Tag Archives: Private

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, photography, Private, Sapper, Somerset, Somerset Light Infantry, story, war

Sapper Walter Stone

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Sapper Walter Stone

Walter Stone was born at the start of 1880 in Lympsham, Somerset. The middle of three children, his parents were coal merchant George Stone and his wife, Ellen.

When he finished his schooling, Walter found work as a painter and plumber. In January 1902 he married Alice Charman. Eighteen years older than Walter, she was the widow of a milkman from Bristol, and had raised her son, Edgar, since her husband had passed away a few months before. The couple settled in the village of Brent Knoll, and went on to have three children of their own: Albert, Florence and Alice.

When war came to Europe, Walter was called upon to play his part. He enlisted after June 1916, and joined the Royal Engineers as a Sapper. He was attached to the Inland Waterways and Docks division, but, as no documentation remains to confirm his service, it is not possible to confirm whether he saw any action overseas

Sapper Stone’s time in the army was not to be a long one. The next record for him is that of his admission to a military hospital in Herne Bay, Kent. He was suffering from pneumonia, and this would take his life on 18th January 1917. He was 36 years of age.

Walter Stone’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the tranquil graveyard of St Michael’s Church in Brent Knoll.

Further tragedy was to strike Walter’s widow, Alice. Edgar, her son from her first marriage, enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry when war broke out. Attached to the 7th (Service) Battalion, he found himself on the Front Line by the end of July 1915.

Private Stone is reported to have been accidentally killed on 1st May 1917. No other detail is given, but he was just 24 years of age when he passed. He was buried at the Thiepval Memorial at the Somme.

Alice had lost her husband and her oldest child within a matter of months.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Machine Gun Corps, Monmouthshire, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war, Welch Regiment

Private Henry Yard

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Private Henry Yard

Henry George Yard was born on 25th October 1884 in the Somerset village of Burnham-on-Sea. The second of seven children, his parents were John and Elizabeth Yard. John was a railway porter, but Henry chose a different route, becoming a mason’s labourer.

Henry’s work took him to South Wales, where he took up a position as a pit mason. The 1911 census recorded him as boarding in a six-roomed house in Abertillery, Monmouthshire. From the document there can be no mistaking that this was a mining community. The head of the household for 70 New Gladstone Street was 28-year-old Albert Francis, colliery banksman. He lived there with his wife, Martha, who was fifteen years older than him, and her three children: William, Herbert and Horace.

Martha had been married previously, to coal miner Walter Mutter. Both had been born in Somerset, and had come to South Wales like so many other families, because of the work. Walter died at the beginning of 1909, leaving his widow to raise three children on her own. It seems likely that this is where Albert stepped up: it was not unknown for mine workers to support each other in times of dire need. He married his former colleague’s widow in the autumn, securing a future for her and her family.

According to the census record, the Francis family had one other boarder and all but Martha and Horace worked in the local colliery in one way or another.

There seemed to have been money in Henry’s career move, as it set him up to marry Gertrude Coombes on 6th August 1912. She was a gardener’s daughter from Berrow in Somerset, and eight years younger than her husband. The couple married at St Mary’s Church, Berrow, and appeared to settle back in South Wales. They went on to have two children: Gertrude, who was born the following year, and Daisy, who came along in 1916.

When war came to Europe, Henry was called upon to play his part. He enlisted in October 1915, and was initially assigned to the 3rd Battalion of the Welch Regiment. His service records show that he was 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall, and weighed 133lbs (60.3kg). He was noted to be of good physical development, although dental treatment was required.

Private Yard transferred to the Machine Gun Corps at some point, and by the autumn of 1916 was sent to Greece. He remained there for nearly two years, but became dogged by malaria in later months there. Initially coming down with the condition in August 1917, he spent the remainder of the war in and out of hospital as attacks of the condition came and went.

Initially returning to home soil and placed on reserve status, Henry was eventually discharged on medical grounds at the end of 1918. He returned to the family home. He was not to be there for long, however: debilitated by malaria, Henry passed away in Bedwellty on 23rd March 1919, at the age of 34 years old.

