Tag Archives: London

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, injury, Kent, London, photography, Private, Royal West Kent Regiment, story, Surrey, war

Private Robert Hawes

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Private Robert Hawes

Robert Hawes was born early in 1891 in Rochester, Kent. One of twins, his parents Henry and Alice had six children in all. Sadly, two of their children, including Robert’s twin, Edward, died early.

Henry was a bricklayer, and the 1891 census found the family living in rooms at 26 John Street, to the south of the town centre. This was a road they would know well, and the following return, taken in 1901, found them living two doors down, at No. 22.

When Robert completed his schooling, he found work as a general labourer for a wine and spirit merchant. By 1911, the Hawes family had relocated to 171 Rochester Avenue. Just one road from their previous home, this move afforded the seven of them more space.

War broke out in the summer of 1914, and Robert stepped up to play his part. Leaving his job as a cellarman, he enlisted on 11th December 1915, and, as a Private, was assigned to the Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). His medical report notes that he was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, and had slight varicose veins to his right knee.

Initially attached to the 12th (Reserve) Battalion, by the summer of 1916 Private Hawes had been transferred to the 7th (Service) Battalion and sent to France. His unit was deeply ensconced at the Somme, and Robert was wounded during the opening day of the Battle of Ancre Heights.

Robert’s injury – a gun shot wound to the head – meant he was medically evacuated to Britain, and he was admitted to King George’s Hospital, London. Despite the treatment he received, his condition would prove too severe: Private Hawes passed away on 13th February 1917, at the age of 26 years old.

The body of Robert Hawes was taken back to Kent for burial, and he was laid to rest in St Margaret’s Cemetery, Rochester.

Robert’s older brother, Harry, had also served in the First World War. Attached to the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Private H Hawes was killed on the first day of the Battle of Loos: he was 30 years of age.

Harry Henry Hawes is commemorated on the Loos Memorial at Dud Corner Cemetery, France.

By the time of Robert’s death, Henry and Alice had lost all three of their sons.

Air Mechanic, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, London, Middlesex, photography, Royal Air Force, story, suicide, Surrey, war

Air Mechanic 2nd Class Thomas Dignam

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Air Mechanic 2nd Class Thomas Dignam

A verdict of “Suicide during temporary insanity” was returned at a Westminster inquest on Thomas Patrick Edgerton Dignam, aged 28, a second-class air mechanic in the Royal Flying Corps.

The evidence was to the effect that Dignam’s final leave expired on the night of November 22. He and his wife got into a taxicab near the Law Courts, telling the driver to take them to their home in Pimlico. Dignam, however, altered his mind, and in the Strand bade his wife good-bye, saying he would drive straight to Waterloo. When his wife had gone, he again told the driver to take him to Pimlico. On the way he shot himself through the head with a service revolver. The only explanation of the tragedy was that Dignam might have been depressed as the result of influenza.

[Illustrated Police News: Thursday 30th November 1916]

Much of the life of Thomas Patrick Edgerton Dignam is a challenge to piece together. His service records suggest that he was born in the Ancoats area of Manchester, Lancashire, but give no indication as to his parents.

Thomas enlisted on 2nd July 1916, joining the Royal Flying Corps as an Air Mechanic 2nd Class. His service papers show that, at 32 years of age, he stood 5ft 10.5ins (1.79m) tall. Living at 83 Alderney Street, South Belgravia, Middlesex, he had given up his job as an NT Driver, privately employed to transport goods or people around the area. His papers show that he was married, having exchanged vows with Elinore Essex on 9th December 1915.

Air Mechanic Dignam was sent to Farnborough, Hampshire, for his training. However, from the start things went awry. On 26th August 1916 he went absent without leave, and was only apprehended back in Pimlico some three weeks later. Tried for desertion, Thomas was sentenced to 14 days’ detention, returning to duty on 26th October.

Given leave towards the end of November, the pressure of returning to base seemed to have proved too much, and Thomas took his life having bid Elinore farewell that last time.

The body of Thomas Patrick Edgerton Dignam was laid to rest in Streatham Park Cemetery, Surrey. His papers note one final tragedy in his tale. Elinore was pregnant when her husband died, giving birth to their daughter, also called Elinore, on 15th January 1917.

