Tag Archives: Devonshire Regiment

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Devonshire Regiment, Glamorganshire, Great War, history, injury, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war

Private James Baker

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Private James Baker

James Baker was born in 1884, and was the youngest of three children to William and Martha Baker. The family were from Kentisbeare in Devon, and tragedy was to strike James early in life, when Martha passed away in 1890, followed by William just five years later.

By the time of the 1901 census, James had moved to the nearby village of Uffculme, where he was employed as a cowman on William Stevens’ farm. At the same time, he was gaining some military experience, volunteering for the Devonshire Regiment. This seemed to offer him a way out, and on 19th October 1903, he formally enlisted in the army.

Private Baker’s service records show that he was 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall, and weighed 127lbs (57.6kg). He had blue eyes, brown hair and a fresh complexion. James served for 16 months on home soil, but was sent to India in February 1905. He remained there until November 1906, when he returned to England’s shores once more.

James was transferred to the Army Reserve at this point, and returned to farm labouring. He found work in Somerset and, on 31st December 1910, he married Clara Pike. She was the daughter of a farm labourer, and the following year’s census found the newlyweds living with Clara’s widowed father, George, in Tapper’s Lane, North Petherton. James and Clara had a daughter, Clara, who was born in July 1912.

When war came to Europe, James was mobilised once more, and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion in the Devonshire Regiment. Within weeks of conflict erupting, he was in France, remaining there for six months. Over the next four years, Private Baker had two further tours of duty in France, as well as spending considerable time on the Home Front. He had a number of bouts in hospital, suffering from rheumatism, particularly in the winter months.

In the spring of 1918, Private James was caught up in the actions of Villers-Bretonneux, to the east of Amiens. He was badly wounded in the chest and abdomen, and medically evacuated to Britain. He was admitted to the 3rd Western General Hospital in Cardiff, where he spent time recovering. He was declared unlikely to be fully fit for war service, and, on 5th August 1918, he was formally discharged from military duty.

At this point, James’ trail goes cold. He returned to Somerset, and settled back into family life with his wife, daughter and son, Sidney, who had been born in 1915. James passed away at home, through causes unknown, on 27th September 1919, at the age of 35 years of age.

James Baker was laid to rest in the peaceful North Petherton Cemetery, within walking distance from the family home.

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Private John Mahaffey

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Private John Mahaffey

In a quiet spot in North Petherton Cemetery, Somerset, is a headstone dedicated to Private J Mahaffey of the Devonshire Regiment. He died on 5th February 1916, but there is little further information available for him.

Private Mahaffey’s service number leads you to one military record, his army pension ledger card. This confirms a little more information: his first name was John, he had two children noted (underage, and therefore eligible for part of his pension) – Elsie and Thomas – and a guardian is also given – Mrs Elizabeth Broom, who lived in Kentisbeare, Devon. The pension card also confirms the cause of John’s death: heart failure due to disease contracted on active service.

An unusual surname made searching contemporary newspapers easier, and a mystery was unveiled:

Private John Mahaffey, a native of Devonport.. was found dead in the Great Western Railway train at Durston on Saturday.

Deceased, who was in the Devon Regiment (86th Battalion Provisional Territorial Force), was 49 years of age, and had served twelve years in the Army. At the outbreak of war he re-enlisted, and latterly had been quartered at Blythe. It appears that he had been on a visit to his children at Devonport, and was upon his return journey when his death occurred. At Taunton he conversed with the guard of the train by while he travelled, and was then apparently in good health.

PS Hill, North Petherton, state that on Saturday, he… saw the body of the deceased… He examined the body, and found a bruise above the left eye and a scar on the nose. He found upon him his regimental pass and the return railway ticket. There was also money in his pockets.

George William Grinnett, a guard on the GWR, said… he was approached by deceased, who asked as to the train service to Newcastle. Witness understood that he had travelled from Exeter… He advised him to… change at Bristol. He then appeared to be all right, and in good health. On arrival at Durston [George] walked the train, and when passing the compartment that deceased entered at Taunton he noticed a man on the floor in the corridor. He went inside and found that the man was dead. He then communicated with three soldiers, who said they had not travelled with deceased. They had merely opened the door, and, seeing a man there, had walked away without telling anybody.

