Tag Archives: 1919

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Great War, history, photography, Royal Army Service Corps, Staff Sergeant, story, Surrey, unknown, war

Staff Serjeant Samuel Powell

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Staff Serjeant Samuel Powell

Samuel Edwin Powell was born at the start of 1876, the third of eight children to Samuel and Catherine Powell. Samuel Sr was a baker from Gloucestershire, and it was in the village of Leonard Stanley that the family were born and raised.

Much of Samuel Jr’s earlier life is undocumented, and he does not appear on either the 1891 or 1901 census returns. By the time of the next census, taken in 1911, he is recorded as living in Lewisham, Surrey.

The census noted that Samuel was employed as a commercial traveller in the chocolate industry. He was married to Stroud-born Ellen Hobbs, and had been since 1906. The couple had a son, Denis, who was a year old, and were living at 20 Hazelbank Road in Catford, with a domestic servant, Edith Price, helping Ellen while her husband was away working.

When war broke out, Samuel was called upon to play his part. He was enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps, with the rank of Staff Serjeant, which would suggest that his absence from earlier documents was because of earlier military service.

There is little information about Samuel’s time in the army, other than that he was attached to the Clearing Office when the Armistice was declared.

The cause of Staff Serjeant Powell’s passing is not known, but the Army Register of Soldier’s Effects confirm that he died in Dorset on 10th September 1919. The connection to Dorset is unclear: he may have been serving in the area, or recuperating from an illness. He was 43 years of age.

Samuel Edwin Powell was laid to rest in Lyme Regis Cemetery, overlooking the seaside town.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Lance Corporal, photography, Royal Fusiliers, story, Sussex, war

Lance Corporal Frank Page

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Lance Corporal Frank Page

Frank Arthur Page was born early in 1891, and was one of seven children – and the youngest son – to Matthew and Emily Page. Matthew was a bricklayer’s labourer from Lancing in Sussex, while Emily had been born in Norfolk. It was in the village of Steyning, however, that the couple raised their family.

By the time of the 1901 census, Matthew had been invalided out of work. The family had moved to a small cottage in Lancing by this point, and Frank’s older brothers were working to bring in some money for the family.

The next census return, taken in 1911, found Matthew and Emily living Frank and his older brother Sydney at 2 Ivy Cottages in Lancing. Both of the Page siblings were working as market gardeners by this point, bringing in some money to help support the family.

War came to Europe in the summer of 1914, and Frank stepped up to serve his King and Country. Full details of his military service are lost in the mists of time, but it is clear that he enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers, and was attached to the 26th (Service) Battalion (Bankers).

Frank’s unit served in both France and Italy, although, without his documents, it isn’t possible to determine where, and for how long, he served. During his time in the army, however, he was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal, underlining a level of dedication on his part.

Matthew passed away in the spring of 1917, and it appears that Frank was demobbed at some point after the Armistice. By the autumn of 1919, he was back in Sussex, living with his now widowed mother. His time in the army seems to have impacted on Frank’s health by this point, and he died ‘from disease’ on 24th October 1919. He was 28 years of age.

Frank Arthur Page was laid to rest in the graveyard of St James the Lesser Church in Lancing, not far from where his father had been buried.

Coldstream Guards, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Guardsman, Hampshire, history, photography, story, unknown, war

Guardsman Francis Marchant

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Guardsman Francis Marchant

Francis George Marchant was born in the autumn of 1894, the fourth of five children to William and Emma Marchant. William – who went by his middle name, Walter – was a gamekeeper from the village of Uplyme in Devon, and this is where the family were born and raised.

Sadly, there is little specific information about Francis’ life. When war was declared, he stepped up to play his part, joining the Coldstream Guards as a Guardsman. Attached to the Machine Gun Corps, he would have spent time overseas, but details about his time in the military are long since lost.

By the end of the conflict, Guardsman Marchant was based in Hampshire, billeted in Witley Camp. While here, for reasons unknown, he was admitted to the Connaught Military Hospital. It was here, on 4th April 1919, that he passed away: he was 24 years of age.

Francis George Marchant was taken back to Devon for burial. He was laid to rest in Uplyme’s Ss. Peter & Paul’s Church.

