Tag Archives: Kent

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

Leading Stoker Percy Moore

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Leading Stoker Percy Moore

Percy Edwin Moore was born on 14th April 1889, one of nine children to farrier Charles Moore and his wife, Eliza. Both of Percy’s parents were from West London, and the family was raised on the border between Kensington and Hammersmith.

When Percy left school he found work as a builder’s labourer, but he was drawn to bigger things and, in 1909, he joined the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class. His service records show that he stood 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall, had light brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion. He had a scar above his right eye, and a tattoo on each arm.

Percy’s sense of adventure seemed to have been kindled in his earlier years; the tattoo on his right arm was a depiction of Buffalo Bill Cody, the American showman who brought the Wild West to England in the early 1900s. Young Percy’s interest was obviously piqued early on.

Stoker Moore’s first posting was on board HMS Acheron. In the years leading up to the war, he served on six further vessels, returning to HMS Pembroke – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – in between voyages. During this time, he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class for his work.

It was during one of these pauses, in August 1913, that he married Annie Eliza Wells, a labourer’s daughter from Kensington. There honeymoon was brief – just five days after they married, Percy was back at sea.

When war was declared, Stoker Moore was assigned to the battleship HMS Triumph. She served in the Mediterranean, seeing action early on in the Gallipoli campaign. After a short spell back in Chatham, he transferred to HMS Tyne, a depot ship, and received a promotion to Acting Leading Stoker.

By the summer of 1917, Percy was back at HMS Pembroke. The base was overly busy that summer, and he was billeted in temporary accommodation in the town’s Drill Hall.

On the 3rd September 1917, the first night air raid carried out by the German Air Force scored a direct hit on the barracks and Drill Hall; Acting Leading Stoker Moore was killed instantly. He was just 28 years old.

Percy Edwin Moore was laid to rest, along with the other victims of the Chatham Air Raid, in the Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham.

Canada, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, Seaman, story, war

Seaman Francis Crocker

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Seaman Francis Crocker

Francis Thomas Crocker was born on 5th February 1895 to Job and Irene Crocker. One of eleven children, the family were born and raised in the small Newfoundland town of Trout River.

Sadly, there is little documentation about Francis’ life. What is clear, however, is that, when war broke out, he volunteered for the Royal Naval Reserve.

By 1917, Seaman Crocker was based at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. The base was overly busy that summer, and Frances was billeted in temporary accommodation in the town’s Drill Hall.

On the 3rd September 1917, the first night air raid carried out by the German Air Force scored a direct hit on the barracks and Drill hall; Seaman Crocker was killed instantly. He was just 21 years old.

Francis Thomas Crocker was laid to rest, along with the other victims of the Chatham Air Raid, in the Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, some 2500 miles (4000km) from his Canadian home.

Commonwealth War Graves, County Durham, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, Uncategorized, war, Yorkshire

Stoker 1st Class Joseph Beha

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Stoker 1st Class Joseph Beha

Joseph Beha was born on 16th June 1891, in the Yorkshire town of Whitby. He was the middle of five children to Joseph and Alice Beha, and had a half-sister, through his mother’s previous relationship.

Joseph Sr was a labourer in the local shipyard, and the family had moved to Hartlepool by the time his son had reached 10 years old. The sea had a definite draw for Joseph Jr, and by his twentieth birthday he had enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class.

The service records show Joseph Jr stood 5ft 3.5ins (1.61m) tall, had brown eyes, dark hair and a fresh complexion. His land base was HMS Pembroke, the alternative name for the Royal Naval Dockyard at Chatham, Kent, and it was here that he received his initial six months’ training.

Stoker Beha’s first sea posting was HMS Falmouth, a light cruiser, on board which he served for more than eighteen months, gaining a promotion to Stoker 1st Class in the process. Over the next few years, he was posted to two further ships and, by the time the First World War broke out, was serving on the armoured cruiser HMS Lancaster.

While his record suggests he was of generally good character, Joseph’s time was totally without blemish. He served time in the cells on three separate occasions – for five days in 1913, fourteen days in 1915 and ten days in 1917 – although no evidence of his misdemeanours remains.

