Tag Archives: 1920

Coldstream Guards, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Guardsman, history, photography, story, Sussex, unknown, war, Wiltshire

Guardsman Arthur Noad

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Guardsman Arthur Noad

Arthur Noad was born in Wiltshire in January 1888, the younger of two children to butcher Joseph Noad and his wife, Cecilia.

On Friday one of the largest attended funerals for years past took place at [Rode]. It was that of Mr Joseph Noad, youngest son of Mr John Noad, butcher, of Lower Street.

[Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser: Saturday 21th April 1888]

The now widowed Cecilia was left in a precarious position, with two young children to raise. But a solution was at hand:

MESSRS. HARDING & SONS are instructed by the Executors of the Will of the late Mr Joseph Noad, to SELL by AUCTION.. the whole of the Valuable LIVE & DEAD STOCK, Comprising:

HORNED CATTLE: 3 useful Dairy Cows and Heifers in-calf; 4 weanling Heifer Calves; 2 fat Calves

SHEEP: 7 Ewes and 7 fat Lambs

HORSES: Powerful Grey Gelding, 8-years-old; Grey Mare, 7-yrs.-old, in foal; promising Black Filly, rising-yrs.-old…

PIGS: 10 capital Stores

IMPLEMENTS & MACHINES, &c: Spring wagon, nearly new; 2 spring traps, nearly new; spring cart… 3 sets trap and 1 set thrill harness, saddle and bridle, covered sheep rack… hurdles… chaff machine… turnip cutter, meal bins, hog tubs, iron and wood pig troughs, cake breaker, oat bruiser, horse rake, 6 large meat hampers and other effects…

Quantity of Maize, Potatoes, Barley Straw; stack of prime Pasture Hay, with liberty of removal.

[Trowbridge Chronicle: Saturday 21st April 1888]

Cecilia sold up and moved on and, by the time of the 1891 census, she and the boys were on Lower Street, Southwick, near Trowbridge, next door to her late husband’s sister and family, and her former mother-in-law.

She was unable to support herself indefinitely on the proceeds of the auction, however, and, in the summer of 1899, she married again, to commercial piano tuner Samuel Haskell. The next census return, taken in 1901, found the family still living next to Arthur’s aunt and grandmother: just thirteen years of age, his occupation was listed as a monitor at school (although this was subsequently crossed out).

Arthur would set out to carve his own path in life. By the time of his early 20s, he had left home, and taken on work as a grocer’s assistant in Hungerford, Berkshire. His accommodation was the gasworks on Charnham Street, as he was boarding with the manager and his family.

When war broke out, Arthur was quick to step up, joining the Coldstream Guards on 22nd December 1914. Sadly, there is little information about his time in the army, but it is clear that he was lucky to survive the conflict.

Arthur’s older brother, Henry, had joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, and rose to the rank of Able Seaman. When the war began, there were too many sailors for ships, and so he was re-assigned to the Nelson Battalion of the Royal Naval Division. Henry found himself on the Western Front, and was caught up at Arras and Ypres. He was killed on 31st December 1917, during the action of the Welsh Ridge, and was buried at Flesquières Hill British Cemetery, near Cambrai.

Guardsman Noad married Amelia May in the spring of April 1916: the daughter of a woodsman from Longparish, Hampshire, sadly there is little additional information about her. The couple did go on to have a child together, daughter Kathleen, who was born on 4th April 1918.

There is little further information about Arthur’s life. He survived the conflict and, when peace returned to Europe, he relocated to Worthing, West Sussex. There is little confirmation as to why this move happened: the 1939 Register records Amelia and Kathleen living on Meadow Crescent to the east of the town, but it isn’t clear who went there first.

The last documents for Arthur Noad relate to his passing. He died on 18th December 1920 at the age of 33 years old. He was laid to rest in Broadwater Cemetery, to the north of Worthing.

