumbed on 18th June 1916: he was just 17 years of age.

Sidney James White’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in a shady spot in Bath’s sweeping Locksbrook Cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Dorset, Great War, history, Leicestershire, photography, Royal Field Artillery, Somerset, story, unknown, war

Gunner William Woodward

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Gunner William Woodward

William Percy Walker Woodward was born on 18th November 1879, and was the third of six children to James and Mary Woodward. James was a manufacturer of sanitaryware and had been born in Derbyshire, but it was in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire that he and Mary raised their family.

James passed away in the spring of 1886, leaving Mary to raise the family on her own. His obituary in the local media underlined the business that he had built up: “Mr Woodward succeeded his father and eldest brother to the fire brick business, established by the late Mr John Hunt of Swadlincote, of 1790.In 1856 Mr Woodward added to the above trade that of glazed sewerage pipe and terra cotta earthenware, and in 1873 that of general sanitary appliances, and by industry, perseverance, and foresight developed the same into one of the largest manufactories of the kind in the Midland counties, and became well known throughout the greater part of the kingdom as a leading manufacturer of these goods. He was a large employer of labour, kind and considerate, always manifesting great interest in the welfare of his employees.” [Hinckley News – Saturday 15 May 1886]

Mary was left to raise six children, but, thanks to the business, did not do so without support. The 1891 census found the family living at High Fields in Ashby, with a cook, housemaid, children’s maid and a coachman and his family living next door. William and his siblings were all taught at home by their governess.

By the time of the next census, William seemed to have taken on the running of his late father’s business, along with two of his brothers, James and Harold. Things were to change for the Woodward family, however, as they began to go their separate ways.

The 1911 censes shows a divide: James was living on his own means in Snarestone, Leicestershire, with his young family and household retinue. Harold, meanwhile, had emigrated to Canada with another sibling, younger brother Ernest, where they had both set up as farmers.

Mary had also moved, setting up home in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. She lived on Clarence Road South with William and her daughter, Lilian. The house – Glencathara – was twelve-roomed property, and they had a live0in cook, Emily Young, supporting them. Notably, William’s employment was listed as ‘none, on account of health’, so the move to the coast may have been brought about for medical reasons.

When war came to Europe in summer of 1914, William stepped up to play his part. His service records have been lost, but he had enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery no earlier than the autumn of 1915. He was attached to the 18th Reserve Battery, and came to be based in Topsham Barracks in Exeter.

Little is known of Gunner Woodward’s time in the army, but it was to be brief. He passed away, through causes unknown, on 13th April 1916, at the age of 36.

It is unclear where Mary was living at this point. The body of William Percy Walker Woodward was taken to Dorset for burial, and he was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Hippolyte’s Church, in Ryme Intrinseca. Interestingly, the parish records note that William was ‘a personal friend of [the] rector’.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Gunner, history, Lancashire, photography, Royal Field Artillery, story, unknown, war, Wiltshire

Gunner Kei Marsh

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Gunner Kei Marsh

In a corner of the peaceful St Mary’s Churchyard in Codford, Wiltshire, is a headstone dedicated to L/17062 Gunner K Marsh. He served in the Royal Field Artillery, and passed away on 5th January 1916.

Gunner Marsh’s entry in the Army Register of Soldier’s Effects gives his first name – Kei – and that of his widow – Edith. The parish record for his funeral giving an age of 34 years old, and from here it is possible to piece together some of his family’s past.

Kei was born in Burnley, Lancashire, in the autumn of 1882, and was the son of engineer Alfred Marsh. He and Edith married in 1907, and were living with her widowed mother, Sarah, and their three children, John, Sarah and Edith, by the time of the 1911 census. The house – 30 Thorn Street in Burnley – was crowded. Along with the Marshes, Sarah also had her other six children living with her: a total of eight adults and four children sharing four rooms in the small terraced house.

Kei was working as a miner by this point, but had enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery by the summer of 1915. He acted as a Gunner in the 32nd Division Ammunition Column, although it is unclear whether or not he spent any time overseas.

By the end of 1915, Gunner Marsh had been admitted to the military hospital in Codford. The cause of his admission is unclear, but it was to be one that he was to succumb to: he passed away on 5th January 1916. Kei lies at rest in the quiet Wiltshire churchyard.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Gunner, history, illness, photography, Royal Field Artillery, story, war, Wiltshire, Yorkshire

Gunner Willie Smith

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Gunner Willie Smith

In a quiet corner of St Mary’s Churchyard, Codford, Wiltshire, is a headstone dedicated to L/17006 Gunner W Smith of the Royal Field Artillery. His pension ledger confirms that he passed on 14th January 1916 from osteomyelitis, a bone infection, contracted whilst on active service.

The document gives Gunner Smith’s first name – Willie – and that of his widow, Ada, who lived at 157 Gisburne Road, Barnoldswick, Yorkshire. Their only child, Winifred, had been born on 22nd March 1914.

The couple’s marriage certificates are not available, while the 1911 census return shows at least three Willie Smiths in the Barnoldswick area. It is not possible, therefore, to uncover more of his family’s past.

Willie Smith had enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery by the summer of 1915. He acted as a Driver in the 32nd Division Ammunition Column, although it is unclear whether or not he spent any time overseas.

Gunner Smith was based on Salisbury Plain by the winter of 1915. He was admitted to the Military Hospital near Codford with the infection he had contracted, and succumbed to is on 14th January 1916. He was laid to rest in the peaceful country churchyard, the burial records confirming he was 26 years of age.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Lancashire, Manchester Regiment, photography, Sergeant, story, war, Wiltshire

Serjeant Cecil Whitehead

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Serjeant Cecil Whitehead

Details of Cecil Whitehead’s early life as lost to time. Born in 1882, he was the son of Henry and Annie Whitehead, from Openshaw in Manchester. There are no census returns for the family, so it is not possible to discover any more of their background.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission confirm that Cecil wed a woman called Annie Ellis. His pension ledger notes four children: John, Cecil, Annie and Catherine, who died in 1917.

When war broke out, Cecil stepped up to serve his King and Country. He enlisted in the Manchester Regiment, and was assigned to the 3rd/8th Battalion. This was a reserve unit, based on home soil, and there is no evidence that Cecil spent any time overseas.

Cecil rose to the rank of Serjeant, by the winter of 1915, Cecil was billeted near Codford in Wiltshire. It was while he was here that he fell ill, contracting pneumonia. The condition was to prove too much for his body to bear, and he passed away on 13th February 1916, at the age of 33 years old.

Annie appear to have been unable to fund bringing her husband back to Manchester for burial. Instead Cecil Whitehead was laid to rest in the quiet graveyard of St Mary’s Church in Codford.