The summer of 1917, found Stoker Beha back on dry land in Chatham. HMS Pembroke was a particularly busy place at that point in the war and temporary accommodation was set up. Joseph found himself billeted at The Drill Hall, away from the main barracks.

On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line, as the German Air Force launched a bombing raid. One of the bombs landed squarely on the Drill Hall, and Stoker Beha was killed instantly. He was just 26 years old.

Ninety-eight servicemen perished during the Chatham Air Raid that night. They were buried in a mass funeral at the Woodlands Cemetery in nearby Gillingham. This, too, is where Joseph Beha was laid to rest.

Stoker 1st Class Joseph Beha
(from Chatham Air Raid, Vol. 2 by Marcus Bedingfield)
Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class Joseph Brightwell

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Stoker 1st Class Joseph Brightwell

Joseph Clarence Henry Brightwell was born in Greenwich, Kent, on 4th August 1894. He was one of eight children to Norfolk-born Charles Brightwell and his wife, Ellen. Charles was originally a builder in the nearby Woolwich Dockyard. The 1911 census, however, shows that he had changed career completely, and was working as a hotel cook.

The same document records that only the three youngest children of the family – Joseph included – remained living in the family home; the youngest, Rosetta, was still at school. Joseph, the next oldest, was employed as a milk boy, while his older brother, Edward, was working as a butcher’s boy.

Joseph was set on a life of adventure. By the next year, he had found work as a kitchen hand – possibly in the same hotel as his father – but, like Charles, a different career beckoned.

On 9th September 1912, Joseph enlisted as a Stoker 2nd Class in the Royal Navy. His service records show that he enlisted for the standard twelve-year term. He stood 5ft 2ins (1.57m) tall, had brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.

Stoker Brightwell was primarily based at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. After his initial four-months’ training period, he was assigned to his first ship, the battlecruiser HMS Indomitable. He spent three years aboard, reaching the rank of Stoker 1st Class, before returning to Chatham and transferring to HMS Africa. Joseph spent nine months on board the battleship, which ploughed the waters of the South Atlantic, protecting the convoys.

By the spring of 1917, Stoker Brightwell was back at HMS Pembroke, and it was here that he spent the summer. The base was a particularly busy place at that point in the war and temporary accommodation was set up. Joseph found himself billeted at Chatham Drill Hall, away from the main barracks.

On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line, as the German Air Force launched a bombing raid. One of the bombs landed squarely on the Drill Hall, and Stoker Brightwell was killed. He was just 23 years old.

Ninety-eight servicemen perished during the Chatham Air Raid that night. They were buried in a mass funeral at the Woodlands Cemetery in nearby Gillingham. This, too, is where Joseph Clarence Henry Brightwell was laid to rest.

Commonwealth War Graves, Engineman, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, story, Suffolk, war

Engineman Thomas Cropley

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Engineman Thomas Cropley

Thomas Samuel Cropley was born on 16th November 1882 in the Suffolk village of Mutford. The fifth of eight children, his parents were Robert and Hannah Cropley. Given Mutford’s proximity to the Hundred River Hundred and the coastal town of Lowestoft, it is little surprise that Thomas’ father was a ropemaker. Hannah was also employed, the 1901 census recording her as a monthly nurse – helping women during the month after childbirth.

Thomas’ location to the coast made fishing an ideal choice of work for him, and when he left school he followed his three older brothers into the trade. Indeed, he listed his trade as a deep sea fisherman on his marriage records.

As a young man, he had met bricklayer’s daughter Edith Tuttle, and they tied the knot on 29th May 1906. The couple set up home in Factory Street, Lowestoft, and went on to have seven children.

Sadly, little information on Thomas’ wartime service remains documented. His knowledge of boats and the sea made the navy an obvious option for him, and he enlisted in the Royal Naval Reserve.

Engineman Cropley was assigned to HMS Pembroke – this Royal Naval Dockyard at Chatham in Kent. While it is likely that he served on ships as well, this is certainly the base to which he returned.

Thomas found himself based here in the summer of 1917, which was a particularly busy place at that point in the war. Additional accommodation was desperately needed and he found himself billeted at Chatham Drill Hall, away from the main barracks.