With strong family connections in Somerset, Gertrude took her husband back there to be laid to rest. Henry George Yard was buried in the tranquil graveyard of St Mary’s Church in Berrow.

Private Henry Yard
(from ancestry.co.uk)
Commonwealth War Graves, Gloucestershire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war

Private Victor Sperring

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Private Victor Sperring

Victor William Sperring was born in the spring of 1897, in Lympsham, Somerset. One of nine children, his parents were James and Catherine Sperring. James was a farmer, 22 years older than his wife and, when he died in 1904, she was left to bring up the family alone. She remarried, to dairy farmer Frederick Butler, continuing the farming life.

Frederick died in 1914, and with her older children now in their 20s, Catherine’s sons took up the reins to keep the farm going. War was on the horizon now, and tragedy was never going to be far from the Sperring household.

Of the five brothers, at least two – Victor and his older brother, Hubert – stepped up to serve their King and Country. Hubert joined the Gloucestershire Regiment, rising to the rank of Lance Corporal in the 1st/6th Battalion. He was caught up at the Battle of the Somme, and was recorded as missing, presumed killed, on 21st July 1916. He was just 23 years of age, and is one of the tens of thousands of names commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial in Northern France.

Victor also joined the Gloucestershire Regiment, but his story is less clear. Certainly by 1918 he was attached to one of the regiment’s depots, possibly on home soil. He was admitted to the 2nd Southern General Hospital in the autumn of 1918, and this is where he passed away on 16th November. He was just 21 years of age.

Victor William Sperring was brought back to Lympsham for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in St Christopher’s Churchyard.

It seems likely that illness is what took Victor’s life. Just a month later, his sister, Annie, also passed away: she was interred next to her brother.

Catherine’s grief must have been indescribable, having lost a husband and three children in a matter of years. She continued on, however, and, by the time of the 1939 England and Wales Register, she was living with her son Roland, supporting him with his farm. She died in October 1941, at the age of 77: she was buried with her family in St Christopher’s.

Additional, Commonwealth War Graves, East Surrey Regiment, Essex, Great War, Hampshire, history, killed in action, Lance Corporal, photography, Private, story, Surrey, war

Lance Corporal Henry Rowell

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Henry Edward Rowell was born on 22nd May 1898 in Southwark, Surrey. One of five siblings, of whom only three survived childhood, his parents were Henry and Jane Rowell. Henry Sr was a bricklayer’s labourer from Southwark, and the family were brought up in a small terraced house on Brandon Street, Walworth.

When he finished his schooling, Henry Jr found work as a turner’s improver but, when war came to Europe, he was called upon to play his part. He enlisted on 29th May 1915, and, as a Private, was attached to the 12th (Service) Battalion (Bermondsey) of the East Surrey Regiment. His service records tell a little of the man he was, confirming that he stood 5ft 3.5ins (1.61m) tall, and suggesting that he gave his age a 19 years old (he was just 16 at the time).

Henry seemed to have made an impression on his superiors as, in early October, he was promoted to Lance Corporal. His early service was based on home soil, primarily in Witney, Surrey.

In December 1915, Henry was temporarily released from military duty for munitions work. Sent to work for the engineering company Peter Hooker Ltd, in Walthamstow, Essex, Lance Corporal Rowell was to remain here for the next four months. On 25th March 1916, however, he was called back to service, as his battalion readied itself to move from its base, by that point in Aldershot, Hampshire, to Northern France.

Lance Corporal Rowell found himself in the thick of things very quickly. From 1st July, the 12th Battalion was caught up in the Battle of the Somme, and he remained entrenched there for the next couple of months.

On 15th September 1916, the British launched an attack on the German front line at Flers-Courcelette, mid-way between Albert and Bapaume. Lance Corporal Rowell was involved in the battle, which lasted until the end of the month, and was cut down on the very first day. He was just 18 years of age.

Henry Edward Rowell was laid to rest in the Bulls Road Cemetery in Flers, Picardie.

Henry Edward Rowell was my paternal grandmother’s first cousin.

