Tag Archives: 1917

accident, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Labour Corps, photography, Private, Royal West Surrey Regiment, story, Surrey, Training Reserve Battalion, war, Wiltshire

Private William Fisher

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Private William Fisher

William Victor Fisher was born in Battersea, Surrey, at the beginning of 1899. The youngest of nine children, his parents were William and Julia Fisher. William Sr was a blacksmith and farrier, and, when William was born, the family were living in rooms at 9 Gladstone Street.

Julia died in 1902, and William Sr was was left to raise the children on his own. This he seemed to have done well, and by the time of the 1911 census, he was still living in the same house, with five of his children. William Jr’s eldest brother, Mark, was assisting their father in the business.

When war broke out, William Jr was still at school. However, he was keen to play his part and enlisted on 29th August 1915, lying abut his age to do so. As happened at the time, the recruiting officer took the age he stated – 19 years, 255 days – as being correct. He was assigned as a Private in the Royal West Surrey Regiment, and remained in Battersea for training.

Private Fisher’s time in the army was to be a brief one, but it was not without incident. He was confined to barracks for three days on 12th October, when he lost a pair of boots. Just a month later, he was reprimanded again for being absent without leave for nearly six hours on 17th November: he was again confined to barracks, this time for four days.

William’s lie was to catch up with him, and, on 27th November 1915, he was discharged for giving an incorrect age on his recruitment papers.

Two years later, William stepped up to play his part once more. This may have been a result of the death his older brother – Francis. A Private in the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers, he was killed in action on the Western Front on 28th February 1917: he was just 20 years of age.

Details of William’s second stint in the army have been lost to time, but it is clear that he was initially assigned to the 46th Training Reserve Battalion. Private Fisher then transferred to the 626th Home Service Employment Company of the Labour Corps, and was billeted in Wiltshire.

Tragically, Private Fisher’s time in the army was also to be brief. His entry in the British Register of Soldiers’ Effects show that he died on 12th July 1817, and, intriguingly, that the cause was asphyxiation. His death certificate confirms that this was asphyxia from inspiration of vomited matter, and that he died at No. 12 Camp in Longbridge Deverill: he was just 18 years of age.

The body of William Victor Fisher was laid to rest in the tranquil grounds of St Peter & St Paul’s Church, not far from where he had passed away.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devonshire Regiment, Glamorganshire, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, story, Wales, war, Wiltshire

Private Frederick Cook

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Private Frederick Cook

Frederick Cook was born in the Wiltshire village of South Wraxall in the spring of 1866. One of five children to James and Ann Cook, his father died when Frederick was just a toddler. The 1871 census found Ann and her children living in Bradford-on-Avon, where she was working as a farm labourer.

By 1881, Frederick had left school and found work as a cloth weaver. That year’s census found him living on Church Lane, Bradford-on-Avon with his mother and younger brother.

At this point Frederick disappears from the records. The next document relating to him is his wedding certificate, noting that he exchanged vows on 5th August 1895. His new wife was widow Ruth Doel, and the marriage took place in Holy Trinity Church, Heywood, Wiltshire, where she was living. Frederick was noted as being a labourer.

Frederick falls off the radar again and this point. He is noticeable by his absence from the 1901 census, Ruth living in Haywood with her son, Ernest. The next return helps to explain things, however, as, while she is now living alone, her husband is boarding in Pyle, Glamorgan, where he was employed as a limestone quarryman.

By the time war broke out, Frederick as 48 years old. He still stepped up to play his part, however, and, while his service papers have been lost to time, it is clear that he had joined the Devonshire Regiment by the summer of 1916. Attached to the 13th (Works) Battalion, Private Cook remained on home soil during his time with the army.

The next record for Frederick is that confirming his passing. He died from pneumonia on 10th February 1917, having previously been admitted to hospital. He was 51 years of age.

The body of Frederick Cook was laid to rest in Holy Trinity Churchyard, Heywood, Wiltshire.

Additional, Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Great War, history, India, killed in action, Middlesex, photography, Private, Somerset Light Infantry, story, Surrey, war

Corporal Frederick James

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Frederick John James was born in Willesden, Middlesex, in the spring of 1890. The oldest of six children, his parents were William and Louisa James. Louisa was William’s second wife, his first, Emily, having died in 1887. Frederick had ten half-siblings from this first marriage.