Cadet, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Midshipman, photography, Royal Navy, story, Sub Lieutenant, war

Sub-Lieutenant Denys Puttock

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Sub-Lieutenant Denys Puttock

Denys Ernest Puttock was born on 14th September 1895 in the Devon village of Halwill. The middle of three children, his parents were Edward and Alice Puttock. Edward was a vicar of the village’s St Peter & St James’ Church, but died tragically early:

The Red. E Puttock, Rector of Hallwill died on Wednesday, after a brief illness… Mr Puttock had been in charge… for six and a half years. He was much beloved by those among whom he labourer and universally respected. His devotion to the due performance of all his sacred duties was unceasing and his visitations among the poor and afflicted were much appreciated by the whole parish. He was fond of all manly sports, and under his captaincy the Cricket Club at Halwill attained considerable success. Up to the day of his death he could hardly believe that he was ill, and up to the last it was hoped that his wonderful constitution might have carried him through the illness. About a fortnight since he contracted a chill. He would not be deterred from carrying out his duties, and against the advice of his friends, he persisted in taking every service at the church long after he was fit for it. On Sunday, the 24th January, although then in a high fever, he took both the morning and evening services at Halwill Church unassisted, and also the Sunday School in the afternoon. Pneumonia set in at the end of last week, and on Tuesday evening, the 2nd February, the action of the heart failed. He leaves a widow and three young children to mourn their loss.

[Exeter and Plymouth Gazette: Friday 5th February 1897]

After Edward’s death, Alice moved the children to Okehampton. The 1901 census found the family living at 4 Brondage Park, Alice by this time living off her own means. She felt that learning was important, and Denys was sent to Twyford School and St Edmund’s School in Canterbury, Kent. From here he took up a career in the Royal Navy, enlisting in September 1913.

He served in the Highflyer as a Cadet, and was Midshipman in HMS Conqueror, and later Sub-Lieutenant in the destroyers Patriot and Valorous. Long exposure to the rough weather in the North Sea during the winters of 1916 and 1917 brought on tuberculosis, which incapacitated him for further war service. He was invalided our of the Navy and spent many months in a Sanitorium.

[Exeter and Plymouth Gazette: Friday 4th April 1919]

Denys Ernest Puttock’s health was failing him, and he passed away on 20th March 1919, while still admitted. He was 23 years of age. The report of his funeral included comments from those who knew him:

His Headmaster writes: “He has not lived in vain, for he has exercised the power of unconscious influence on all those around him. He knew the secret of happiness – purity of soul and unselfishness of heart.” His Commanding Officer has written: “He was a zealous and capable young officer. Possessed of great charm of manner, he was popular with both officers and men.”

[Exeter and Plymouth Gazette: Friday 4th April 1919]

Alice, having moved to Paignton by this point, laid her son to rest in the town’s cemetery. When she passed away in 1932, she was buried alongside him.

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Dorsetshire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, India, killed in action, Machine Gun Corps, Mesopotamia, photography, Private, story, war

Private James Ellery

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Private James Ellery

James Ellery was born in the autumn of 1889, and was the middle of seven children. His parents – Frederick and Mary – were born in Dorset, and the family were raised in the hamlet of Lillington. Frederick was a farm labourer, but James found his way into building work when he finished his schooling.

When war came to Europe, James stepped up to play his part. Full details of his military service have been lost to time, but it is clear that he had enlisted in the Dorsetshire Regiment and was attached to the 1st/4th Battalion.

Private Ellery’s unit served in India and Mesopotamia during the conflict, but it is unclear whether James saw any action overseas. Certainly by early 1919 he was back in Britain, as he was hospitalised in Sherborne following a bout of influenza. This developed into pneumonia, and he was admitted to the town’s Yeatman Hospital.

James’ immune system had become weakened during the conflict, and the pneumonia turned septic. It proved to be fatal, and James passed away on 1st March 1919. He was 29 years of age.

James Ellery’s body was taken back to Lillington for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Martin’s Church.

James was not the first of the Ellery siblings to die during the Great War. His eldest brother, Frederick, had enlisted in the 2nd Battalion of the Machine Gun Corps Cavalry. He was killed in action on 21st August 1918, leaving behind a widow and three children. He was 36 years of age and is commemorated on the Vis-en-Artois British Memorial in Haucourt. France.

