Percy Kitch was born in the spring of 1897 in Northmoor Green, to the south east of Bridgwater, Somerset. His parents were Francis and Mary Jane Kitch, and he was the youngest of their eight children. Francis – who was better known as Frank – was a farm labourer, and this is something that Percy and his siblings went into when they finished their schooling.
When war broke out, Percy was called upon to play his part, and enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps as a Private. Unfortunately, little information still exists about his life at this time and, in fact, only one document – his pension ledger card – remains to confirm details of his service.
The card confirms that Private Kitch was attached to the Remount Service, and that he passed away on 31st October 1918, having contracted influenza. He was just 21 years of age. The document gives his mother, Mary Jane, as a dependent, and details the army pension she was awarded after his passing: 5 shillings per week, for life.
Percy Kitch was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Peter & St John’s Church in his home village of Northmoor Green.
News has been received at Bathpool, Taunton, that Lieutenant HB Redler, MC (RAF), was killed while flying at Turnberry, near Ayr. Lieutenant Redler, who was 21 years of age, was the eldest son of Mr and Mrs DB Redler, of Moorreesbury [sic], South Africa, and formerly of Bathpool, Taunton, and he sailed from South Africa with a schoolfellow at the end of 1915, at the age of 18, in order to join the Royal Flying Corps. On arrival in England they found no vacancies, and entered the Artists’ Rifles OTC, from which they joined the RFC. After obtaining his commission, Lieut. Redler spent a few months in France last year, and was then sent to Ayr as a fighting instructor. In March of this year he was sent to France for a six weeks’ course, during which he won the Military Cross, and it is believed that his record will show a total of nearly twenty enemy machines brought down.
Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser: Wednesday 3rd July 1918
Harold Bolton Redler was born in Worcester, Worcestershire, on 27th January 1897. The oldest of five children, his parents were Daniel and Annie. Daniel was a flour miller from Devon, and the family had moved to Worcester the year before Harold was born.
In 1903, the Redlers emigrated to South Africa. Initially settling in King William’s Town (now Qonce), they moved to Moorreesburg after the birth of Harold’s youngest sibling, Norman, in 1906.
Harold was educated at the Bishops Diocesan College in Rondebosch, Cape Town, and it was from here that he and his friend decided to step up and serve their King and Empire. Sadly, his service records have been consigned to history, and only the newspaper report remains to piece together his time in service.
Lieutenant Redler’s awarding of the Military Cross, however, is documented:
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He encountered four enemy two-seater machines and attacking the lowest drove it to the ground with its engine damaged. Later he attacked one of five enemy two-seater machines and drove it down out of control. He has destroyed in all three enemy machines and driven three others down out of control. He continually attacked enemy troops and transport from a low altitude during operations and showed splendid qualities of courage and determination throughout.
London Gazette: 22nd June 1918
On the morning of 21st June 1918, Lieutenant Redler was flying a de Havilland DH9 aircraft, accompanied by Captain Ian Henderson. The plane was fitted with a Lewis gun, which the pair were testing. At 10am, the aircraft crashed, and both were killed. No immediate cause was identified, and their RAF cards record an open verdict. Harold was just 21 years of age.
With his parents and siblings in South Africa, Harold Bolton Redler’s body was taken to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest with his paternal grandparents in the peaceful St Augustine’s Churchyard in West Monkton.
Charles Herbert Dyer was born in the Somerset village of West Monkton in the spring of 1890. One of eight children, his parents were farm labourer Charles Dyer and his wife Mary.
By the time of the 1911 census, Charles Jr had set out on his own, settling in Briton Ferry, near Port Talbot, Glamorganshire. He found work as a gardener and, from this point on, he went by his middle name, Herbert.
Over the next few years, Herbert continued his employment in Wales, although he did make a move to Newport, Monmouthshire. When war came to Britain, Herbert stepped up to serve King and Country, enlisting in the South Wales Borderers on 10th January 1916. Less than two weeks later, he married Ethel May Andrews, in All Saints’ Church, Newport.
