Tag Archives: 1917

Commonwealth War Graves, Cornwall, Engineman, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, story, Suffolk, war

Engineman Charles Clarke

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Engineman Charles Clarke

Charles Alfred Clarke was born in Lowestoft, Suffolk on 1st June 1888. The middle of eleven children, his parents were William and Jane Clarke. William was a fisherman, and, according to the 1901 census, the family lived at Coopers Cottages, on Hemplands, close to the town centre, and not far from the seafront.

Given his father’s trade, and the fact that his older brothers also followed suit, it is no surprise that Charles found work as a fisherman. The 1911 census recorded him as one of eight crew on board the John & Sarah, a 36t steam boat, that had moored in Penzance, Cornwall. Charles was noted as being an engineman and fish packer.

Away from the sea, Charles had found love. Clara Fletcher was two years his junior, and was the daughter of publican Samuel, who ran the Mechanic’s Arms on Lowestoft’s Crown Street. The couple exchanged vows in the summer of 1916, the wedding being registered in Mutford, to the south east of their home town.

By this point, and with war raging across Europe, Charles had been called into military duty. Attached to the Royal Naval Reserve from May 1915, he was attached to the torpedo gunboat HMS Halcyon, which acted as a depot ship off the Suffolk coast. His service papers note that he was 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall, with hazel eyes and a fresh complexion.

Engineman Clarke remained with Halcyon until the summer of 1917, when he was transferred to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. The base was a particularly busy place at that point in the war and temporary accommodation was set up. Engineman Clarke found himself billeted at The Drill Hall, away from the main barracks.

On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line, as the German Air Force launched a bombing raid. Two bombs landed squarely on the Drill Hall, shattering its glass roof, and Engineman Clarke was amongst the dozens killed. He was 29 years of age.

The body of Charles Alfred Clarke was taken back to Suffolk for burial. He was laid to rest in the town’s cemetery on Normanston Drive.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, Norfolk, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 2nd Class William Berwick

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Stoker 2nd Class William Berwick

William George Berwick was born in Norwich, Norfolk, on 12th July 1896. He was the oldest of two children – his younger sibling, sister Agnes, was born thirteen years after him – to William and Lucy Berwick.

The family lived at 29 Fishergate, close to the River Wensum. The 1901 census recorded William Sr working as a brush maker, while Lucy was a silk weaver. Fast forward a decade, and while they were living in the same house, William Sr was a licenced victualler, with his son assisting him in the business.

War broke out in 1914, and William Jr would eventually be called upon to serve his country. He enlisted in the Royal Navy on 11th January 1917, giving up his then job as a boot and shoe operator to work as a Stoker 2nd Class. His service papers show that he was 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. His was recorded as having an appendix scar.

Stoker Berwick was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. After six months he was giving his first posting, HMS Wallington, the shore base on the Humber estuary. Just a few weeks later, he was sent back to Pembroke, in anticipation of his first sea-going assignment.

The dockyard was a particularly busy place in the summer of 1917, and temporary accommodation was set up. William found himself billeted at Chatham Drill Hall, away from the main barracks.

On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line, as the German Air Force launched a bombing raid. One of the bombs landed squarely on the Drill Hall, and Stoker 2ns Class Berwick was killed. He was just 21 years old.

The body of William George Berwick was taken back to Norfolk for burial. He was laid to rest in Norwich Cemetery, not far from where his parents and sister still lived.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

Additional, Cambridgeshire, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class Herbert Bavister

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Stoker 1st Class Herbert Bavister

AN AIR-RAID VICTIM

Killed in Barracks After Passing Through Many Battles

A Cambridge family which already had a splendid record suffered another loss by air raid on the Chatham-Sheerness district on Monday night in the death of Stoker Herbert Bavister. It will be remembered that a bomb fell on the naval barracks at Chatham, causing terrible casualties…

Stoker Bavister, the son of Mrs Bavister, of 68, New-street, was 28 years of age, and had been in the Navy over seven years. He had a grand record, having taken part in the Battle of Falkland Isles on December 8th, 1914, in the attack on the Dardanelles, both in the attack on the outer forts on February 19th and on the Chanak Forts on March 18th, 1915, and in the Battle of Jutland on March 31st-June 1st, 1916. He did not receive a scratch in any of these battles.

