Tag Archives: Royal Navy

Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Boy 1st Class William Walters

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Boy 1st Class William Walters

William John Walters was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, on 9th July 1898. The fifth of nine children, his parents were Charles and Sarah Walters. Charles was a licensed boatman, and, for William’s short life, the family lived on Grange Street, Portsea.

Young William found work as a shop boy when he finished school, but he was drawn to the sea like his father and, on 22nd November 1913, he joined the Royal Navy. Too young to full enlist, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class and sent to HMS Impregnable, the navy’s school ship in Devonport, Devon.

Boy Walters’ service records show that he was 5ft 3.5ins (1.61m) tall, with brown hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion. He was also noted as having tattoos on both of his forearms.

By the summer of 1914, William has been promoted to Boy 1st Class. He returned to Hampshire, and was based at HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth. This was just a staging post, however, as, on 26th August, he was assigned to the pre-dreadnaught battleship HMS Bulwark.

Part of the Channel Fleet, Bulwark was tasked with patrolling and defending Britain’s southern coast. On 26th November 1914, Bulwark was moored in the River Medway, close to Sheerness, and was being stocked with shells and ammunition. That morning, some poorly stowed cordite charges overheated, detonating the shells stored nearby. The resulting explosion ripped through the battleship, and more than 740 crew were killed. The body of Boy 1st Class Walters was among those to be recovered: he was 16 years of age.

Those who were killed in the explosion were laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent. As his body had been identified, William John Walters was laid to rest in a marked grave.

William’s headstone gives his name as IWJ Walters. There are no records to suggest that his forenames were anything other than William John, however.

William’s mother Sarah died around the same time as him. It is unclear whether she passed knowing her son had lost his life or not.

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Essex, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Leading Stoker, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Leading Stoker Percy Curtis

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Leading Stoker Percy Curtis

Percy John Curtis was born on 2nd January 1889, the second of twelve children to Tom and Sabina Curtis. Tom was a general labourer from Todber, Dorset, and this is where the family were born and raised.

Much of Percy’s life is a mystery. He found work at sea when he finished his schooling, and in October 1911 he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Stoker 1st Class. His service papers show that he was 5ft 3ins (1.6m) tall, with brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker Curtis was initially assigned to the cruiser HMS Pathfinder, and remained on board until the summer of 1912. After a short sting at HMS Victory – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire – he was given another posting, aboard the battleship HMS King George V. She would become his home for the next four years, during which time Percy was promoted.

In September 1916, the now Leading Stoker Curtis returned to shore and to HMS Victory. He would remain at the base for the rest of his time in the navy.

On 5th November 1918, Percy married Kathleen Francis. She was the daughter of a Co-operative store manager from Dovercourt, Essex. She seems to have stayed with her family while her new husband was working, and a later census records confirms that she had returned (or remained) there after his death.

Percy’s service record gives a intriguing hint as to what happened, to him. By the end of the war he had been assigned to HMS Victory’s accounting branch. His papers simply state that he “Found dead on board 17 March 1919”. No cause of death is confirmed, although another naval document does confirm that it was due to illness, rather than any foul play. He was 30 years of age.

The body of Percy John Curtis was taken back to Dorset for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in Todber Churchyard, alongside his father, who had passed away the year before.

Able Seaman, accident, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, war, Yorkshire

Able Seaman Albert Dobson

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Able Seaman Albert Dobson

Albert Dobson was born in Bridlington, Yorkshire, on 7th April 1896. One of seven children, his parents were John and Annie Dobson. John was a bricklayer, and, when he completed his schooling, Albert was apprenticed to him. The 1911 census found the family living in a small terraced house at 55 St John’s Walk, on the outskirts of the town.

Bricklaying was not what Albert wanted from a career and, on 19th July 1913, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. Below the age to formally enlist, he was taken on with the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and sent to HMS Vivid – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, Devon, for his training.

