Tag Archives: 1917

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, injury, Kent, Middlesex, photography, Private, Royal Army Medical Corps, story, Sussex, war

Private Frank Belthle

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Private Frank Belthle

Frank Hermann Belthle was born in Dartford, Kent, on 25th June 1893. The oldest of four children, his parents were German-born Frederick Emil Hermann Belthle and his wife Elizabeth, who came from Surrey.

Frederick – who was better known as Hermann – was a manufacturer compressed tablets and pills. By the time of the 1901 census, he had moved his family to Aldrington, Sussex, were the set up home at 58 Westbourne Street. They had the house to themselves, unlike their neighbours, with two or three families sharing each property.

Hermann took the family to where work required him, and between 1903 – when Frank’s youngest sibling was born – and 1911, they relocated to London. Now seventeen years old, Frank was assisting his father in the business, and that business was obviously paying dividend: the Belthles’ new home was the 8-roomed house at 106 Barnsbury Road, Islington. Again, they occupied the whole building, while others in the street renting just a couple of rooms.

The outbreak of war must have had an impact on German national Hermann and his family. Frank looks to have stepped up to play his part, however, joining the Royal Army Medical Corps, possibly because of the medical training he had picked up through the family business.

There is little documentation about Private Belthle service, although he was awarded the Military Medal. By the summer of 1917, his unit – the 14th Field Ambulance – was supporting troops at Arras. While here, on 9th May, he was badly wounded, and medically evacuated to Britain for treatment. His injuries were to prove too severe, however, and, on 25th June 1917, he passed away: it was his 24th birthday.

Frank Belthle was laid to rest in the majestic Highgate Cemetery.

After the war, Hermann continued with his business. Things were more difficult for the family, however and, while they had moved to the prestigious Lonsdale Square, Islington, they were one of six families taking rooms in the large Georgian terrace.

Hermann passed away in the autumn of 1932, at the age of 70: he was laid to rest alongside his son in Highgate Cemetery.

Able Seaman, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hertfordshire, history, killed in action, Merchant Navy, Middlesex, photography, story, Sussex, war

Able Seaman F Hall

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Able Seaman F Hall

In Highgate Cemetery, Middlesex is a headstone dedicated to Able Seaman F Hall, who served in the Mercantile Marine during the First World War.

Able Seaman Hall served on board the cargo ship SS Cairndhu, which transported coal from Northumberland to Gibraltar. At 9pm on 15th April 1917, while 25 miles west of Beachy Head, Sussex, she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-40.

Cairndhu immediately began to list, and her captain, Robert Purvis, ordered all 38 of his crew into the lifeboats. He took charge of one of the boats, while the Third Mate, Thomas Healy, was given responsibility for the second.

The German submarine, captained by Oberleutnant Karl Dobberstein, had moved away, but returned a few minutes later. In a seemingly deliberate act, it rammed into Healy’s boat, cutting it in half and throwing most of those on board into the water.

A passing ship reached the site and rescued what remained of the Cairndhu’s crew. Eleven men had been lost.

What role Able Seaman Hall had in the incident is unclear. The survivors were taken to safety in the Sussex port of Newhaven, and it is evident that he was one of those who had perished.

Able Seaman Hall’s name does appear on the Register of Deaths of Passengers and Seaman at Sea. This confirms his connection with the Cairndhu, and give his age as 20 years old. His birthplace is noted as Hertfordshire, and records his last address as 7 Clarendon Road, Leeds, Yorkshire. However, even with this additional information it has not been possible to pinpoint any exact details about his life, or his connection to the North London cemetery in which he was buried.

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

Private Alfred Reed

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Private Alfred Reed

Alfred John Reed was born in St Pancras, Middlesex, on 29th September 1865. One of twelve children, his parents were Charles and Eliza Reed. Charles was a carman, possibly working out of the nearby railway stations, and the 1871 census found the family taking rooms at 70 Aldenham Street.

Details of Alfred’s life is a little sketchy. By the time of the 1881 census he had finished his schooling and was employed as a coach painter, again probably connected to the railways. At some point shortly after this, however, he enlisted as a Private in the Royal Marine Light Infantry. It is likely that he was still a teenager when he made this move, as he seems to have lied about his age to get in – later records give his date of birth as 8th June 1863.

We next pick up Private Reed in the 1901 census. By this point, he was assigned to the floating battery HMS Terror, which was based in Bermuda, under the remit of Captain Thomas McGill.

