William Henry Mead was born in Frome, Somerset, in the spring of 1886. The second of six children, his parents were mason Henry Mead and his wife, Eliza. Henry’s work took him across the area: the 1891 census found the family living at 5 Tower Hill in Dilton Marsh, Wiltshire, while by 1901 they had moved to Upton Scudamore, closer to Warminster.
By this point, William was working as a farm labourer, but he then disappears from the records. His entry on the Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects when he died shows that he left a significantly higher amount of money than would normally be expected for someone who had simply enlisted for the duration of the war. It is possible, therefore, that his absence from the 1911 census is due to him being out of the country whilst with the army.
The document confirms that William served with the 2nd Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment. The unit saw action as Ypres, the Somme, Passchendaele and Messines, but, without his service records, it is impossible to know how or where Private Mead fought. He survived the war, however, and by the start of 1919, he was billeted in Tidworth, on the edge of Salisbury Plain.
Private Mead’s health was suffering by this point, and he was admitted to the camp’s hospital. He died, through causes unknown, on 27th April 1919: he was 33 years of age.
The body of William Henry Mead was taken back to Warminster, where his grieving family were now living. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of the town’s Christ Church.
Stanley Curtis was born on 31st October 1899, and was one of 21 children to Rowland and Sarah Curtis. Rowland was a gardener and labourer from Warminster, Wiltshire, and it was here, at 9 Marsh Street, that the family were raised.
There is little information available about Stanley’s early life: he was only two years old at the time of the 1901 census, and still at school for the next return in 1911. Later document, however, confirms that he worked as a farm labourer when he completed his schooling and that he was an active member of the Warminster Cadets.
Stanley was keen to play his part when war broke out. He enlisted in the Royal Navy as soon as he was able to, joining as a Stoker 2nd Class on 7th December 1917. His service records show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.62m) tall, with brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion.
Stoker 2nd Class Curtis was sent to HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire, for his training. After four months there he was given his first assignment, on board the protected cruiser HMS Amphitrite. Working as a minelayer, she served in the North Sea, and was positioned off Scotland when Stanley fell ill.
Stoker Curtis was disembarked in Edinburgh, and was admitted to the city’s Royal Naval Hospital with peritonitis. Sadly the condition was to prove fatal, and he passed away on 13th September 1918, a few weeks short of his 19th birthday.
The body of Stanley Curtis was brought back to Wiltshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of Christ Church, Warminster, just a few minutes’ walk from where his grieving family lived.
William Garrett was born in Warminster, Wiltshire, on 18th October 1880. The fourth of seven children, he was the fourth son to Henry and Mary Garrett. Henry was a groom, and the family lived at 80 Portway, a Victorian villa to the north of the town centre.
The 1901 census records the family having moved from No. 80. The document notes their address as 14 Portway and with this move, there appears to have been a change of circumstances. At some point in the previous ten years, Henry had given up working with horses, and had gone into baking instead. This too had taken a back seat, however, as the census confirms his employment as former baker. William, now 21 years of age, was still living with his parents, and was working as a printer for a local newspaper.
On 5th August 1905, William married Kate Macey. A labourer’s daughter from Bishopstrow, Wiltshire, the couple exchanged vows in her parish church. They settled in a house on Deverill Road, Warminster, and went on to have five children,
When war broke out, William would eventually be called upon to play his part. “He was previously employed at the ‘Warminster Journal’ office as monotype caster and operator, and served his apprenticeship at the office. It was very largely through his services that the ‘Journal’ was forced to suspend publication and though he might have obtained further exemption from military service, he preferred to leave civil employment and enter into the service of his country” [Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser: Saturday 25th May 1918]
William enlisted in the Army Service Corps on 1st May 1918. As a Private, was attached to the Mechanical Transport Depot in Sydenham, Kent. His service records show that he was 5ft 3ins (1.59m) tall and weighed 126lbs (57.2kg). His medical records note that he was of good physical development.
The newspaper report continued:
[Private Garrett] left Warminster only a week or two ago and was billeted at Sydenham, being apparently in the best of health and spirits. On Tuesday his wife… received the following telegram from an officer: “I regret to have to inform you your husband died suddenly in his billet around 1:30pm today. All ranks convey deepest sympathy.”
The distressing news was confirmed by a letter from a comrade, Pte. Manley, who is a native of Taunton. He wrote “It is with extreme sorrow I write this letter to you. Your husband and I arrived here the same day and he slept in my room with two others – very nice fellows. We all send you our heartfelt sympathy in your sorrow. He spoke to me today about 1.10pm and then fell forward. I and others did everything possible for him but he was beyond human aid from the start. He only lived about two minutes and suffered no pain. We all liked him very much in our bedroom and indeed in the billet. I am sure he would have proved a credit to the ASC.”
