Tag Archives: London Regiment

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, London, London Regiment, photography, Private, Rifleman, Somerset, story, Training Reserve Battalion, war

Private Harry Izzard

Leave a comment
Private Harry Izzard

Harry Izzard was born early in 1900, in Chiswick, London and was one of six children to Albert and Florence Izzard. Albert was a groom, but when he died in 1905, Florence, left with a young family to raise, remarried. Things seem not to have gone well between Harry and his stepfather, Richard Warren, and he soon found himself resident of the Church Army Home in London.

In 1914, his schooling complete, he was sent to the village of Clandown in Somerset, where he was employed at the local colliery. He seemed to have flourished in his new life, and he “made friends with all he came in contact with, being of a bright and cheerful disposition and associated with the football club, Wesleyan Young Men’s Bible Class and an ardent temperance worker.” [Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer: Friday 26th April 1918]

Harry was one of the village’s batch of miners passed for the Army ballot, but seemed eager not to wait to be officially called up. On the day of the ballot, he instead joined up voluntarily, enlisting in the 86th Training Reserve Battalion.

On enlistment he was sent to Clipstone Camp, Notts, where he quickly made friends. He, however, was placed on the sick list… and underwent [an] operation for appendicitis from which operation he never recovered.

Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer: Friday 26th April 1918

Private Izzard died on 20th April 1918, aged just 19 years old, a life of new promise cut tragically short. His connection with Clandown, and his disconnection from his family in London, was such that his body was brought back to Somerset for burial.

Harry Izzard was laid to rest in the quiet Holy Trinity Churchyard, his sister Mabel being the only family member represented at the service.

Harry’s older brother Herbert Izzard also served in the army. He had found work as a laundry labourer when he left school, and went on to marry Maud Woodage on 14th February 1915. The couple had a daughter, Winifred, later that year.

Herbert enlisted in the London Regiment as a Rifleman, and was assigned to the 17th Battalion, also known as the Poplar and Stepney Rifles. He soon found himself in France and was killed at the Somme on 19th April 1916. He is buried at the Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery in Souchez.

Tragically, Herbert’s widow died in Oxfordshire in December 1918, leaving young Winifred an orphan at just three years old. She went on to live a long life, dying in 1997, at the age of 81.

Commonwealth War Graves, Essex, Great War, history, injury, London Regiment, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war

Private George Woodforde

Leave a comment
Private George Woodforde

George Augustus Woodforde was born on 21st April 1892 in Leyton, Essex. He was one of six children to George and Harriet Woodforde, although, tragically, George had died shortly before his son was born.

George Sr had been born in Ansford, Castle Cary, Somerset and this is where he was laid to rest. He was a theological student in his twenties and, according to the 1891 census, he was living on his own means. This is something that Harriet was fortunate enough to be able to do once she was widowed.

George Jr studied into his late teens and, by the time war was declared in 1914, he was employed as a schoolmaster. He enlisted in April 1916, but was not mobilised until 17th November 1917. He served as part of the 28th Battalion (Artists’ Rifles) of the London Regiment and his records show that he was 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall and was of a slight build, weighing in at only 110lbs (50kg).

Private Woodforde soon found himself in France, and fought on the front line for a while. He was caught up in the Battle of the Canal du Nord in late September 1918, and was badly wounded. He was medically evacuated to England, and admitted to the East Leeds War Hospital. He had received gunshot wounds to both thighs and feet, and had fractured the tarsal and metatarsals of his right foot.

Private Woodforde’s left leg became infected, and he then developed double pneumonia. It was this lung condition that he was to succumb to: he passed away at the hospital on 11th November 1918 – Armistice Day. He was just 26 years of age.

George Augustus Woodforde was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Andrew’s Church in Ansford, Somerset, close to where his father had been buried all those years before.

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

Private Thomas Rice

Leave a comment
Private Thomas Rice

Thomas Merrall Rice was born on 4th January 1894, one of thirteen children to William and Martha. William was from Northamptonshire, but it was in Bearsted, near Martha’s home town of Maidstone, where the couple raised their family.