While Thomas does not appear in any census records, the 1911 document gives an insight into Elinore’s life. Born in Worthing, Sussex, in around 1884, she had moved to London and, at just 27 years of age, was the manageress of the Devonshire Inn Hotel at 136 Bishopsgate. On the night the census was taken, there were 25 guests and 16 other members of staff.

It is likely that Elinore gave up her position when she and Thomas married. By 1921, she was living with her daughter at 46 Wightman Road, Hornsey, Middlesex. Working as a clerk, she was employed by Frederic Smith & Sons at the West Central Hotel in Southampton Row, Camden. Frederic was the Secretary to the Band of Hope Temperance Society, and the hotel he ran with his sons was run with abstinence in mind.

Berkshire, Commonwealth War Graves, Driver, Great War, Hampshire, history, Kent, London, photography, Royal Engineers, story, unknown, war

Driver John Green

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Driver John Green

The life of John James Green is a challenge to piece together. Born in Chatham, Kent, in the spring of 1880, he was the older of two children to David and Frances Green. David was a Sapper in the Royal Engineers, but when he died in 1883, his widow was left with two young children to raise.

Frances moved the family back to Eton, Berkshire, where she had been born. She married again, to groom Robert Edwards, and the couple went on to have a child of their own, John’s half-brother, Robert.

When John completed his schooling, he followed in his father’s footsteps. He joined the Royal Engineers, and went on to be a Driver for the regiment.

The 1901 census recorded him as being a patient in the Connaught Hospital, attached the North Camp in Aldershot, Hampshire. While not confirming John’s condition, it does note that he was married, although there does not appear to be any other record confirming this.

On 29th October 1903, however, John did get married. His new bride was Alice Morton, and the couple exchanged vows in St Mary Magdalene Church in Southwark, London.

Sadly, Alice seems to have died young, and in December 1905, John wed for a second time, to grocer’s daughter Ellen Mansey. Now based back in Aldershot, the two married in Holy Trinity Church, and went on to have five children: John, Ernest, May, Charles and Alice.

The 1911 census found the Green family in rooms at 25 Lyson’s Road. A small terraced cottage, they shared it with the Scotts – married couple John and Edith, and their baby, William.

At this point, John’s trail goes cold. War broke out, and it is certain that he served in some capacity, but how and where is unclear. Driver Green survived the conflict, but passed away in Aldershot on 22nd May 1919: he was 39 years of age.

The body of John James Green was taken back to Berkshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St John’s Church in Eton, where his mother was still living.

It appears that Ellen may also have passed away by this point, as John’s pension was split equally between their five children. Tragically, his pension card notes Ernest and Charles’ guardian as the Sister in charge of St Augustine’s Home for Boys in Clewes, Berkshire. May and Alice were being looked after by Miss J Angerous of Pembroke Gardens, Windsor; while oldest son John Jr was in the care of Mrs B Evans Baldwin’s End, Eton College.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Hertfordshire, history, illness, Inns of Court Officer Training Corps, London, photography, Private, story, war

Private George Manaton

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Private George Manaton

It is with deep regret we record the death of Mr G Aubrey Manaton, son of Mr and Mrs William Manaton, of Braunton, who had just passed away at his home in Braunton. Mr Manaton was a young journalist of brilliant prospects, his scholarly attainments and aptitude for the profession being such that he made rapid steps for one so young. Having served his articles on a Barnstaple weekly newspaper, he went to London and joined the staff of one of the Newsagencies, and subsequently that of “The Times.” For a short while he was a war correspondent for the latter paper in France, and during that period made most able contributions to the paper, notably among them being a graphic account of the sinking of a large warship off the French coast, of which he was an eye witness in the early days of the war. He served for a short time with the Inns of Court Officers’ Training Corps, from which he was invalided on account of ill-health. Besides being naturally gifted in his literary capacity, Mr Manaton had a wealth of charm of personality and character, and his death, at the early age of 26, is deeply regretted, especially among his intimate friends, of whom he had a great many. He was unmarried. In their bereavement, the parents, whose eldest son was killed in the war some time since, will have a measure of sympathy both full and sincere. One of deceased’s brothers, Lieut. Arthur Manaton, is serving in France with the Yorks and Lancs Regt.

[Western Times: Tuesday 30th July 1918]

George Aubrey Manaton was born on 9th June 1892 in Braunton, Devon. The second of five children, his parents were William and Sarah Manaton. William was a tailor and outfitter, and the family lived in a nine-roomed house – Hillside – on Church Street, to the north of the town centre.

