Ephraim Alex Jacobs was born in the summer of 1883 in Birmingham, West Midlands and was the youngest child to Morris and Mary Jacobs. Morris was a tailor, but when he finished his schooling, Ephraim followed in his older brother’s trade, becoming a hairdresser.
This was not to prove a long-term career, however and, by the time of the 1911 census, things had changed. Ephraim, who now went by his middle name, had moved to Seend, near Melksham, Wiltshire. The document confirms that he had been married for four years by this point, although full details of his wife, the London-born Ethel, remain elusive. Alex was employed as a rubber worker in a factory in Melksham.
When war broke out, Alex stepped up to play his part. His service records no longer exist, but it seems that he enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps, and was attached to one of the Mechanical Transport units. He seems not to have served overseas, and was demobbed on 14th September 1919. At this point Private Jacobs was suffering from neuritis, or nerve damage.
Alex’s trail goes cold at this point. He seems to have spent some time at the Pensioner’s Hospital in Bath, Somerset, and this is where, on 22nd December 1920, he passed away. The cause of his death was noted as being a cerebral tumour and asthma. He was 37 years of age.
With finances seemingly leaving Ethel unable to bring her late husband back to Wiltshire, Alex Ephraim Jacobs was instead laid to rest in the sweeping Locksbrook Cemetery, Bath.
Robert Frederic Dodds was born in 1874 in Darlington, Country Durham. The third of nine children, his parents were Robert and Elizabeth Dodds. Robert Sr was a carter and furniture remover and, when he finished his schooling, Robert Jr joined his father in his work.
Robert Sr died in 1898, at the age of 61. Whether this was a catalyst for his son to move on is unclear, but by the following year, Robert Jr was working as a labourer in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. On 16th September 1899, he married Elizabeth Counsell, a fisherman’s daughter from the town.
It seems that Robert was keen to build a life for his new wife: the next census, taken in 1901, found the couple living in Cardiff, Glamorgan, where he was employed as a stone mason. The Dodds remained in Wales for the next decade, having three children – Lily, William and Rosie – there. By the spring of 1911, however, they were back in Somerset, living in a three-roomed cottage in Castle Street. Elizabeth had had a fourth child just a month before the census, with a second son, Bertie, adding to the family.
When war came to Britain, Robert stepped up to play his part. He initially joined the Royal Army Veterinary Corps as a Private, and found himself in France on 6th March 1915. Elizabeth, meanwhile, remained at home in Somerset, seeking support from her family. With four children to look after, her workload was to increase again when, just a week after Robert arrived on the Western Front, she gave birth to their fifth child, the patriotically named Frederick Gordon Kitchener Dodds.
Robert remained in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps for the next four years, rising to the rank of Serjeant. Details of his time in the service are unclear, but he survived the war and, on 11th July 1919, he transferred to the Royal Army Service Corps.
Little further information is available about Robert’s life. By the winter of 1919/1920, he was based in Midlothian, Scotland. He was admitted to the 2nd Scottish General Hospital, Edinburgh, although his condition is unclear. Whatever it was, it was to be fatal: he passed away on 6th January 1920, at the age of 45 years old.
Robert Frederic Dodds’ body was taken back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in Highbridge Cemetery.
Arthur Henry Gordon Bond was born on 28th July 1894 in Huntspill, Somerset. He was the younger of two children to Henry and Sarah. Henry was a sawyer, something Arthur’s older brother, Frederick, also became. According to the 1911 census, however, Arthur took work as a land refiner. The family were living in a four-roomed cottage on Clyce Place, to the south of the town, overlooking the river.
Details of Arthur’s military career are sparse. He enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery and was attached to the 5th Reserve Brigade. It is unclear whether we served overseas or not, but Gunner Bond survived the war as was eventually stood down on 7th May 1919.
At this point, Arthur’s trail goes cold although he seems to have returned to Somerset. He passed away on 4th February 1920, his death being registered in Shepton Mallet. He was 25 years of age.
Arthur Henry Gordon Bond was laid to rest in Highbridge Cemetery, walking distance from where his family still lived.