Alfred appears to have served his contract, as by 1911 he was living at 56 Northview Road, Hornsey, Middlesex. Employed as a house painter, the census records him as being having been married to Clara Emily for nine years. This may have been for the sake of appearance, as the formal record of the couple’s marriage suggests that exchanged vows in the summer of 1914. The census showed that the couple had a son – Alfred John Reed – who was two years old.

When war broke out, Alfred was 49 years old. While over the age to formally enlist, it seems that he did re-join the Royal Marines. By the spring of 1917, he was attached to HMS Spey, an old gunboat, which served in the River Medway, close to Chatham Dockyard.

On the 7th March 1917, she was accidentally rammed by a sludge vessel carrying 1000 tons of sewage. The Spey sank in the shallow water, and one of the crew – Private Alfred Reed – was drowned. He was 51 years of age.

The body of Alfred John Reed was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the Royal Naval Base in which he had been helping.

The 1921 census sheds more light onto the family that Alfred had left behind.

Clara had re-married, her new husband being motor fitter George Comer. The couple had a daughter, eighteen-month-old Eileen, and George was noted as being stepfather to Alfred and Clara’s children, Alfred and Ernest (who was born in 1911).

There is another mystery, however, as the census gives the name of 18 year old Louie Reed. She may also have been Alfred and Clara’s daughter, although she is not recorded as being so on the 1911 census. She may, therefore, have been Clara’s child from a former relationship, then adopted by Alfred.

Commonwealth War Graves, County Cork, Fireman, Great War, history, Ireland, killed in action, Merchant Navy, Pembrokeshire, photography, Scotland, story, Wales, war

Fireman Arthur O’Keefe

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Fireman Arthur O’Keefe

O’KEEFE Fireman Arthur. SS “Hartland.” 22nd Nov., 1917. Age 38. Son of John and Mary O’Keefe of Cork.

The search for information about Arthur O’Keefe has proved a challenging one. He does not appear with his parents on any census records, and there is precious little documentation about his life.

Arthur found work as a Fireman in the Mercantile Marine, and served on board at least four ships. In the autumn of 1917, he was based out of Glasgow, Scotland, and was attached to the SS Hartland. She had been requisitioned by the Admiralty, and was put to use transporting wheat from India.

On 22nd November the Hartland was travelling from Glasgow to Barry, South Wales, when she was hit by a torpedo from the submarine U-97, 21 miles south west of Bardsey Island. The ship was damaged, and two of the crew – Fireman O’Keefe and Fireman Thomas McGaw – were killed.

An American destroyer, the USS Conyngham, was at the head of the Hartland’s convoy, and managed to rescue the remaining 28 members of the crew, taking them to Holyhead. The Hartland was towed to Fishguard Harbour and refloated.

Arthur O’Keefe was 38 years of age when he was killed. He was laid to rest in Llanwnda Cemetery, not far from Fishguard, Pembrokeshire.

Arthur’s headstone notes that he was buried with an unknown sailor of the Great War. There is no indication who this might have been, but there are no records of his colleague Thomas McGaw being laid to rest. Given both men died in the same incident, and their bodies were transported to Fishguard with their ship, it seems possible that they may have been buried together.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, injury, Middlesex, Pembrokeshire, photography, Sergeant, story, Surrey, Wales, war, Welch Regiment

Serjeant James Barrington

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Serjeant James Barrington

James Barrington was born in Westminster, Middlesex, on 1st June 1890. One of twelve children, his parents were Alfred and Hetty Barrington. Alfred worked in a soap factory, and the family seemed to move around: the 1891 census found them living in rooms at 3 Charles Buildings, St Martin-in-the Fields, while a decade later there were at 6 Lyric Place in Kennington, Surrey.

With so many mouths to feed, Alfred and Hetty were keen to get their children to work. The 1911 census found James working as a cowman on a farm in Mathry, Pembrokeshire, which must have come as a huge culture shock.

James soon settled in, however, and, on 9th November 1912, he married Elizabeth Thomas, the daughter of a labourer from nearby. The couple had a daughter, Hilda, who was born the following February.

When war broke out, James was called upon to play his part. There is little concrete information about his service, but he was assigned to the Welch Regiment, as was attached to the 18th (Service) Battalion (2nd Glamorgan). He had attained the rank of Sergeant by the summer of 1917.

