Tag Archives: Kent

Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, injury, Kent, Middlesex, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Ordinary Seaman Albert Hillman

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Ordinary Seaman Albert Hillman

Albert Alsop Hillman was born in Islington, Middlesex, on 22nd September 1895. He was the second of five children to Alfred and Harriet Hillman. Alfred was a builder’s labourer from Hoxton, and, at the time of the 1901 census, the family had rooms at 36 Affleck Street, not far from King’s Cross Station.

The next ten years showed a downturn in the family’s fortunes. They had moved to rooms at 19 Chapel Street, but Alfred was no longer bringing in a wage, and was recorded as being an invalid. In fact, unusually, none of the household of seven – including Albert and his older brother, Alfred Jr, both of whom were of age to have left school – were recorded in any trade, and it is not clear what, if any, money was coming in.

This changed in 1913, when Albert joined the Royal Navy. He had been earning money as a van guard, but a life at sea offered a career and a regular wage. Sent to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, Devon, he spent the next five months learning the skills he would need as a seaman. Being below the age to formally enlist, however, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class.

On 15th November 1913, Boy Hillman was given his first assignment, on board the battleship HMS Venerable. She would remain his home for the next few months, during which time he was promoted to Boy 1st Class.

Albert was formally enlisted in the Royal Navy on 18th February 1914, and was given the rank of Ordinary Seaman. His service papers show that he was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, with brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion. His papers also note that he had a scar on his right cheek, and a number of tattoos on his left forearm.

After a short spell at Chatham Dockyard in Kent – also known as HMS Pembroke – Albert was given his second assignment, aboard the destroyer HMS Liberty. In August 1914, she was involved in the Battle of Heligoland Bight and, in a skirmish with the German 5th Flotilla. She was hit by the enemy cruiser Mainz, which landed a direct hit on the bridge, killing the ship’s commander, Nigel Barttelot, and a number of other crew. Albert was wounded, and the ship made its slow way back to port.

When Liberty reached Pembroke once more, Albert was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, and would remain there for the next more than a year.

The death has taken place in the RN Hospital, Chatham, of Able Seaman Albert Hillman, who sustained terrible injuries whilst serving in HM destroyer Liberty in the sea fight in the Bight of Heligoland on August 28th, 1914. For sixteen months the young fellow – he was only 19 years of age – suffered, but he bore his pain unflinchingly and without a murmur, winning the admiration of the medical and nursing staff. It will be remembered that Lieut.-Com. Nigel Barttelot and six members of the crew of the Liberty were killed in the action, one died from wounds, and eleven others were wounded.

[Sheerness Guardian and East Kent Advertiser: Saturday 15th January 1916]

The newspaper report includes a couple of errors – Albert held the rank of Ordinary Seaman, and was 20 years of age when he died – and has a stoic and heroic sense of how the injured man bore his wounds with grace and calm.

The body of Albert Alsop Hillman was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the Kent hospital in which he had been tended for so long.

Air Mechanic, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, photography, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, story, Suffolk, war

Air Mechanic 1st Class Reginald Blowers

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Air Mechanic 1st Class Reginald Blowers

Reginald Blowers was born in Carlton Colville, near Lowestoft, Suffolk, on 15th December 1892. He was the third of six children to Edward and Mary Bowers. Edward was a brickmaker, and the 1901 census recorded the family living at Brickyard Cottages, off Victoria Road.

The next census, taken in 1911, showed a big change for the family. Edward was now listed as a fisherman, the Third Hand on the vessel Passion Flower which, at the time the return was collected, was moored in Padstow, Cornwall.

Meanwhile, Mary and the children, along with her nephew Alfred, were living a 1 Stanley Road, Oulton Broad. Alfred was a fisherman, while Reginald was now employed as a carpenter. Two of his siblings were also working: sister Alice was a general servant, while 13-year-old brother Edward was an errand boy.

When war broke out, Reginald’s skills stood him in good stead. He enlisted in the Royal Navy on 23rd November 1914, and was assigned to the Royal Naval Air Service as an Air Mechanic 1st Class. His service papers note that he was just under 5ft 5ins (1.64m) tall, with bark brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion.

Air Mechanic Blowers was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. In April 1915, he transferred to HMS President II, another shore base, which served ports in London, Chatham and Sheerness.

In the winter of 1915/16, Reginald fell ill. He had contracted tuberculosis, and was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham. Sadly, his condition would prove fatal: Air Mechanic Blowers passed away on 10th January 1916, at the age of 23 years old.

The body of Reginald Blowers was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the dockyard he had come to know as home.