Over the next nine months, Albert learnt the tools of his trade. Promoted to Boy 1st Class in October 1913, he spent time on board the battleship HMS Irresistible, before moving to HMS Pembroke, Chatham Dockyard in Kent. While he was there, he came of age, and was fully inducted into the Royal Navy as an Ordinary Seaman. Albert’s service papers show the man he had become: he was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

In April 1914, Ordinary Seaman Dobson was assigned to the new cruiser HMS Lowestoft. She would become his home for the next two years, and, while his annual reviews were average (character varying from good to very good and ability from moderate to satisfactory), he did gain a promotion to Able Seaman on 26th April 1915.

A singular fatality to a naval seaman names Albert Dobson, age 30 [sic], a native of Bridlington, was investigated at the Royal Naval Hospital, Chatham, on Monday. On October 20th, Dobson was one of a working party engaged on a battleship in the Dockyard, when, owing to the breaking of a plank, he and three men fell a distance of about eight feet. The knee of one of the men caught him in the stomach, with the result that he sustained a rupture of the spleen. In hospital he developed pneumonia, and died. A verdict of “Accidental Death” was returned.

[Kent Messenger & Gravesend Telegraph: Saturday 2nd December 1916]

Able Seaman Dobson’s service papers confirm that the incident occurred as the men were transferring a torpedo from HMS Illustrious. He was just 20 years of age when he died on 23rd November 1916.

The body of Albert Dobson was taken to Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, Kent, close to the dockyard he had come to know as home. He was laid to rest in the graveyard’s naval section.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Leading Stoker, Middlesex, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Leading Stoker James Mills

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Leading Stoker James Mills

James George Mills was born on 5th August 1891 in Poplar, Middlesex. One of nine children, his parents were Robert and Emily Mills. Robert was a bricklayer, and by the time of the 1901 census, they had settled in Lochnager Street.

Robert had died by 1911, and Emily was left to raise their children alone. That year’s census return found them living in rooms at 1 Cobden Street, with three of the children – including James – old enough to be earning a wage.

James had enlisted in the Royal Navy the year before, and was employed as a Stoker 2nd Class. His service papers show that he was 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall, with light brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. He was also noted as having a small scar on his right cheek.

Stoker Mills would come to be based at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, during his career. He served on a number of ships and, by the time he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class in October 1911, he had spent time on board the cruisers HMS Vindictive and HMS Foresight.

With his promotion came a move, and James was assigned to HMS Acteon, the navy’s new torpedo school based in Sheerness, Kent. From here on in, much of his time seems to have been spent on land, and in January 1914, he moved to HMS Dido, also in Sheerness.

This move to the navy’s land bases seems to have coincided with James’ life away from his career. On 26th December 1912, he married Classina Steenbergen, a Dutch national, whose parents had moved to Barking, Essex in the late 1890s. The couple would go on to have two children: daughters Clasina and Iris.

James’ dedication to the Royal Navy began to pay off, with his annual reviews noting a very good character and a superior ability. In May 1915 he was promoted to Acting Leading Stoker, with the position being formalised that November.

By this point, however, James’ health was becoming impacted. He was admitted to the naval hospital in Chatham in December 1916, suffering from a malignant growth on his pancreas. The condition would prove fatal: he died on 13th December, at the age of just 25 years old.

The body of James George Mills was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the naval base he had known so well.

Classina now had two young children to support on her own. She married again in the spring of 1920, her new husband being cabinet maker William Walter Hermann. The couple went on to have three children: Walter, Pearl and James.

Leading Stoker James Mills
(from findagrave.com)
Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war, Yorkshire

Stoker 2nd Class Frank Waterhouse

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Stoker 2nd Class Frank Waterhouse

Frank Waterhouse was born in Keighley, Yorkshire, on 14th September 1889. The second of four children, including two younger sibling who both died before their first birthdays, his parents were Waddington and Jane Waterhouse.

Waddington was an engineer for a worsted mill in nearby Bingley, and when Frank finished his schooling, he found employment as a fireman for the same mill. By the time of the 1911 census father, son, Frank’s sister Fanny and her husband Arthur were all employed at the factory.

In the spring of 1915, Frank married Alice Greenbank. She worked at a mill in Haworth and the couple set up home together. They would not go on to have any children.