Sergeant Barrington’s unit fought in some of the key battles of the early stages of the conflict, including the Battle of the Ancre in 1916, and the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line the following spring. It was during fighting on the Western Front that summer, though, that he was wounded, and medically evacuated to Britain for treatment.

James was admitted to a hospital in London, but his wounds would prove too severe: he passed away on 31st August 1917, at the age of 27 years old.

The body of James Barrington was taken back to Wales for burial. He was laid to rest in Mathry Church Cemetery, not far from where his widow still lived.

accident, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, Hampshire Regiment, history, photography, Sergeant, story, war

Serjeant Alfred Martin

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Serjeant Alfred Martin

FATAL EXPLOSION IN NEW FOREST

Inquests have been held by Mr PB Ingoldby, County Coroner, on the bodies of Sergt. S Pickett, aged 36, and Sergt. A Martin, aged 29, whose deaths occurred recently as the result of an explosion in the New Forest.

The evidence showed that Sergt. Martin was killed. Sergt. Pickett was found insensible from shock, and died five hours later in hospital. In both cases the verdict was that death took place accidentally, and that no blame was attached to anybody.

[Hampshire Independent: Saturday 3rd March 1917]

The life of Sergeant A Martin is a challenge to piece together. While no service papers remain, the few documents that are available don’t provide enough information to unpick the his details.

His entry in the Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects confirms his name as Alfred Albert Martin, and that he served in the 3rd Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment. The document also gives his beneficiary as his mother, Philaidah.

Sergeant Martin’s pension ledger card gives his mother’s name as Louisa Martin, of 64 Bedford Street, Kingstone Road, Portsmouth. It also provides details of a brother, Sergeant Arthur Theodore of the Devonshire Regiment, who also died during the conflict.

The newspaper report suggests Alfred would have been born in around 1888, but there is no definite evidence of him, Philaidah/Louisa or Arthur in census records from 1891 to 1911.

Alfred’s Medal Roll Index Card confirms that he served in the Balkans, and arrived there on 25th April 1915. It gives his rank only as Sergeant, which would suggest that he may have had some military background before the First World War.

Sadly, there are too many pieces to the jigsaw of Sergeant Martin’s life missing to be able to build a better picture. Killed by an accident, he was laid to rest in Lyndhurst Cemetery, not far from where he died.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Pembrokeshire, photography, Private, story, Wales, war, Welch Regiment

Private James Morse

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Private James Morse

James Harries Morse was born in the autumn of 1895 in Llanwnda, Pembrokeshire. One of eleven children, his parents were agricultural labourer William Morse and his wife, Ann.

James’ schooling was completed early, and he was soon found work to keep him occupied. The 1911 census recorded him as being a cattle boy for the James family, living in on a farm not far from his family home.

When war broke out, James was keen to play his part. Details of his military service have been lost to time, but it is clear that he enlisted as a Private in the Welch Regiment, and was assigned to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion. It’s not possible to identify where or for how long he served, and the only other documents available relate to his passing.

James Harries Morse died of disease on 12th February 1917: he was just 21 years of age. His body was taken back to Pembrokeshire for burial, and he was laid to rest in the family plot in Pencaer (Harmony) Baptist Burial Ground, not far from his parents’ home.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, injury, New Zealand, New Zealand Rifle Brigade, photography, Rifleman, story, war, Wiltshire

Rifleman William McMullan

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Rifleman William McMullan

William McMullan was born in Okaihau, on New Zealand’s North Island, on 10th May 1896. One of three children, his parents were James and Rose McMullan.

There is little concrete information about William’s early life. By the beginning of 1916, he was working as a bushman and volunteering for the local militia. The First World War provided an opportunity to put his skills to use, and he enlisted in the New Zealand Rifle Brigade on 15th January 1916.

Rifleman McMullan’s service records show that, at 19 years and 8 months of age, he was 6ft (1.83m) tall and weighed 12st 6lbs (79kg). A Roman Catholic, he had brown hair, blue-grey eyes and a medium-dark complexion.

William left New Zealand in May 1916, bound for Britain. The journey took ten weeks and, after disembarking in Devonport, Devon, his unit marched to Sling Camp, near Bulford, Wiltshire, arriving there on 29th July. Just a few weeks later, however, Rifleman McMullan was on the move again, and he found himself on the Western Front towards the end of September.

