George Edward Francis was born at the end of 1871 in the Wiltshire village of Alvediston. The youngest of six children, his parents were Eli and Mary Francis. Eli was an agricultural labourer, and this was the line of work that George would also follow.
Eli died in 1885, and Mary moved in her daughter Elizabeth’s family, and the 1891 census noted that George and his older brother Samuel were also living there. George, now 19 years of age, was employed as a farm labourer.
On 11th July 1906, George married Alice Shirley. A year older than her new husband their wedding certificate notes that she was also born in Alvediston, but that her father wasn’t known. The couple settled in a house in Tollard Royal, a few miles south of their home village.
George stepped up to serve his country when war was declared. Full details of his time in the army are unclear, but he had definitely enlisted by the summer of 1918. He was initially assigned to the Wiltshire Regiment, but was later transferred to the 651st Agricultural Company of the Labour Corps.
The only other record for Private Francis’ time in the army, is a document relating to his passing. This confirms that he died on 28th December 1918 in camp at Norton Bavant, to the east of Warminster, Wiltshire: he was 47 years of age.
It seems likely that Alice was unable to cover the cost of bringing her husband’s body back to Tollard Royal for burial. Instead, George Edward Francis was laid to rest in the graveyard of All Saints’ Church in Norton Bavant.
Joseph Tyler was born in the spring of 1882, and was the youngest of three children to Joseph and Sarah. Joseph Sr was a carter from Staffordshire, and the family were born and raised in Wordsley.
The 1901 census found the Tylers living in Brierley Hill, with Joseph Jr having found employment as a glass worker. His father passed away in 1907, and so he remained at home to support his now widowed mother.
By the 1911 census, Sarah and Joseph had moved to Birmingham, and were living at 32 Wiggin Street, a terraced house in the Ladywood area. Joseph listed his employment as a glassblower, while his mother gave no employment, presumably looking after the home.
When war came to Europe, Joseph stepped up to play his part. Full details of his service have been lost, but it is clear that he enlisted early on in the conflict. He joined the Hampshire Regiment, and was sent to Wiltshire for training.
Tragically, Private Tyler’s time in the army was not to be a lengthy one. Barracked near the village of Boyton, he was quickly admitted to the local military hospital. Suffering from heart failure, this would take his life: Joseph died on 13th October 1914, at the age of 32.
The body of Joseph Tyler was laid to rest in Boyton Cemetery, not far from the camp that had, so briefly, been his home.
George McFarlane was born in Alexandria, Dumbartonshire, in 1879, and was the third of four children to George and Jane.
There is little concrete information about George Jr’s life, and most of that information comes from his army service records. These confirm that he was working as a printfield worker, employed by the local dye works to produce printed cloth.
The service papers also confirm that George had married Christina Kerr on 19th April 1905, and that they had four children: Irene, William, Christina and George. Christina had also had a son, Richard, from a previous relationship.
George had readily answered the call to serve his country when war broke out. He enlisted on 18th September 1914, and was assigned to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. He is recorded as being 5ft 7ins (1.69m) tall and 135lbs (61.2kg), with auburn hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion.
Private McFarlane was sent to Wiltshire for his training, and was barracked near the village of Boyton. His time there was to prove tragically short. Within a matter of weeks he contracted pneumonia, and succumbed to the condition on 4th October 1914. He was just 34 years of age, and had been in the army for 16 days.
Christina was unable to cover the cost of bringing her husband back to Scotland. Instead, George McFarlane was laid to rest in Boyton Cemetery, his headstone paid for by the men of his regiment.
The funeral of Corporal GH Collins, of the Royal Engineers, who died at Devonport at the age of 46, took place at Tiverton, where his mother and stepfather and sister reside. Corporal Collins’s wife and two children are at present in India. He had been in the army since 1899, and served in the South African War, for which he received the Queen’s and King’s medals with four clasps. He went to India in 1902, where he remained until the outbreak of the present war, when he came to France with his regiment. Corporal Collins was wounded, losing two fingers. He afterwards contracted fever, from which he died. The funeral was accorded military honours.
[Exeter and Plymouth Gazette – Monday 29 October 1917]
George Henry Collins was born in West Anstey, Devon, and was the son of George and Harriett Collins. There is little additional information about his early life available, and his was not an uncommon name in the area at the time.