Channel Islands, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Jersey, Lancashire, photography, Private, Royal Jersey Militia, story, unknown, war

Private Alexander Cain

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Private Alexander Cain

Alexander Bertram Cain was born on 31st July 1885 in Ormskirk, Lancashire. He was the ninth of eleven children to concert promoter Robert Cain and his wife, Sarah.

By 1901, Robert and Sarah had moved the family to Jersey, setting up home in St Saviour’s. Robert was noted as living off his own means, but Alexander, who would have been 15 by this point, is noticeable by his absence and, in fact, does not appear on that year’s census return.

Robert died in 1909, and on 26th January 1911, Alexander married a woman called Hilda Bedford. They settled down in St Helier, and went on to have two children, daughters Yvonne and Elizabeth. The census taken three months after the couple’s wedding recorded Alexander as living on his own means, so money appeared not to be an issue for the young family.

When war came to Europe, Alexander was called upon to play his part. On 12th March 1917, he enlisted in the Royal Jersey Militia, and was attached to the regiment’s Garrison Battalion, stationed on the island. His service records confirm that he was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, and that he had a scar on his left cheek. The document also suggests that he had spent time in the Gloucestershire Regiment, but no further information about this is available.

Private Cain spent the next two years in the army. Towards the end of this time, however, his health appears to have been impacted, to the point that, on 6th May 1919, he was medically discharged from the Royal Jersey Militia.

Whatever his condition, it was to prove fatal. Alexander passed away at home on 31st May 1919: he was 33 years of age.

Alexander Bertram Cain was laid to rest in the family plot in La Croix Cemetery in Grouville, Jersey, Hilda left widowed and with two children – Elizabeth just four months old – to raise.

Channel Islands, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Jersey, Lancashire, photography, Private, Royal Army Medical Corps, Russia, Scotland, story, war

Private John Turner

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Private John Turner

John Francis Turner was born on 24th March 1899 in the St Ouen region of the Channel Island of Jersey. He was the only surviving child of Francis and Eugenie Turner, his older brother, Francis Jr, having passed away before John was born.

Francis was a farm labourer, but when John finished his schooling, he found work as a carpenter. When war broke out across Europe, he was conscripted to play his part and, on 31st March 1917, he enlisted in the army.

Private Turner was noted as being 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall and weighing 115lbs (52kg). His medical records show that his vision was defective, but not so bad as to exclude him from service, but he was also found to have flat feet.

John was assigned to the Royal Army Medical Corps, and was sent to Blackpool, Lancashire, where he was attached to the local depot. He spent the next two years in the army, although his time was not without incident.

In December 1917, he was confined to barracks for five days for overstaying his pass by more than eight hours. This seems to have been Private Turner’s only misdemeanour, however, and there is nothing to suggest anything other than good service.

John’s time in the army does not seem to have been limited to home soil, and, in the spring of 1919, he was attached to one of the Russian convoys ferrying aid and supplies overseas. On his return, however, he fell ill, and on 2nd February, he was admitted to hospital in Edinburgh, suffering from pleurisy.

Private Turner was to remain in hospital for the next few months. He slowly recovered, but then contracted meningitis, and, with his body already weakened by illness, this was to prove his undoing. He passed away on 23rd June 1919, aged just 20 years of age.

John Francis Turner’s body was taken back to Jersey for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful churchyard of St Ouen’s.

Channel Islands, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Jersey, photography, Royal Jersey Militia, Sergeant, story, war

Sergeant Francis Godfray

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Sergeant Francis Godfray

Francis George Godfray was born in Jersey, Channel Islands, on 10th April 1895. One of fifteen children, his parents were Philippe and Alice Godfray. Philippe was a quarryman-turned-agricultural labourer and, by the time of the 1911 census, Francis had also gone into farm work.

War was closing on on Europe’s shores, and Francis stepped up to play his part. Full details of his service have been lost to time, but it is clear that he had enlisted in the Royal Jersey Militia by 1918. Attached to B Company of the regiment’s Garrison Battalion, by the end of the conflict he had been promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

Sergeant Godfray survived the conflict and had returned home by the spring of 1919. On 24th April, he collapsed and died suddenly, his death later confirmed as heart failure. Francis was just 24 years of age.

