Tag Archives: rheumatism

Commonwealth War Graves, Essex, Great War, history, illness, photography, Royal Engineers, Sapper, Somerset, story, war

CWG: Sapper John Dyer

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Sapper John Dyer

John Phippen Dyer was born in the spring of 1896, and was the oldest of four children. His parents, John and Fanny Dyer, were from Somerset and it was in the town of Highbridge that they raised their family.

John Sr worked as a coach body maker for the railways, and his eldest boy joined him as an apprentice when he finished his schooling. When war broke out, however, John Jr was keen to be seen to be playing his part.

John Jr enlisted in Taunton on 15th November 1915, joining the Wessex Division of the Royal Engineers. His service records confirm that he was 5ft 7.5ins (1.71m) tall and of god physical development. He was sent off to Essex for training, but came down with influenza the following January.

Sapper Dyer was admitted to hospital in Great Bentley, spending a fortnight there. He was released back to his unit, but his health continued to suffer. He had had bouts of rheumatism going back to 1911, and, by the spring of 1916, this had recurred, and was recorded as possible rheumatic appendicitis.

John’s condition led to him being declared permanently unfit for was service: he was discharged from the army on 30th March 1916, having served for just four-and-a-half months.

John Jr returned to Somerset, but at this point his trail goes cold. The next record for him is that of his passing, on 26th May 1919. He was just 23 years of age.

John Phippen Dyer was lair to rest in the cemetery of his home town, Highbridge, Somerset.

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

CWG: 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, is 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, were 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 work 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, Glamorganshire, Gloucestershire, Great War, history, illness, Lincolnshire, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, Somerset, Stoker, story, Surrey, war

CWG: Stoker Petty Officer Henry Cordas

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Stoker Petty Officer Henry Cordas

Much of Henry John Cordas’ early life is destined to remain a mystery. The first record for him is the 1881 census, which gives is his address as St Mary’s Orphanage in Heston, Middlesex, where he was one of 650 children.

The 1891 census recorded Henry as living in Humber Street, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, right next to the town’s docks. He is noted as being a fisherman, and is married to a woman called Mary, who was born in Deptford, Surrey.

The next available census record for Henry adds confusion to his story. The document, dating from 1911, confirms that he and Mary are now living in Hotwell Road, Bristol, Gloucestershire, again within spitting distance of the docks. Henry was employed as a marine fisherman in the merchant service. The document suggests that the couple had been married for ten years, and give Mary’s place of birth as Swansea, Glamorganshire.

While the document matches previous information for Henry, it seems unlikely that the Marys in the 1891 and 1911 censuses are one and the same. Either way, the couple were sharing their house with Mary’s niece, Ellen.

Henry seems to have joined the merchant fleet in a more official capacity in the autumn of 1900. His records show that he was 5ft 11ins (1.8m) tall, with blue eyes and a fair complexion. He served out of Bristol and, in the years leading up to the outbreak of war, he was assigned to a number of ships, travelling the Atlantic to Montreal and Jamaica, amongst other far-flung places.

When hostilities commenced, Henry was assigned to the Royal Naval Reserve. Over the next few years, he served on a number of ships, including the armoured cruisers HMS Suffolk and HMS Doris. He worked as a Stoker, but by the end of the conflict had been promoted to Stoker Petty Officer.

In December 1918, Henry’s service came to an end. He was, by now, based at HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, but his health was suffering. Medically discharged with a combination of chronic bronchitis and rheumatic pain, he seems to have returned to Bristol.

On 6th December 1920, Henry was admitted to Bath War Hospital in Somerset, as he was coughing up blood. The plan was to transfer him to Greenwich Hospital in Surrey, but he suffered an aneurysm before that move could be made. He passed away on 11th December 1920, at the age of 50 years old.

The body of Henry John Cordas did not travel far for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful expanse of Bath’s Locksbrook Cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, London, photography, Royal Army Service Corps, Royal Horse Artillery, Shoeing Smith, Somerset, story, war, Yorkshire

CWG: Shoeing Smith Samuel Treeby

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Shoeing Smith Samuel Treeby

Samuel Treeby was born in December 1865 in Taunton, Somerset. The third of seven children, his parents were cordwainer Thomas Treeby and his wife, Anna (or Hannah).

When he finished his schooling, Samuel found work as a blacksmith at a collar factory in Taunton. His trade stood him in good stead away from the forge: he volunteered for the Royal Horse Artillery, becoming adept as shoeing the animals.

In 1906, Samuel married Sarah Parker. She was from Enmore, between Bridgwater and Taunton, although the couple married in Cardiff, Glamorgan. The couple settled back in Enmore, where Samuel continued his smithing trade.

War came to Europe in 1914 and, although he was 49 years old, Samuel stepped up to play his part. He was attached to the Royal Army Service Corps and given a rank that echoed his civilian profession, that of Shoeing Smith. His service records show that he was of average height – 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall – but that he was illiterate: he signed his declaration with a cross.

Samuel spent several months on home soil, before being sent out to France in March 1916. He spent six months overseas, before being shipped back to Britain, suffering from rheumatism. Shoeing Smith Treeby was admitted to the East Leeds War Hospital before being discharged to the regiment’s Remount Depot in Woolwich, Kent.

Samuel’ returned home to Somerset’s health still dogged him during the winter of 1916/17. He contracted bronchitis, and died of the condition on 27th February 1917, while still based in London. He was 51 years of age.

Samuel’s body was taken back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Michael’s Church in Enmore, not far from where his widow still lived.

Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Gloucestershire, Great War, history, illness, Labour Corps, photography, Private, Royal Navy, story, war

CWG: Private Frank Mayo

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Private Frank Mayo

Francis James Stephen Mayo was born on 24th November 1894 in Oldland, a small Gloucestershire village near Bristol. One of eight children, his parents were collier Samuel Mayo and his wife, Diana.

Frank, as he was known, sought a life of adventure from the start. In July 1911, not content with life as a farm labourer, he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class. His service records show that he was 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall, had light hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.

Sent to the training ship HMS Impregnable, Boy 2nd Class Mayo’s time there was short. When Samuel found out what his son had done, he paid £10 (the equivalent of around £1250 in today’s money) for his discharge.

Frank went back to farm work, but, with storm clouds brewing on European shores, his time was to come again. On 8th September 1914, just a month after war was declared, he enlisted. His service records show that he had gained an inch (2.5cm) in height since his attempt to join the Royal Navy.

Again, Frank’s attempt to escape what he presumably felt to be a humdrum life were thwarted. His service records confirm that he was discharged on medical grounds because he was deemed not likely to become an efficient sailor.

On Christmas Day 1915, Frank married Martha Sweet, the daughter of a chimney sweep. The couple settled down in Keynsham, not far from either of their families, and had a son, Henry. Frank, by this time, seemed to have given in to the inevitable, and looking for a regular wage, began working at one of the local collieries.

Frank still had a dream to fulfil, though, and with no end to the war in sight, he again enlisted, joining the Training Reserve in June 1917. His records show that he had gained another inch in height, and has a number of tattoos on his right forearm. His records this time show that he had a slight heart problem, and was also suffering from a touch of rheumatism.

Private Mayo was assigned to the 440th Company of the Labour Corps, and seemed, at last, to be fulfilling the role he had wanted to be doing for the last six years. As time went on, however, his health seems to have been failing him and, in the summer of 1918, he contracted pulmonary tuberculosis. He passed away from the condition on 30th August 1918, while at camp, aged just 23 years of age.

Brought back to Gloucestershire for burial, Francis James Stephen Mayo – or Frank – was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Anne’s Church in his home village of Oldland.