William was a fishmonger: the 1891 census recorded the family at 159 York Road, Battersea, Surrey. Ten years later, they had moved over the river, and were living to 46 Artizans Dwellings, Hammersmith, Middlesex.

Frederick’s father had passed away by the time of the 1911 census. The document recorded his mother residing at 18 Western Terrace, Notting Hill, Middlesex. She lived with three of her children – Ben, Alice and Grace – and was doing char work to bring in a little money.

Frederick, however, was already carving out a career in the army for himself. The same census recorded him as one of 250 troops billeted in Fyzabad, India, where he was a Private in the 2nf Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment.

Private James’ military career lacks some detail, and can only be picked up around the time of his passing. By this point, he had switched regiments, and was a Corporal in the 8th (Service) Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry. He is also noted as being married to a woman called Frances Esther New: the couple had married in 1913, although there is no other information about her.

In the summer of 1917, Corporal James’ unit was caught up in the fighting at Passchendaele. Frederick was initially reported missing, but was later declared as being killed in action on 4th October 1917. He was 27 years of age.

The body of Frederick John James was laid to rest in the Zandvoorde British Cemetery, Ypres.

Frederick was my great great grand-uncle.

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Great War, history, injury, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire, Worcestershire Regiment

Private Albert Cockell

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Private Albert Cockell

Albert Leonard Cockell was born in the spring of 1917, and was the youngest of four children to William and Annie Cockell. William was a plate layer and packer for Great Western Railways, and the family were born and raised in the village of Dilton Marsh, near Westbury, Wiltshire.

Albert finished his schooling early, to help bring in some money. The 1911 census recorded him – at 13 years of age – employed as a glove worker. When he was old enough, though, he followed in his father’s stead and, by the time war broke out, he was working as a porter at Westbury Station.

In the autumn of 1916, Albert stepped up to serve his country. He enlisted in the Worcestershire Regiment, and was assigned to the 4th Battalion. He soon found himself in the thick of things, and, by the spring of 1917, his unit was entrenched near Arras.

Sincere sympathies will be felt for Mr and Mrs William Cockell in the death of their son, Private Albert Leonard Cockell, Worcester Regiment, which took place on July 8th from wounds received while on active service in France. Private Cockell… joined the army about nine months ago, and during fighting on the 23rd April was struck by shrapnel. He was sent back to Dorchester and died on Sunday.

[Warminster & Westbury Journal: Friday 20th July 1917]

Albert Leonard Cockell was wounded on the first day of the Second Battle of the Scarpe. He died from his injuries on 8th July 1917, and his body laid to rest in the graveyard of Holy Trinity Church, Dilton Marsh.

Commonwealth War Graves, Egypt, Essex, Great War, history, illness, injury, New Zealand, New Zealand Canterbury Regiment, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire

Private Thomas Kearse

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Private Thomas Kearse

Thomas Walker Kearse was born in Westport, New Zealand, on 15th December 1891. One of seven children, his parents were British emigrant Thomas Kearse and his local-born wife, Rosanna.

There is little information available about Thomas’ early life. He found work as a general labourer when he finished his schooling, by which time his mother had passed away. By his mid-20s, he had relocated to Kaikohe, on North Island.

When war broke out, Thomas stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in Trentham on 16th February 1915, and was assigned to the New Zealand Canterbury Regiment. Private Kearse’s medical examination noted that he was just over 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall, and weighed 139lbs (63kg). He had light hair, blue-grey eyes and a fair complexion. He was also noted as having a scar on his right shin.

Private Kearse would be in the army for two-and-a-half years, but would experience enough warfare for a lifetime. On leaving New Zealand his unit made for the Dardanelles, arriving there on 16th August 1915. He was wounded early on, and medically evacuated to Malta. His injuries would need further treatment, however, and he was shipped to Britain, and sent to hospital in Birmingham.

Thomas spent time recuperating at a base in Hornchurch, Essex, and it would seem that, while here, he met Catherine Goodwin. A romance started, but Thomas was sent to re-join his unit, who were barracked in Egypt. Within a month, however, he was on the move again, arriving in France in April 1916. While there, he went absent without leave for two days, and forfeited a month’s pay as a result.

In October, Private Kearse was wounded in the head and arm by gunfire, and, after initial treatment in Rouen, he was medically evacuated to Britain. Admitted to the 3rd Southern General Hospital in Oxford, he would remain here for the next month. He was then sent to the ANZAC base in Codford, Wiltshire, again to recuperate, but, while there, he was admitted to the camp’s venereal unit for a fortnight.