Francis George Godfray was laid to rest in the peaceful St Ouen’s Churchyard in Jersey.

Channel Islands, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Jersey, Machine Gun Corps, photography, Private, story, unknown, war

Private Philip Mauger

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Private Philip Mauger

Philip Mauger was born in 1893 in the St Peter’s area of Jersey, Channel Islands. He was the oldest of six children to Albert and Jane Mauger. Albert was a labourer, alternating between road-building and farm work, depending on the time of year. When he finished his schooling, however, Philip fund work as a wheelwright’s assistant.

On 10th February 1917, Philip married Florence Dimmick, a shoemaker’s daughter from St Ouen. Their marriage certificate confirms Philip was a farmer by this point, and it seems likely that the young couple tied the knot ahead of his conscription the army.

Full details of his military service are lost to time, but it is clear that Philip enlisted in the Machine Gun Corps. Private Mauger survived the conflict, but here his trail fades. All that can be confirmed is that he passed away on 2nd March 1919, at the age of 26 years old. He was laid to rest in St Ouen’s Churchyard.

After her husband’s passing, Florence did not remarry. The couple had not had children, and it appears that she reverted to her maiden name. Husband and wife were reunited, however, when Florence passed away in 1937, and she was buried alongside Philip.

Captain, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Egypt, Great War, history, illness, India, Indian Medical Service, Lieutenant, Lieutenant Colonel, Major, photography, story, war, Worcestershire

Lieutenant Colonel Cecil Stevens

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Lieutenant Colonel Cecil Stevens

Cecil Robert Stevens was born in Arrah, India, on 14th March 1867. One of six children, his parents were Charles and Mary Stevens. Charles was a civil servant who had been born in the South Sea Islands, while Mary has been born in Bengal.

The family appear to have moved to the United Kingdom by the late 1870s. Census records for them are a bit sparse, but the 1881 document found Mary living in Honiton, Devon, with four of Cecil’s siblings and three servants. Cecil, meanwhile, was a boarding student at Malvern College, Worcestershire.

By 1891, Cecil had moved to St Columb in Cornwall. He was boarding at a hotel on Fore Street, and was employed as a general medical practitioner.

Charles was later rewarded for his service to the Empire, and received a knighthood. The 1901 census found him residing in Harcourt Terrace, Kensington, Middlesex, while his wife, now Dame Mary Stevens, was visiting a friend from India in Devon. Sir Charles died at home in 1909, following a bout of influenza.

Cecil, meanwhile, had been making his own way in the world. A qualified surgeon, he married Katharine Duff, a nurse from Aberdeen. They went on to have two children, son Cecil Jr and daughter Mignonette.

On 29th July 1893, Cecil joined the Indian Medical Service as a Lieutenant. Three years later, he was promoted to Captain, and in July 1905, he rose to the rank of Major. His commitment to duty is evident: he spent many years overseas, separated from his wife and young family, and in January 1913, was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Cecil’s time in the Indian Medical Service was not without danger. In 1895, he was involved in the Relief of Chitral, for which he received a medal and clasp. He was caught up in the Tirah Campaign of 1897/98, and received a further two clasps for his role.

Lieutenant Colonel Stevens’ role during the First World War is lost in the mists of time. Given his role in the Indian Medical Service, it is likely that he served overseas, but he returned to Britain after the war, coming by way of Egypt.

By the autumn of 1919, he was back in Devon, at the family home on Elmsleigh Park Road in Paignton. His health was failing at this point, having come down with diabetes while in North Africa. him. Cecil passed away on 18th November 1919: he was 52 years of age.

Cecil Robert Stevens was laid to rest in the sprawling grounds of Paignton Cemetery.

Lieutenant Colonel Stevens’ will left £4123 13s 10d (around £180,000 today) to his sister-in-law, Alice Duff.

Katharine outlived her husband by only eight years. She passed away on 22nd December 1927 at the Field Officers’ Quarters in Gibraltar: she was 61 years of age.