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Buckinghamshire, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, story, war, writer

Writer 1st Class Harry Goodger

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Writer 1st Class Harry Goodger

Harry Goodger was born on 15th April 1885, the fourth of five children – and the only boy – to George and Emma Goodger. George was a canal labourer from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, but by the time of his son’s birth, the family had settled in Tipton, Staffordshire.

Harry was initially committed to education and, by the time of the 1901 census, he was working as a school teacher. His heart seemed set on a career with more prospects, however, and so, on 2nd November 1904, he enlisted in the Royal Navy.

Harry’s service records show that he was 5ft 2ins (1.57m) tall and that he had bark brown hair, dark brown eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having a mole on his wight upper arm and another on his left breast.

Harry’s rank was Writer 3rd Class, which was the naval equivalent of a clerk. After an initial training period, he was assigned to the cruiser HMS Terrible. Over the next decade, he served on ten further ships, and was based at HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, in between voyages.

Writer Goodger slowly progressed through the ranks during his naval service. On 1st November 1908 he was promoted to Writer 2nd Class, and on 31st October 1912 was raised to Writer 1st Class. Harry seems to have needed extra support, however, and he was knocked back to Writer 2nd Class on 25th April 1913, and sent back to Portsmouth for further training. By 23rd October 1914, however, while serving on HMS Bulwark, he again received a promotion to Writer 1st Class.

By the spring of 1915, Harry had been assigned to HMS Princess Irene. She an ocean liner that has been converted to a minelayer at the start of the war.

On 27th May 1915, while Irene was moored off Sheerness, Kent, a series of explosions ripped through the ship, killing more than 350 crew. Writer Goodger was among those who perished: he was 30 years of age.

The body of Harry Goodger was buried in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent alongside the other victims of the disaster.

Writer 1st Class Harry Goodger
(from findagrave.com)

Harry’s surname is variously spelt Goodger and Goodyer across the documents that trace his life. While his headstone has the latter spelling, I have used Goodger, as this is what is recorded on his naval service records.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, Kent, killed in action, Norfolk, photography, Private, Royal Marines, story, war

Private William Preston

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Private William Preston

William Robert Preston was born on 2nd January 1888, and was the oldest of six children to William and Alice Preston. William Sr was a blacksmith from Norwich, Norfolk, and this is where the family were initially raised.

The 1901 census saw a move to Northamptonshire, however, the document confirming that the family were living at Tanner Cottages in the village of Walton.

When he finished his schooling, William Jr found work as a painter’s labourer. However, he sought bigger and better things and, on 5th June 1905, he enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry. His service records show that he was 5ft 6ins (1.67m) tall, with dark brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having a number of tattoos on his arms.

Private Preston was sent to barracks in Deal, Kent, for his initial training. He spent the best part of a year there, before being transferred to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire, in April 1906. He was given his first ocean-going posting in January 1907, when he joined the crew of the cruiser HMS Terrible.

Over the next eight years, Private Preston served on three further ships, returning to HMS Victory, Portsmouth, in between trips. In March 1915, he was assigned to HMS Princess Irene, an ocean liner converted to a minelayer at the start of the war.

On 27th May 1915, while Irene was moored off Sheerness, Kent, a series of explosions ripped through the ship, killing more than 350 crew. Private Preston was among those who perished, but whose body was identified: he was 27 years of age.

The body of William Robert Preston was buried in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent alongside the other victims of the disaster.

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

Stoker 2nd Class Samuel Castle

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Stoker 2nd Class Samuel Castle

Samuel George Castle was born on 1st November 1896 in Battersea, Surrey. The third of ten children, his parents were Samuel and Louisa Castle. His father was a gas fitter turned blacksmith and, by the time of the 1911 census, Samuel Jr was working as an errand boy for Army & Navy Stores.

When war broke out, Samuel was quick to step up and serve his country. On 6th March 1915, he gave up his job – he was by then employed as an equipment maker – to enlist in the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class.

George was sent to HMS Pembroke, the dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. His service records show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.62m) tall, with black hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion.

Tragically, Stoker Castle’s time in the navy would not prove a lengthy one. By the end of May he was part of the crew of HMS Princess Irene, an ocean liner that had been put into service as a minelayer when war was declared. On 27th May 1915, a series of explosions ripped through the ship, killing more than 350 crew, Samuel included. He was just 18 years of age.

Samuel George Castle was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, alongside the other victims of the disaster.

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

Stoker George Marshall

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Stoker George Marshall

George Patrick Marshall was born in Dublin, Ireland, on 17th March 1896. One of ten children, his parents were plumber and gasfitter Robert Marshall and his wife, Rachel.

When he finished his schooling, George found work as a messenger. By the time war broke out, however, he was working as a builder’s mate. Keen to play his part and serve his country, he decided to enlist in the Royal Navy.