Dr William C Ghent… said her was called to see deceased. He was quite unable to form an opinion as to the cause of death. There was a good deal of blood on the face, and a slight wound on the nose. From a post-mortem examination he found that one of the valves of the heart was incompetent, and in his opinion death was due to heart failure. The blood on the nose might have been caused by a fall. There was no serious injury from the blow which would cause death.

Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser: Wednesday 9th February 1916

John’s previous twelve years in the army may relate to a Royal Marine Light Infantry service document for a John Mahaffoy. Born on 24th May 1864 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, he enlisted in Bristol as a Private on 24th April 1888. Primarily based out of Plymouth, he served until the summer of 1900, and was assigned to the Royal Fleet Reserve for a further seven years.

Further complexity is added to John’s story, with a marriage record for 6th April 1896. This confirms his wife’s name as Elizabeth Brown, the couple marrying in Devon. The 1901 census confirms two older children for the couple, Kathleen (mentioned in the newspaper report, who was born in 1897) and Margaret, who came along two years later.

The next census, however, shows a divided family. John was recorded as being one of 1200 patients in the Devon County Lunatic Asylum in Exminster. Elizabeth was living in Portsmouth, with their son, Thomas. She also had a boarder, Bertram Bound, an Able Seaman in the Merchant Navy. Kathleen was a patient in the Sanatorium for Devon and Cornwall Consumptive Patients in South Brent, Devon. Elsie, meanwhile, was recorded as living in Kentisbeare with her grandparents, Edmund and Elizabeth Broom.

This would suggest that John’s wife Elizabeth had died by the time of his death, and that guardianship of his children passed to his mother-in-law when he too passed away.

The last sad element of this tale is that John Mahaffey was not to be reunited with his children. There may have been a financial element, with the Brooms possibly unable to cover the cost of bringing him down to Devon. John was laid to rest in North Petherton Cemetery, a few miles from Durston Station, where his body had been discovered.

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Private Herbert Lee

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Private Herbert Lee

Herbert Jack Lee was born in the autumn of 1893 and was one of twelve children. His parents were Devon-born John Lee and his wife, Emily, who came from Churchstanton, Somerset, and it was here that the young family were raised. John was a bootmaker-turned-innkeeper, and the Lees lived in the village’s Rising Sun Inn.

By the time of the 1911 census, John had returned to boot-making once more. Herbert, meanwhile, had found work as a domestic gardener, bringing in a second wage to a household that included his parents and two younger siblings.

When war came to Europe, Herbert – who was better known by his middle name – stepped up to serve his King and Country. Little of his service documentation remains, but a contemporary newspaper report outlined his time in the army:

[Jack] joined the service in January, 1916, and was posted to the Wilts Regiment. He was subsequently transferred to the Royal Berks, and with them proceeded to France, returning to England suffering from trench feet at Easter, 1917. He was then posted to the Devon Regiment, and put into an Agricultural Company, and employed at Offwell, near Honiton.

Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser: Wednesday 12th March 1919

Private Lee’s health had suffered badly during the winter of 1916/17 and, in the spring of 1919, he came down with a severe bout of influenza. His body was too weakened to recover, and he passed away on 4th March 1919, aged just 25 years old.

Herbert Jack Lee was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Paul’s Church, in his home village of Churchstanton.

Interestingly, in the same edition of the Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser that had reported on Herbert’s funeral, was a report on the state of the Lee’s former home, the Rising Sun Inn.

…some of the rooms were very damp through water having come in… [and] was not fit to live in. The house had been very well conducted by the present tenant [Frank Gill], but… trade… had gone down by four-fifths since the war..

Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser: Wednesday 12th March 1919

Frank Gill was applying to the Licensing Board to avoid paying taxes for the year, given the drop in clientele and the number of other public houses in the area to support any customers. His case was referred on.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Devonshire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, Labour Corps, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war

Private Thomas Parsons

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Private Thomas Parsons

Thomas Alfred Parsons was born in the summer of 1885 in Twerton, Somerset. One of six children, his parents were railway engine driver William Parsons and his wife, Mary. When Thomas finished his schooling, he found work at a labourer at a mineral water supplier, something he continued doing through to the outbreak of war.

On 27th May 1912, Thomas married Lily Howell, a labourer’s daughter, the couple tying the knot in Twerton parish church. They were living in Charlton Buildings, next to the river and now student accommodation for Bath’s universities. Lily had had a son, in November 1905: young Ronald was either Thomas’, or he was accepted as his own.