Little detail of Thomas’ early life remains. What is clear is that, by the summer of 1916, he was living in Plumstead, South East London and was working as a valet. He had met Annie Jane Rix by this point, and the couple married on 17th June 1916 at All Saints Church in Plumstead.

Thomas was called up for military duty not long after this and, on 1st November 1916, he enlisted in the 14th Battalion of the London Regiment, also known as the London Scottish. His service records show very specifically (although seemingly incorrectly) that he was 25 years and 300 days old. It was also noted that he stood 5ft 5.5ins (1.64m) tall and was, by this time, employed as an explosives worker at Woolwich Arsenal.

After his initial training, Private Rice was sent to France at the end of May 1917. His service overseas was not to be a long one, as, within a couple of months, his battalion had been the victims of a gas attack. Thomas was admitted to a field hospital but quickly developed pleurisy and tuberculosis, and was medically evacuated back to Britain in August, and discharged from the army as no longer fit for active duty just a couple of months later.

His failing health meant that Thomas was not able to actively work, and it seems that he had moved out of London and back to his family’s home on the outskirts of Maidstone. It is unclear whether Annie went with him, but, as they had a son, Albert, who had been born shortly before he was sent to France, it seems likely that they would have moved as a family unit.

William, Thomas’ father, died in the summer of 1919, and was laid to rest in the graveyard of Holy Cross Church, Bearsted. Sadly, Thomas was to follow him, passing away on 15th January 1920, a victim of the lung conditions that had dogged him since France. He had just turned 26 years of age.

Thomas Merrall Rice was laid to rest alongside his father in the quiet Holy Cross Churchyard.

Private Thomas Rice
(from findagrave.com)
accident, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, Lieutenant, London Regiment, Middlesex, photography, Royal Air Force, story, war

Lieutenant Noel Perris

Leave a comment
Lieutenant Noel Perris

Noel Felix Perris was born early in 1894 in Chiswick, London and was the oldest of three children to George and Mary Perris. George was from Liverpool, and he and Yorkshire-born Mary made the move to south in the late 1880s.

Noel went on to study science at school, but when war broke out, he clearly felt a duty to play his part. George used his writing skills to become a war correspondent with the French army, while his son joined the 2nd London Regiment.

Quickly promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, Noel served in France and Egypt. In 1916, he was badly injured at Hébuterne, to the south of Arras, and returned to England to recuperate. When he had recovered, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, subsequently gaining his wings in the newly-formed Royal Air Force.

Lieutenant Perris was based in Kent as part of 143 Squadron. On the morning of 20th July 1918, he took off from Detling Airfield as part of a normal patrol flight. His aircraft – a single-seater RAF SE5a – collided with another plane, piloted by Lieutenant Thomas Wright, and both crashed to the ground in flames. Both piloted were killed on impact.

An inquest found that the cause of the pilots demise was accidental death. Lieutenant Perris was just 24 years old.

Thomas Wright’s body was taken home to Fleetwood, Lancashire, for burial. Noel Felix Perris was laid to rest in the quiet graveyard of St Martin’s Church in Detling, not far from the base.

Lieutenant Noel Perris
(from findagrave.com)

The epitaph on Noel’s headstone comes from Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Knight’s Tale.

He was a verray parfit gentil knight

A modern day translation might be “He was a true, perfect knight of noble character.”

Commonwealth War Graves, Egypt, Great War, history, illness, London Regiment, Malta, photography, Rifleman, Somerset, story, unknown, war

Rifleman Edward Drewett

Leave a comment
Rifleman Edward Drewett

Edward Phillips Drewett was born on 22nd September 1893 in the Somerset town of Castle Cary. He was one of four children to Richard and Martha Drewett; his mother had been widowed before marrying Richard, and had a child from that marriage, Edward’s half-sister.