[William] was a member of the Oddfellows Society and filled all the local lodge offices, and was also a member of the committee of the Co-operative Society. He belonged to the Warminster Volunteer Training Corps, and jus as he left to join the regular army he was about to be promoted.
[Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser: Saturday 25th May 1918]
The inquest into Private Garrett’s death found he had died of natural causes. He was 37 years of age when he passed away on 21st May 1918. He had been in the army for just 20 days.
The body of William Garrett was taken back to Wiltshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of Christ Church, Warminster.
Frederick Charles Hill was born on 13th June 1882 in the Devon village of Marldon. One of seven children, his parents were William and Elizabeth Hill. William was a carpenter, and the 1891 census found the family living or boarding at the Royal Oak Inn.
When he finished his schooling, Frederick found work as a gardener. However, he sought a bigger and better life and, on 21st April 1897, he joined the Royal Navy. His service record suggests that he lied about his age to do so, giving his year of birth as 1881,
Frederick was below the age to formally enlist in the navy, and was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class. He was sent to HMS Impregnable, the training base in Devonport, Devon, spending the next eighteen months there. Promoted to Boy 1st Class in February 1898, he was given his first posting, on board HMS Agincourt, later that year.
In the autumn of 1898, Frederick was assigned to the cruiser HMS Leander. The following summer, and based on the date of birth he had previously provided, he came of age, and was formally inducted into the Royal Navy. His service records show that he was 5ft 2ins (1.57m) tall, with red hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion. Hs was also noted as having a scar on his forehead.
The now Ordinary Seaman Hill remained on board HMS Leander for more than two years. He proved a worthwhile member of crew, and was promoted to Able Seaman in May 1900. He left Leander in January 1901, and was billeted at HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Plymouth, Devon, which would become his base when not at sea.
Frederick’s contract was for twelve years, and during that time he would serve on four vessels. His dedication to the navy was evident by his promotions – he made Leading Seaman in October 1904, Petty Officer 2nd Class in October 1906, and Petty Officer 1st Class in March 1911. When his term of service ended, he immediately re-enlisted, and, at his annual reviews, was regularly noted for his very good character and superior ability. His career kept going from strength to strength, and, in 1914, he was promoted to Chief Petty Officer.
He was sent to Antwerp in September [1914] with the Royal Naval Division, and in 1916 went to the Dardanelles, there gaining his commission for bravery. After the evacuation he was sent to France and won the MC in the Ancre drive in 1916. In February 1918 he was sent for six months’ rest to England. Lieut. Hill volunteered to go to France again in November the same year, and contracted heart disease, from which he died. He returned to England early in June [1919], and, being on sick leave, went to Paignton Hospital, where his death occurred.
[Brixham Western Guardian: Thursday 7th August 1919]
Frederick Charles Hill was 37 years of age when he died on 2nd August 1919. His body was laid to rest in the family plot in St John the Baptist’s Church, Marldon.
Frederick’s headstone records his rank as Lieutenant Commander. However, Commonwealth War Grave Commission documents suggest his rank was Lieutenant.
William Watts was born on 24th October 1872 in the Devon village of Stockfleming. Details of his early life are unclear, but his later marriage record gives his father’s name as Richard.
The first confirmation of William’s life was his military service records. He left his job as a farmer’s lad and joined the Royal Navy on 3rd January 1888 and, being just 15 years old at the time, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class.
William was sent to HMS Impregnable, the navy’s training base in Devonport, Devon, for his initial induction. He remained there for the next eighteen months, and was promoted Boy 1st Class during that time. In October 1889, he was given his first posting, on board the sloop HMS Pylades. She would be his home for more than three years, during which time he came of age.
Now formally inducted into the Royal Navy, William was given the rank of Ordinary Seaman. His service papers show that he was 5ft 1ins (1.55m) tall, with dark hair, hazel eyes and a fair complexion.
Over the twelve years of his initial contract Ordinary Seaman Watts made a career for himself. By the end of that time, he had served on five further ships, returning to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, in between voyages. He was proving his mettle as well, and was promoted to Able Seaman on 1st November 1893.
When, in March 1901, his contract came up for renewal, William immediately re-enlisted. His service record shows that he had grown to 5ft 4ins (1.65m) tall, and now sported a tattoo of a star on his left wrist. He spent another thirteen years in the Royal Navy, but transferred to the Coastguard, serving in Weymouth in Dorset, and Brixham and Dartmouth in Devon.
On 15th September 1903, William married Olief Lawrence. The daughter of a labourer from Fontwell Magna, Dorset, the couple married in her local parish church. They would settle in Brixham, and have one son, William, who was born in October 1907.
When war broke out, William was called up on to play his part. Pensioned off just two months previously, he now returned to sea, joining the battleship HMS Goliath as an Able Seaman. His health was failing him by this point, however, and on 18th December 1914, he was invalided out of naval service.