When war came to Europe, Thomas stepped up to play his part. He enlisted on 11th December 1915, although he was not formally mobilised until six months later. Private Parsons initially joined the Devonshire Regiment, but by early 1917, he became attached to the 169th Labour Corps.

Sent to France in February that year, Private Parsons only remained overseas for a matter of six months. By early September Thomas had fallen ill, contracting a combination of bronchitis and phthisis (or tuberculosis). Medically evacuated back to Britain, he was admitted to a hospital in Plymouth, Devon, but grew weaker until, on 2nd October 1917, he passed away. He was 32 years of age.

The body of Thomas Alfred Parsons was taken back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in Twerton Cemetery, not far from his widow’s home.

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Lance Corporal Ernest Phillips

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Lance Corporal Ernest Phillips

Ernest Algernon Phillips was born at the start of 1879 in the Somerset village of Winscombe. One of nine children, his parents were Arthur and Elizabeth Phillips. Arthur was a gardener, and Ernest followed suit when he finished his schooling.

By the time of the 1911 census, he was boarding with his younger sister Rose and her family – brother-in-law Leonard and nephew Leslie. Just a couple of weeks later, on 11th May 1911, Ernest married Winifred Carey. She was a coachman’s daughter from Winscombe, and the couple set up home in a cottage on the outskirts of the village.

When war broke out, Ernest felt a need to play his part. He enlisted in Bristol on 8th December 1915, but was not formally mobilised until the following June. Initially assigned to the Devonshire Regiment, he was transferred to the Worcestershire Regiment and attached to the 6th Battalion.

Private Phillips’ troop was based on home soil, and he was barracked in the garrison in Harwich, Essex, for the next six months. On 31st January 1917, he was transferred to the Military Police Corps, and given the rank of Acting Lance Corporal. Full details of his service from this point on are lost to time, but it is clear that he remained on home soil until the end of the war.

By November 1918, Ernest had fallen ill. He was admitted to the Queen Alexandra Military Hospital in London on 20th November, suffering from pneumonia. Within a matter of hours, while this seemed to have cleared, his pulse was ‘rapid, irregular and compressible.’ He was medicated, but did not respond to treatment, and passed away the following day. His death was noted as apparently being caused by clots of blood in the heart, but, at the request of his family, no postmortem examination was carried out. He was 39 years of age.

Ernest Algernon Phillips was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the quiet graveyard of St James the Great Church in Winscombe.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devonshire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war

Private Charlie Tucker

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Private Charlie Tucker

Charlie Tucker was born early in 1877 in the village of Mark, Somerset. The fifth of six children, his parents were Thomas and Caroline. Charlie’s mother died when he was only a toddler, probably during, or shortly after, the birth of his younger sister, Elizabeth. This left farm labourer Thomas to raise his family alone.

The 1881 census found the Tuckers living in Wedmore, five miles to the east of Mark, where Thomas was supported by his parents, George and Elizabeth. Both died in 1890, but by this point, Thomas had married again, to a widow, Ann Harding. She had a daughter, Mary Ann, who was welcomed into the family, but then Thomas and Ann had their own child, a son called Walter.

The next census, returned in 1891, recorded the family – Thomas, Ann, Charles, Mary Ann and Walter – living in Wedmore. Charles had finished his schooling by this point, and was employed as a general labourer and the family also had a boarder, Ralph Godney, who was just 9 years of age.

The family setup continued, and the 1901 census document found Thomas and Ann living with Charlie and Walter, all of whom were doing farm work. They still seemed to be open to supporting others, however, and had another boarder, a schoolgirl called Elizabeth Grant.

In the spring of 1904, Charlie married Lily Brown. Born in Wedmore, she was the daughter, and only child, of a labourer who was employed as a servant to an Axbridge famer at the time the couple wed. Charlie and Lily set up home in Blackford, near Wedmore, and went on to have four children: Thomas, Walter, William and Kathleen.

When war broke out in 1914, Charlie stepped up to play his part. Full details of his military career are lost to time, but it is clear from what remains that he had enlisted in the Devonshire Regiment by the autumn of 1916. Private Tucker joined the 13th (Works) Battalion, and remained stationed on home soil for the duration of his service.

Little further information about Charlie’s life is evident. Over the next couple of years his health began to fail, and in the spring of 1917 he had been admitted to Bath War Hospital with carcinoma of the stomach. This was to take his life: he passed away on 11th March 1917. He was 40 years of age.

