Tag Archives: 1917

Coldstream Guards, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Lance Corporal, photography, Somerset, story, war, Wiltshire

Lance Corporal William Bence

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Lance Corporal William Bence

Arthur William Bence was born in the village of Box, Wiltshire, in the spring of 1887. The oldest of eight children, his parents were James and Sarah. James was an engineer from Bathampton, Somerset, and by the time of the 1901 census, the young family had moved to 14 Hampton Row in nearby Bathwick.

Ten years later, and the Bence family had relocated again, this time to the northern outskirts of Bath, in a terraced cottage at 6 Brooklyn Road. By this point, Arthur had finished his schooling, and had found employment, working as a baker and bread maker. This was not to be a permanent career, however, and he sought out more of a career.

Arthur had long been a volunteer in the local militia, and on 14th November 1905 he enlisted in the army. Now known by his middle name, William Bence joined the Coldstream Guards as a Private. His service records show that he was 5ft 11ins (1.82m) tall, and weighed 148lbs (67.1kg). He was noted as having brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion. Hs also had several tattoos on his left forearm, including a heart, cross, anchor, man’s face, crown and crossed flags.

Private Bence spent the first two years of his military career on home soil in Windsor, Berkshire, and London. In January 1908, his unit – the 3rd Battalion – transferred to Africa, and William would remain in Egypt and Sudan for more than three years. In March 1911 he returned to home soil, and that year’s census record noted his address as the Tower of London.

By the end of 1913 Private Bence had been formally stood down to reserve status. During his eight years on active service, he had been hospitalised a couple of times: for a sprained wrist in 1906, and for a bout of pneumonia in July 1910.

War was a matter of months away, however, and in the summer of 1914, William was to be mobilised again. By 12th August he was sent to France, and his battalion would be caught up at Marne and Aisne before the end of the year.

On 27th September 1914, William rose to the rank of Lance Corporal. This was not to last, however, and within six weeks the promotion was retracted for misconduct. He remained on the Western Front for nearly two and a half years, and had a mixed time of it. In April 1915, he Private Bence was confined to barracks for 14 days for being drunk on duty. In November that year, he was promoted to Lance Corporal for a second time.

This advancement coincided with William’s marriage. He had wed Amelia Oakley at St Saviour’s Church in Bath on 3rd November. There is little information available about her, other than that she had been born in Bath in 1888.

Back in France, and Lance Corporal Bence’s battalion fought at Loos and was heavily involved at the Somme. William would remain on the Western Front until December 1916, at which point his health forced him back to Britain. He had contracted tuberculosis, and this would lead to his ultimate discharge from military duty on 9th January 1917. William returned home, but his condition was to get worse. He passed away on 1st April 1917: he was 30 years of age.

The body of Arthur William Bence was laid to rest in the sweeping grounds of Bath’s Locksbrook Cemetery, in the city that was his home.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Middlesex, Norfolk, photography, Private, Royal Army Service Corps, Somerset, story, war

Private Arthur Harcourt

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Private Arthur Harcourt

Arthur Wellesley Harcourt was born on 18th June 1895 in Brentford, Middlesex. He was the youngest of five children to Charles and Eliza Harcourt.

The son of a Baptist minister, Charles was a banker’s clerk, but “practically the whole of [his] leisure in a busy life [was] spent in mission work, mainly in Middlesex…” [Middlesex & Surrey Express – Saturday 13 October 1900] When he died in 1900, at the age of 57, Eliza was left to raise her younger children alone.

Arthur’s young life was to be one of travel. The 1901 census, taken just six months after his father’s death, found him living in Walton le Soken (now Walton-on-the-Naze), Essex. Eliza had taken rooms for the family in a lodging house at 9 New Pier Street, yards from the town’s stony beach.

The next record for Arthur is from 1908. Surprisingly, for the grandson of a Baptist minister and the son of a missionary, he seems not to have been baptised when he was born. The document shows that he was christened on 26th April, at St Mary’s Church in the village of Sporle with Palgrave in Norfolk. There is nothing to confirm why he was in Norfolk, or why he chose to be baptised there: the 1911 census found Eliza and his siblings living back in Middlesex.