Albert Gillard Biss was born in Highbridge, Somerset, on 3rd July 1888. The middle of five children, he was the oldest surviving son of Richard and Rosanna Biss. Richard was a tin worker twelve years older than his wife and when he died, in September 1907, Rosanna was left to raise her family alone.
By the time of the 1911 census, Rosanna was living in a five-roomed cottage in Highbridge. Albert and his two younger brothers were living with her, and all three were working as building labourers to bring in money for the family. They also had a boarder, 87-year-old widow Henrietta Crandon, to bring in a little extra each month.
Albert was also saving up for other things. On 15th November 1911, he married Ada Alice Vincent. The couple went on to have three children – Albert Jr, Richard and Irene – before Ada’s untimely death in August 1915, just five weeks after Irene’s birth. At this point Albert had enlisted in the army, and it seems that his sister, Sarah, took on responsibility for her nephews and niece.
Albert was working as a telegraphist for the Post Office when he signed up. He had previously volunteered for the 3rd Somersets, but was assigned to the Royal Engineers when he enlisted. His service records show that he joined up in Weston-super-Mare, was 27 years and three months old, and stood 5ft 10.5ins (1.79m) tall.
Sapper Biss initially served on home soil, but was subsequently moved to the Base Signal Depot as part of the East Africa Expeditionary Force. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in April 1918, but over the next twelve months his health began to deteriorate.
On 6th April 1919, Albert was medically discharged from the army, suffering from a combination of malaria, epileptic fits and tuberculosis. He returned home to Somerset, and moved back in with Rosina. His sister Sarah was living in London by this point, and it is not clear whether Albert’s children came back to Highbridge or not.
Over the next year Albert’s health went from bad to worse. On 8th July 1920 he finally succumbed to a combination of pulmonary tuberculosis, acute nephritis, meningitis and uraemia. He had just turned 32 years of age.
Albert Gillard Biss was laid to rest in the sweeping grounds of Highbridge Cemetery.
After Albert’s death, his two sons fell under the guardianship of their aunt Sarah. Responsibility for Irene, however, was given to an Ebenezer and Eliza Monks, who lived in Clapham Common, London. The 1938 Electoral Register found Irene, who went by the name Monks-Biss, still living with here adopted family.
Robert Oborne and his twin, William, were born in the summer of 1880, two of ten children to John and Elizabeth Oborne. John was an agricultural labourer, and the family were raised in Bishop’s Lydeard, Somerset.
Death was to surround Elizabeth Oborne: William died when he was only three years old and John also passed away in 1886. This was around the time that she gave birth to their last child, who she also named William. The 1891 census recorded Elizabeth as living in the centre of Bishops Lydeard with four of her children: John, who was a farm labourer, Elizabeth, an errand girl, and Robert and William, both of whom were still at school.
When he completed his schooling, Robert found work as a coal hewer. He moved to South Wales, and boarded with the Hampshire family, in Ystradyfodwg, Glamorganshire. Further details of his life before the outbreak of war are scarce, although it seems that he changed career, taking up work as a groom. Known as Bobbie, later reports suggest that he was a genial young man, and had a large number of friends.
1915 proved a pivotal year for Robert: that summer he married Amy Lyons in Taunton. Elizabeth died in October, and his next oldest sibling, a sister also called Elizabeth, passed away just weeks later.
“Just before the war he joined the Somerset Light Infantry [Territorial] and went through the Gallipoli campaign, and then went to Egypt… he acted [in the capacity of a groom] to his officer commanding, and whilst in Egypt had the misfortune to get thrown from his horse, which caused internal trouble.” [Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser: Wednesday 14th April 1920]
The now-Serjeant Oborne was medically discharged from 3rd/4th Battalion on 21st August 1916, and returned to Somerset. He took up employment with Colonel Dennis Boles MP, acting as his groom from him from Watts House, on the outskirts of Bishops Lydeard.
Robert appears to have continued with this life for the next few years, but his wartime injuries continued to dog him.
…on Tuesday, March 2nd [1920], he gave up work and went to the doctor, who advised his removal to the hospital, where he was taken the following Friday, and underwent an operation the same evening. Hopes were held out for his recover, and he lingered until 1:30 on Wednesday morning [7th April], when he passed away.
Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser: Wednesday 14th April 1920
Robert Oborne was 39 years old when he died. He was laid to rest in the grounds of St Mary’s Church in his home village, Bishops Lydeard.
Wallace Waterman Parsons was born in the autumn of 1893 and was one of thirteen children. His parents were both Somerset-born, David and Mary Parsons, and it was in a small terraced house in Bampton Street, Minehead, that the family were raised.
David was a chimney sweep and by the time of the 1911 census, eight of the then household of nine people were earning a wage. Six of the Parsons children – ranging in age from 15 to 33 – were living with their parents, working variously as a chair caner, a labourer and a French polisher. Wallace, 17 years old by this point, was employed as a stone worker, presumably alongside his older brother, David, who was a mason.
When war came to European shores, at least two of the Parsons brothers enlisted. While full service records no longer exist, it is clear that Wallace joined the Somerset Light Infantry, and was attached to the 8th (Service) Battalion.
Private Parsons arrived in France on 11th October 1915, and may have been involved in the closing days of the Battle of Loos. Over the next year, he would have been caught up in the fighting at the Somme, but by the autumn of 1916, he had fallen ill and returned to Britain.
Whatever condition Wallace had contracted led to his discharge from the army: his final day in service was 19th December 1916. He was awarded a Silver Star for his service: this confirmed his honourable discharge, and he wore it to show that he had served his country and was not, in effect, a coward for walking the streets of his home town, while other sons, brothers and fathers were fighting for their country.
At this point, Wallace’s trail goes cold. It is likely that he returned home, but his health continued to dog him. He passed away from anaemia on 17th July 1920, at the age of 26 years old.
Wallace Waterman Parsons was laid to rest in the sweeping vista of Minehead Cemetery.
Wallace’s older brother Hubert also served in the Somerset Light Infantry. Attached to the 1st/5th Battalion, he fought in the Middle East and rose to the rank of Corporal. Hubert fell ill with enteritis, dying from the condition on 13th April 1916. He was laid to rest 3,500 miles (5632km) from home, in the Kut War Cemetery, Iraq.
Arthur Moyle Tudball was born in the spring of 1893 in Minehead, Somerset. One of seven children, his parents were William Tudball and his Cornish wife, Mary.
When he completed his schooling, Arthur found work as a hairdresser. By the time of the 1911 census, there were seven in the Tudball household: William, Mary, four of their children, including Arthur, and their nephew, four-year-old William, who had been born in Ontario, Canada. There were four wages coming in: William, who was working as a general labourer, Arthur’s hairdressing salary. His older brother was a carpenter, and two sisters were employed as dressmakers.
Details of Arthur’s time in the army are sketchy at best. He certainly enlisted when war broke out, joining the Somerset Light Infantry. His Medal Roll Index Card seems to suggest that he didn’t serve overseas, despite both battalions he served with – the 1st/5th and 2nd/5th – fighting in India.
Private Tudball survived the war, returning to Somerset at the end of the conflict. The next record for him is that of his passing. His death, from disease, was recorded in the Taunton district, which would suggest that he was either still based at the army barracks in the town, or has been hospitalised there. He died on 24th February 1920, at the age of 26 years old.
Arthur Moyle Tudball was buried in Minehead Cemetery, not far from where his grieving family lived. His modest headstone was donated by his army colleagues.
William Richard Griffin was born in the summer of 1899, the fourth of six children to James and Joice Griffin. James was from Somerset and worked as a superintendent for a life assurance company. He met his wife while working in Wales, and this is where their oldest three children had been born. By the time of William’s birth, however, James had moved the family back to Somerset, setting up home in the Weston area of Bath.
There is little information about William’s life. When war was declared, he joined the Devonshire Regiment, and was assigned to the 51st (Graduated) Battalion. His troop remained on home soil – remaining in Norfolk for the duration – so it is unlikely that Private Griffin saw any active service overseas.
William survived the conflict and returned home. He passed away, possibly due to an infection, based on what little is documented, on 22nd July 1920. He had not long turned 21 years of age.
William Richard Griffin was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Martin’s Church in Worle, near Weston-super-Mare.