George married Stella Euphrasia Constance O’Leary on 11th October 1911. At the time he was stationed in Myanmar, and the couple exchanged vows in the town of Maymyo, to the west of Mandalay. They would go on to have two children: Mary was born in August 1912, with Gertrude arriving the following November.
When the First World War broke out, it seems that Corporal Collins initially joined the Devonshire Regiment, but soon transferred to the Royal Engineers. Documentation suggests that he was assigned to the Special Brigade Depot at Saltash, Cornwall. However, this may have been the unit he was nominally allocated to when arrived in Britain for treatment to his injuries.
Frustratingly, there is little additional information available about George’s life. He died on 21st October 1917 was laid to rest in Tiverton Cemetery.
Frederick Webber, of Westexe-south, Tiverton, stoker in the Royal Navy, has died at the age of 40. He had been in the Navy 15 years, and was on board HMS Dartmouth when she was torpedoed, and on HMS Sylvia when she sank a submarine. While home on leave in November he was taken ill. He partially recovered, but had a relapse and died on December 28th.
[Tiverton Gazette (Mid-Devon Gazette): Tuesday 1st January 1918]
The early life of Frederick Webber is a challenge to piece together, as his is not an uncommon name for the area and period.
His widow is recorded as Elizabeth Webber, and marriage record from August 1907 suggests his father’s name was also Frederick. Stoker Webber’s entry on the military pension ledger confirms two children – Frederick and Frank.
When he enlisted on 10th February 1903, he gave his date of birth as 26th December 1880 and his place of birth as Exeter, Devon.
This combination of details doesn’t give any definite results from the 1891 or 1901 census, so it’s not possible to confirm the early stages of his life.
Based on Frederick’s naval records, he was working as an engine driver when he joined up. He was 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall, with dark brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having a tattoo on his right forearm
Stoker 2nd Class Webber was sent to HMS Vivid – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport. Enlisting for an initial period of 12 years, he would spend that time serving on a total of ten ships, returning to his Devon base in between voyages.
Frederick’s career seems to be one of doing just enough to satisfy his superiors. His annual reports noted his character and ability as being good or satisfactory, and he spent three periods of time in the brig – for three days in 1904, 14 days in 1906 and five days in 1910.
Frederick’s was promoted to Stoker 1st Class in July 1906 and, unusually, he remained at that rank for the rest of his career. It may be that promotion didn’t come his way, or simply didn’t appeal to him, and he was happy doing what he was doing.
Stoker Webber came down with bronchitis while he was on leave in November 1917. Based on his service records, he had just turned 47 years of age when he passed.
Frederick Webber was laid to rest in Tiverton Cemetery, not far from his grieving family’s home.
George Bailey was born in Bedminster, Somerset, on 20th August 1871. One of six children, his parents were George and Anna (or Hannah) Bailey. George Sr was a labourer and, when he died in 1876, Anna moved the family to Clifton, near Bristol.
The 1881 census found the family living in a small cottage at 5 Crosby Row in the then village. Hannah was listed as a late general labourer’s wife, while her three older children were all working for a dairy.
When George finished his schooling, he sought out a career. Joining the Royal Navy, this would prove a long-term role, bringing in a relatively decent wage for him and his family, but also gave him some adventure, not surprising given the number of ships he would have seen going to and fro from Bristol.
George was only 15 years old when he joined up on 25th September 1886, and so was below the age to formally enlist in the navy. Taken on with the rank of Boy 2nd Class, he was sent to HMS Impregnable, the training ship based in Devonport, Devon. Over the next three year he learnt his craft, and served on a few ships, including the battleship HMS Iron Duke.
In October 1887, George was promoted to Boy 1st Class and, on 20th August 1889, while assigned to the Iron Duke, he came of age, and was formally inducted into the Royal Navy. Ordinary Seaman Bailey’s service records show that he was 5ft 5.5ins (1.66m) tall, with auburn hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having a spot tattooed between the finger and thumb of his left hand, a scar on his left leg and another in the centre of his back.
Over the next seven years, George served on a total of ten ships, and saw the world. In between voyages he returned to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport. In 1895 he married Elizabeth Bull, from Burrington, Somerset, and the couple went on to have six children.
George’s naval career continued, and he rose through the ranks, to Able Seaman in September 1890, Leading Seaman in June 1895, and to Petty Officer 2nd Class and 1st Class the following year.