Discharged again, his condition had not cleared up: Thomas was back in hospital on 5th December 1916, and he spent a further two weeks admitted.

On his latest discharge, Private Kearse was marched to Sling Camp, near Bulford, where he took up a role as cook. He would remain there for the next four months and, during this time, he and Catherine exchanged vows. She had given birth to a daughter, Ivy, the previous October, and this helped formalise their family unit.

Over the next few months, Thomas’ life repeated itself. He was admitted to hospital in Codford again in June 1917, and went AWOL for 26 hours on 27th/28th July (for which he was docked four days’ pay). Discharged from hospital on 4th September, he was marched back to the Sling Camp.

Within six weeks, however, he was sent back to hospital in Codford, this time suffering from pneumonia. This time, Thomas would not be as fortunate. The lung condition got the better of his, and he passed away on 25th October 1917, at the age of 25 years old.

The body of Thomas Walker Kearse was laid to rest in the ANZAC extension to St Mary’s Churchyard in Codford, not far from the hospital he had visited so many times.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, New Zealand, New Zealand Auckland Regiment, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire

Private Walter Bourke

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Private Walter Bourke

Walter Edward Bourke was born in Whangarei, New Zealand, on 6th May 1885. The fifth of six children, his parents were Patrick and Elizabeth Bourke, who had emigrated from Ireland in the 1870s.

Patrick died in 1911, at the age of 65. Walter, by this point, was working as a chamber hand in a freezing works. When war broke out, however, he was compelled to step up and serve his country. He enlisted on 22nd January 1917, and was assigned to the New Zealand Auckland Regiment.

Trained at Trentham, Private Bourke’s unit set sail for Europe on 12th June 1917. The voyage from Wellington to Devonport would take two months and, from there Walter was marched into a camp in Sling, near Bulford, Wiltshire.

Within a matter of weeks, Walter fell ill. He was sent to the No. 3 New Zealand Hospital near Codford, Wiltshire, but his condition worsened significantly over the next month. His treatment would prove fruitless, and Private Bourke passed away on 25th October 1917: he was 32 years of age.

Thousands of miles from family, Walter Edward Bourke was laid to rest in the extension to St Mary’s Church graveyard, not far from the hospital in which he had passed.

Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, County Antrim, Great War, history, illness, Ireland, Lancashire, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire

Private William Cathcart

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Private William Cathcart

William Rea Cathcart was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on 30th January 1887. The middle of five children, his parents were Thomas and Margaret Cathcart.

Little information is available about William’s early life, but he appears to have been a smart young man and, by his mid-20s was employed as a bookkeeper. Part of him sought a better life for himself and he took the decision to emigrate, arriving in Fremantle, Australia on board the SS Otranto on 14th November 1911.

William settled in Perth, but when war broke out, he was keen to step up and serve his King and Empire. He enlisted on 7th May 1915 but, for some reason, he wasn’t accepted for service at that time.

William did not give up, however, and he succeeded in enlisting on 30th May 1917. His service papers confirm that he was 5ft 8.75ins (1.74m) tall and weighed 150lbs (68kg). A Roman Catholic, he was noted as having brown eyes, brown hair and a fresh complexion.

Assigned to the 16th Battalion of the Australian Infantry, Private Cathcart’s unit set sail from Sydney on the troop ship A7 Medic, on the 1st August 1917. The voyage would take two months, and his unit arrived in Liverpool, Lancashire, at the start of October. It the then marched south to the ANZAC bases near Codford, Wiltshire.

It seems that the journey had exhausted William, and his health began to deteriorate. He was admitted to the camp hospital with diabetes, but moved to the No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital on 22nd November. He was emaciated and barely able to walk, constantly drinking, but eating very little.

Over the next few days, William’s condition worsened. He began getting pains in his arms and legs, was sluggish and restless. The treatment he was provided would ultimately prove too little, too late. Private Cathcart passed away at 1:05am on 25th November 1917: he was 30 years of age.

The body of William Rea Cathcart was laid to rest in the ANZAC extension to the graveyard of St Mary’s Church, Codford, not far from the hospital in which he had been treated.

Private William Cathcart
(from ancestry.co.uk)
Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, injury, Lance Corporal, Northamptonshire, Northamptonshire Regiment, photography, Private, story, war

Lance Corporal Charles Webb

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Lance Corporal Charles Webb

Charles Edward Webb was born in Wootton, Northamptonshire in the autumn of 1894. The oldest of seven children, his parents were clay pit foreman David Webb and his wife, Hannah.