Amelia had lost her husband, but Cecilia had now lost both of her sons, and had outlived two husbands, Samuel having passed away nine years earlier. The 1921 census found her still living on Lower Street, Southwick. She lived until the age of 87, and passed away in Lothingland, Suffolk.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, India, photography, Sergeant, story, war, Wiltshire, Wiltshire Regiment

Serjeant William Loder

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Serjeant William Loder

William James Nelson Loder was born in the summer of 1893 in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. The oldest of seven children, his parents were Harry and Rosina. Harry was an engineer at a wool mill, and his son obviously followed in his father’s practical footsteps: the 1911 census found him employed as a coach builder’s apprentice.

The document found the Loder family living at 1 Canal Road, a five-roomed cottage on the outskirts of town. Alongside Harry and his son, William’s younger sister, Ethel was also working as an apprentice dress maker.

Away from work, it seems that William also joined the local militia, with a later document showing that he enlisted in the Wiltshire Regiment on 4th February 1909. When war broke out, he was called upon to play his part. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, and was sent to India in September 1914. While his service papers have been lost to time, it is clear that he rose to the rank of Serjeant, but by the start of 1917, he was back in Britain.

On 27th January 1917, William married Angelin Gliddon. She was a coachman’s daughter from Holt, Wiltshire, and was working as a draper’s assistant when she and her husband exchanged vows.

William’s health was failing by this point and, on 21st May 1917, he was formally discharged from the army on medical grounds. His trail goes cold as this point, and it is only three years later that documents confirm his passing. He died on 24th April 1920 at the age of 26 years old.

The body of William James Nelson Loder was laid to rest in Holt Old Cemetery, not far from where his grieving wife still lived.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, photography, Private, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry, story, unknown, war, Wiltshire

Private Ernest Jones

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Private Ernest Jones

Ernest Albert Jones was born in the spring of 1878. The sixth of seven children, he wad the youngest son to Thomas and Maria Jones. Thomas was an agricultural labourer, and the family lived in a cottage on The Rank in the Wiltshire village of Holt.

Ernest found work as a gardener’s assistant when he completed his schooling, but, by the time of the 1911 census, he was employed as a leather dresser for a local fellmonger. According to the document, he was the only one of the Jones children to still be living at home, bringing in money to support his parents.

Maria died in the spring of 1911, and it is likely that Ernest remained at home to support his father. When war broke out, he stepped up to serve his country and, although his service papers have been lost to time, the documents that remain suggest he joined the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He wasn’t with them for long, however, as he transferred to the Wiltshire Regiment.

It is unclear where or how Private Jones served. He was attached to the 6th (Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry) Battalion, who served on the Western Front from 1915 onwards, but nothing in Ernest’s remaining records suggest he spent any time overseas.

Ernest survived the war, and returned to the family home. He passed away on 27th June 1920, through causes unknown, at the age of 42.

The body of Ernest Albert Jones was laid to rest in Hold Old Cemetery, not far from the home in which his family had lived for more than four decades.

Thomas passed away nearly two years after his son, at the age of 87 years old. By this point, his granddaughter, Nellie, had moved in to look after him: it was she who Ernest had nominated as his next of kin.

Bombardier, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Lanarkshire, photography, Royal Garrison Artillery, Royal Horse Artillery, Scotland, Sergeant, story, war, Wiltshire

Serjeant Thomas Harrison

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Serjeant Thomas Harrison

The life of Thomas Harrison, buried in Holt Old Cemetery, Wiltshire, is a challenge to unpick. No service papers remain, but the Commonwealth War Graves Commission note that he was married to Annie Harrison, who lived in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

The couple do not appear together in the 1911 census, so it is likely that they exchanged vows after this date. There is a Thomas Harrison recorded in the return: he was an Acting Bombardier in the Royal Horse Artillery, billeted in the barracks in Trowbridge. It is likely that he is the gentleman buried in Holt Cemetery, but it cannot be confirmed either way.

Acting Bombardier Harrison was born in Motherwell, Lanarkshire, in around 1889, but his name is not uncommon, so it is not possible to identify his parents or early life.

Thomas served during the First World War, rising to the rank of Serjeant in the Anti-Aircraft Depot of the Royal Garrison Artillery. He and Annie had two children: Vera, who was born in 1912, and Ivy, who was four years younger.

