Tag Archives: Chatham Air Raid

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Stoker 1st Class Frederick Diver

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Stoker 1st Class Frederick Diver

Frederick Isaac Diver was born in Hopton, Suffolk, on 4th July 1888, the third of nine children to Matthew and Louisa Diver. Matthew was a tinsmith from Thetford, Norfolk, and was twenty years older than his wife. He had been married before, but was widowed in 1880, leaving him with six children to raise (tragically he and his first wife, Emily, had lost two children in the year before she died).

Matthew married Louisa in the autumn of 1881 and the couple raised their family at 17 Old Market Street, close to Thetford town centre. Matthew himself died late in 1909, and the census return that was taken two years later found his widow and four of her children still living in the family home. Frederick was the only one bringing in a wage, and was employed as a general labourer.

In the autumn of 1911, Frederick married Ethel Talbot. The daughter of a postman from Brandon, Suffolk, she was a couple of years younger than her new husband. The couple set up home on Castle Street, Thetford, and had three children – Sybil, Arthur and Frederick Jr.

Frederick worked at the docks on the town’s river and, when war came to Europe, he would be called upon to play his part. He was conscripted into the Royal Navy and, as a Stoker 2nd Class, was sent to HMS Pembroke, the dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. His service records show that he was just under 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

After a couple of months, Stoker Diver was given his first posting, on board the battleship HMS Vanguard. She would remain his home for just under a year, during which time he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class. At the start of July 1917, he was home on leave, Frederick Jr having been born a few months before.

HMS Vanguard was stationed in Scapa Flow, in the Orkneys, when, on 9th July 1917, a series of magazine explosions tore the ship apart. She sank almost at once, and 843 of the 845 crew were killed. Stoker Diver had had a lucky escape.

At the end of his leave, Frederick returned to HMS Pembroke, to await a new assignment. The loss of Vanguard resulted in the dockyard being a busy place – its replacement crew were based there, and were now stuck there as they waited to be re-assigned. Stoker 1st Class Diver was billeted in temporary accommodation in Chatham Drill Hall.

On the 3rd September 1917, the first night air raid carried out by the German Air Force bombarded the town, and scored a direct hit on the Drill Hall; Stoker Diver was not so lucky this time, and was among those killed. He was just 29 years of age.

The body of Frederick Isaac Diver was taken back to Norfolk for burial. He was laid to rest in Thetford Cemetery, not far from where his widow was still living.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

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Stoker Herbert Cooney

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Stoker Herbert Cooney

Herbert Lawrence Cooney was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on 26th April 1890. The fourth of five children, his parents were Thomas and Margaret Cooney.

Thomas is notable by his absence: the 1891 census found Margaret and the children living with her mother at 2 Newton Street. Herbert’s mother died in 1897, and the next census record found him living with her brother’s family at 109 Malcolm Street in Byker.

When Herbert finished his schooling, he took work as a miner. By the time of the 1911 census, he had moved north to the Northumbrian town of Blyth, and was boarding with the Oldfield family in a two-up-two-down terraced house, 17 Goschan Street. Head of the household, Robert Oldfield, was a miner, as were three other members of the household: son William, and stepsons Thomas and George Anderson. Robert’s wife Jean, and her daughter Margaret Anderson, made up the extended family.

When war broke out, Herbert was keen to play his part. Calling on some previous seafaring experience, he enlisted in the Royal Naval Reserve on 30th December 1914, and took the rank of Stoker. His service papers show that he was 5ft 11ins (1.8m) tall, with grey eyes and a dark complexion. He was also noted as having two tattoos on his left forearm: his name H Cooney, and hands across the sea.

Stoker Cooney was initially sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. On 2nd February 1915, however, he was assigned to the seaplane tender HMS Engadine. Love had blossomed for Herbert during his stay with the Oldfield family and, in the spring of 1916, he married Margaret Anderson, the stepdaughter of his former landlord.

Herbert would spend two years on board Engadine, and was part of her crew during the Battle of Jutland. In the course of the skirmish, the cruiser HMS Warrior was attacked and foundered, and Stoker Cooney’s ship drew alongside and rescued the faltering ship’s crew.

In July 1917, Stoker Cooney returned to Chatham to await his next assignment. The dockyard was overly busy that summer, and he was billeted in temporary accommodation in the town’s Drill Hall.

On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line as a wave of German aircraft bombed the town. The Drill Hall received a direct hit, and Stoker Cooney was badly injured. He was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in the town, but his wounds would prove too severe, and he died the following day. He was 27 years of age.