Private Dyer was formally mobilised on 2nd March 1916. His service records show that he was 5ft 10ins (1.78m) tall and weighed 141lbs (64kg). Details of his service are a little scrambled, but it appears that Herbert was initially assigned to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, and remained on home soil throughout the conflict.
Herbert was based in Bottesford, Leicestershire, in December 1916, where he was put on report and docked 14 days’ pay for being absent from his post, and refusing to obey a superior’s order. Six months later, he had moved camp, and was confined to barracks for two weeks, and docked two days’ pay for being absent without leave for a day and ten hours.
By the summer of 1918, Herbert had transferred across to the Royal Engineers where, with the rank of Pioneer, he was assigned to the 15th Anti-Aircraft Company. Full details of his time in his new regiment have been lost, but he was certainly based in Essex as the war came to a close.
Pioneer Dyer’s health was, however, beginning to suffer by this point. He had a bout of influenza, which developed into pneumonia. He was admitted to the Warley Military Hospital in Brentwood, on 10th November 1918, but, by this point, his body had seemingly had enough. He passed away at 11:20am on 13th November 1918, at the age of 28 years old.
The body of Herbert Dyer was brought back to Somerset for burial. Ethel had moved in with her in-laws in West Monkton by this point, and was a couple of months’ pregnant. Herbert was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Augustine’s Church. His son – who Ethel named Herbert – was born on 6th June 1919, never to know his father.
Gilbert Henry Hurford was born in the spring of 1896, the second of five children to George and Elizabeth. George was a farmer from North Petherton, Somerset, but it was on Parsonage Farm, in nearby Kingston St Mary, that the family were raised.
Gilbert was helping his father on the farm when war broke out. At the time he was also a volunteer in the West Somerset Yeomanry, and in May 1916, he stepped up to play a full part in the conflict. His service records confirm that he was assigned to the 22nd (Service) Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment.
Private Hurford spent the first six months of his service on home soil, before being shipped off to Europe on 1st December 1916. He had not been in France for long when, on 10th February 1917, he was injured. His documents confirm this was a gun shot wound to his head, but, as he was treated on site, it thankfully appears not to have been too serious an injury.
Trouble struck a second time, however, on 4th September 1918, when Gilbert was injured again. This time his records confirm multiple gun shot wounds, and he was medically evacuated home for treatment. He was admitted to the 3rd Southern General Hospital in Oxford, and remained there for some three months.
This time, Private Hurford’s injuries proved too severe for his body to overcome. He passed away on 29th December 1918, at the age of just 22 years old.
Gilbert Henry Hurford’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful churchyard of St Mary’s Church, in his home village of Kingston St Mary.
William Harry Lye was born in Ilchester, Somerset, in the spring of 1875. The middle of five children, his parents were agricultural labourer Charles Lye and his wife, Sarah. Over the years, Charles found additional work as a groom and, by the time of the 1901 census, this is what William turned his hand to as well.
On 8th April 1901, William married Elsie Drayton, who was from Bishops Lydeard, to the west of Taunton. Elsie was the daughter of a labourer, and the couple married in St Mary’s Church her home village. The couple set up home in nearby Kingston St Mary, and went on to have two children, Herbert, who was born in 1902, and Reginald, who came along six years later.
When war came to Europe, William was called on to play his part. His service records are lost to time, but from what remains it is possible to confirm that he enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps. His peacetime experience with horses made him an ideal candidate for the Remount division, and he was assigned to the 75th Squadron.
Private Lye survived the war, and by early 1919, was placed on furlough to await being demobbed. His trail goes cold at this point, and the last record for him is that of his passing, through causes unknown, on 24th May 1919. He was 43 years of age.
William Harry Lye was laid to rest in the quiet graveyard of St Mary’s Church, in Kingston St Mary, not far from where Elsie and the children still lived.