Charlie Tucker’s body was brought back to Blackford for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of Holy Trinity Church.

Lily, now widowed, was left with four young children to raise on her own. Whether for a new life and new opportunities, or to escape the painful memories that Somerset brought, she made the decision to emigrate. In April 1924, she and the children arrived in Canada, and settled in Ontario.

Further information for Lily is not readily available, but her two oldest children, Thomas and Walter, made lives for themselves, and died in 1975 and 1979, respectively.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devonshire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war

Private Edwin Fricker

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Private Edwin Fricker

Edwin Joseph Fricker was born on 2nd June 1898 in Vobster, Somerset. The youngest of nine children, his parents were Frederick and Ann, both of whom had been born just over the Wiltshire border in Zeals. Frederick was an agricultural labourer and, based on the places of birth of their children, it would seem that the family moved where his work took him.

Frederick died in the spring of 1911, at the age of 58. The census return, which was taken just a few months later, found the now-widowed Ann living at Stone Ash Cottage in Mells, with four of her children: Edwin and three of his older siblings: Pollie, James and Fred. Edwin’s brothers were bringing money into the home – James as a stone quarrier, and Fred as a pony boy, working underground in the local mines.

When war came to Europe, Edwin stepped up to play his part. While his service records have been lost, it is clear that he enlisted in the Devonshire Regiment, and was attached to the 10th (Service) Battalion.

The death of Pte. Edwin Joseph Fricker, of the Somerset Light Infantry, has recently taken place at the early age of 20 years. Deceased was called up from Bristol and was sent to India and after the signing of the Armistice was demobilised to return to his work in the mine. The cause of death was ague and pneumonia.

[Somerset Standard: Friday 28th February 1919]

The newspaper report of Edwin’s passing includes some inconsistencies: Private Fricker was not assigned to the Somerset Light Infantry, nor is there any evidence that he spent any time overseas. He did die from pneumonia, however, passing away on 16th February 1919: he was 20 years of age.

Edwin Joseph Fricker was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Edmund’s Church, Vobster, not far from where his mother still lived.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devonshire Regiment, Great War, Gunner, Hampshire, history, illness, injury, photography, Royal Garrison Artillery, Somerset, story, war

Gunner Alfred Taylor

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Gunner Alfred Taylor

Alfred Taylor was born in the summer of 1888 in Crewkerne, Somerset. The second of twelve children, his parents were Henry and Selina Taylor. Henry, who was also known as Harry, was a stone mason, but when Alfred and his siblings left school, they went into the weaving industry, a key employer in the area.

War came to European shores in the summer of 1914, and Alfred was keen to play his part. He had already been a part of the 3rd (Special Reserve) Dorset Regiment, but formally enlisted on 9th December 1915, joining the Royal Garrison Artillery. His service records note that he was 5ft 9ins (1.77m) tall and weighed 149lbs (67.6kg). The document also confirms his next of kin as his father, who, at 48 years old, had also joined up, and was serving in the Royal Engineers in Canterbury, Kent.

Gunner Taylor was not mobilised until September 1916, and served the next eighteen month on home soil. He did his initial training in Hilsea, Portsmouth, before moving around the country. He finally made it to France in February 1918.

During his time in France, Alfred was caught up in a couple of gas attacks, and was evacuated to Britain at the end of August because of the impact on his lungs. Admitted to the 2nd Eastern General Hospital in Brighton, Sussex, his body finally succumbed to pneumonia. He passed away on 25th January 1919, at the age of 30 years old.

The body of Alfred Taylor was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the Townsend Cemetery of his home town, Crewkerne. “…All the members of Gunner Taylor’s family were present, except his father and his brother George, who [were] with the Army of Occupation in Germany.” [Western Chronicle: Friday 7th February 1919]

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Private Albert Lowman

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Private Albert Lowman

Albert Lowman was born in Crewkerne, Somerset, in the autumn of 1876. He was the younger of two children to Charles and Sarah Lowman. The 1881 census recorded the family – Charles, Sarah and their boys Charles Jr and Albert – living in Back Lane. Charles Sr was noted as being a labourer, although in the column highlighting any medical conditions (‘deaf-and-dumb’, ‘blind’, ‘imbecile or idiot’, ‘lunatic’), is one word: “afflicted”.