Bertie James Parsons was born in the summer of 1889, and was the fourth of six children to James and Elizabeth Parsons. James was a quarryman and slate-maker from Somerset, and he and Elizabeth raised their family in the parish of Ashbrittle.
While his older siblings found farm work in this peaceful part of the county, Bertie found employment as a baker’s assistant. This meant a move away from Somerset, and, by the time of the 1911 census, he was apprenticed to a bakery in the Crediton area of Devon.
The following year proved a tragic one for the Parsons family. Bertie’s younger brother, Richard, had found work as a hall boy for an estate in Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire. This was to prove a springboard for him, and he landed work for one of the new class of liners ploughing the waters of the Atlantic. Employed as a 2nd Class Steward, he was employed on the RMS Titanic and, like most of the ship’s 900 crew, he perished on that fateful night of 15th April 1912.
Among the large number of souls who perished with the Titanic recently we regret to report that among that number was a young man named Richard Parsons, aged 18, a native of Ashbrittle, and whose relatives still live in the neighbourhood, his father, James Parsons, being an invalid.
The deceased, who a couple of years ago embarked on a seafaring life, was on board the Olympic when it collided with the Hawke, and he left his home about a month ago, and journeyed to Belfast to assist in getting the Titanic ready for her maiden voyage.
He was particularly pleased at being appointed to a post on the largest ship in the world.
Deceased, who was a bright lad and much respected in the village, occupied the position of lift steward on his previous boat, and on the Titanic was a steward in a second-class dining saloon.
He was unable to swim.
Somerset County Gazette: Saturday 27th April 1912
Steward 2nd Class Richard Parsons
Back in Devon, Bertie was still working as a baker. When war came to Europe, however, he stepped up to play his part. While full service details are not available, it is clear that he enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps as a Private. He was attached to the 2nd/1st Wessex Field Ambulance, who were sent to France in January 1916.
Private Parsons saw action – or helped treat the results of it – at some of the key battles on the Western Front: the Somme, Ypres, Cambrai, Givenchy and Festubert. In the autumn of 1917, Bertie returned home to marry Florence Riddaway, a milliner from Bow, Devon, who he had courted while working in nearby Crediton. The couple went on to have a son, Douglas, who was born on 26th May 1918.
It is unclear how long Bertie remained in the army after the Armistice was signed. By the summer of 1920, he was back on British shores, and had fallen ill. He was admitted to hospital in Bath with acute staphlococcic infection and a cerebral embolism. He died in hospital on 13th August 1920, at the age of 31 years old.
The body of Bertie James Parsons was taken back to Ashbrittle for burial. He was laid to rest in the village’s St John the Baptist Churchyard.
Tragedy was to remain close by for the Parson family. Florence was a couple of months pregnant when Bertie died. Bertie Jr was born on 26th March 1921, but both mother and son died during childbirth. They were laid to rest near her family in Devon.
Douglas, just two years old, was now an orphan. There is little information about his life in the aftermath of his parents’ passing, but by the time of the 1939 Register, he was working as a motor mechanic in Wellington, Somerset. He lived on until 1993, passing away in Taunton Deane, at the age of 74.
Reginald Cuthbert Langford was born in Frome, Somerset, in the spring of 1899, the youngest of thirteen children to Albert and Charlotte Langford. Albert was a chalk seller turned jobbing gardener, who, by the time of the 1911 census, had moved the family to Bath.
Reginald appears to have helped his father with his work when he finished his schooling, but, during the First World War, he enlisted in the Royal Engineers as a Driver. His service records no longer remain, but a later newspaper report shed some light onto his time in the army: “[He] enlisted when he was just over 16, and went to the Wessex Engineers to Salonica. He returned to England and then went to France with the Glamorgan Engineers.” [Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette: Saturday 16th October 1920]
All did not fare well for Driver Langford: he contracted malaria and dysentery, and a combination of the conditions led to his ultimate discharge from the army. He left the Royal Engineers on 24th June 1919, and returned home to Somerset.