Percival Arthur Berry was born in January 1902, one of five children to Henry and Elizabeth Berry. Henry was a bricklayer from West Monkton in Somerset, and this is where the family were born and raised.
Percival seems to have had a roaming soul, or itchy feet. When he finished his schooling, he worked as a farm labourer, but in January 1918, he found employment as an engine cleaner for Great Western Railways in Taunton. This was not to last, however, and hi employment ended on 15th March, his work records stating that he just left.
Percival went back to farm labouring, but still sought a way out of that life. In January 1919, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. So keen was he to escape Somerset, he added a year to his age, to ensure that they allowed him to enlist. His records show that he was 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.
Assigned the rank of Stoker 2nd Class, Percival was sent to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport. Within a matter of weeks, however, Stoker Berry had fallen ill. The details are a little confusing at this point – he was stationed at HMS Vivid, but admitted to the Dreadnought Seaman’s Hospital in Greenwich, Kent, his admission records stating that he had come from HMS Harlech. It is likely, therefore, that he was on a voyage from Devon, on board the converted trawler Harlech, when he fell ill. Docking in London, he was then admitted to the Greenwich hospital.
Stoker 2nd Class Berry had contracted influenza, and this was to take his life. He died on 26th February 1919, aged just 17 years old. He had served in the Royal Navy for just 47 days.
Percival Arthur Berry was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Mary’s Church in Kingston St Mary, a few miles from his old family home.
Frederick Sloley was born on 7th April 1897 in Kingston St Mary, Somerset, and was the fourth of nine children to Walter and Mary Jane Sloley. The family were farm workers and were living with Walter’s parents – also agricultural labourers – in the 1901 census.
After he finished his schooling, Frederick found began working with the horses on the farm. When war broke out, however, he saw an opportunity to serve his King and Empire, and enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry. He joined up on 5th October 1914, and his service records show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall, with black hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion.
Private Sloley was initially sent to the Reserve Depot in Deal, Kent, for training, before moving to the Plymouth Division in Devon in March 1915. He records do not make it clear where he served specifically, but by 1916 he has fought in the Dardanelles and Mesopotamia.
It was while he was in the Eastern Mediterranean that Frederick was injured. Wounded in the spine by enemy gunfire, he was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment. Admitted to King George’s Hospital in London, surgery proved too late. Private Sloley passed away on 26th November 1916, at the age of just 19 years old. His mother, Mary, had managed to see him before he died.
The body of Frederick Sloley was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Mary’s Church in his home village of Kingston.
In a quiet corner of St John’s Churchyard, Staplegrove, is a commemorative headstone to three soldiers of the Somerset Light Infantry. The bottom two, share the same surname, and are, in fact, father and son: Francis and Harold Hill.
Harold James Hill was born 23rd November 1896 in Milverton, Somerset. He was the only child to former army man turned storekeeper, Francis Hill and his wife, Florence.
When he finished his schooling, Harold found work as an office boy. By the time of the 1911 census, the family had moved six miles east of Milverton, to the village of Staplegrove. Francis was employed as a house painter, Florence had taken in work as a glove maker, and the Hills also had a boarder, Reginald Cave, who was a nursery foreman.
Storm clouds were brewing by this point and, when war broke out, Harold was keen to play his part, possibly because he wanted to emulate his father’s army life. He enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry and was assigned to the 2nd/5th Battalion. Private Hill’s medical records show that he was 5ft 10ins (1.78m) tall, and weighed 140lbs (63.5kg). By coincidence, these are almost exactly the same measurements as those of his father, when he joined the army 28 years before.)
After three months’ training, Harold’s battalion was sent overseas, and he arrived in India on 12th December 1914. Within a matter of months, his health began to suffer and, between May 1915 and February 1916, Private Hill was admitted to hospital on six separate occasions, all but one for intestinal problems.
In the end, Harold was taken back to Britain for treatment: he arrived on home soil at the end of March 1916, and within three months had been medically discharged from the army.