When Charles finished his schooling, he found work as a brewer’s labourer: the 1911 census found the family living in a four-roomed cottage on Wootton High Street.

Little information is available about Charles’ time in the army. A later report, however, confirms that he enlisted not long after the declaration of war in 1914. He joined the Northamptonshire Regiment, and was assigned to the 7th (Service) Battalion.

Private Webb’s unit fought in some of the fiercest battles of the conflict, including at Loos in 1915, the Somme in 1916 and Ypres in 1917. During this time Charles was promoted to Lance Corporal.

Webb, Lce.-Corpl. CE (23), Northants, eldest son of Mr and Mrs Webb of Wootton, and fiance of Miss M Seamark, of Northampton; died in the University War Hospital, Southampton, on December 3, of wounds received in action on June 7; enlisted at the outbreak of war.

[Northampton Chronicle and Echo – Monday 31 December 1917]

The date of Charles Edward Webb’s injuries coincide the the first day of the Battle of Messines, in which the Northamptonshire Regiment played a crucial role. He was 23 years old when he died: his body was taken back home for burial and he was laid to rest in St George’s Church Cemetery, not far from the homes of his grieving family and fiancée.

Charles’ younger brother William also served in the First World War. As a Private in the 10th (Service) Battalion of the Essex Regiment, he was caught up in the Battle of Amiens on 8th August 1918, and was declared missing presumed dead: he was just 18 years of age. He is commemorated on the Vis-en-Artois British Memorial in Harcourt, France.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Private, Royal Marines, story, war

Private Arthur Harrison

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Private Arthur Harrison

In the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, is the grave of Arthur Harrison. A Private in Royal Marine Light Infantry, his headstone suggests that he was born in around 1883. The inscription also confirms that he was killed in the explosion that sank the battleship HMS Bulwark on 26th November 1914.

Beyond these sparse facts, little else is known. No surviving service records remain to illuminate Arthur’s military career, and his name is too common to be reliably traced through census returns or other contemporary documents.

As a result, Arthur Harrison’s life has largely slipped from the historical record. His story is destined to remain fragmented—lost to time, save for this quiet grave and the brief inscription that marks his passing.

accident, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, Lieutenant, photography, Royal Air Force, Second Lieutenant, story, Surrey, war

Second Lieutenant Ernest Hargrave

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Lieutenant Ernest Hargrave

Ernest Lawton Hargrave was born in the spring of 1899 in Clapham, Surrey. One of three children, his parents were Ernest and Ada Hargrave. Ernest Sr was a letterpress machine mender from Leeds, Yorkshire, but when he died in 1910, Ada was left to raise her children alone.

The 1911 census found Ada working as a boarding house keeper. The property she ran – a seven-roomed property at 65 Elspeth Road, Battersea, Surrey – was home to her and her two surviving children. Alongside them lived five boarders – Walter Bland (of no employment), William Gray (a clerk at the Scottish Office), Norman Pierce (an engineer’s draughtsman), William Henderson (a temporarily unemployed government clerk) and Maria Baugh (living on her own means). Edgar Gray – possibly William Gray’s father – was also visiting at the time the census was taken.

When war broke out, Ernest was 15 years of age. Too young to enlist straight away, his Medal Roll Index Card notes that he took a commission as a Second Lieutenant. Initially added to the General List, he was soon assigned to the Royal Flying Corps and sent to 79 Squadron in Hampshire.

Training to be a pilot, Second Lieutenant Hargrave practiced in an Avro 504J biplane. By 22nd September 1917, he had completed six solo flights, totalling 16 hours. That day he was under instruction, when the accident that was to take his life occurred. A later report reached the verdict that an error of judgement on Ernest’s part caused the aircraft to crash:

[He was] climbing too steeply with an insufficient bank, thus stalling the wash. As the wash was only 175ft from the ground he failed to recover and struck the ground practically nose-on. Passenger met his death through being jammed between the engine and petrol tank.

Ernest Lawton Hargrave was just 18 years of age when he was killed. His body was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Paul’s Church, East Boldre, not far from the airfield he had so briefly called home.

While the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records give Ernest’s rank as Lieutenant, other documents suggest he held the rank of Second Lieutenant when he died.