By 1917, the German Air Force had suffered huge losses during the daylight bombing raids it had been undertaking. It was imperative for them to minimise these losses, and so a new tactic – night time raids – was employed.

The first trial of this approach was on the night of 3rd September 1917, and Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line, startlingly unready and fundamentally unprotected. One of the German bombers landed a direct hit on the Drill Hall, and Engineman Cropley was killed. He was just 34 years old.

Ninety-eight servicemen perished during the Chatham Air Raid that night. They were buried in a mass funeral at the Woodlands Cemetery in nearby Gillingham. This, too, is where Thomas Samuel Cropley was laid to rest.

The lives of Thomas’ family outlines a lot about living conditions in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with a large number of his relatives dying young.

His father was 68 when he died in 1916; Hannah had passed away fourteen years before, when she was 56 years old. Of his siblings, two did not survive childhood, one died their 20s, one was aged 40, while three reached their late sixties.

Thomas’ widow died in 1921, at the age of 35; their two youngest children died before their first birthdays. Of the other five, one was 31 when he died, while the others lived much longer – one was in their mid-70s, two in their eighties, and the oldest reached her hundredth birthday. A varied legacy indeed.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, London, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Ordinary Seaman Robert Smith

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Ordinary Seaman Robert Smith

Robert Frederick Sydney Smith was born on 24th July 1889 in Peckham, London. One of seven children, his parents were Robert Smith – a tailor and draper – and his wife Ada.

Little more information is available on Robert Jr’s early life. He married Alice Brookman, a leatherworker’s daughter, on 3rd September 1911, and was, by this time, working as a bank clerk. The couple went on to have three children: Sidney, Eileen and Ronald.

War was on the horizon and, at Robert was soon called up. His service records are dated 31st January 1917, and note that he stood 5ft 5.5ins (1.66m) tall, had brown hair, brown eyes and a medium complexion.

Robert was employed as an Ordinary Seaman, and was initially posted to HMS Pembroke, the shore-based establishment at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. After a few weeks, he was posted to HMS Crescent, a cruiser that served in the North Sea.

After six months at sea, Ordinary Seaman Smith landed back in Kent. HMS Pembroke was a busy place at that point in the war, and additional accommodation was desperately needed. Robert found himself billeted at Chatham Drill Hall, away from the main barracks.

At this point in the war, the German Air Force had been suffering huge losses during the daylight bombing raids it had been undertaking. It was imperative for them to minimise these losses, and so a new tactic – night time raids – was employed.

The first trial of this approach was on the night of 3rd September 1917, and Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line, startlingly unready and fundamentally unprotected. One of the German bombs landed a direct hit on the Drill Hall, and Ordinary Seaman Smith was killed. He was just 28 years old.

Ninety-eight servicemen perished during the Chatham Air Raid that night. They were buried in a mass funeral at the Woodlands Cemetery in nearby Gillingham. This, too, is where Robert Frederick Sydney Smith was laid to rest.

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

Leading Stoker William Osborne

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Leading Stoker William Osborne

William Alfred Osborne was born in Islington, London, on 22nd August 1892. Sadly, this is where any concrete information on his early life – including his family – ends.

The only firm document available is William’s naval service records. This gives the date and location of his birth and also some physical details. He was 5ft 3ins (1.59m) tall, had brown hair, grey eyes (with a scar above his left one) and a fair complexion.

William enlisted in the Royal Navy on 11th May 1911, and was given the rank of Stoker 2nd Class. He was initially stationed at HMS Pembroke – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – where he spent a total of five months.

Weeks into his service in Chatham, he was put in the cells for seven days; it is not clear what misdemeanour he had committed, but the punishment this early on into his career seemed to have done the job, as the remainder of his service appears unblemished.

In October 1911, Stoker Osborne was given his first ocean-based posting. He was assigned to the battlecruiser HMS Inflexible on board which he served for nearly six years. During this time, he was given two promotions, to Stoker 1st Class in May 1912, and Leading Stoker four years later.