The body of Herbert Lawrence Cooney was taken back to Northumberland for burial. He was laid to rest in Blyth’s Cowpen Cemetery, not far from where his widow was still living with her family.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, Middlesex, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class Robert Collett

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Stoker 1st Class Robert Collett

Robert William Collett was born on 20th April 1893 in Barnsbury, now part of Islington, Middlesex. Little information about his early life remains available – he does not feature on any census records – although later records confirm than his parents were called George and Sarah.

When he completed his schooling, Robert found work as a baker, but he had bigger and better things in mind. On 24th August 1911, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. His service papers show that he was 5ft 1.5ins (1.56m) tall, with dark brown hair and eyes, and a fresh complexion.

Stoker 2nd Class Collett was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. In February 1912, he was given his first assignment, on board the battleship HMS Berwick. She would be his home for the next year, during which time he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class.

After a further spell on shore, Robert transferred to another battleship, HMS Swiftsure. She would spend much of the war serving in the Mediterranean, with Stoker Collett on board. He seems to have had a rebellious nature, and this led to his time aboard Swiftsure not being smooth sailing.

During his time on the battleship Robert spent three separate period in the brig: three days in October 1914, and seven days in June 1915. In October that year, things came to a head, and he was convicted of threatening to strike an Engine Room Artificer. For this he was incarcerated again, for 42 days.

Stoker Collett left Swiftsure in May 1916, and transferred to another vessel, the battlecruiser HMS Repulse. After an eight-month stint on board, he returned to Chatham while waiting for a new posting. His time here was not without incident, however, and he was thrown in the brig for a further seven days for an unrecorded misdemeanour.

HMS Pembroke was overcrowded in the summer of 1917, and when he was released Stoker Collett was billeted in temporary accommodation in the dockyard’s Drill Hall.

By this point in the war, the German Air Force was looking to minimise daytime casualties, and was, instead, trialling night raids; on 3rd September, Chatham found itself in their flight path. The Drill Hall received a direct hit, and Stoker 1st Class Collett was killed, along with close to 100 others. He was just 24 years old.

The body of Robert William Collett was taken back to London for burial. He was laid to rest in Islington Cemetery, not far from where his parents were still living.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

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Engineman Charles Clarke

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Engineman Charles Clarke

Charles Alfred Clarke was born in Lowestoft, Suffolk on 1st June 1888. The middle of eleven children, his parents were William and Jane Clarke. William was a fisherman, and, according to the 1901 census, the family lived at Coopers Cottages, on Hemplands, close to the town centre, and not far from the seafront.

Given his father’s trade, and the fact that his older brothers also followed suit, it is no surprise that Charles found work as a fisherman. The 1911 census recorded him as one of eight crew on board the John & Sarah, a 36ft steam boat, that had moored in Penzance, Cornwall. Charles was noted as being an engineman and fish packer.

Away from the sea, Charles had found love. Clara Fletcher was two years his junior, and was the daughter of publican Samuel, who ran the Mechanic’s Arms on Lowestoft’s Crown Street. The couple exchanged vows in the summer of 1916, the wedding being registered in Mutford, to the south east of their home town.

By this point, and with war raging across Europe, Charles had been called into military duty. Attached to the Royal Naval Reserve from May 1915, he was attached to the torpedo gunboat HMS Halcyon, which acted as a depot ship off the Suffolk coast. His service papers note that he was 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall, with hazel eyes and a fresh complexion.

Engineman Clarke remained with Halcyon until the summer of 1917, when he was transferred to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. The base was a particularly busy place at that point in the war and temporary accommodation was set up. Engineman Clarke found himself billeted at The Drill Hall, away from the main barracks.

On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line, as the German Air Force launched a bombing raid. Two bombs landed squarely on the Drill Hall, shattering its glass roof, and Engineman Clarke was amongst the dozens killed. He was 29 years of age.

The body of Charles Alfred Clarke was taken back to Suffolk for burial. He was laid to rest in the town’s cemetery on Normanston Drive.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

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Stoker 2nd Class William Berwick

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Stoker 2nd Class William Berwick

William George Berwick was born in Norwich, Norfolk, on 12th July 1896. He was the oldest of two children – his younger sibling, sister Agnes, was born thirteen years after him – to William and Lucy Berwick.

The family lived at 29 Fishergate, close to the River Wensum. The 1901 census recorded William Sr working as a brush maker, while Lucy was a silk weaver. Fast forward a decade, and while they were living in the same house, William Sr was a licenced victualler, with his son assisting him in the business.

War broke out in 1914, and William Jr would eventually be called upon to serve his country. He enlisted in the Royal Navy on 11th January 1917, giving up his then job as a boot and shoe operator to work as a Stoker 2nd Class. His service papers show that he was 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. His was recorded as having an appendix scar.