At this point, Harold’s trail goes cold, although he did return to Somerset. His illness continued, however, and he passed away from his stomach condition on 23rd October 1916. He was just 19 years of age.
Harold James Hill was laid to rest in the graveyard of St John’s Church, Staplegrove. His grave is lost to time, but it can be assumed that he was buried close to his father, who had died just nine months before. Father and son are commemorated on a special memorial, close to the entrance of the church.
One can only imagine the heartache for Florence Hill, having lost her husband and her only child within a year. Details of her late husband’s life can be found here.
Few details remain of her life, although she is recorded on the 1939 England and Wales Register boarding with an Eda Cummings in Greenway Avenue, Taunton. She was noted as a widow, and employed to do household duties.
Francis Robert Hill was born in the spring of 1868, the middle of seven children to William and Mary Hill. William was a shoemaker from Wiveliscombe, Somerset, and this is where he and Mary raised their family.
When Francis finished his schooling, he found work as a baker. However, he wanted bigger and better things and, in June 1886, he enlisted in the 1st Battalion of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry. Private Hill would have cut a striking figure: at eighteen years old, he was 5ft 10ins (1.78m) tall and weighed 136lbs (62.6kg). He had light brown hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion.
Francis did not spend any time overseas, instead working in the regiment’s depot in Alverstoke, near Gosport, Hampshire. He spent seven years in the military, and was stood down on 16th June 1893.
By the end of 1895, Francis was back in Somerset as, on Boxing Day that year, he married Florence Ida Giles, a shoemaker’s daughter. The couple were both living in Milverton at the time, and Francis’ profession was noted as storekeeper. On 23rd November 1896, the couple had a son, Harold, and the family were living on Fore Street, the village’s main road.
The 1901 census shows another change in work for Francis, who was now noted as being a house painter. This was a career that seemed to stick with him, as he was still employed in the role by the time of the next census, in 1911. The Hills had moved to Staplegrove, on the outskirts of Taunton, by this point. Florence had taken in work as a glove maker, Harold, now 14 years old, was employed as an office boy, and the family had a boarder, Reginald Cave, who was a nursery foreman.
At this point Francis’ trail goes tantalisingly cold. When war broke out, he enlisted once more, this time joining the Somerset Light Infantry. The only other confirmed document gives a tragic hint as to his death, at the age of 48. His entry in the Pension Ledger reads simply “18.2.16: Accidentally killed by passing train while on military duty.” There are no other records to back this up, and no contemporary newspapers report on his passing.
However it happened, Francis Robert Hill’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St John’s Church, Staplegrove. His grave is lost to time, but he is commemorated on a special memorial, close to the entrance of the church.
Tragedy was to strike a second time for Francis’ widow, Florence, when, in October 1916, Harold was also to pass away. Read his story here.
Cecil St John Harris was the son of Reverend Percy and Constance Harris. Born in Kilver, Staffordshire, on 13th July 1891, he was one of nine children, although, by the time of the 1911 census, four of them had passed away. The Harris family had, by this point, moved from Staffordshire, to Devon, to Cornwall, and had settled in Staplegrove, Somerset, where Percy had become the rector at St John’s Church.
According to the census record, Cecil was studying engineering. He was keen at sports, being a keen member of the village’s cricket club. When war broke out, he enlisted in the West Somerset Yeomanry, but soon took a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Somerset Light Infantry.
Cecil’s troop, the 3rd/5th Battalion remained on home soil, and he was based in Somerset for the duration of his time in the army. This was not to be for a long time, however, as, in the summer of 1915, he fell ill with appendicitis. He underwent an operation, and made a slow recovery, before relapsing. He passed away on 10th September 1915, aged just 24 years old.
Cecil St John Harris was laid to rest in the north east corner of St John’s Churchyard, Staplegrove, where his father was still the vicar. His grave is now lost to time, but Second Lieutenant Harris is commemorated on a special memorial, close to the entrance of the building.
Death and Service 