When he had recovered his health, Reginald took up employment as a gardener once more. On September 1920, he was in the employ of a Mr J Milburn, in Bath, when he felt a nail drive through his boot, scratching his foot. The following Tuesday, he visited his doctor – a Mr John Jarvis – complaining that his malaria had returned. According to a later inquest:
[He] did not make any mention of a wound in the foot. On Thursday, at about 10 o’clock, [Jarvis] was asked to go and see Langford, who was in bed. He was covered with a cold sweat, he could speak only with difficulty, and complained that he could not swallow anything, especially the medicine… His limbs were rigid, but he had not all the symptoms of tetanus. [Jarvis] decided to send Langford to the hospital at once, suspecting that he was suffering from tetanus. He did not know till later that there was an injury to [Reginald’s] foot.
Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette: Saturday 16th October 1920
Reginald’s landlady, Amelia Baily, also gave evidence at the inquest:
Langford had lodged with her for about nine months. His inly complaint was of his head when he had malaria… He came home saying his foot was sore and that he had thought it was gathering. He had hot water to soak it, and he did the same the next night, an afterwards sad it was alright… he went to work, but returned at dinner time again complaining of his head and perspiring terribly. He was ill and witness looked after him during the night. He complained of pains in the stomach and aid they were going up to the throat. Next morning [Amelia] sent for the doctor.
Questioned as to the injury to Langford’s foot, [she] said he told her he had a nail enter the toe while he was in the army, and that it was festering again. He wad worn the army boots up to just before he became ill, when he bought new ones.
Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette: Saturday 16th October 1920
Admitted to the Pensions Hospital, Bath, Reginald was to be there only one day. He passed away on 8th October 1920, aged just 21 years old. Medical evidence at the inquest diagnosed tetanus as the cause of his death, but Reginald’s older brother, George, contested this.
George’s challenge was that, having some medical background, he felt that his brother’s death was caused not by tetanus, but by malaria. He was a sufferer himself, and he knew the symptoms. He had examined Reginald’s body, and could not see how the small scratch on his foot could have induced tetanus to the extent of causing his brother’s passing.
The Coroner at the inquest, a Mr F Shum, declined George’s assertion, on the basis that separate medics had determined tetanus as the cause:
“It may not have been from the foot, but the evidence is clear. Dr Jarvis said he formed the opinion before any suggestion was made to him, that the man was suffering from tetanus. He saw the symptoms, and the man was brought here [to the Pensioner’s Hospital]. Two doctors saw him here and came to the same conclusion, and a medical specialist confirmed the diagnosis. Therefore, it is quite clear to me, and my verdict will be that he died from tetanus. It is a very unfortunate thing, and I am sorry for you.
Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette: Saturday 16th October 1920
George’s challenge was as much about the financial aspect as it was his late brother’s wellbeing. Had Reginald’s death been the result of malaria, it could have been attributable to his military service, and therefore any funeral costs – or at least a proportion of them – would have been paid for by the army. As the inquest had identified tetanus as the cause of his passing, however, the family would have to pay for the burial themselves.
Following the inquest, Reginald’s funeral was held: he was laid to rest in the sweeping Locksbrook Cemetery, Bath, not far from where his bereaved family still lived.
There are two other intriguing aspects of Reginald’s case.
The first is that of his being awarded a war grave. Amongst other criteria, which can be seen here, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) are responsible for the commemoration of personal who died after they were discharged from a Commonwealth military force, if their death was caused by their wartime service.
Based on the inquest, Reginald’s passing was clearly not – the tetanus having come on after his medical discharge for malaria and dysentery. Technically, therefore, his should not be designated a war grave.
The second confusing thing is that of the date on Reginald’s headstone. The CWGC headstone gives the date of his death as 13th October 1920, as do his grave registration documents. While newspaper reports are not always a reliable source of information, the first media report of the inquest came on Tuesday 12th October.
The Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette article confirms that Dr Jarvis’ visit to Reginald was on Thursday 7th October. He was admitted to hospital straight away, “where he died the following day” [Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette: Saturday 16th October 1920]. This would suggest that Reginald died on Friday 8th October.
While the newspapers do not confirm the date of the inquest, it is likely to have been held soon after Reginald’s passing. The date provided by the CWGC, therefore, looks to be either that of the conclusion of the inquest, or of Reginald’s burial.
Death and Service 