The Inflexible initially served in the Mediterranean, although during William’s time on board, she was involved in the Battle of the Falklands in the South Atlantic, the Dardanelles Campaign in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Battle of Jutland in the North Sea.

By the summer of 1917, Leading Stoker Osborne was back on home soil, stationed at HMS Pembroke. The Dockyard was a busy place at that point in the war, and additional accommodation was desperately needed. William found himself billeted at Chatham Drill Hall, away from the main barracks.

At this point in the war, the German Air Force had been suffering huge losses during the daylight bombing raids it had been undertaking. It was imperative for them to minimise these losses, and so a new tactic – night time raids – was employed.

The first trial of this approach was on the night of 3rd September 1917, and Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line, startling unready and fundamentally unprotected. One of the German bombs landed a direct hit on the Drill Hall, and Leading Stoker Osborne was killed. He was just 25 years old.

Ninety-eight servicemen perished during the Chatham Air Raid that night. They were buried in a mass funeral at the Woodlands Cemetery in nearby Gillingham. This, too, is where William Alfred Osborne was laid to rest.

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

Stoker 1st Class Alfred Andrews

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Stoker 1st Class Alfred Andrews

Alfred Andrews was born on 23rd August 1897, one of eleven children to George and Louisa Andrews. George was a bricklayer and labourer from Sussex, who had met and married Folkestone-born Louisa and moved to the Kent town.

When Alfred left school, he found similar employment to his father. He wanted bigger and better things, however, and 5th November 1913 he signed up for the Royal Navy.

Alfred’s service papers show that, at the time of enlisting, he stood 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall, had brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion. It also shows that he gave his year of birth as 1895 – this suggested to the authorities that he was 18 years old, and therefore old enough to join up.

Stoker 2nd Class Andrews’ first posting was HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. He spent nearly five months there being trained, before being given his first ocean-going posting aboard the battleship HMS Vanguard.

When war was declared, Vanguard was involved in activity in the North Sea, conducting drills and patrolling the waters off the Shetland and Orkney Coasts. By the time Stoker Andrews returned to Kent, he had been on board for more than a year, and had received a promotion to Stoker 1st Class.

Over the next couple of years, Alfred served on two more ships – HMS Daffodil and HMS Hebe. In between assignments, he was based at HMS Pembroke, and it was here that he found himself in the summer of 1917.

That summer was particularly busy for HMS Pembroke; when the barracks there became full, Chatham Drill Hall was used as temporary accommodation and this is where Stoker Andrews found himself billeted.

The German Air Force was suffering significant losses during the daylight raids it carried out. In an attempt to stem the flow of casualties, the decision was taken to trial night time raids and, on 3rd September 1917, Chatham found itself in their line of fire. The Drill Hall that Stoker Andrews was sleeping in received a direct hit, and he was killed. He was just 20 years old.

The 98 servicemen who perished during the Chatham Air Raid that night were laid to rest in the Woodlands Cemetery in nearby Gillingham. This, too, is where Alfred Andrews was buried.

While researching Alfred’s life, it became evident that his older brother, Ernest, died in 1915. Wondering is this was another war-related death in the family, I dug a little deeper into his life.

Ernest George Andrews was born in Folkestone in 1883 and was the oldest of George and Louisa’s children. Like his younger brother, he too enlisted in the armed forces, joining the Royal Garrison Artillery in 1899, at the tender age of 16. Over the following decade, he served all over the world, at bases in Malta, South Africa and India.

Ernest would have cut a domineering figure – he stood at 6ft (1.83m) tall, and had a number of tattoos – clasped hands, men and women on his left forearm and a heart and birds on the right.

By 1910, Lance Corporal Andrew’s initial term of service and he re-enlisted. Based on home soil this time, he was barracked in Aldershot, Hampshire. His time in the army was not faultless, and there are a couple of occasions – while abroad and back at home – where he was pulled up for being drunk on duty, or for disobeying orders.

A further example of the man Ernest had become, led to his discharge from the army on 6th April 1912. This was the date on which he was sentenced to five years’ penal servitude for ‘feloniously and violently ravishing one Jane Kennedy’ [British Army War Records].