Richard was a solicitor’s clerk, but when he left school Edward found employment as a grocer’s assistant. It was this that he was doing when war broke out in 1914 and, in November 1915, he joined up to do his bit for King and Country.

Edward joined the 17th Battalion of the London Regiment as a Rifleman: his service records show that he stood 5ft 7.5ins (1.71m) tall, weighed in at 9st (57.2kg) and was of good physical development.

Rifleman Drewett ended up spending three-and-a-half years in the army, and travelled a lot. After nine months on home soil, he was sent to France, Salonika, Malta and Egypt, spending between four and nine months in each place. By July 1918, he was back in France, and by Christmas that year was on home soil again.

By this point, Rifleman Drewett was unwell, and suffering from nephritis – inflamed kidneys. The condition was severe enough for him to be stood down from the army, and he was formally discharged from military service on 31st March 1919, while admitted to the Bath War Hospital.

At this point, Edward’s trail goes cold. He passed away on 28th August 1919 and, while the cause is unclear, it seems likely to have been kidney-related. He was just 25 years of age.

Edward Phillips Drewett was laid to rest in the cemetery of his home town, Castle Cary.

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

Private John Lake

Leave a comment
Private John Lake

John Walker Lake was born in Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the spring of 1892, the only child of estate manager and auctioneer Percy Lake and his wife Elizabeth.

John’s mother passed away in 1900, when he was only eight years old, and details of his early life are hard to come by. However, by the time of the 1911 census, he had left school and enrolled in a mining college in Guston, near Dover, Kent.

When war broke out, John was quick to enlist. He joined the London Regiment on 18th September 1914, and was assigned to the 2nd/23rd Battalion. His service records show that he stood 5ft 8ins (1.72m) tall, had light hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.

Private Lake was not to remain in the army for long. Within weeks of joining, he contracted tuberculosis and, on 22nd February 1915, after just 158 days, he was discharged from service as being no longer medically fit for duty.

At this point, John’s trail goes cold. He initially returned to live with his father in Eastbourne. By the autumn of 1918, however, he was in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, probably for health reasons.

The tuberculosis got the better of John Walker Lake, however; he passed away on 20th October 1918, at the age of 26 years old. He was laid to rest in the Milton Road Cemetery in Weston-super-Mare.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, London, London Regiment, photography, Rifleman, story, war

Rifleman Horace Thompson

Leave a comment
Rifleman Horace Thompso

Horace Douglas Thompson was born in Camberwell, East London on 23rd April 1898. He was the oldest of four children – and the only boy – to Horace and Elizabeth Thompson. Horace Sr was a grocer’s packer, originally from the village of Gissing in Norfolk.

Details of Horace Jr’s early life are a little sketchy, but it seems that by some point after the 1911 census, both of his parents had died, and he was fostered by his aunt and uncle – Charlotte and Robert Thompson – who lives in Leytonstone. By this point, he was working as a doctor’s errand boy.

When war broke out, Horace was keen to play his part. He enlisted in the 6th Battalion of the London Regiment – also known as the City of London Rifles – towards the end of 1916. It is unclear whether Rifleman Thompson saw any action overseas, but in April 1917 he was admitted to the Voluntary Aid Detachment Hospital in Newton Abbot, Devon, suffering from acute gastritis, or appendicitis.

Sadly, Rifleman Horace Douglas Thompson was to succumb to the condition – he passed away at the hospital on 16th April 1917. He was laid to rest in Newton Abbot Cemetery; he was days short of his 19th birthday.

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

Private Bertram Coates

Leave a comment
Private Bertram Coates

Bertram Noel Coates was born in the sleepy Somerset village of Walton-in-Gordano in the spring of 1890. He was the middle of three children to Herbert and Florence Coates. Herbert was a solicitor, and clerical work seemed to have been in the Coates blood.

While he did not follow in his father’s exact footsteps, by the time of the 1911 census, Bertram had found work as a bank clerk, and was boarding with his employer, James Barry, in Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire.