By this point, Arthur was on the move again. Now fifteen years of age, the same census found him visiting George and Amelia Kerswill at their home in Exeter, Devon. George was a retired nurseryman and florist from Hendon, and it seems likely that the couple were friends of the family.

By the time war broke out, the Harcourts had moved once again, this time setting up home in Reculver, Kent. Arthur was working as a surveyor’s assistant, but felt drawn to play his part. On 8th March 1917, he enlisted, joining the Army Service Corps as a Private. His records show that he was 5ft 4.5ins (1.61m) tall, and weighed 96lbs (43.5kg). He was of fair physical development, but it was noted that he had an understandard chest, but was deemed fit for military service.

Private Harcourt was sent to Somerset for training. Tragically, however, his health was to take a dramatic downturn. Admitted to the Bath War Hospital on 1st April with influenza, this quickly developed into double pneumonia and pleurisy. The strain was to be too much for his young body to bear: Arthur passed away on 18th April 1917, at the age of just 21 years old.

Surprisingly, Eliza, whilst able to live on her own means, did not chose to lay her son to rest close to home. Instead, Arthur Wellesley Harcourt was buried in Locksbrook Cemetery, Bath, not far from the hospital in which he had breathed his last.

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

Private Frank Patience

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Private Frank Patience

Frank Nicholas Patience was born in Mullewa, Western Australia, on 6th March 1898. The tenth of fifteen children (of which four did not survive childhood), his parents were Joseph and Elizabeth Patience.

There is little concrete information about Frank’s early life. When he finished his schooling, he found employment as a farm hand, and this is what he was working as when he stepped up to serve his country.

Frank enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 18th June 1917. Within six weeks he left his homeland for Europe, arriving in Liverpool, Lancashire, on 3rd October. Assigned to the 16th Battalion of the Australian Infantry, he was barracked in Wiltshire, at a camp not far from the village of Codford.

Tragically, Private Patience’s time in the army, and in Britain, was to be brief. Within weeks of arriving in Wiltshire, he contracted pneumonia, and was admitted to the camp hospital. The condition was to prove his undoing, however, and he passed away on 27th October 1917. He was just 19 years of age.

Frank Nicholas Patience was 9,000 miles (14,500km) from home. He was laid to rest in the extended graveyard of St Mary’s Church in Codford, Wiltshire.

Private Frank Patience
(from findagrave.com)
Australia, Australian Machine Gun Corps, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire

Private Albert Harris

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Private Albert Harris

Albert Arthur Harris was born on 14th December 1893 in Huon, Tasmania, Australia. The second of seven children – and the oldest son – his parents were Arthur and Eliza.

There is little information available about Albert’s early life. When he finished his schooling, he found work as an orchardist, and this was his line of work when, on 12th April 1916, he stepped up to serve his King and Empire.

Albert joined the Australian Imperial Force, and his records suggest that he had tried to enlist before, but had been turned down because of varicose veins. His medical report confirms that he was 6ft (1.83m) tall and weighed 155lbs (70.3kg). He had fair hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.

Private Harris set sail from Australia on 11th May 1917, arriving in Plymouth, Devon, two months later. He was billeted near Codford in Wiltshire, and assigned to the Australian Machine Gun Corps.

Albert’s time in Britain was to be brief. While in camp, he came down with peritonitis, and hospitalised. He developed septicaemia, and died on 27th July 1917: he was just 23 years of age.

Albert Arthur Harris was laid to rest in the newly extended graveyard of St Mary’s Church in Codford.

Private Albert Harris
(from findagrave.com)
Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire

Private Harry Fletcher

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Private Harry Fletcher

Harry David Fletcher was born in Leichhardt, New South Wales, Australia, on 1st November 1883. The seventh of ten children – and the only surviving son – his parents were Daniel and Charlotte Fletcher.