Stoker Berwick was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. After six months he was giving his first posting, HMS Wallington, the shore base on the Humber estuary. Just a few weeks later, he was sent back to Pembroke, in anticipation of his first sea-going assignment.

The dockyard was a particularly busy place in the summer of 1917, and temporary accommodation was set up. William found himself billeted at Chatham Drill Hall, away from the main barracks.

On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line, as the German Air Force launched a bombing raid. One of the bombs landed squarely on the Drill Hall, and Stoker 2ns Class Berwick was killed. He was just 21 years old.

The body of William George Berwick was taken back to Norfolk for burial. He was laid to rest in Norwich Cemetery, not far from where his parents and sister still lived.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, Middlesex, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class Frederick Benmore

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Stoker 1st Class Frederick Benmore

Frederick George Benmore was born in Blackwall, Middlesex, on 5th November 1895. The middle of nine children, his parents were William and Emily Benmore. William was a barge builder, and the family grew up around the docklands, first taking rooms as 212 Leven Road, Bromley-by-Bow, then at 5 Oak Road, Canning Town.

By the time of the 1911 census, Frederick was working as a labourer, picking iron to earn his keep. His was one of three wages coming into the household: his older brother William was a dock labourer, boiling pitch, while William was employed as a sawyer, building barges.

When war broke out, London’s docks were a key focal point. Keen to play his part, keen to earn a regular pay packet, Frederick stepped up, and enlisted. He joined the Royal Navy on 29th July 1915, as a Stoker 2nd Class. His service papers show that he was 5ft 5.5ins (1.66m) tall, with brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion. He had a number of tattoos on both forearms.

Stoker Benmore’s base would be HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. He was quickly put to work, and was assigned to the depot ship HMS Tyne. She would remain his home until the end of May 1917, by which point he had been promoted to Stoker 1st Class. His annual reviews note a very good character, and a satisfactory ability.

By the summer of 1917, Frederick was back at HMS Pembroke. It was a particularly busy place at that point in the war and temporary barracks had been set up. Stoker Benmore found himself billeted at The Drill Hall, waiting for his next posting.

On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line, as the German Air Force launched a bombing raid. One of the bombs landed squarely on the Drill Hall, and Stoker 1st Class Benmore was among the dozens to be killed. He was 21 years of age.

The body of Frederick George Benmore was taken back to London for burial. He was laid to rest in the East London Cemetery, Plaistow.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

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Stoker 1st Class Herbert Bavister

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Stoker 1st Class Herbert Bavister

AN AIR-RAID VICTIM

Killed in Barracks After Passing Through Many Battles

A Cambridge family which already had a splendid record suffered another loss by air raid on the Chatham-Sheerness district on Monday night in the death of Stoker Herbert Bavister. It will be remembered that a bomb fell on the naval barracks at Chatham, causing terrible casualties…

Stoker Bavister, the son of Mrs Bavister, of 68, New-street, was 28 years of age, and had been in the Navy over seven years. He had a grand record, having taken part in the Battle of Falkland Isles on December 8th, 1914, in the attack on the Dardanelles, both in the attack on the outer forts on February 19th and on the Chanak Forts on March 18th, 1915, and in the Battle of Jutland on March 31st-June 1st, 1916. He did not receive a scratch in any of these battles.

There are three brothers in the Army, on of whom – Pte. J Bavister, of the Rifle Brigare – was taken prisoner by the Germans during the retreat from Mons. The other two are Pte. W Bavister, of the Bedford Regiment, and Pte. A Bavister, of the Middlesex Regiment. Stoker Bavister was well known in Cambridge, and will be greatly missed by a wide circle of friends.

[Cambridge Daily News: Saturday 8th September 1917]

Herbert Lewis Bavister was born in Cambridge on 31st July 1889. The youngest of eight children, his parents were farm labourer William, and his wife, Ann. The 1891 census found the family living at the long-since-gone 8 Wellington Passage, to the east of the city centre.

By the time of the 1901 census, it seems that family were splitting. William was missing from the document and, given his age, and his passing a few years later, it may be that he had been admitted to a hospital or institution. Anne was living in a small cottage at 9 Albert Street, and was working as a charwoman. She was supported by three of her sons – Simon, Alfred and William – all of whom were employed as carters on a farm, while 11-year-old Herbert completed the household.

The 1911 census found a further moved for Ann and Herbert. The other children having flown the nest, it was just the two of them, living at 64 New Street, a one-up, one-down cottage on the outskirts of the city. Now 66 years of age, Ann was not working, and it was down to Herbert, employed as a fishmonger’s assistant, to bring in the money.

Supporting his widowed mother was clearly important to Herbert, and his shop salary was not enough to provide for her properly. He needed a regular pay packet, and the Royal Navy seemed to offer that security. On 30th May 1911 he enlisted, and was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. With the rank of Stoker 2nd Class, his papers show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall, with brown hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion.

