Tag Archives: 1917

Captain, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Gibraltar, Great War, history, illness, India, Kent, Lieutenant, Lieutenant Colonel, Major, Malta, photography, South Africa, story, war, Wiltshire

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Bingham Day

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Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Bingham-Day

Thomas Hulkes Bingham Day was born on 2nd January 1855 in Frindsbury, Kent. The youngest of four children, his parents were Thomas and Emma Day. Thomas Sr was a banker and a justice of the peace. He died when his youngest was just a child, and Emma was left to raise the family, albeit with the help of five servants.

Thomas sought out a life in the military. After volunteering in the local militia, for a number of years, he gained a commission in the Dorsetshire Regiment. He took on the role of Lieutenant on 29th November 1876.

Over the next two decades, Thomas served around the world, spending time in Malta, Gibraltar, and the East Indies. He was also promoted through the ranks, rising to Captain in 1883 and Major in 1893.

On 25th March 1884, while serving in India, Thomas married Katharine Watts. The couple had a daughter, Winifred, who was born in July 1885, and, eventually they settled in Wiltshire as their base in Britain.

Major Bingham Day served in South Africa during the Boer War, taking part “in the operations at Parde Kraal, and in the operations at Poplar Grove… Vet River, Zand River, Johannesberg and Pretoria. He had the Queen’s and the King’s medals with five bars.” [Lincoln Leader and County Advertiser – Saturday 28 April 1917]

Thomas retired in 1903, and his trail goes cold until the time of the 1911 census. He and Katherine were on holiday when it was taken, and they were listed as boarding at the Beach Lodge on Roseville Street in St Helier, Jersey.

When war broke out, Thomas stepped up to play his part once more. He was put in charge of the 4th (Reserve) Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, which was based at Sutton Veny in Wiltshire. It seems that he lived off site, as he and Katherine moved into a house in nearby Warminster.

A military funeral took place… on Monday, when Lieutenant-Colonel TH Bingham-Day, in command of a regiment at Sutton Veny, was laid to rest in the churchyard. The deceased officer died suddenly while at mess, as the result of a seizure.

[Devizes and Wilts Advertiser: Thursday 19th April 1917]

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Hulkes Bingham Day was 62 years of age when he passed away on 11th April 1917. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Aldhelm’s Church in Bishopstrow, Wiltshire, not far from the base at which he had so dutifully served.

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

Private Edwin Beattie

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Private Edwin Beattie

Edwin Beattie was born on 14th March 1894, in the town of Coomera, Queensland, Australia. He was the youngest of three children to John and Mary Beattie.

There is little information available about Edwin’s early life, but when he completed his schooling, he took up farm work. When war broke out, he was keen to play his part, and enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 28th March 1916.

Private Beattie’s service records show that he was 5ft 9.5ins (1.65m) tall, and weighed 136lbs (61.7kg). A Methodist, he was recorded as having brown hair, blue eyes and a medium complexion. He also had a birthmark on the small of his back, and scars on both knees.

Edwin was assigned to the 44th Battalion of the Australian Infantry. His After training, his unit boarded the SS Seang Choon in Brisbane, and set off on the ten month voyage to Britain, arriving in Devonport, Devon, on the 9th December 1916.

During the voyage, Private Beattie had fallen ill, and, on disembarking, he was taken to the local hospital for treatment. By 23rd December, he was moved to the Military Hospital connected to the ANZAC camp in Codford, Wiltshire. His condition – pneumonia – worsened over the coming days, and Edwin would eventually succumb. As a new year began, he breathed his last, passing away on 1st January 1917, at the age of just 22 years of age.

Thousand of miles from home, Edwin Beattie was laid to rest in the newly extended graveyard of St Mary’s Church, Codford.

Private Edwin Beattie
(from findagrave.com)
Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Ireland, photography, Private, story, Tipperary, war, Wiltshire

Private Lawrence Kinane

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Private Lawrence Kinane

Lawrence Kinane was born in Tipperary, Ireland, in 1896. One of eight children, his parents were Daniel and Catherine Kinane. Daniel was a farmer and, when Catherine died when Lawrence was just 10 years old, he was left to raise the support the family on his own.