At this point, William’s trail goes cold. It is clear that he and Olief moved to Marldon, to the west of Paignton, and he took up the role of landlord of the Ship Inn (now Ye Olde Smokey House). His health still seemed to be impacted, however, and it would eventually get the better of him. He died on 16th June 1917, at the age of 44 years of age.
The body of William Watts was laid to rest in the graveyard of St John the Baptist Church in Marldon, the village which he had come to call home.
Stanley James Isaiah Westaway was born on 2nd March 1898 in the Devon village of Marldon. One of twelve children, his parents were builder’s labourer George Westaway and his wife, Eliza.
Being a large family, Stanley may have felt the need to make his mark on the world. When war broke out, he found that opportunity and, on 10th April 1916, he enlisted in the Royal Navy.
Taking on the role of Stoker 2nd Class, Stanley was sent to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, for his training. His service papers show that he was 5ft 3ins (1.6m) tall, with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a fresh complexion.
Stoker Westaway’s first posting was aboard HMS Berwick, a cruiser that patrolled the English Channel. He remained there for eighteen months, and, during this time, he gained a promotion to Stoker 1st Class. In November 1917, he returned to his shore base, and remained there through to the following spring.
In early 1918, Stanley fell ill. As he was at sea at the time, he was sent to the closest Royal Naval Hospital in Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire. His condition worsened and the condition was to prove fatal: he passed away on 8th April 1918, at the age of 19 years of age.
The body of Stanley James Isaiah Westaway was taken back to Devon for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St John the Baptist’s Church in his home village.
Sydney Milton Devenish was born in Perth, Western Australia, on 27th October 1884. One of eight children, he was the oldest son to Ralph and Ann Devenish. There is little information about his early life, but when he completed his schooling, he found work as a carter.
On 28th December 1912, Sydney married Matilda Durnin. They set up home in Fremantle, and had four children: Olive Harold, Sydney and Flora.
When war was declared, Sydney was keen to play his part. He tried to enlist at the start of 1916, but was turned down because of a heart issue. He tried again a year later, and was taken on as a Private in the Australian Imperial Force. His service records show that he was 5ft 3ins (1.6m) tall, and weighed 139lbs (63kg). He was noted as having light brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion.
Private Devenish set sail from Perth on 29th June 1917. The voyage to Britain would take two months and, after arriving in Plymouth, Devon, he was marched into base at Durrington, on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire. The journey took a lot out of the soldiers, and many fell ill because of it. Sydney was soon admitted to the Fargo Military Hospital with influenza, and spent a week there.
Sydney was discharged from hospital on 15th September, and would continue with his training as part of the 51st Battalion. His health was still causing a problem, however, and he was admitted to a military hospital again, this time in Sutton Veny, Wiltshire.
This man paraded in sick at 1.30pm on 8.2.18.. He had a diffuse swelling on the right side of the jaw. This did not extend down to the next, nor were there any other signs of Oedema found. There was a history of these sudden swellings …three day’s medicince [sic] given [to] this man; he complained of no pain.
I was awakened at 3.25am this morning [9th February] and told by two men that a man was choking… On my arrival there I found that life was extinct but did artificial respiration for a few minutes proving that there was a block in the lower respiratory passages somewhere, as air was difficult to force out of the chest. This man was cyanosed and there was a diffuse swelling of the face and neck…
Private Devenish died of an acute angioneurotic odema: he was 33 years of age.
The body of Sydney Milton Devenish was taken to nearby Warminster for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Denys’ Church.
Sydney’s personal effects were forwarded to Matilda. The extensive list included ‘5 prs sox, 1 pr knee pads, 3 khaki collars, 3 balaclavas, water-proof cap cover, 1 money belt, 2 hair brushes in case, 1 safety raxor & blades in tin, 1 tin cigarette cards, 1 coo-ee wallet with letters, 2 note books, 2 religious books, 1 Cpl’s chevrons, 1 holdall (containing 2 razors, 1 comb, 1 clasp knife, 1 razor strop, cotton, buttons, cord, badges, metal ring and ribbon), 1 pr mittens, 1 parcel addressed Bailey Devenish, Guildford (containing 5 pieces music, 1 housewife, 2 handkerchiefs, 1 religious book, 1 letter, 1 French book, 1 book of views, 3 pipes, 2 masonic books), 1 tin (containing letters, postcards, signalling and playing cards), 2 novels, 1 prayer book, 1 motor manual, 1 purse, 1 damaged watch, 1 leather watch case, 1 watch protector on strap, 1 pr pliers, 2 kit bag handles & 1 lock, 1 tin opener, 1 pipe, 1 scarf’.