George was working as a journalist by the time of the 1911 census. When war broke out, his work took him to France, but by the summer of 1915, he felt he could no longer remain a mere observer. Back in London, on 17th June, he enlisted in the army, and was assigned to the Inns of Court Officers’ Training Corps.

Private Manaton was sent to Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, for his training. His time in the military, however, was to be a short one, and he was discharged for being unlikely to become an efficient soldier on medical grounds on 26th November 1915.

At this point, George’s trail goes cold. His older brother, Fred, a Private in the 9th (Service) Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment, had survived Gallipoli, but was killed during the Battle of the Somme in September 1916. He was laid to rest in Puchevillers British Cemetery in Picardie.

George Aubrey Manaton passed away on 25th July 1918: he had turned 26 just a few weeks before. He was laid to rest in the Methodist Chapelyard of his home town, Braunton.

Commonwealth War Graves, Engine Room Artificer, Essex, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Ireland, London, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, story, war, Wiltshire

Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class Charles Barlow

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Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class Charles Barlow

Charles Edward Barlow was born on 3rd January 1886, and was the second of eight children to John and Agnes. John was a Serjeant Major in the Royal Fusiliers, and his work meant the family moved a lot. Charles and his older brother were born in Dublin, Ireland, while Agnes gave birth to his younger siblings in Essex, Ireland, Hampshire and London.

John died in the late 1890s, and the 1901 census found Agnes and four of the children – including Charles – living at 18 Ethel Road, a small terraced cottage in the centre of Portsmouth, Hampshire. Agnes was listed as a shirt maker, while Charles was apprenticed to a boiler maker.

The apprenticeship obviously stood Charles in good stead, and he later found employment as the local dockyard, HMS Victory. The 1911 census recorded mother and son living at 124 Ernest Road, in the Buckland area of Portsmouth. Slightly further from where Charles was working, this was, however, a larger property.

A new opportunity presented itself in the spring of 1912, when Charles formally enrolled in the Royal Navy. His engineering background served him well, and he took the rank of Engine Room Artificer 4th Class. Initial training was provided at Portsmouth Dockyard, and he then moved to the neighbouring bases HMS Fisgard that autumn, and HMS Dryad in February 1913.

After a two month posting on board the torpedo gunboat HMS Harrier, Charles would return to shore in the summer of 1914. On 1st January 1915, however, he was assigned to the depot ship HMS Dido, and she would remain his home for nearly four years. During this time, he was promoted to Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class.

In the autumn of 1918, with the war in its final weeks, Charles fell ill. He was disembarked and admitted to the War Hospital in Bath, suffering from pneumonia. The condition would prove his undoing, and he passed away on 17th November: he was 32 years of age.

The body of Charles Edward Barlow was taken to Bradford on Avon for burial, possibly due to a familial connection in the area, and he was laid to rest in the town’s cemetery.

Canada, Canadian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, injury, Lieutenant, London, photography, Somerset, story, war, Wiltshire

Lieutenant Henry Jones

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Lieutenant Henry Jones

Lieut. H C Jones, of the 3rd Battalion Toronto Infantry, sone of Mr C J Jones, solicitor of Bradford-on-Avon, died on Friday morning in a London nursing home, as the result of wounds received in France about six weeks ago. Lieut. Jones, who was about 30 years of age, served his apprenticeship at Messrs. Stothert and Pitt’s, Bath, and afterwards went to Canada. He returned to England with the first Canadian contingent, as a sergeant in the Mechanical Transport. He received his commission in the Toronto Infantry last summer. Six weeks ago he was dangerously wounded in the jaw by shrapnel, while serving in France, and was taken to the Duchess of Westminster’s Hospital at La Touquet. There he was operated on by Dr Fraser, of Bath. He was later taken to a nursing home in London, where he underwent several operations. Death, however, took place yesterday morning, as stated above. Lieut. Jones’s only other brother is Second Lieut. B Jones of the… Wiltshires, and is serving in France. His eldest sister is also in France, serving as a military nurse.

[North Wilts Guardian: Friday 7th January 1916]

Henry Charles Jones was born on 22nd November 1884 in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire. The oldest of four children, his parents were Charles and Alice Jones. As the newspaper report suggested, Charles was a solicitor and, by the time of the 1891 census, the family were living in some comfort at 3 Woolley Street, near the town centre. Alice was supported by a domestic servant and two live-in nurses for the children.