At this point, the family’s trail goes cold, and it later picked up in an unexpected way. Daniel and some of the children seem to have emigrated to the United States, and he died in Brooklyn in March 1914. Lawrence, meanwhile, seems to have gone further, seeking a new life in Australia. A cousin, Mary Mulcahey, was living with her husband in Warwick, Queensland, and, by the time war broke out, he had moved to Brisbane.

Lawrence was working as a labourer when, on 10th June 1916, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. His service papers show that he was 5ft 11ins (1.8m) tall and weighed 147lbs (66.7kg). A Roman Catholic, he had dark brown hair, grey eyes and a medium complexion. Under Distinctive Marks, he was recorded as having a large patch of scars on his left side, about 7ins (18cm) above his buttock.

Private Kinane’s unit – the 49th Battalion of the Australian Infantry – set sail from Brisbane on the 19th September 1916. His ship – the SS Seang Choon – would take ten weeks to reach its destination – Devonport, Devon, and Lawrence finally arrived at the ANZAC base in Codford, Wiltshire in mid-December.

The lengthy sea voyage had taken its toll on a lot of the soldiers being transported, and Private Kinane was not to be immune. Within weeks of arriving, he came down with pneumonia, and was admitted to the No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital in nearby Sutton Veny on 31st December. Lawrence’s condition worsened, and he finally succumbed to it on 6th January 1917. He was just 20 years of age.

Thousands of miles from Australia, and with no family close by, the body of Lawrence Kinane was instead laid to rest in the graveyard of St Mary’s Church in Codford, not far from the base that had been his home for just a few short weeks.

Private Lawrence Kinane
(from findagrave.com)
Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Driver, Great War, history, illness, photography, story, war, Wiltshire

Driver David McGregor

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Driver David McGregor

David Edward McGregor was born in Bega, New South Wales, Australia, in the summer of 1880. One of fourteen children, his parents were John and Isabella McGregor.

There is little information about David’s early life, but when he completed his schooling, he found work in a dairy, eventually becoming employed as a cheesemaker.

When war broke out, David stepped up to serve his King and Empire, enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force as a Driver on 7th July 1916. His service records show that he was 5ft 10.5ins (1.79m) tall and weighed in at 168lbs (76.2kg). A Presbyterian, he was noted as having black hair, brown eyes and a medium complexion.

Driver McGregor’s unit – the 15th Battalion of the Australian Infantry – set sail from Brisbane on the SS Boonah on 21st October 1916. Their journey would take ten weeks, arriving in Devonport, Devon, on 10th January 1917. From here David was marched in to the ANZAC camp at Codford, Wiltshire.

The lengthy sea voyage had taken its toll on a lot of the troops, and David was not to be immune. He came down with pneumonia and, after initially being treated in the camp hospital, he was admitted to the military hospital in Codford in a moribund condition. Driver Brooks’ move was to prove too little, too late, and he passed away on 23rd January 1917, just a day after being admitted. He was 36 years of age.

David Edward McGregor was laid to rest in the ANZAC extension to St Mary’s Churchyard in Codford, Wiltshire, not far from the base he had so briefly called home.

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

Private Harold Brooks

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Private Harold Brooks

Harold Vincent Brooks was born in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, in the spring of 1898. One of ten children, his parents were William and Mary Brooks.

Little information is available about Harold’s early life, but when he completed his schooling, he found work as a labourer. When war broke out, he was initially turned down for military service because of poor eyesight, but as the conflict rolled on, he tried to enlist again and was accepted into the Australian Imperial Force.

Private Brooks’ service records show that he was 5ft 4.5ins (1.63m) tall, and weighed 136lbs (61.7kg). A Roman Catholic, he had brown hair, hazel eyes and a medium complexion.

Assigned to the 47th Battalion of the Australian Infantry, Harold left his home country from Brisbane on the 27th October 1916. The ship his unit was sailing on – the Marathon – took just over ten weeks to reach Britain, eventually docking in Devonport, Devon. From there Private Brooks was marched to the ANZAC camp in Codford, Wiltshire.

Harold’s time in Britain was not to be a lengthy one. He contracted pneumonia, and was admitted to the nearby Sutton Veny Military Hospital on 24th January. Private Brooks’ condition worsened, and he passed away on 5th February 1917. He was just 19 years of age.

Thousands of miles from home, the body of Harold Vincent Brooks was buried in the newly extended St Mary’s Churchyard, Codford.