There is little information about Harry’s early life: he found work as a labourer when he finished school and, on 11th March 1911, he married Lillian Bosworth. The couple went on to have a son, Harold, who was born the following February.

When war came to Europe, the British Empire was called upon to play its part. On 19th February 1917, Harry enlisted in the Australian Infantry, although he did so under the alias of Harry Conway. His service records show that he had dark brown hair, hazel eyes and a medium complexion. He was also 5ft 7.75ins (1.72m) tall and weighed 140lbs (63.5kg). He had two noticeable scars: one on the inside of his right arm, the other on his right shin.

Private Conway/Fletcher set sail for Europe on 10th May 1917, arriving in Britain two months later. His unit – the 13th Battalion – was billeted in Wiltshire, near the village of Codford. Tragically, his time in the army was to be brief: he suffered issues with his gallbladder, and died in the camp hospital from cholecystitis and septicaemia on 29th July 1917. He was 33 years of age.

Harry David Fletcher was laid to rest in the Australian section of the new churchyard of St Mary’s Church in Codford. His burial records note that the service was officiated by Chaplain Captain Collins, with six of his friends from the battalion acting as pallbearers. He was buried in an elm and brass coffin, with a small oak cross being erected over the grave.

Private Harry Fletcher
(from findagrave.com)
Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Dorset, Great War, Gunner, history, illness, photography, Royal Field Artillery, story, war, Wiltshire

Gunner Eli Trenchard

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Gunner Eli Trenchard

Eli Trenchard and his twin Reuben were born on 29th December 1889 in Axminster, Devon. Two of nine children, their parents were George and Mary Trenchard. George was a gamekeeper turned farmer, and the family were brought up at Uphay Farm on the outskirts of the town.

The whole family helped out on the farm and, by the time of the 1911 census, when the twins were 20, seven of the Trenchards – George, Mary, Eli, Reuben and three of their siblings – were all living in the farmhouse and employed in the business.

On 25th March 1913, Eli married Lily Gillingham. Born in Dorset, she was the daughter of the landlord of the Lamb Inn in Axminster, and working as a dressmaker in her own right. The couple moved to the village of Chardstock in Devon, and went on to have a daughter, Lilian, who was born later that year.

In 1915, Eli found himself brought to the Petty Sessions in Axminster, charged with “moving pigs from Dorset to Devon without the necessary license” [Western Times: Wednesday 27th October 1915]. Eli stated that he had purchased the pigs from his brother, Reuben, at Uphay Farm. Despite Reuben confirming this, it was subsequently determined that they had, in fact, been bought from a Mr Wells of Penn in Dorset. Eli have been convicted of a similar offence before, and was fined £10.

War was raging across Europe by this point, and Eli was called upon to play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery in January 1917. Assigned to the 23rd Reserve Battery, Gunner Trenchard was sent to a camp near Sutton Veny in Wiltshire.

Eli’s time in the army was not to be a long one, however, and he was soon admitted to the camp hospital, suffering from pneumonia. The lung condition was to get the better of him, and Eli passed away on 23rd February 1917. He was 27 years of age.

The body of Eli Trenchard was taken back to Devon for burial. He was laid to rest in Axminster Cemetery, not far from where his widow and family still lived.

The Trenchard family were soon back in the court, however, with Lily bringing a lawsuit against her father-in-law, George, in December 1917. The widow said that Eli and his father had agreed her late husband’s immediate tenancy of two fields the month before Eli had been called up for to serve.

However, the month after his death, when she had gone to the fields to sow them for the coming season, the gates had been locked and her entrance barred. George responded by saying that he had agreed to pass the fields to his son, but only on the event of his own death. He subsequently sold the land to another farmer.

The judge in the case found that Lily had “failed to prove that an agreement had been made between [George] and his son” [Western Times: Thursday 6th December 1917] and found in the defendant’s favour.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Middlesex, Northumberland Fusiliers, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war

Private Herbert Smart

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Private Herbert Smart

Herbert – or Bertie – Smart was born on 9th February 1885, and was the middle of five children to John and Lucy. John worked as a gardener and the family were raised in the Kent town of Sidcup.