In January 1899, George’s life took a different direction. After some time training at HMS Collingwood in Hampshire, he joined the Coastguard service, and would spend the next twelve years serving on the coast of Southern Ireland. This opportunity allowed him to have his family with him, and his and Elizabeth’s four youngest children were born in County Clare and County Cork.
By 1911, the family returned to Britain, setting up home in Brixham, Devon. That year’s census found the Baileys living at 6 Coastguard Station on the waterfront. The family remained there through to October 1913, when George was transferred to the Royal Naval Reserve, having served for 26 years.
George found work as the caretaker of the Electric Theatre in Tiverton, Devon, and this is where he and Elizabeth settled down.
Petty Officer Bailey’s time out of active service was to be limited, however, as, just nine months later, war was declared. Called back into action, he was sent to Western Stack Fort in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire.
An interesting personality has passed away in First-Class Petty Officer George Bailey, who died suddenly on Tuesday… He came home about a fortnight ago on sick leave, and seemed to be improving in health, and on Tuesday went out for a walk. After retiring to bed his death came suddenly as a result of heart failure.
[Crediton Gazette: Saturday 24th March 1917]
George Bailey died on 13th March 1917: he was 45 years of age. He was laid to rest in Tiverton Cemetery.
Thomas Thorne was born in Tiverton, Devon, in the spring of 1895. The older of two children, he was the only son to Thomas and Louisa Thorne. Thomas Sr was a carriage manufacture for a lace factory, and by the time of the 1911 census, the family of four were living in a small terraced house at 19 John Street in Tiverton.
At this point, Thomas Jr had completed his schooling, and had also found work at the lace factory. War was on the horizon, however, and things were to change.
On 6th December 1915, Thomas Jr made his way to Exeter to enlist. He joined the Devonshire Regiment as a Private, and his service records show that he was 5ft 4.5ins (1.63m) tall and weighed 112lbs (50.8kgs). He was of fair physical development, although there were issues with his teeth and he had a higher than normal heart rate.
Private Thorne was formally mobilised in July 1916. Initially assigned to the 13th (Works) Battalion, he spent his time on home soil. By the following spring, he transferred to the 311th Home Service Labour Company, and seems to have moved from Devon to Hampshire.
Thomas spent the next three years serving in the Labour Corps. By the winter of 1918/19, his health was becoming impacted, and he was admitted to the Shirley Warren Auxiliary Hospital in Southampton, suffering from a combination of influenza and pneumonia. The conditions were to prove fatal, and he passed away on 17th February 1919, aged just 24 years of age.
Thomas Thorne’s body was taken back to Devon for burial. He was laid to rest in Tiverton Cemetery, not far from the family home.
Interestingly, Thomas’ rank differs depending on the document you are looking at. I have used Lance Corporal, as this is what is recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, although his service papers state he was a Private.
Pte. Arthur Candey, of the Devon (Cyclists) Territorials, was found shot at Rotterdam, Talland, near Polperro, early on Friday morning. About six weeks ago Candey was drafted to Polperro from Looe and had been engaged in watching the coast, and the deceased and Pts. C Harris went on patrol duty. At Rotterdam Cottage, Candey complained of feeling tired and unwell. so Harris told him to remain in a hut close by while he went on alone and met the other patrol. While on the return journey Harris heard the report of a gun, and deceased was found dead with a bullet wound in the head. Death must have been instantaneous. Pte. Harris was away from the deceased for fifty minutes altogether…
At the inquest at Talland… the jury… returned a verdict that Candey took his life while temporarily insane.
[West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser: Monday 21st June 1915]
Arthur Candey was born in the spring of 1897 in Tiverton, Devon. One of thirteen children, and the youngest surviving son, his parents were Richard and Ellen Candey. Richard was a lace maker, and the family lived in a small terraced house in John Street, to the west of the town.
There is little information available about Arthur’s life. The 1911 census showed that he was still in school, and his army service records have been lost to time. It is clear that he enlisted in the 2nd/7th (Cyclist) Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, and the newspaper report confirms that he served in Cornwall.
Private Arthur Candey was just 18 years of age, when he died on 18th June 1915. His body was taken back to Devon for burial. He was laid to rest in Tiverton Cemetery, a short walk from where his grieving family still lived.