There are three brothers in the Army, on of whom – Pte. J Bavister, of the Rifle Brigare – was taken prisoner by the Germans during the retreat from Mons. The other two are Pte. W Bavister, of the Bedford Regiment, and Pte. A Bavister, of the Middlesex Regiment. Stoker Bavister was well known in Cambridge, and will be greatly missed by a wide circle of friends.

[Cambridge Daily News: Saturday 8th September 1917]

Herbert Lewis Bavister was born in Cambridge on 31st July 1889. The youngest of eight children, his parents were farm labourer William, and his wife, Ann. The 1891 census found the family living at the long-since-gone 8 Wellington Passage, to the east of the city centre.

By the time of the 1901 census, it seems that family were splitting. William was missing from the document and, given his age, and his passing a few years later, it may be that he had been admitted to a hospital or institution. Anne was living in a small cottage at 9 Albert Street, and was working as a charwoman. She was supported by three of her sons – Simon, Alfred and William – all of whom were employed as carters on a farm, while 11-year-old Herbert completed the household.

The 1911 census found a further moved for Ann and Herbert. The other children having flown the nest, it was just the two of them, living at 64 New Street, a one-up, one-down cottage on the outskirts of the city. Now 66 years of age, Ann was not working, and it was down to Herbert, employed as a fishmonger’s assistant, to bring in the money.

Supporting his widowed mother was clearly important to Herbert, and his shop salary was not enough to provide for her properly. He needed a regular pay packet, and the Royal Navy seemed to offer that security. On 30th May 1911 he enlisted, and was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. With the rank of Stoker 2nd Class, his papers show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall, with brown hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion.

Following his induction, Stoker Bavister was given his first assignment, on board the battlecruiser HMS Inflexible. She would be his home for the next six years, and the newspaper article both outlines his time on board and his promotion to Stoker 1st Class, which came in June 1912.

The summer of 1917 found Herbert back on dry land in Chatham, his tenure aboard Inflexible at an end. HMS Pembroke was a particularly busy place at that point in the war and temporary accommodation was set up. Stoker Bavister found himself billeted at The Drill Hall, away from the main barracks.

On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line, as the German Air Force launched a bombing raid. One of the bombs landed squarely on the Drill Hall, and Stoker Bavister was amongst the dozens killed. He was just 28 years old.

The body of Herbert Lewis Bavister was taken back to Cambridgeshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the city’s Mill Road Cemetery.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

Commonwealth War Graves, Gloucestershire, Great War, history, injury, Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, photography, Private, story, war

Private Wilfred Morse

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Private Wilfred Morse

Wilfred John Morse was born in the spring of 1886 in the Gloucestershire village of Upper Slaughter. The oldest of six children, he was one of five sons, although one of his brothers died when he was a babe in arms, and a second died when he was nine. Wilfred’s parents were agricultural labourer and carter John Morse and his wife, Amy. John travelled to where the work took him, and by the time of the 1901 census, the family had settled in Burford, Oxfordshire.

The following census return, taken in 1911, noted that Wilfred had also found farm work, and he was employed as a milkman, possibly on the same farm as his father. When war broke out, however, Wilfred would step up to play his part.

The full service papers for Private Morse have been lost to time, but it is clear that he had enlisted in the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry early on in the conflict. Assigned to the 6th (Service) Battalion, he found himself on the Western Front by July 1915.

It is unclear how long William remained on the Western Front, but is is likely that he was involved in the Battle of the Somme. By the start of 1917 he was injured, and his wounds were severe enough for him to be medically evacuated to Britain for treatment.

We regret to announce the death of Wilfred John Morse… of the Oxford and Bucks LI, who passed away in a London hospital after an operation following shell wounds and gas. After the action he was conveyed to the Australian Base Hospital and then to London, where it was found necessary to operate.

[Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette: Friday 9th March 1917]

Wilfred John Morse died on 1st March 1917, at the age of 30 years old. His body was taken back to Oxfordshire for burial, and he was laid to rest in the graveyard of St John the Baptist Church, Burford.

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 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.