Herbert Rowland Sims was born in Warminster, Wiltshire, on 27th May 1895. One of nine children, he was the youngest son to Edward and Mary Sims. Edward was a railway signalman, and the family lived on Imber Road, to the north east of the town centre.
When Herbert finished his schooling, he found employment as a tailor’s apprentice. When war broke out, however, he was keen to play his part. His service records no longer exist, but a later newspaper report fills in some of the details.
The death took place on Wednesday in last week at the Tewkesbury Red Cross hospital of Lance-Cpl. Herbert Rowland Sims… [He] went to India on the outbreak of war with the Wilts Regiment, and subsequently volunteered for service in Mesopotamia, being transferred to the Dorsets. He contracted typhoid, and after being in hospital in Egypt he was invalided home. He was about to receive his discharge, but was again laid low by an attack of pneumonia which, after the illness contracted in Mesopotamia, proved fatal.
A memorial service was held in Tewkesbury Abbey on Saturday, the body being escorted by wounded comrades from the hospital. From the Abbey the coffin was taken to the railway station to be sent to Warminster, and on Monday the internment took place in the Minster churchyard with military honours.
[Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser: Saturday 26th October 1918]
Herbert Rowland Sims was just 23 years of age when he died on 16th October 1918. He was laid to rest in St Denys’ Churchyard in his home town of Warminster.
Alexander Pollock was born on 17th April 1893 in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. The oldest of eight children, his parents were David and Annie. There is little information about his early life, but when he completed his schooling, he found work as a general labourer.
When war broke out, Alexander – who was better known as Ike – stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 12th July 1915, just four months after his father had passed away. Private Pollock’s service records show that he was 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall and weighed in at 13st 4lbs (84.4kg). He had dark brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion, with a scar on his left bicep.
Private Pollock’s unit – the 57th Battalion – left Australia at the start of 1916, arriving in Egypt towards the end of February. They spent the next couple of months training at the Tell el Kebir camp, to the north of Cairo, before setting off to France, arriving in Marseilles on 23rd June.
Ike’s first taste of battle came within a matter of weeks, when his unit acted as a back-up force during the Battle of Fromelles. Described as the worst day in Australia’s history, the AIF suffered more than 5,000 casualties. The 57th Battalion, held in reserve, did not incur as many losses as other units and, as a result, Private Pollock would have remained entrenched on the Front Line after the worst hit battalions pulled back.
The next few years would see Ike remain on the Western Front. His service papers suggest that he did not see any leave until March 1918, but he was soon back in the action.
After the Armistice was declared, Private Pollock remained in France. He had a second period of leave from 22nd December 1918, spending the festivities in Britain. Back in France on 13th January 1919, he was moved to a training camp in Le Havre. By this point, however, his health was suffering, and he was moved back to Britain weeks after arriving.
Billeted at the ANZAC base in Codford, Wiltshire, Ike came down with influenza and pneumonia. He was admitted to the New Zealand General Hospital not far from the base, but the conditions were to prove fatal. He died on 21st February 1919, at the age of 25 years old.
Thousands of miles from home, and with his mother having also passed the previous year, the body of Alexander ‘Ike’ Pollock was laid to rest in the graveyard extension to St Mary’s Church, Codford.
Michael Smith was born in Melbourne, Australia, in the spring of 1878. Details of his early life are scarce, but he seems to have been one of five children to Michael and Mary Smith.
Michael Jr married Lucy Mungovan, twelve years his senior, on 7th August 1915. By this point he had moved to Sydney and was working as a cook. The couple had had a son, William, in 1903, and the wedding seems to have been a way of formalising their relationship in anticipation of the coming war.
Michael Jr enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 13th July 1916. His service records show that, at 38 years of age, he was 5ft 3.5ins (1.61m) tall and weighed 125lbs (56.7kg). A Roman Catholic, he had brown hair, although he was balding, blue eyes and a fresh brown complexion. He was also noted as having two scars: one on the back of his right shoulder, the other on the back of his right thigh.
Assigned to the 45th Battalion of the Australian Infantry, Private Smith’s unit left Sydney on 7th October 1916 for its seven week voyage to Britain. The A40 Ceramic troop ship reached Plymouth, Devon, on 21st November, and Michael was marched to the ANZAC base in Codford, Wiltshire the same day.
The voyage took its toll on the soldiers, and Private Smith was not to be immune. Within a fortnight he had been admitted to the Military Hospital in Sutton Veny, five miles to the north west. He was suffering from pneumonia, but it was to prove too late. He passed away on 5th December 1916 – the day he arrived at the hospital – at the age of 38.
Thousands of miles from home, the body of Michael Smith was laid to rest in the extension to St Mary’s Churchyard in Codford, Wiltshire.
The shock of her husband’s death was to prove too much for Lucy. She passed away on 16th January 1918, at the age of 52.
Death and Service 