When the Armistice was declared, Serjeant Harrison returned home, but, in the spring of 1920, he suffered a bout of gastritis. The condition was to prove fatal, and he passed away on 31st March 1920. He was 31 years of age.

The body of Thomas Harrison was laid to rest in Holt Old Cemetery, not far from where Annie and the girls lived.

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Dorsetshire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, Mesopotamia, photography, Private, story, war

Private Frederick Cox

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Private Frederick Cox

Frederick Charles Cox was born in the Dorset village of Kington Magna in the spring of 1897. One of seven children, his parents were agricultural labourer William Cox and his wife, Kate.

When Frederick completed his schooling, he also found work as a farm labourer. However, when war broke out, he was keen to play his part, possibly having seen his older brother, William Jr, also join up.

Unlike his sibling, Frederick enlisted in the Dorsetshire Regiment. His service papers have been lost to time, but it is clear that he took the role of Private, and that he was assigned to the 1st/4th Battalion. His unit began the war in India, but had moved to Basra in February 1916, remaining in Mesopotamia for the remainder of the conflict.

Private Cox survived the war, and had returned home by the end of 1919. His time in the army would impact his health, however, and during the winter of 1919/20, he came down with malaria, a condition which would prove fatal. Frederick passed away in hospital in Shaftesbury, on 31st January 1920: he was 23 years of age.

The body of Frederick Charles Cox was taken back to Kington Magna for burial. He was laid to rest in All Saints’ Churchyard, close to his brother, who had died a few years before.

Read more about Frederick’s brother William here.

Kate had lost two adult sons in a matter of years, and her tragedy was not to end. William Sr passed away less than five weeks after Frederick. He was buried close to his sons.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, Herefordshire, history, illness, Kent, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class Herbert Lee

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Stoker 1st Class Herbert Lee

Herbert Lee was born in the Herefordshire village of Dilwyn on 16th August 1896. The sixth of eight children, he was one of five sons to Charles and Frances Lee. Charles was a waggoner on a local farm and, when he finished his schooling, his son found work as a farm hand there.

When war broke out, Herbert was quick to step up and play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Navy on 14th October 1914, taking on the role of Stoker 2nd Class. His service papers show that he was 5ft 4.5ins (1.64m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker Lee was sent to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – also known as HMS Pembroke – for his training. Over the next five years, he seems to have been mainly shore-based, transferring between units in Chatham and at HMS Victory, the navy dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire. In August 1915, he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class, and his records note a very good character with a superior ability.

Herbert survived the war and, by the start of 1919, he was back in Chatham. He had fallen ill by this point, and, having contracted the highly contagious tuberculosis, he was medically discharged from navy service on 19th March 1919.

Herbert Lee battled his condition bravely, but would ultimately succumb to it. He passed away on 8th October 1920, at the age of 24 years old. He was laid to rest in the tranquil surrounds of St Mary’s Churchyard in his home village of Dilwyn.

Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Great War, history, Pembrokeshire, photography, Royal Garrison Artillery, story, unknown, war

Corporal James Davies

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Corporal James Davies

James Lloyd Davies was born in Dyffryn, Llanwnda, Pembrokeshire, early in 1897. One of six children, his parents were Hugh and Margaret Davies. Hugh was a farm worker, but when he died in 1907, Margaret was left to raise the family on her own.

The 1911 census found the family living in a 4-roomed house on Cross Street. Margaret had found work as a charwoman, while James was employed as a butcher’s errand boy. His three younger siblings were still at school.

When war broke out, James stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Garrison Artillery, but from here on in his trail goes cold. All that can be confirmed is that he had risen to the rank of Corporal by the end of the conflict.

James Lloyd Davies returned home after the war, and passed away on 7th February 1920. He was 23 years of age. He was laid to rest in the Hermon Baptist Burial Ground in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire.

James was only accepted for commemoration as war dead in 2012. It was at this point that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission erected a headstone in his honour.