By the early 1900s, Bertie had moved to London, and had settled in Islington, Middlesex. He was working as a fruiterer and, on 19th May 1907, he married Lucy Purton, a policeman’s daughter from the east of the capital.

The couple set up home in Kensington, and went on to have four children: Frank, Herbert, Kathleen and Frederick. The 1911 census found the family renting three rooms in a tenement at 36 Netherwood Road. They were sharing their home with Lucy’s younger brother, Frederick.

When war broke out across Europe, Bertie was called upon to play his part. Full service details have been lost to time, but it is clear that he enlisted in the second half of 1916, and was assigned to the Northumberland Fusiliers. Attached to the 2nd/4th Battalion, it seems that he may have been sent to the South West for training.

Private Smart’s time in the army was not to be a lengthy one. He came down with cerebrospinal meningitis, and was admitted to the War Hospital in Bath, Somerset. The condition was to get the better of him: he passed away was still admitted, on 11th January 1917. He was 31 years of age.

Herbert Smart was laid to rest in the sweeping grounds of Bath’s Locksbrook Cemetery.

These were tragic times for the Smart family. Lucy’s brother died just four months after her husband, and Lucy herself passed away in February 1918. In just over a year, the four children – Frank, Herbert, Kathleen and Frederick – had become orphans.

Berkshire, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Middlesex, photography, Private, Royal Army Service Corps, Somerset, story, Surrey, war

Private John Boura

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Private John Boura

John Adams Boura was born in the spring of 1868 in Kensington, Middlesex. The middle of three children, his parents were Julien and Esther Boura. Julien was the son of a French immigrant, who had built up two businesses as a dyer and cleaner (the first business having failed).

John followed in his father’s line of employment, and, by the time of the 1891 census, he was living with business partner Isabel Knight, at 3 St Mark’s Place in Wimbledon, Surrey. Work and pleasure were obviously mixing, though, and, on 3rd October that year, the couple married in the nearby Queen’s Road Chapel.

The newlyweds would go on to have a son, also called John, in March 1895. By the start of the new century, the family has moved out of the capital, relocating to Aldershot, Hampshire, where they set up a new business at 111 Victoria Road, in the town centre.

Within the next decade, however, the Bouras had moved back to the London suburbs, setting up home and business in Merton, Surrey. A new alliance was forged at 106 Kingston Road, with the three sharing their home with Henry and Adelaide Shelley. All four adults were involved in the business, while the now 16-year-old John Jr was employed as a dentistry improver.

Julien – who was also known by his middle name, Aimé – and Esther had moved to Maidenhead in Berkshire by this point, and in September 1910, it seems that their son visited them. An argument seems to have erupted, and John was arrested. Taken before the Maidenhead Petty Sessions, he was tried for unlawfully and maliciously damaging the glass of certain windows, exceeding he amount of £5 to wit £8 6s., the property of Aimé Boura. John was find a total of £10 for the damage.

When war broke out, John stepped up to serve his country. While his service documents are long since lost, other records suggest that he had enlisted by the summer of 1916, and likely volunteered, give he was in mid-40s by this point. Private Boura was assigned to the Royal Army Service Corps, and was to be based at the Supply Depot in Bath, Somerset.

It is probable that John’s dying and cleaning background meant that he was involved in uniforms in some way, although nothing concrete remains to document his time in the army. During the early part of 1917, he fell ill, coming down with bronchitis. He was admitted to Bath War Hospital, but the condition was to get the better of him. Private Boura passed away on 9th February 1917, at the age of 48.

The body of John Adams Boura was laid to rest in Bath’s majestic Locksbrook Cemetery, not far from the hospital in which he had passed.