Charles Sr passed away in 1886, when Albert was just 9 years old. The next census, in 1891, found Sarah working as a charwoman, while her youngest, who had left school by this point, was employed as a labourer. Mother and son also had a lodger, Alice, who was a dressmaker. Charles Jr, by this point, had left home, and was living in Penarth, Glamorganshire, where he was apprenticed to his paternal uncle, who was a tailor.

On 28th November 1896, Albert married Sarah Ann Dodge, a weaver’s daughter who was also from Crewkerne. Albert recorded his job as a drayman, although this seems to have been piecemeal employment.

The next census found more permanent work, as he was cited as being a shirt factory packer, while Sarah was employed by the factory as a machinist. Making up the household was young Charles Lowman, the couple’s first son, who was just a month old although sadly, he survived only a couple of months more before dying.

Further tragedy is highlighted by the 1911 census, as it highlights that the couple had had a further child, who had also died when just a babe-in-arms. The Lowmans were now living on Hermitage Street near the centre of the town. Albert was still a shirt packer, and, even though their cottage was small, they had two boarders and a visitor staying. The lodgers brought the couple a little rent, which meant that Sarah no longer had to work.

War was closing in on Europe and, while his full military records are lost to time, it is clear that Albert had stepped up to play his part. He had enlisted by January 1918, and was attached to the Devonshire Regiment, through which he served with the 380 Company of the Labour Corps.

Private Lowman was barracked on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, and in July he was admitted to the military hospital in Salisbury itself, suffering from appendicitis. He was operated on, but died following complications. He passed away on 10th July 1918, at the age of 41 years old.

Albert Lowman was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the cemetery of his home town, Crewkerne.

Private Lowman’s pension ledger record shows the beneficiaries of his army service. The document identified Sarah as his widow, but also Phillis Annie Matilda Denning, the couple’s adopted daughter, who had been born in August 1904.

Sarah was not to outlive her late husband for long, however.

The death occurred with tragic suddenness on Sunday afternoon, January 7th, at her residence in Hermitage-street, of Mrs Sarah Ann Lowman… The deceased, who was of middle age, was about as usual attending to her ordinary household duties in the morning. Just before dinner hour, however, she complained of not feeling well and went upstairs to lie down. Her niece took her up a cup of how water, and she then apparently went to sleep. She awoke about 3:40pm, and then had to get out of bed owing to sickness. Upon going back into bed again she expired almost immediately. Dr Wolfenstein was called, but he could only pronounce life extinct.

Langport & Somerton Herald: Saturday 20th January 1923

Sarah was 47 years of age when she passed away. It is likely that she was laid to rest near her husband, although records to confirm this have been lost.

Albert’s brother, Charles, survived his sibling by less than six months. He had left tailoring behind him in South Wales, and instead embarked on a military career. He joined the Royal Field Artillery in 1895 and, over the course of his twelve years’ service, served in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.

Charles married Florence Dodge in 1908, and the couple went on to have two children – Cecil and Freda. When war broke out in 1914, he stepped up once more. Having already risen through the ranks from Gunner to Bombardier and Corporal, he re-entered service as a Sergeant in the Royal Garrison Artillery.

Based in Le Harve, Northern France, Sergeant Lowman was admitted to a hospital in Harfleur, having contracted bronchial pneumonia. Sadly, he passed away while admitted, on 8th November 1918, just three days before the end of the conflict. He was 43 years of age.

Charles Lowman was laid to rest in the Sainte Marie Cemetery, near the centre of Le Harve.

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Private Ernest Whatley

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Private Ernest Whatley

Ernest James Victor Whatley was born in the spring of 1899, the youngest of three children to George and Clara Whatley. Clara passed away in 1908, and George remarried the following year, to a woman called Sarah. Ernest’s brothers were sixteen years older than him, and so by the time of the 1911 census they had moved out of their father’s home. By that point, Ernest living with his father and stepmother in their house in Bath, Somerset.

Little further information is available about Ernest. With war raging across Europe, he enlisted in the army, but this was not before September 1916, and it is likely that he came of age before joining up.

Private Whatley served in the 1st/7th (Cyclist) Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, and was based in Suffolk. It is while he was billeted that he was admitted to a hospital in Ipswich, although the cause of his admission is unclear.

Whatever befell Private Whatley, it was to prove his undoing. He passed away in the Ipswich hospital on 9th March 1917, at the tender age of just 18 years old.

Ernest James Victor Whatley’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in St James’ Cemetery, Bath, not far from his mother, Clara.