Stoker 2nd Class Marshall enlisted on 7th March 1915. His service records show a little of the man he had become. He was noted as being 5ft 4ins (1.62m) tall, with brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion. His first trip overseas took him to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, where he would receive his training.

Tragically, George’s time in the navy would not prove a lengthy one. By the end of May he was part of the crew of HMS Princess Irene, an ocean liner that had been put into service as a minelayer when war was declared.

On 27th May 1915, a series of explosions ripped through the ship, killing more than 350 crew, Stoker Marshall included. He was just 19 years of age.

George Patrick Marshall was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, alongside the other victims of the disaster.

Commonwealth War Graves, Fireman, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, Merchant Navy, photography, story, war

Fireman Robert McQueen

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Fireman Robert McQueen

In amongst the rows of naval headstones in the Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, is one dedicated to Robert McQueen. The inscription notes that he was a Fireman on board HMS Princess Irene, a liner that was conscripted by the Royal Navy as a minelayer during the First World War.

The headstone records that he died during the catastrophic explosion on 27th May 1915 that destroyed the ship, killing more than 300 people in the process. It also confirms that Robert was 23 years old when he died.

Birth records identify at least six Robert McQueens born in 1891/92, and without a place of birth, or parental names, it is not possible to definitively confirm which of these was serving on the Princess Irene on that fateful day. He was in what would become the Merchant Navy: their records are sparser than the Royal Navy equivalents, and none match the man who lies buried in Gillingham.

The life of Robert McQueen, therefore, is destined to remain lost to time, although his sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, Signalman, story, Suffolk

Signalman Philip Files

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Signalman Philip Files

Phillip William Turner Files was born on 13th April 1894 in Walmer, Kent. One of eight children, his parents were George and Annie Files. George was a carpenter at a local colliery, but living so close to the sea, his son was inevitably drawn there. On 25th January 1910, Phillip gave up his life as an errand boy and joined the Royal Navy.

Phillip’s service records show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.62m) tall, with dark brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He was just 15 years old when he enlisted, and, as he wasn’t of full age, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class. He was initially sent to HMS Ganges, the shore-based establishment in Suffolk for his initial training.

Phillip remained at HMS Ganges for the next year, and was promoted to Boy 1st Class on 5th September 1910. The following January he was moved to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire, also known as HMS Victory.

Over the next year, with Victory as his base, Boy Files was sent to serve on three ships – the dreadnought battleship HMS Albermarle, and the cruisers HMS Sappho and HMS Philomel. While on board Philomel, Phillip came of age and, because of his technical abilities, was given the rank of Ordinary Signaller – changing to Signalman when the ranks were updated later in 1912.

Phillip remained on Philomel until October 1913 and, after a brief spell back in Portsmouth, he was transferred to the armoured cruiser, the converted RMS Laconia. She was to be Signalman Files’ base for the next year, when, on 9th March 1915, he was transferred again, this time to HMS Princess Irene.

Princess Irene was a converted liner, requisitioned as a minelayer when war broke out. On 27th May 1915, an explosion ripped through the ship, while moored off Sheerness, Kent. Signalman Files was one of the 352 souls killed. He was just 21 years of age.

Phillip William Turner Files was laid to rest in the Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, Kent. His body having been identified, he was given his own grave, unlike those who were buried in a mass grave nearby.

Signalman Files’ headstone spells his first name with one L. However, all the other documents relating to Phillip spell it with two.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Ireland, photography, Private, Royal Irish Regiment, Somerset, story, war

Private Ernest Patterson

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Private Ernest Patterson

Ernest Patterson was born in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, Ireland, in 1900. He was the oldest of six children to Robert and Matilda Patterson. Robert was a boot machinist when his son was born but, by the time of the 1911 census, he had turned his hand to farming.

When war came, Ernest stepped up to serve his King and Country and, in his eagerness to do so, he lied about his age. He enlisted in the Royal Irish Regiment on 1st September 1915, and stated that he was 19 years old. Given that his service records show that he was 5ft 8.5ins (1.64m) tall and that he weighed 130lbs (59kg), it is not surprising that the military were willing to take him on his word.

Private Patterson was initially posted to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion in Dublin. While there, he contracted German measles, and was hospitalised for two weeks. When he recovered, Ernest was moved to the 2nd Battalion, and shipped off to France with his new unit.

His time overseas was cut short, however, and he was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment on 9th March. He was noted as suffering from ‘debility’, and admitted to the Royal Surrey County Hospital for a week.

Out of hospital again, Ernest was re-assigned to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion. As summer came and went and winter moved in, his health wavered again. On 19th December 1916, he was admitted to the Bath War Hospital in Somerset, suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis. He remained in hospital for the next three months, the condition finally leading to his medical discharge from the army on 29th March 1917.