Bertram was obviously made very welcome in Chipping Sodbury, as, on 27th May 1914, he married his employer’s daughter, Mary Barry. The couple would go on to have a daughter – Eileen – who was born in February 1916.

By the time of his wedding, Bertram had moved to London, and was working as a bank clerk in South Woodford, so was obviously showing an ambitious streak.

War was beckoning, however, and in December 1915, Bertram enlisted. Placed in the Army Reserve, he was finally mobilised in January 1917, and assigned to the 28th Battalion of the London Regiment, which was also known as the Artists Rifles.

Tragically, Private Coates’ military service was to be a short one. While training, he contracted measles, which turned septic with additional complications. He sadly passed away on 31st March 1917, less than three months after being mobilised. He was just 27 years old.

Bertram Noel Coates was brought back to Somerset. He lies at peace in the churchyard of St Mary’s in Walton Clevedon, near his parents’ home in Somerset.

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

Private Percy Westcott

Leave a comment
Private Percy Westcott

Percy George Westcott was born at the end of 1877, the eldest of six children to George and Elizabeth Wescott. George was a police constable, and brought the family up in the Somerset town of Frome.

After leaving school, Percy sought a trade and, by 1901, was living in the East End of London, working as a wheelwright, work he continued with until the start of the war.

In November 1911, Percy married Annie Maria Meineke, a widow with a young son. The couple set up home in Clapton, East London.

War was on the horizon, however, and Percy was keen to enlist. He volunteered for the Army Service Corps at the beginning of June 1915. His application was turned down, however, and the reason for his discharge given was “Not being likely to become an efficient soldier”.

Percy appears to have been undeterred, however, and by September 1915 had enlisted successfully. He joined the London Regiment as a Private, but this is as much as is documented about his military service.

Private Westcott’s next appearance in records is on the Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects. This confirms that he had served in the 3rd/10th Battalion, which was a territorial force. The document also identifies that he passed away on 20th March 1916, at the age of 38.

While a cause of death is not noted, the location given – the London Asylum, Colney Hatch – is perhaps more significant. As the name suggests, this was a mental health facility; which gives an indication as to the Private Westcott’s state at the time of his passing.

While Percy’s widow was still living in London, his body was taken back to Somerset to be laid to rest. Percy George Westcott is buried in St James’ Cemetery in Taunton, where his parents lived.

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

Private Herbert Spiller

Leave a comment
Private Herbert Spiller

Herbert George Spiller was born in 1881, the second of four children to George and Emily Spiller. George was a timber merchant and ironmonger, born in Taunton, Somerset, who raised his family in his home town.

When Herbert left school, he found work as a clerk in a solicitor’s office, and this was the trade he followed, eventually becoming a solicitor in his own right.

In March 1907, he married Winifred Lewis, an outfitter’s daughter, and the couple soon emigrated, arriving in Perth, Australia, later that year. They had two children in Australia; a son, who sadly passed as a babe in arms, and a daughter. Within three years, however, the Spillers were back living in England again and went on to have four further children, three of whom survived infancy.

War had arrived, and Herbert enlisted on 11th December 1915, but was initially placed as a reserve. He was finally called to do his duty for King and country on 6th September 1917 and joined the 28th Battalion of the London Regiment. After initial training, Private Spiller was sent out to the Front, arriving in France in April 1918.

Herbert was back on home soil after three months, suffering from albuminaria (a disease of the kidneys) and served in territorial depots until he was demobbed in December 1918.

At this point, Herbert disappears from the records. It seems likely that his illness was the cause of his passing, but this cannot be confirmed. Either way, Herbert George Spiller died on 7th May 1920, at the age of 39 years old. He lies at rest in the St James Cemetery in his home town of Taunton, Somerset.

Please note: While Private Spiller was afforded a Commonwealth War Grave, his exact burial location is not identifiable. The image at the top of this post, therefore, is of the other family graves in the cemetery.

Herbert Spiller (from findagrave.com)