On 16th November 1916, while fighting at the Somme, Rifleman McMullan received a gunshot wound to his thigh. A blighty wound, it saw him medically evacuated to Britain for treatment, and he was admitted to the No. 1 New Zealand General Hospital in Brockenhurst, Hampshire. A few weeks later, he was moved to Codford, Wiltshire, for recuperation at the No. 3 NZ General Hospital.

William would spend the next few weeks in Wiltshire, but after initially being discharged from hospital, he was re-admitted on 25th January 1917. He had contracted broncho-pneumonia, and this would be the condition to which he would succumb. Private McMullan passed away on 13th February, at the age of just 20 years old.

Thousands of miles away from home, William McMullan was laid to rest in the ANZAC extension to St Mary’s Churchyard in Codford, close to the camp he had most recently called home.

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

Private Job Jefferies

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Private Job Jefferies

Job Jefferies was born on 12th October 1889 in the city of Timaru, on New Zealand’s South Island. The sixth of ten children, his parents were William and Ada Jefferies.

There is little information available about Job’s early life, but by the time war broke out, he had moved to Kongahu, at the northern tip of South Island. He was working as a labourer, and was employed by the Public Works Department.

Job was quick to step up and serve his country. He enlisted in the New Zealand Infantry on 12th February 1915, and was assigned to the Canterbury Regiment. His service records confirm that he was 5ft 10.75ins (1.79m) tall, and weighed 170lbs (77.1kg).

Private Jefferies left New Zealand in the summer of 1915, and his service record makes for grim reading.

On 9th August 1915, Job’s unit arrived in the Dardanelles, and he was firmly entrenched in the fighting at Gallipoli. Wounded on 5th September, he was initially treated at a casualty clearing station, before being medically evacuated first to Malta, then to Britain. He was admitted to the No. 2 Western General Hospital in Manchester, Lancashire, and would spend the next seven months there.

On 12th May 1916, Private Jefferies was on the move, leaving his base in Hornchurch, Essex, for the Western Front. He re-joined his unit on 7th July, but just nine days later was wounded at the Somme. Medically evacuated to Britain again, he spent the next couple of months being moved between hospitals. Discharged back to base in Hornchurch, Essex at the end of September, he would spend the next four months recuperating once more.

By February 1917, it would seem that Private Jefferies had been moved to Sling Camp near Bulford, Wiltshire. While there, he fell ill, and was admitted to the No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital in nearby Codford. He was suffering from pneumonia, and this time his body could take no more. Job passed away on 7th February 1917: he was 27 years of age.

Job Jefferies was laid to rest alongside his fellow soldiers in the ANZAC extension to St Mary’s Churchyard, Codford.

Private Job Jefferies
(from findagrave.co.uk)
Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, New Zealand, New Zealand Wellington Regiment, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire

Private John Kelland

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Private John Kelland

John Bodley Kelland was born on 4th June 1895 in Otakeho, on New Zealand’s North Island. The fifth of eight children, his parents were George and Mary Kelland. George died in 1902, and John’s mother married again: she and new husband Albert Bowers would have two further children.

There is little additional information available about John’s early life. He found work as a carrier when he left school, and by the time war broke out he was living in the town of Taumarunui. In his spare time, he seems to have volunteered for a local army brigade.

John formally enlisted on 24th July 1916. He joined up in Trentham, and was assigned to the New Zealand Wellington Regiment. His service records show that he was 5ft 9ins (1.75cm) tall and weighed 152lbs (68.9kg). A Roman Catholic, he had brown hair, grey eyes and a dark complexion.

Attached to B Company of the 19th Reinforcements, Private Kelland left his home country on 15th November 1916. He spent the next ten weeks on board the troop ship Tahiti, finally disembarking in Devonport, Devon, on 29th January 1917. From there his unit marched to Sling Camp near Bulford, Wiltshire, where many of the ANZAC troops were billeted.

Private Kelland’s time there was to be limited. His health had been impacted during the sea voyage, and he was admitted to the No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital in Codford, Wiltshire, on 8th February. Suffering from pneumonia, his condition worsened: he passed away on 8th February 1917, at the age of just 21 years old.

John Bodley Kelland was thousands of miles from home. He was laid to rest alongside his comrades in the newly-extended graveyard to St Mary’s Church in Codford.

Private John Kelland
(from findagrave.co.uk)