Private Patterson’s discharge from the army did not mean a discharge from hospital, however, and he remained there for the next week or so. His health was deteriorating by this point, and his body finally succumbed to tuberculosis on 8th April 1917. He was just 17 years of age.

It was not practical to return Ernest Patterson’s body to his family in Ireland. Instead, he was laid to rest in Locksbrook Cemetery in Bath, not far from the hospital in which he had died.

Commonwealth War Graves, Driver, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, Royal Army Service Corps, Somerset, story, war

Private Hubert Naylor

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Private Hubert Naylor

The early life of Hubert Naylor is a challenge to piece together. Later documents suggest he was born in Elsley (possibly Ilsley), Berkshire in around 1874.

The first census Hubert appears on dates from 1911. By this time he was living in Bath, Somerset and was employed as a general labourer. The document confirms that he was married to Mary, and had been for some eight years. The couple had four children – Isabella, Hubert Jr, Henry and Catherine – and the family were living at 1 Dover Court, in the Walcot area of the city.

When war broke out, despite his age, Hubert stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps on 27th June 1915. Mary may not have been happy with this turn of events, as she had had two further children – Bertha and Doris – by this point.

Hubert was given the rank of Driver, and was initially posted to the 12th Labour Battalion. Within a year, his unit was in France. He spent the next year overseas, transferring to the Reserve Supply Personnel Depot as a Private in the process.

By the summer of 1917, Hubert’s health was failing. He was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment, and was admitted to the Bath War Hospital. He passed away from nephritis on 23rd July 1917: he was 42 years of age.

Hubert Naylor was laid to rest in the sweeping Locksbrook Cemetery in Bath, not far from the family home.

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

Private Willie Martin

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Private Willie Martin

Willie Cyril Martin was born in December 1891 in the Dorset village of Almer. The son of Elizabeth Martin, his mother would go on to marry Edward Holloway nine years later, although it is unclear whether he was Willie’s father.

When he finished his schooling, Willie found work as a kitchen porter, and this led him to the Dorset coast. The 1911 census found him boarding with 35 others at Pryory Mansions in Bournemouth.

When war broke out, Willie stepped up to play his part. He enlisted on 9th October 1914, joining the Dorsetshire Regiment. Assigned to the 4th Battalion, his unit was soon sent to India, moving to the Middle East over the following years.

By the autumn of 1916, Private Martin was back in Dorset. On 7th November he married Edith Williams at St Clement’s Church in Bournemouth. She was the 26-year old daughter of a gas fitter, and the couple’s marriage certificate sheds some light on Willie’s background as well. It gave his father’s name as Richard Martin (deceased), who was a butler, although there is no other information to substantiate this, and Elizabeth had passed away some years before, so could not back up or refute the suggestion.

Private Martin returned to duty after his wedding. At some point he transferred to the Labour Corps, and was attached to 644 Company. His re-assignment may have been down to medical issues – he had contracted malaria while serving overseas – and by the autumn of 1917, he was sent to hospital because of his deteriorating health.

Willie was admitted to Bath War Hospital in Somerset, suffering from a bout of malaria. The condition was to get the better of him, and he passed away on 8th October 1917, from a haemorrhage on his lungs. He was 25 years of age.

Willie Cyril Martin was laid to rest in the military section of Bath’s sweeping Locksbrook Cemetery, not far from the hospital in which he passed away.

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

Private William White

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Private William White

William White was born in the autumn of 1892 in Gravesend, Kent. He was the second of eleven children to Joseph and Eleanor – or Ellen – White. Joseph was a general labourer who, by the time of the 1911 census, was employed in the local docks.

The same census recorded the family of eleven people living in four rooms at 2 Robert Street, Gravesend. In addition to Joseph, both William and his older brother, Joseph Jr, were employed as assistants for a local butcher, while the next youngest of the siblings, Edward, was working as a bootmaker’s errand boy.

When war was declared, William stepped up to play his part. Full service details have been lost to time, but it seems that he had enlisted by the spring of 1918 at the latest. He joined the London Regiment, and was assigned to the 20th (City of London) Battalion. Private White’s unit spent the duration of the conflict on the Western Front, fighting at Loos, the Somme and Messines amongst other areas.

By the end of the war, William had been awarded the Military Medal for his bravery, although it is unclear when and for what he receive it.

The next confirmed record for Private White was his admission to hospital in Somerset, as he was suffering from pneumonia. He was sent to the Bath War Hospital, but it is unclear whether he had been on home soil when he fell ill, or if he had been medically transferred there from across the English Channel.

William White’s condition was to prove fatal. He passed away in hospital on 23rd November 1918, at the age of 26 years old. His body was laid to rest in the military section of Locksbrook Cemetery in Bath, not far from the hospital where he had breathed his last.