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

Private Alfred Parkinson

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Private Alfred Parkinson

Alfred Henry Parkinson was born in Reedy Creek, South Australia, on 20th October 1880. One of nine children, his parents were William and Isabella Parkinson.

There is little concrete information about Alfred’s early life, but when he finished his schooling he found work in the mines. When war broke out, however, he stepped up to play his part, joining the Australian Imperial Force on 2nd November 1916.

Private Parkinson’s service records show that he was 5ft 9ins (1.65m) tall, and weighed in at 10st 4lbs (65.3kg). He was noted as having brown hair brown eyes and a fair complexion. After a month’s training, he left Australia on board the SS Berrima, bound for Europe.

Alfred’s unit – the 16th Battalion of the Australian Infantry – arrived in Devonport, Devon, on 16th February 1917. Within a matter of days he arrived at the ANZAC camp at Sutton Veny, Wiltshire.

Illness amongst the Australian troops was rife by the time they arrived in Britain, and Private Parkinson was not to be immune. He was admitted to the Military Hospital connected to the camp on 20th March, suffering from bronchial pneumonia. The condition worsened, and he died just six days later. Alfred was 36 years of age.

Thousands of miles from home, the body of Alfred Henry Parkinson was laid to rest in the newly extended graveyard of St Mary’s Church, Codford, not far form the base in which he had breathed his last.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, Lancashire, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Petty Officer Ernest Archer

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Petty Officer Ernest Archer

The life of Ernest Archer is challenging to piece together. His headstone, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, confirms he was a Petty Officer on HMS Foyle, which was a Royal Navy destroyer. She hit a mine in the English Channel off the Devon coast on 15th March 1917, and foundered while being towed to safety in Plymouth. A total of 28 crew members, Petty Officer Archer included, were killed.

Ernest’s service papers have been lost to time, but his Dependent’s Pension record gives his beneficiary as his aunt, Mrs H Greenhow, of 8 Kinmel Street, Liverpool. This would suggest that his parents had passed by 1917, but it’s not been possible to track her down through contemporary documents.

The same record notes that Ernest had a brother, James, and that he was an Able Seaman in the Howe Battalion of the Royal Naval Division. He was killed in action on 17th February 1917 – four weeks before his brother – and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.

Further information on the lives of the siblings, however, is lost in the mists of time, Ernest Archer’s story taken to his grave with him.

Carpenter, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, Middlesex, photography, Royal Navy, Shipwright, story, unknown, war

Commissioned Shipwright William Hallett

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Commissioned Shipwright William Hallett

William Amos Hallett was born on 2nd March 1867 in Pimlico, Middlesex. The oldest of six children, his parents were Charles and Rosa Hallett. Charles was a police inspector and, by the time of the 1871 census, the family has moved to Sheerness in Kent, where he worked.

In the summer of 1893, William married Emily Nokes. By this point he had been working for the Royal Navy for four years, initially as a Shipwright, then as a Leading Shipwright. His service records show that he was 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall, with light brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Based out of HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, by June 1900 William had served on HMS Urgent, HMS Sphinx. Most of his time, however, had been spent between his Chatham base and its Sheerness counterpart, HMS Wildfire.

In November 1901 William was promoted to the rank of Carpenter. Over the next decade he served on eight vessels, and his service record for that time give an insight into his character. He was regularly commended for his hard-working and zealous nature: “[he] gets through more work in his time than any carpenter I’ve been shipmates with… He is excellent in every way.” His ability did not go unnoticed, another report noting his “special knowledge [in] geometrical drawing.”

In the summer of 1910, his superior, Captain Morgan, noted that Carpenter Hallett “worked well and zealously and has got a good deal of work done under somewhat difficult circumstances and with a small staff…” He was recommended for advancement, and it seemed that a promotion was in the offing.

By the time war broke out, William was a Commissioned Shipwright. Details of his service are harder to trace, but by the end of 1916, he was assigned to the battleship HMS Commonwealth. The next record notes his passing:

HALLETT – On 17th February, at RN Hospital, Chatham, Chief Carpenter RN William Amos Hallett, aged 49 years, eldest son of the late Mr Charles Hallett, of Sheerness.