The status quo remained until Henry moved to Bath to serve a the engineering company in Bath. From here, as the North Wilts Guardian suggests, he emigrated to Canada, although the exact dates for the move are unclear. He had certainly relocated to Valcartier, Quebec, by the summer of 1914, and was employed as a chauffeur.

On 23rd September that year, with war declared in Europe, Henry joined the Canadian Infantry. His service papers show that he was 5ft 8.5ins (1.74m) tall, with dark brown hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion. He was noted as having two vaccination scars on his left arm, an appendectomy scar on his left side, a scar over his left knee and a mole on the back of his neck.

By the summer of 1915, Lieutenant Jones was in France when he fell ill. He was admitted to the 3rd London 85th Field Ambulance on 26th August, suffering from diarrhoea, and remained there for three days.

It was on 17th November 1915, that Henry was wounded. Where he was based at the time is unclear, but his unit – the 3rd Battalion (Toronto Regiment) were ensconced on the Western Front that autumn. The newspaper report outlined the progress his treatment took from there. He contracted septic pneumonia and it is to this that Lieutenant Jones seems to have succumbed. He died on 31st December 1915, at the age of 31 years old.

The body of Henry Charles Jones was taken back to Wiltshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of Christ Church, Bradford on Avon.

Their son’s death seems to have taken its toll on Henry’s parents. Charles died a year later, at the age of 67: Alice died just two months later, at the age of 62.

Henry’s headstone incorrectly gives the date of his death as 31st December 1914.

Cambridgeshire, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, London, Middlesex, Midshipman, Northamptonshire, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, story, war

Midshipman Gervase de Bless

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Midshipman Gervase de Bless

Gervase Anthony David Herewyt de Bless was born on 20th October 1897 in Westminster, Middlesex. One of two children, he was the surviving son of barrister Alfred de Bless and his wife Maud, born Maud Cary-Elwes. Both were renowned families – Maud’s brother going on to become the Bishop of Northampton. The family do not appear in the 1901 census, but by 1911 Gervase’s parents were living at 156 St James’ Court, with French lady’s maid Henriette Forestier.

Alfred died not long after the census was taken. Gervase, meanwhile, was installed as a boarder at Downside College, Somerset. One of 168 students, he was taught by twelve schoolmasters and a handful of Roman Catholic priests from the local abbey.

An exceptionally clever boy of very active minds and many interests, during his time in the School he distinguished himself in all branches of study, winning the Gregorian Medal in 1912. He passed the Higher Certificate three times, twice gaining distinction in French and twice in Roman History. For three years he played in the Junior Cricket Eleven, which he captained in 1912. From 1908 to 1912 he sang in the choir as a treble, and he took a leading part with much success in “The Gondoliers,” and in “HMS Pinafore.” In 1914 he was Editor of The Raven, and he was on the committee of the Petre Library. In this year also he was awarded the Higher Certificate Latin Prose Prize given by St Gregory’s Society. On leaving Downside he spent two terms at Cambridge under the tuition of Mgr Barnes. Sensitive and somewhat retiring, and with health far from robust, he faced the situation created by the war with splendid courage, and obtained a cadetship in the Royal Navy. A skilful angler, fishing had ever been his favourite recreation, and on this pleasant pastime he wrote some charming verses which were afterwards collected in a little booklet.

[Baliol College War Memorial Book]

Gervase was given the rank of Midshipman in February 1916, and was assigned to the battleship HMS Revenge the following month. Before his posting he had suffered a bout of influenza, and had a relapse within days of boarding. He died from a combination of influenza and diabetes on 23rd March 1916, just two days after joining Revenge. He was just 18 years of age.

…rites of the Church… were administered to him by Dom Jerome Tunnicliffe, of St Mary’s, Liverpool, a monk of Downside.

[Baliol College War Memorial Book]

The body of Gervase Anthony David Herewyt de Bless was taken to Northamptonshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the ground of St Andrew’s Church, Great Billing, the last resting place of the Cary-Elwes family and de Bless families.

Midshipman Gervase de Bless
(from findagrave.com)
accident, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, Lincolnshire, London, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, story, Suffolk, Trimmer, war

Trimmer John Major

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Trimmer John Major

John Edward Major was born on 1st April 1881 in Gorleston, Suffolk. One of seven children, his parents were William and Elizabeth Major. William was a fisherman and the family lived on the town’s High Street.