Following his induction, Stoker Bavister was given his first assignment, on board the battlecruiser HMS Inflexible. She would be his home for the next six years, and the newspaper article both outlines his time on board and his promotion to Stoker 1st Class, which came in June 1912.

The summer of 1917 found Herbert back on dry land in Chatham, his tenure aboard Inflexible at an end. HMS Pembroke was a particularly busy place at that point in the war and temporary accommodation was set up. Stoker Bavister found himself billeted at The Drill Hall, away from the main barracks.

On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line, as the German Air Force launched a bombing raid. One of the bombs landed squarely on the Drill Hall, and Stoker Bavister was amongst the dozens killed. He was just 28 years old.

The body of Herbert Lewis Bavister was taken back to Cambridgeshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the city’s Mill Road Cemetery.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

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Ordinary Seaman John Diaper

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Ordinary Seaman John Diaper

John Dolby Diaper was born in Stowupland, Suffolk, on 1st June 1898. He was the second youngest of ten children to George and Martha, and the older of two sons. George was a cattleman turned gardener, and it seems that John went into farm work when he completed his schooling.

When war broke out, John was called upon to play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Navy on 6th June 1917, joining as an Ordinary Seaman. His service records show that he was 5ft 4.5ins (1.63m) tall, with brown hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion.

Ordinary Seaman Diaper was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. The summer of 1917 was a particularly busy for the base, and temporary accommodation was set up in the Drill Hall; this is where John was billeted.

On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line as a wave of German aircraft bombed the town. The Drill Hall received a direct hit, and Ordinary Seaman Diaper was badly injured. He was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in the town, and would remain there for some time.

John’s injuries were severe and, although his treatment was ongoing, the impact on his overall health was detrimental. Ultimately, the air raid weakened his system, and his heart gave out. He died on 18th April 1918, more than seven months after the bombing: he was 19 years of age.

John Dolby Diaper was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, alongside those who had given their lives on 3rd September.

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Seaman Albert Cluett

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Seaman Albert Cluett

Albert Cluett was born on 2nd August 1896, one of three children to fisherman Richard Cluett and his wife, Johanna. The couple were third generation immigrants to North America, and had made their home on the remote Fogo Island, to the north of Newfoundland.

There is little concrete information about Albert’s life; given his father’s occupation, it seems likely that he would have had a good working knowledge of seafaring, and this led him to enrol in the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve when war broke out.

Details of Seaman Cluett’s military life are scant. All that we know is that, by the summer of 1917, he was based at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. He was billeted in the Drill Hall, which had been set up with temporary accommodation because the barracks themselves had become overcrowded.

On the night of the 3rd September 1917, the German Air Force carried out an air raids on Chatham. The town was heavily bombed and the Drill Hall received a direct hit. Seaman Cluett was badly injured and died of his wounds in hospital the following day. He had just celebrated his 21st birthday.

Albert Cluett was laid to rest, along with the other victims of the Chatham Air Raid, in the Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham.

Seaman Albert Cluett
(from ancestry.co.uk)

Another young man from Fogo, Seaman Thomas Ginn, also died during the bombing raid; given the remoteness of the Newfoundland town, it seems very unlikely that he and Albert did not know each other.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Ireland, Kent, killed in action, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Ordinary Seaman William Nolan

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Ordinary Seaman William Nolan

William John Nolan was born in County Kildare, Ireland, on the 8th October 1892, one of ten children to agricultural labourer Thomas Nolan and his wife, Anna.

There is little documentation connected to his early life, but when he left school, William found work as a porter, and is was this that he was doing up until war broke out in 1914.

William was conscripted on 1st March 1915, joining the Royal Navy as an Ordinary Seaman. His service records show that he stood 5ft 5.5ins (1.66m) tall, had brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having tattoos on his forearms, and a scar on his right one.

Ordinary Seaman Nolan was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for training. Within a month, he was given his first posting, on board the armoured cruiser HMS Lancaster. He spent fifteen weeks aboard and, over the next two years, he served on four more ships, returning to his base in Chatham after each voyage.

William came back to HMS Pembroke in July 1917: the base was particularly busy and cramped that summer, so much so that additional temporary accommodation was set up in the barracks’ Drill Hall. This is where Ordinary Seaman Nolan was billeted.

On the night of the 3rd September 1917, Chatham was bombarded by a German air raid, and the Drill Hall received a direct hit. Tragically, Ordinary Seamen Nolan was amongst those killed. He was just 24 years old.

William John Nolan’s body was laid to rest in the Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, alongside the other victims of the Chatham Air Raid.