Armourer, Armourer's Crew, Armourer's Mate, Chief Armourer, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Kent, photography, Royal Navy, Scotland, story, war

Chief Armourer William Dimmick

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Chief Armourer William Dimmick

William Henry Dimmick was born in Titchfield, Hampshire, on 10th November 1871. The oldest of four children, his parents were John and Harriett Dimmick. John was a butcher, but when he completed his schooling, he became chose a different path.

The 1891 census recorded William as lodging with the Merritt family in Clanfield, to the north of Waterlooville, Hampshire. He was employed as a blacksmith, but either this was a means to an end, or he had itchy feet.

On 30th June 1893, William enlisted in the Royal Navy. Part of the Armourer’s Crew, his service records show that he was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, with light hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He was sent to HMS Excellent, the shore base on Whale Island in the Solent, and she would become the home to which he would return over the next few years.

Armourer’s Crew Dimmick’s contract was for twelve years and, during that time, he would serve on five separate ships. A lot of his time, however, was spent ashore, and his service papers note spells at both HMS Wildfire and HMS Pembroke, both on the North Kent Coast.

William’s time was not mis-spent, however, and he started to rise through the ranks. On 20th April 1897 he was promoted to Armourer’s Mate; in November 1898 he was made an Armourer. On 1st November 1902 he rose to Acting Chief Armourer, a role that was made permanent twelve months later.

Away from work, William found love. He married Florence Dunford in around 1902, and the couple would go on to have three children – William Jr, John and Florence Jr – between 1902 and 1911.

When William’s contract came to an end, he immediately re-enlisted. Over the next few years, he was given five more postings, before being assigned to HMS Natal in September 1912. An armoured cruiser, she was attached to the Grand Fleet during the First World War, but did not take part in any battles.

On 30th December 1915, Natal was moored in the Cromarty Firth, when an internal explosion from faulty cordite ripped her apart. She sank, and at least 390 crew and civilians were killed.

The next record for William is that of his passing – from pneumonia, at home, on 28th January 1916. He was 45 years of age. It is unclear whether he had been on board Natal a month before, and whether there was any connection between his illness and the explosion.

The family were living in Sheerness, Kent, at the time of William’s death, His body, however, was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from HMS Pembroke, the dockyard in Chatham, Kent, which he had called home for some time.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 2nd Class Frederick Crane

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Stoker 2nd Class Frederick Crane

Frederick Leonard Crane was born in Sittingbourne, Kent, on 27th September 1896. The youngest of eleven children, his parents were brickfield labourer George Crane and his wife, Frances.

Frances died in the spring of 1900, and when Frederick left school, he initially found employment as a horse driver on a farm. By the time war broke out, however, he had changed careers, and was working as a blacksmith.

Frederick enlisted on 8th November 1915, joining the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class. His service papers note that he was 5ft 7.5ins (1.71m) tall, and had fair hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. Stoker Crane was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training.

Tragically, Frederick’s time in the forces was to be a tragically brief one. At the end of December, he was admitted to the naval hospital in the town, as he was suffering from cerebro-spinal meningitis. The condition was get the better of him, and he passed away on 2nd January 1916. He was just 19 years of age.

The body of Frederick Leonard Crane was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the Kent port that he had started to call home.

Captain, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Lieutenant Commander, Middlesex, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, story, war

Lieutenant Commander Thomas Wilson

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Lieutenant Commander Thomas Wilson

Thomas Roland Wilson was born on 2nd December 1871 in Hythe, Kent. His parents were Thomas and Sarah, but there is little information available about his early life.

The 1881 census recorded Thomas as living with his uncle and aunt in Deptford, Kent. Ten years later, he was living with his parents in Finchley, Middlesex. Thomas Sr was living on his own means, while his son, now 20 years of age, was a mercantile mariner.

On 18th November 1895, Thomas Jr was awarded a certificate of competency as being able to be a master of his own vessel. Five years later, he married Charlotte Chichester. She was the daughter of a master mariner, and the couple appeared to settle in her home town of Braunton, Devon.

When war broke out, Thomas was assigned to the Royal Naval Reserve. Details of his time during the conflict are hazy, but, by 1917, he was in charge of HMS Yacht Vagrant. Built in Jarrow, she had been hired by the Admiralty at the start of the war to act as an anti-submarine vessel, with Captain Wilson leading the crew.

Little further information is available about Thomas’ life, and while the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and his headstone give his rank as Lieutenant Commander, other documents note he was a Captain.

The next available record for him relates to his passing:

The regretted death has occurred of Capt. Wilson, in his 47th year, at Fern Lea, Braunton, the residence of his mother-in-law, Mrs Chichester.

[North Devon Journal: Thursday 18th October 1917]

No cause of death is evident, but Thomas Roland Wilson passed away on 17th October 1917. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Brannock’s Church in Braunton, Devon.