Things changed for the Major family, however, and the 1891 census found them living in Barking, Essex. William was now employed as a general labourer, and the family had set up home at 16 Rosa Terrace.

John was drawn to his coastal past and, according to the next census, he was a ship’s mate on the fishing boat Cygnet. Based out of London, the return was taken in Lowestoft, so it is safe to assume that she plied the Essex and Suffolk coasts.

Love was blossoming for John at this point and, on 9th September 1906, he married Ann Davy. She was a coal porter’s daughter from Barking, and the couple married in the town’s St Margaret’s Church. They would go on to set up home in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, and have five children: Blanche, Amelia, Annie, Elizabeth and John Jr.

Over the next few years John’s trail goes cold. When war broke out, he was called upon to play his part, and joined the Royal Naval Reserve as a Trimmer. By the summer of 1917 he was attached to the SS Gransha, based out of the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent.

The next record for Trimmer Major relates to his passing. His pension ledger notes that, on 11th September 1917, he fell overboard from Gransha and was drowned. Sadly, there is no other information available about the incident, but John was 37 years of age.

The body of John Edward Major was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far form the naval base that he had come to call home.

Tragically, John’s entry on the Pension Ledger confirms that his and Ann’s youngest child – John Jr – died on Christmas Eve 1917, three months after his father.

Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, London, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire

Private Frank Cattermole

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Private Frank Cattermole

Frank James Cattermole was born in 1899 in the Australian town of Jeparit, Victoria. The third of eight children, his parent were William and Amelia Cattermole.

When Frank completed his schooling, he found work as a baker’s assistant but, when war broke out in Europe, he was keen to step up and play his part. He enlisted on 1st February 1917, joining the Australian Imperial Force.

After a year’s training on home soil, Private Cattermole’s unit – the 48th Battalion of the Australian Infantry – set off from Sydney on 22nd March 1918. The troop ship he was assigned to – A54 HMAT Runic – would take two months to reach its destination, London. Frank spent three weeks of the journey admitted to the ship’s hospital, although the condition is unclear.

Once disembarked, Private Cattermole was marched to the ANZAC camp in Codford, Wiltshire. He arrived there on 24th May 1918, to begin preparations for a move to the Western Front. This was not to happen, however, as he was admitted to the camp hospital on 1st June, suffering from bronchitis.

Over the next two weeks , Frank’s condition worsened, and eventually his body was too weak to take any more. He passed away on 14th June 1918, aged just 18 years old.

Thousands of miles from home, Frank James Cattermole was laid to rest alongside others from his battalion, in the ANZAC extension to St Mary’s Churchyard, Codford.

Private Frank Cattermole
(from findagrave.com)
Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Leading Seaman, London, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, story, war, Yorkshire

Leading Seaman William Coombes

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Leading Seaman William Coombes

William Henry Marsh was born on 6th September 1879 in Whitstable, Kent. An only child, his parents were William and Maria Marsh, and, based on the census records, his early life seemed to have lacked some stability.

The 1881 census recorded William and his mother living on Beach Walk in the town. Marias was recorded as being a mariner’s wife. By 1891, William and his father was living with Maria’s sister and son. Still a mariner, with his son also working as a seaman, William Sr was listed as being a widower.

A decade on, and William Jr’s life had taken a different turn and the 1901 census listed him living on Whitstable High Street. Working as a labourer in the harbour, he is recorded as having a wife, Julia, and a two-year-old son, also William. Sadly, there is no further information about either of them.

The next document for William Jr is his First World War service papers. It shows that he enlisted on 10th March 1915, his previous time at sea making him an ideal candidate for the Royal Naval Reserve. His is noted as being 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, with blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He also had a tattoo of clasped hands on his right forearm. The most interesting thing about this document, however, is the fact that William had chosen to go by the surname of Coombes.

Given the rank of Leading Seaman, William would spend the next couple of years serving mainly on shore, at bases in London and Devonport. By the spring of 1918, while attached to the SS Eastville, he was admitted to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. Suffering from anaemia and malaria, the conditions would take his life. He died on 19th March 1918, at the age of 38 years old.

The body of William Henry Coombes was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the dockyard he would have known.

William’s will left £114 (around £8200) to his widow Julia, who was by now living in Leeds, Yorkshire. At his request, however his war pension, however, was given to his aunt, Mrs Rose Rout, of Hull, Yorkshire.