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Dorset, Great War, history, illness, Leading Seaman, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Leading Seaman Sidney Crabb

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Leading Seaman Sidney Crabb

Sidney Harry Crabb was born in the seaside town of Lyme Regis, Dorset on 6th September 1888. One of nine children, his parents were Albert and Mary Crabb. Albert was a Trinity pilot, working on ships, and his son was destined to follow in his stead.

On 16th January 1903, Sidney enlisted in the Royal Navy. He lied about his age to be taken in, adding two years to his date of birth. That was still below the full enlistment age for the military, and he was taken on with the rank of Boy 2nd Class.

Sidney was sent to HMS Boscawen, a training ship, for his initial instruction. He remained there until mid-November 1903, by which time he had been promoted to Boy 1st Class. He then moved to the training battleship HMS Minotaur (which became HMS Boscawen II shortly afterwards), and remained on board for the next nine months.

On 7th September 1904, Sidney “came of age” (albeit he was two years younger than he had said), and was formally inducted into the Royal Navy. He was given the rank of Ordinary Seaman and, within a matter of days, was assigned to his first vessel, the tender HMS Fire Queen.

On 19th November 1904, Ordinary Seaman Crabb was reassigned, to the armoured cruiser HMS Sutlej. She was to remain his home for the next eighteen months, during which time Sidney was promoted again, to the rank of Able Seaman.

Over the next nine years, Sidney was to serve on six more vessels. On 9th December 1912, while back in Dorset, he married Lily Froom in the parish church of their home town, Lyme Regis. The couple would go on to have a son, Stanley, who was born in September 1914.

By this point, Able Seaman Crabb’s health was faltering. He was serving on board the battleship HMS Prince of Wales when war was declared, and had been promoted again, to Leading Seaman. By early October 1914, however, he was medically dismissed from service, having contracted pulmonary tuberculosis.

At this point, Sidney’s trail goes cold. He seems to have returned home, but it is unclear how much his failing health impacted on his daily life. The lung condition was ultimately to get the better of him: he passed away in Axminster, Devon, on 8th February 1917, at the age of 28 years of age.

Sidney Harry Crabb was taken the short distance back to Lyme Regis for burial. He was laid to rest in the town’s cemetery, overlooking the sea to which he and he late father had dedicated much of their lives.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Ireland, photography, Private, Royal Irish Regiment, Somerset, story, war

Private Ernest Patterson

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Private Ernest Patterson

Ernest Patterson was born in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, Ireland, in 1900. He was the oldest of six children to Robert and Matilda Patterson. Robert was a boot machinist when his son was born but, by the time of the 1911 census, he had turned his hand to farming.

When war came, Ernest stepped up to serve his King and Country and, in his eagerness to do so, he lied about his age. He enlisted in the Royal Irish Regiment on 1st September 1915, and stated that he was 19 years old. Given that his service records show that he was 5ft 8.5ins (1.64m) tall and that he weighed 130lbs (59kg), it is not surprising that the military were willing to take him on his word.

Private Patterson was initially posted to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion in Dublin. While there, he contracted German measles, and was hospitalised for two weeks. When he recovered, Ernest was moved to the 2nd Battalion, and shipped off to France with his new unit.

His time overseas was cut short, however, and he was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment on 9th March. He was noted as suffering from ‘debility’, and admitted to the Royal Surrey County Hospital for a week.

Out of hospital again, Ernest was re-assigned to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion. As summer came and went and winter moved in, his health wavered again. On 19th December 1916, he was admitted to the Bath War Hospital in Somerset, suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis. He remained in hospital for the next three months, the condition finally leading to his medical discharge from the army on 29th March 1917.

Private Patterson’s discharge from the army did not mean a discharge from hospital, however, and he remained there for the next week or so. His health was deteriorating by this point, and his body finally succumbed to tuberculosis on 8th April 1917. He was just 17 years of age.

It was not practical to return Ernest Patterson’s body to his family in Ireland. Instead, he was laid to rest in Locksbrook Cemetery in Bath, not far from the hospital in which he had died.