Bedfordshire Regiment, Commonwealth War Graves, Essex, Great War, history, illness, India, Labour Corps, photography, Private, Somerset, Somerset Light Infantry, story, war

Private Jeremiah West

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Private Jeremiah West

Jeremiah West was born in the spring of 1892, the oldest of eight children to John and Laura West. John was an agricultural labourer from Somerset, and it was in the village of Bleadon that the family were born and raised.

When he finished his schooling, Jeremiah followed in his father’s footsteps. By the time of the 1911 census, he was working as a servant on the nearby Shiplette Farm, where he was employed by Kate Poole.

War came to Europe in 1914, and Jeremiah stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry in 1915, and was assigned to the 4th Battalion. Private West set sail for India that August, and seems to have remained overseas for some time.

Records are not clear, but it would appear that Jeremiah returned to Britain at some point, and became attached to the 3rd Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment. This was a garrison troop, based in Harwich, Essex, and Jeremiah found himself part of the battalion’s Labour Corps.

Private West survived the war, but came down with pneumonia in the autumn of 1919. He passed away on 24th November 1919: he was 27 years of age.

Jeremiah West was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Peter and St Paul’s Church in his home village of Bleadon.

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

Private William Griffin

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Private William Griffin

William Richard Griffin was born in the summer of 1899, the fourth of six children to James and Joice Griffin. James was from Somerset and worked as a superintendent for a life assurance company. He met his wife while working in Wales, and this is where their oldest three children had been born. By the time of William’s birth, however, James had moved the family back to Somerset, setting up home in the Weston area of Bath.

There is little information about William’s life. When war was declared, he joined the Devonshire Regiment, and was assigned to the 51st (Graduated) Battalion. His troop remained on home soil – remaining in Norfolk for the duration – so it is unlikely that Private Griffin saw any active service overseas.

William survived the conflict and returned home. He passed away, possibly due to an infection, based on what little is documented, on 22nd July 1920. He had not long turned 21 years of age.

William Richard Griffin was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Martin’s Church in Worle, near Weston-super-Mare.

Commonwealth War Graves, Company Sergeant Major, Corporal, County Cork, County Wicklow, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Lancashire, photography, Private, Royal Artillery, Royal Defence Corps, Sergeant, Somerset, story, Surrey, war

Serjeant Thomas Wood

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Serjeant Thomas Wood

Thomas Wood was born in Bristol, Gloucestershire, in the summer of 1862. The third of ten children, he was the oldest son to Thomas and Emma Wood. Thomas Sr was a cabinet maker, but his son was not to follow in his father’s footsteps, seeking a life of adventure instead.

Thomas enlisted in the army and, while documents relating to his early life are not readily available, the 1891 census recorded him as being billeted at the Cambridge Barracks in Portsmouth, Hampshire. A member of the Royal Artillery, he seems to have been enlisted for a while, as he had risen to the rank of Corporal.

In 1894, Thomas married Leah Barrett, who was born in Oxfordshire. The army life underscored where the family would settle. They had four children and, according to their ages, the Woods were in Liverpool by 1895, Gosport, Hampshire, in 1896 and Cork in Ireland by 1899. The 1901 census found the family living in Wicklow, with Thomas having now achieved the rank of Company Sergeant Major.

Ten years later, and Thomas had stepped away from the army life. Now 48 years of age, he and Leah had been married for 17 years. The couple had settled in the Worle, on the outskirts of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, where Thomas had set himself up as a butcher, with Leah assisting him.

War came to Europe in 1914, and it seems that Thomas felt drawn to play his part once more. He joined the Royal Defence Corps as a Serjeant when it was formed in the spring of 1916, and was assigned to the regiment’s 263rd Company.

Little information is available about Serjeant Wood’s army service, but by the autumn he had been admitted to the Shell Shock Hospital (now the Maudsley Hospital) in Denmark Hill, London. His entry to the hospital, however, was actually due to kidney disease, and this was what would claim his life. Thomas died from a combination of nephritis and uraemia on 21st November 1916. He was 54 years of age.

Thomas Wood was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Martin’s Church in Worle.