Bombardier, Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Great War, Gunner, history, illness, Kent, photography, Royal Field Artillery, Scotland, story, war

Gunner William Taylor

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Gunner William Taylor

Military honours were paid to Bombardier W Taylor, of the 59th Battery, RFA, who succumbed to an attack ocf douple pneumonia in the VAD Hospital on Saturday at the age of 23. The funeral took place on Tuesday afternoon in the presence of a large gathering, including some from each battery billeted in the town, to the number of nearly 200. The service, which was a most impressive one, was conducted by the Vicar (Red. WEH Sotheby). The deceased came with a draft from Glasgow over a fortnight ago and soon got his first stripe; but it was willed that he should rise no higher, as the day after he received his first promotion he was taken to the hospital. A tribute of respect was paid to him from each battery in the shape of wreaths subscribed for by the men.

[Southern Times and Dorset County Herald: Saturday 23rd January 1915]

William John Taylor was born in St Helier, Jersey, in 1883. He was the only child to John Lebanon Taylor and his wife, Margaret. John had been born ‘at sea’ and was a writer for the Royal Arsenal. His work had taken him to the Channel Islands, and this is where he met and married Margaret in the autumn of 1882.

By the time of the 1901 census, the Taylor family had moved back to the mainland, and were living at 12 Mineral Street, Plumstead, Kent. William had finished his schooling by this point, and was employed as a commercial clerk.

William disappears from the 1911 census, while his parents had moved to a larger property at 101 Tuam Road, Plumstead. John was now listed as an army pensioner, and it was just him and Margaret living in the house.

By this point, William’s trail had gone completely cold. When war broke out he was called on to play his part, and the newspaper report, while giving an incorrect age, does outline what would seem to be his time in the army. He passed away in the Red Cross Hospital in Gillingham, Dorset, on 16th January 1915: he was 31 years of age.

John appears to have passed away by this point too, and it seems possible, that Margaret was unable to cover the cost of bringing her son back to Kent. Instead, Gunner William Taylor (his rank before the promotion to Bombardier was formally recorded) was laid to rest in Gillingham Cemetery, close to the hospital where he had died.

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

Driver Frederick Street

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Driver Frederick Street

Frederick Street was born in the autumn of 1882, and was one of ten children. His parents were James Street and his wife Izett (or Izit, Ezit, or Iyitt, depending on which document you are looking at: both of Frederick’s parents were illiterate, and so there is no consistency in how his mother’s unusual name was spelt). James was a general labour from East Stour, Dorset, but it was in the nearby town of Gillingham where the family were born and raised.

When Frederick completed his schooling, he also took up work as a labourer. In the autumn of 1908 he married Mary White. Born in Yeovil, Somerset, in 1885, she was working as a servant for draper Sidney Clement when the couple exchanged vows. They set up home on Milton Lane, Gillingham, and went on to have two children: Charles, born in 1909, and William, born in 1916.

Frederick had taken work as a gardener by the outbreak of war. He was called upon to play his part and, while full details of his service have been lost to time, it is clear that he had enlisted in the Army Service Corps no earlier than the spring of 1917.

Sent to Kent for his service with the No. 2 Horse Transport Depot Company, Driver Street fell ill with tetanus. He was admitted to the Brook War Hospital in Woolwich, but the condition would prove too severe. Frederick died on 29th October 1917: he was 34 years of age.

The body of Frederick Street was taken back to Dorset for burial: he was laid to rest in Gillingham Cemetery, not far from where his widow and children were still living. This was the second death in the family in six months, James Street having died in March: the location of his burial is unclear.

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

Stoker 1st Class Alexander Westgarth

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Stoker 1st Class Alexander Westgarth

Alexander McDougall Westgarth was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on the 28th June 1885. The middle of five children, and the only son, his parents were James and Janet Westgarth. James was a mariner, and the family moved to the village of Carlton Colville, on the outskirts of Lowestoft, Suffolk, in the late 1880s.

Alexander found work as a fitter’s apprentice when he finished school, but the sea was in his blood. Janet died in 1903, and by the time of the next census, taken in 1911, her son had enlisted in the Royal Navy and was a Stoker 1st Class. The document found him as part of the crew of the battleship HMS Russell, moored in a harbour on Malta.

On 31st October 1915, Alexander married Mabel Liffen. The daughter of a gas stoker, she also lived in Carlton Colville. She had a daughter, Irene, but there is no evidence that she was Alexander’s, nor that Mabel had a previous marriage.