[Sheerness Guardian and East Kent Advertiser: Saturday 24th February 1917]

There is no further information about William Amos Hallett’s passing. He was laid to rest in the military section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from HMS Pembroke, the dockyard he had for so long called home.

Berkshire, Canada, Canadian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Company Sergeant Major, Great War, history, injury, Kent, Middlesex, Middlesex Regiment, photography, Sergeant, story, war

Company Sergeant Major George Mote

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Company Sergeant Major George Mote

George Arthur Mote was born on the 25th August 1888 in Islington, Middlesex. The oldest of three children, his parents were Arthur and Norah Mote. The 1891 census recorded Arthur as a shoemaker’s finishing ink maker and the family had taken rooms at 45 Wyatt Road in Islington.

The next census return, taken in 1901, found that Arthur had been promoted, and was now a foreman or a leather dyer. The family had moved around the corner from the old address, and were living in rooms at 193 Blackstock Road.

At this point, George’s trail goes cold. By the autumn of 1914, he had emigrated to Canada, and was working as a corset cutter in Quebec. With war having broken out in Europe, it was here that he enlisted to serve his empire.

Goegre’s service records confirm the young man he had become. Standing 5ft 8ins (1.72m) tall, he had black hair, blue eyes and a dark complexion. A number of scars were also noted on his left forearm, the middle finger of his right hand, and on the left side of his neck.

While back in Britain, George had volunteered for the Middlesex Regiment, and this experience stood him in good stead, as he enlisted with the rank of Sergeant.

Attached to the 3rd Battalion of the Canadian Infantry, Sergeant Mote arrived in St Nazaire, France, on 11th February 1915. His unit was thrown into the deep end from the start, and George’s actions at the Second Battle of Ypres that spring won him the DCM. By the autumn, he had been promoted to Company Sergeant Major.

George continued to serve on the Western Front, but his luck was to change. On 5th June 1916, he was badly injured, receiving gunshot wounds to his right shoulder and back. Medically evacuated to Britain, he was admitted to Fort Pitt Hospital in Chatham, Kent. His medical records noted than he was paralysed, and, in October 1916, he was transferred to the Duchess of Connaught Hospital in Taplow, Berkshire.

Company Sergeant Major Mote spent the next four months admitted to the hospital, but his wounds would prove too severe to overcome. He passed away on 6th February 1917 at the age of 28 years old.

George Arthur Mote’s body was taken back to Middlesex for burial. He was laid to rest in the majestic Highgate Cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves, County of London Yeomanry, Egypt, Great War, history, injury, Northumberland Fusiliers, photography, Private, Second Lieutenant, story, Surrey, war

Second Lieutenant Dudley Weedon

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Second Lieutenant Dudley Weedon

Dudley Harry Weedon was born in Islington, Middlesex in the spring of 1891. The second of two children, his parents were solicitor’s clerk Thomas Weedon and his wife, Frances.

When Dudley finished his schooling, he also found work as a clerk. The 1911 census recorded the Weedon family living at a prestigious address – an eight roomed Victorian villa at 59 Canonbury Park North, Islington. Thomas was still employed as a solicitor’s clerk, Dudley as a clerk for a corn merchant, and his older brother, Horace, as a clerk for a mining company.

War came to Europe in the summer of 1914, and Dudley was keen to step up and play his part. He enlisted early on, joining the 1st/2nd County of London Yeomanry, also known as the Westminster Dragoons. The regiment spent most of the war in the Middle East, and by November 1914, Private Weedon found himself in Egypt.

Dudley would spend the next year or so overseas, and was sent to, and evacuated from, Gallipoli. In February 1916, he received a promotion – to the rank of Second Lieutenant – this increase in rank coming with a transfer to the Northumberland Fusiliers. His new unit – the 8th (Service) Battalion – had also served in the Dardanelles, but by that summer they had moved to France.

Second Lieutenant Weedon spent the next eighteen months on the Western Front, fighting at Messines and at Ypres. It was here, possibly at the Battle of Polygon Wood, that Dudley was injured. Details are unclear, but his wounds were sever enough for him to be medically evacuated to Britain for treatment.

Dudley was admitted to a hospital in Roehampton, Surrey, but his injuries were to prove too severe. He passed away on 20th November 1917, at the age of 26 years old.

Dudley Harry Weedon was laid to rest in Highgate Cemetery, not far from his grieving family’s home.