Commonwealth War Graves, Essex, Great War, history, Middlesex, photography, Royal Engineers, Sapper, story, unknown, war

Sapper Harold Chandler

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Sapper Harold Chandler

Harold Frederic Chandler was born on 8th April 1886, and was the only child to Frederic and Rhoda. Frederic was a newspaper publisher, and the family lived in North London. The 1891 census found the Chandlers living at 1 Parolles Road, Islington; ten years later they were at 14 West View on Highgate Hill.

Those census returns included family members as part of the household. By the time of the 1911 census, however, when the were living in a substantial house at 22 Hillside Gardens, Highgate, there were no other family members with them, although they did have a boarder – banker’s clerk Alfred Schleicher – and domestic servant Esther Tebbutt living with them.

By this point, Harold was 24 years of age, and was employed as an architect’s assistant. War was coming, however, and he was called upon to play his part.

Full details of Harold’s service have been lost to time, but it is clear that he enlisted in the Royal Engineers as a Sapper, likely using the skills he had learnt in his civilian life.

The only documentation confirms Harold’s passing. Discharged from the army on 29th October 1919, he died just over a year later. He breathed his last on 17th December 1920, at the age of 34 years old. His death was registered in Edmonton, Essex, so it seems likely that he was there in some sort of convalescent capacity.

The body of Harold Frederic Chandler was taken back to Middlesex for burial, and he was laid to rest in Highgate Cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Gunner, history, illness, Pembrokeshire, photography, Royal Garrison Artillery, story, Wales, war

Gunner Charles Walters

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Gunner Charles Walters

Charles Archibald Walters was born in 1896, and was one of nine children to Arthur and Minnie. Arthur was a painter in the shipyards, and the 1901 census found the family living in a small cottage at 29 Cambrian Terrace in Neyland, Pembrokeshire.

By 1911, Charles had finished his schooling, and had found labouring work on a local farm. He was still living at home, however, and the family has moved to 46 Cambrian Road, overlooking the shipyard where Arthur still worked, and the Westward Pill and Cleddau Ddu rivers beyond.

When war came to Europe, Charles was called upon to play his part. Details of his military service are sketchy, but it is clear that he enlisted in the Royal Garrison Artillery, and was assigned to the Pembrokeshire Territorial Force.

Gunner Walters survived the war, but was suffering from nephritis. He was medically discharged from the army on 12th May 1919, and returned to the family home.

By this point Arthur had moved the family to Goodwick, near Fishguard, by this point, as he had taken up a job in the town as a painter for Great Western Railways.

Charles’ condition would ultimately get the better of him. He passed away on 4th April 1920: he was just 24 years of age.

Charles Archibald Walters was laid to rest in Llanwnda Cemetery, not far from where his family now lived.

The 1921 census found that two of Charles’ brother were also working for Great Western Railways, Frederick as a porter, and William as a boiler sealer in their engineering works (presumably the same place as Arthur).

Minnie died the following year, Arthur passing in 1924. Both were buried with their son, Charles, and they are remembered on his Commonwealth War Grave.

Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Great War, history, illness, Pembrokeshire, photography, Royal Engineers, Sapper, story, Wales, war

Corporal Gwyn Thomas

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Corporal Gwyn Thomas

Gwyn Lewis Thomas was born in Llanrhian, Pembrokeshire, in 1894, and was the youngest of five children to George and Jane Thomas. George was a farmer, and by the time of the 1911 census, his son had been sent to work with another farmer, William Miles, in Mathry, four miles to the east.

When war broke out, Gwyn stepped up to serve his country. He enlisted in the Royal Engineers as a Sapper and, while little information about his service, it is clear that he was sent to France on 23rd August 1915. By the end of the conflict, he had achieved the rank of Corporal, and when the Armistice was declared, he returned home to Wales.

The only other documents connected to Corporal Thomas are those relating to his passing. He died from disease on 2nd March 1920, at the age of 25 years old. His death was registered in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, which would suggest that he either passed there, or that that was the registry office to his home.

Gwyn Lewis Thomas was laid to rest in Mathry Congregational Chapelyard in Rehoboth, midway between his parents’ farm and that of his former employer. His headstone is inscribed with the words Bu farw o effaith y Rhyfel Mawrth (He died from the effects of the Great War).