Serjeant Thomas Wood
(from ancestry.co.uk)
Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, photography, Private, Somerset, story, unknown, war, Wiltshire Regiment

Private Ernest Badman

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Private Ernest Badman

Ernest John Badman was born in Wick St Lawrence, Somerset, on 28th September 1898. The second youngest of ten siblings, although only six survived childhood, his parents were farm labourer William Badman and his wife, Fanny.

There is little specific documentation for Ernest. War came to Europe in the summer of 1914, and he had enlisted in the Wiltshire Regiment by the winter of 1916.

Attached to the 4th (Reserve) Battalion, Private Badman seems to have been in his initial training period by the following spring. However, this was not to last long. He passed away while on home soil on 21st March 1917: he was just 19 years of age.

Ernest John Badman was brought back to his home village for burial. He was laid to rest in the sleepy graveyard of St Lawrence’s Church.

Commonwealth War Graves, Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry, Great War, history, illness, Labour Corps, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war

Private Maurice Lock

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Private Maurice Lock

Maurice Lock was born in Nailsea, Somerset, the seventh child to William and Rebecca Lock. Dates of birth vary according to documents available: census records suggest he was born around 1884, although his military records put his year of birth as 1877.

Maurice had a total of eleven siblings, with names including Merrick, Britannia and Cinderella. His father was a licensed hawker and this was something of a family trade.

The 1891 census recorded the family living at The Heath in Nailsea, although, unusually, it was noted that “this family now residing in a house occupy a travelling van in summer.” By the time of the next census return, the family business was continuing, with eight members, Maurice included, recorded as being peddlers, hawkers and horse dealers.

On 23rd January 1909, Maurice married Emily Hughes. There is little information available about her, but the couple continued Maurice’s parents’ travelling lifestyle, and went on to have four children: Albert, Mary, Gladys and Agnes.

Maurice was called upon to do his duty when war came to Britain. He enlisted on 4th September 1916 and was initially assigned to the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. Private Lock’s service record shows that he was 39 years and 10 months old when he joined up, and that he stood 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall. He was working as a basket maker and farm labourer when he received the call to enlist.

Private Lock spent a couple of months on home soil, before his troop – the 12th (Labour) Battalion – were sent to France. He remained overseas for some sixteen months, before three separate bouts of trench fever within a month saw his return to Britain’s shores.

Maurice was transferred to the Labour Corps at this point and, once he had recovered, it was to be presumed that his previous farm work would be called upon once more. However, his age and the conditions on the Western Front conspired against him, and he developed rheumatism, which led to his discharge from the army. His medical records at this point noted that “he walks very lame with the aid of a stick. His left leg is especially [bad]. He has pains in his back, legs and shoulders. These pains are aggravated by pressure and weather changes.”

Maurice returned home, but his time back in Somerset was to be brief. His health deteriorated, and he passed away at home on 29th June 1918: he was in his late 30s or early 40s when he died.

Maurice Lock was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of Christ Church in his home town of Nailsea.

Commonwealth War Graves, Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry, Great War, history, photography, Private, Somerset, story, Training Reserve Battalion, unknown, war, Wiltshire

Private Joseph Staddon

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Private Joseph Staddon

Joseph Frederick Staddon was born at the start of 1899, the oldest of seven children to John and Mary Ann Staddon. John was a farmer from Luccombe in Somerset, and it was in this small village that the family were born and raised.

There is little documentation to expand on Joseph’s life. He enlisted in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry when he turned 18, and was initially attached to the 95th Training Reserve Battalion.

Private Staddon was barracked in Chiseldon, Wiltshire, but his time in service was not to be a lengthy one. Admitted to a military hospital near the camp, he passed away from what was probably an illness on 6th May 1917. He was just eighteen years of age.

Joseph Frederick Staddon’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the cemetery extension to St Mary’s Church, Luccombe.

Tragedy was to strike again when, ten months after his son’s passing, John also died. Mary was left picking up the pieces, while supporting her six remaining children, the youngest of whom, Dorothy, was not even two years old.

The family survived, Mary running the farm with her oldest boy, Edward. She passed away on 4th August 1937, at the age of 63 years old.