I have not been able to find any further information on the incident, which had happened a couple of months earlier, but it seems that Ernest served his time, and then returned to his home town in Kent. His trail goes quiet at this point, and he died on 21st August 1915, at the age of 32. He was buried in his home town.

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

Stoker 1st Class John Hammond

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Stoker 1st Class John Hammond

John William Hammond was born on 24th March 1899 in the Kent coastal town of Gravesend. One of eight children, his parents were James (who was known as Robert) and Margaret Hammond. Robert had been an army man all his life: by the time John was born, he had retired from the Royal Field Artillery and was supporting his family with his Corporal’s pension.

The 1911 census records the family of nine as living in a small terraced house on the outskirts of Gravesend. Robert had found employment as a customs watcher (or collector).

When he left school, John found work at the docks, labouring to bring in some extra money for the family. By this time, war had been declared, and, keen to do his bit for King and Country, on 13th January 1916 he volunteered for the Royal Navy as a Stoker.

John’s enlistment papers give a little more insight into him. He was recorded as standing 5ft 6.5ins (1.69m) tall, with brown hair, blue-grey eyes and a fresh complexion. His was noted as having vaccination marks on his left arm and a scar on his left knee. But the most telling part of his service papers is that he gives his year of birth as 1897: he was sixteen years old – and underage – when he joined up, so adding two years to his age ensured he was accepted.

Stoker 2nd Class Hammond’s first posting was just down the coast at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham. He spent five months there, learning his trade, before being given his first ocean-going assignment.

John’s first ship was the battleship HMS Swiftsure which, over the next eleven months, acted as convoy support for the Atlantic shipping lanes. By the time he arrived back in Kent in April 1917, John had travelled to and from Africa and had been promoted to Stoker 1st Class.

Back at HMS Pembroke, Stoker Hammond had had an unblemished record. This changed when, in August he was detained for 21 days, although his misdemeanour is not clear.

During that summer of 1917, the Naval Dockyard was a busy place. When its barracks reached capacity, Chatham Drill Hall was called into use as temporary accommodation and, having been released from detention, this is where John found himself billeted.

The German Air Force was suffering significant losses during the daylight raids it carried out. In an attempt to stem the flow of casualties, the decision was taken to trial night time raids and, on 3rd September 1917, Chatham found itself in their line of fire. The Drill Hall that Stoker Hammond was sleeping in received a direct hit, and he was killed. He was just 18 years old.

The 98 servicemen who perished during the Chatham Air Raid that night were laid to rest in the Woodlands Cemetery in nearby Gillingham. This, too, is where John William Hammond was buried.

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

Ordinary Telegraphist Jack Nicholson

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Ordinary Telegraphist Jack Nicholson

Jack Nicholson was born on 23rd August 1893. There is very little documentation on his life, although the following can be pieced together.

Jack was called up for military service on 22nd March 1916, at which point he was working as a music hall artist. His service records show that he stood 5ft 11.5ins (1.82m) tall, had dark brown hair, brown eyes and a sallow complexion.

Jack enlisted in the Royal Navy as an Ordinary Seaman, and was assigned to HMS Victory in Portsmouth. After a couple of months he was promoted to Able Seaman and, by March 1917, he had been reassigned, to HMS Vivid in Plymouth. By this point he had taken on a specific role with the navy, and alongside Able Seaman, held the rank of Ordinary Telegraphist.

Within a matter of months, Jack was on the move again, this time to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. HMS Pembroke – as it was also known – was a busy place during that summer of 1917, and, with its barracks having reached capacity, Jack found himself billeted at Chatham Drill Hall, which was being used as temporary accommodation.

At this point in the war, the German Air Force was aiming to minimise the losses it was suffering during daylight raids. It began trialling bombing raids at night and, on 3rd September 1917, Chatham found itself in their line of fire. The Drill Hall Ordinary Telegraphist Nicholson was sleeping in received a direct hit, and he was killed. He was just 24 years old.

Jack Nicholson was buried alongside the other 97 victims of the Chatham Air Raid. He lies at rest in the Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the Royal Naval Dockyard in neighbouring Chatham.