At this point, Alexander’s trail goes cold. By the summer of 1917, he was based at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. It was a particularly overcrowded base by this point in the conflict, with the planned replacement crew for the sunk HMS Vanguard waiting for new assignments, and an outbreak of meningitis meaning space was at an absolute premium. In the midst of this, Stoker 1st Class Westgarth was billeted in temporary accommodation in the dockyard’s Drill Hall.

On the night of the 3rd September 1917, Chatham was hit by an unexpected German air raid. Two bombs landed squarely on the Drill, shattering its glass roof, and killing dozens of men. Stoker Westgarth was badly injured, and was rushed to the Royal Naval Hospital in the town. His injuries would prove fatal and he passed away the day after the attack: he was 32 years of age.

The body of Alexander McDougall Westgarth was taken back to Suffolk for burial: he was laid to rest in Kirkley Cemetery, Lowestoft.

[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, Lincolnshire, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, story, Trimmer, war

Trimmer John Venney

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Trimmer John Venney

The funeral of John William Venney (27), a trimmer in the minesweeping section of the RNR, who was one of the victims in the Chatham air raid, took place on Saturday afternoon with full naval honours. A contingent of men from the minesweepers formed an escort, and with the body resting on a gun-carriage, covered by the Union Jack, the cortege attracted a lot of sympathetic interest as is proceeded from deceased’s home, at No. 40 Elliston-street. A large number of people assembled at the cemetery, and, after the body had been committed to the grave, the naval firing party paid the last honours to their comrade. Deceased was one of a number of Grimsby men who were accommodated at Chatham. Several of them were killed but all, with the exception of Venney, were buried at Chatham.

[Grimsby News: Friday 14th September 1917]

John William Venney was born on 6th July 1890 in Grimsby, Lincolnshire. The oldest of eight children, of which five survived childhood, his parents were William and Ann Venney. William was a sailor, and, when he finished his schooling, John also went to sea, taking work as a ship’s fireman.

In 1914, John married Florence Johnson. There is little information about her life: she was born in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, in the summer of 1892, but there is no further documentation for her. The couple went on to have a daughter, Ivy, in October 1916.

By this point, war was raging across Europe, and John would be called upon to play his part. Assigned to the Royal Naval Reserve as a Trimmer, his service papers show that he was 5ft 6ins (1.67m) tall, with blue eyes and a sallow complexion.

Formally enlisted on 13th June 1917, Trimmer Venney spent the next three months at the Royal Navy’s shore bases in Chatham (HMS Pembroke) and Sheerness (HMS Actaeon), Kent. Pembroke was a particularly busy and overcrowded place at this point in the war, and John found himself billeted in temporary accommodation in the Drill Hall.

On the night of the 3rd September 1917, the German air raid carried out a bombing raid on the North Kent coast. Chatham found itself in the firing line, and the Drill Hall received two direct hits. Dozens of sleeping men died in the explosions that followed, Trimmer Venney among them. He was 27 years of age.

The body of John William Venney was taken back to Lincolnshire for burial. He was laid to rest in Cleethorpes 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.]

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, injury, Kent, killed in action, Monmouthshire, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, Wales, war

Ordinary Seaman William Sullivan

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Ordinary Seaman William Sullivan

William Edward Sullivan was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, on the 9th November 1898. He was one of seven children to John and Mary Sullivan. John was an iron dresser at a local foundry, but also worked as a grocer. The 1901 census found the family living at 15 Church Street, to the south of the town centre, but by 1911 they had moved to a larger property, 2 Scard Street.

When William finished his schooling, he took up work as a clerk. War broke out in the summer of 1914, and he would be called upon to play his part. On the 18th September 1916, he enlisted in the Royal Navy, taking the rank of Ordinary Seaman. His service papers show that he was 5ft 6.5ins (1.69m) tall, and that he had light brown hair, brown eyes and a fair complexion.

Ordinary Seaman Sullivan was sent to HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire, for his training. By the end of May 1917, however, he had been transferred to HMS Pembroke, which was also known as Chatham Dockyard.

The base was a busy and overcrowded place by this point in the war, with a number of factors leading to temporary accommodation being set up in the dockyard’s Drill Hall. This is where William, who appears to have been waiting for his first formal posting, was billeted.

On the 3rd September 1917, the German air force carried out a daring night time raid on the North Kent coast. Chatham was in the firing line, and two bombs scored direct hits on the Drill Hall. Its glass roof shattered, raining shards down on the sleeping men. Dozens were killed in the explosions, and tens more, including Ordinary Seaman Sullivan, were wounded.

William was taken to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham for treatment, but his wounds would prove to be too severe. He passed away on the 4th September 1917, aged just 18 years old.

The body of William Edward Sullivan was taken back to Wales for burial. He was laid to rest in St Woolos’ Cemetery, a short walk from where his family 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.]