Frank Sloman was born in the autumn of 1887, and was the youngest of five children to Frank and Emma. Frank Sr was a mason from Jersey, in the Channel Islands, but it was in Tiverton, Devon, that he and Emma made their home and raised their family. The 1891 census found the family living on Castle Street, but by 1901 they had moved down the road to St Peter’s Street.
Frank Jr found work as a painter when he finished his schooling, but he sought adventure and a career. He was already a volunteer for the Devonshire Regiment, and, on 7th May 1904, he officially enlisted as a paid member of the troop. Private Sloman’s records show that he was 5th 10.5ins (1.79m) tall, and weighed 129lbs (58.5kg). He was noted as having brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion.
Private Sloman spent two years on home soil. He quickly extended his contract, and this led to more opportunities. By December 1906 his unit was in India, and he would go on to spend five and a half years there.
In December 1907, Frank transferred to the Royal Garrison Artillery. He initially held the rank of Gunner, before being promoted to Bombardier in January 1912, and Corporal just three months later. In October, Frank returned to Britain, and was stood down to reserve status. He returned to Tiverton, and found work as a porter at the local station.
War was on the horizon, however, and when conflict broke out, Frank was called upon to play his part once more. Initially taking up the rank of Corporal in the Royal Field Artillery, he reverted to the role of Gunner at his own request. By this point, his unit was in France, and he would remain there for the next eight months.
On 6th May 1915, Frank returned to Britain, and was attached to 2B Reserve Brigade. He was based at the training facility in Bettisfield Park in Clwyd, and would spend the next eighteen months there. In June 1916, he was once again promoted to the rank of Bombardier.
Love was on the cards, and, on 17th June 1916, Frank married Frances Hadlow. There is little information available for her, but the couple exchanged vows at the Register Office in Windsor, Berkshire.
By the autumn of 1916, Frank’s health was becoming an issue. He contracted phthisis, or tuberculosis, and was sent to the the south coast for recuperation. His condition would ultimately render him unfit for continued military service, and Bombardier Sloman was discharged from the army on 17th December 1916.
His papers show that he had grown to 6ft 2.5ins (1.89m) in height, and, while physically unfit, he was a steady, sober and reliable man. He and Frances had taken rooms at 7 Hawley Street, Margate, Kent, but it seems that the couple soon moved back to Devon. Their new home was a small cottage at 3 Westbrook Place in Tiverton.
At this point, Frank’s trail goes cold. It is unclear whether he took up work again – or was able to do so – but his lung condition was ultimately to get the better of him. He passed away on 3rd June 1918, at the age of 30 years old.
Frank Sloman was laid to rest in Tiverton Cemetery, on the outskirts of the town in which he had grown up.
Charles Leat was born at the start of 1888 in Tiverton, Devon. One of thirteen children, his parents were Sidney and Ann Leat. Sidney worked as a lace maker, and the family lived in a crowded cottage on St Andrew Street to the south of the town centre.
When Charles left school, he found work as a grocer’s errand boy. Sidney died in 1897, Ann had to take on lace work herself. The house was too small for the growing family, and so the 1901 census found Charles and his brother Arthur living with his maternal aunt, Mary.
Things had moved on as the new century progressed. By 1911, Charles had moved to South Wales, and was living with his older brother, James, and his family in Glamorgan. James was a house painter, but his sibling had taken on work as a railway porter, and the family lived in terraced house at 57 Tydfil Street, Barry.
When war hit Europe, Charles seemed keen to play his part. Sadly, full details of his military service have been lost to time, but it is clear that he initially enlisted in the opening weeks of the conflict. Joining the Devonshire Regiment, he was assigned to the 11th Battalion.
A later newspaper report suggests that he “had been through most of the fightingon the Western Front… [and] was seriously wounded in 1915.” [Western Times – Friday 15 November 1918] It was after he had recuperated that Private Leat was reassigned to the regiment’s Labour Corps.
By the summer of 1918, Private Leat was serving on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire. While here, he fell ill, and was eventually admitted to the Amesbury Military Hospital. His condition, pneumonia, was to prove too severe for his body to take, however, and he passed away from the condition on 11th November 1918, Armistice Day. He was 30 years of age.
Charles Leat’s body was taken back to Devon for burial. He was laid to rest in Tiverton Cemetery, not far from where his family still lived.
Death and Service 