War was raging across Europe by this point, and Frank stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Navy and his trade made him ideal for an initial role of Stoker 2nd Class. He was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training and his service record confirms the man he had become. He was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, with brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker 2nd Class Waterhouse was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. At the beginning of May 1917, he was assigned to the cruiser HMS Crescent, and spent the next four months aboard.

During this time, Frank fell ill. When Crescent docked back at HMS Pembroke at the end of September, he was disembarked, and taken to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham. He was suffering from endocarditis, and the heart condition would prove fatal. He passed away the day after he was admitted – on the 2nd October 1917 – at the age of 28 years old.

Hundreds of miles from home, it is likely that Frank’s family would not have been able to foot the bill for bringing his body back home. Instead, Frank Waterhouse was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, Kent, not far from the base at which he had been based.

Able Seaman, Boatman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, County Durham, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Leading Seaman, Northumberland, Ordinary Seaman, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, story, Surrey, war

Petty Officer 1st Class Edward Grant

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Petty Officer 1st Class Edward Grant

The early life of Edward Grant is a challenge to piece together. Born on 14th May 1863 in Newington, Surrey, he was the son of Thomas and Eliza Grant. The family do not appear on any census records, and it is only when Edward joined the Royal Navy in 1878 that he appears on any documents.

Edward’s service papers tell the story of a young man focused on his career. Underage when he joined up, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and sent to HMS Impregnable, the school ship based in Devonport, for his initial training. He remained on board for over a year, and rose to Boy 1st Class during that time.

Edward’s first full sea-going assignment was on board the screw corvette HMS Ruby. He would be assigned to her for eighteen months, during which time he came of age. Formally inducted into the Royal Navy, he took the rank of Ordinary Seaman. His service records show that he was a little over 5ft (1.53cm) tall, with brown hair, great eyes and a fair complexion.

Ordinary Seaman Grant’s contract was for ten years. During this time, his commitment to the job was clear: serving on a total of right vessels, he was promoted to Able Seaman in December 1882, Leading Seaman in October 1888 and Petty Officer 2nd Class in December 1889.

When his contract came to an end, Edward did not hesitate to re-enlist. He completed another decade of service, spending much of that time as a Boatman for the Coastguard on the Northumbrian coast.

It was while he was serving in Crastor that he met Elizabeth Smailes. She was a grocer’s daughter from nearby Dunstan, and the couple married in Alnwick on 14th February 1893. Edward and Eliabeth would go on to have five children, all girls, between 1896 and 1907.

By the time of the 1901 census, the Grants family were living in the Royal Naval Reserve Barracks in Hartlepool, County Durham. That November Edward was formally stood down to reserve status, having completed 20 years with the Royal Navy.

The 1911 census found Edward and the family living at the Guardians Offices at Hart Road in Hartlepool. A naval pensioner, he was employed as a caretaker for the town’s Board of Guardians, and the accommodation came with the job. Also living with them was Elizabeth’s mother, 83-year-old widow, Jane Smailes.

When war broke out, Edward stepped up to play his part once more. Now 51 years of age, he took on the role of Petty Officer 2nd Class once more: his papers show that he was now 5ft 5.5ins (1.66m) tall and had tattoos of a sailor woman and the words True Love on his left arm.

Petty Officer Grant remained firmly shore based, and was billeted at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. He served for three years, and was promoted to Petty Officer 1st Class in May 1916.

On 9th April 1917, Edward Grant collapsed at his barracks. His passing was quick: he died of an aortic aneurysm and haemorrhage. He was 53 years of age. His body was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, not far from the naval base he had known for so many years.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Kent, photography, Plumber's Mate, Royal Navy, story, war

Plumber’s Mate William Hodge

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Plumber’s Mate William Hodge

William James Hodge was born on 23rd November 1896 in Portsmouth, Hampshire. The oldest of seven children, six of whom were boys, his parents were James and Edith Hodge. James was a carpenter and labourer and, when he finished his schooling, William initially found work as a grocer’s errand boy.

William went on to find work as a plumber’s mate and, when war was declared, he saw an opportunity to put his stills to good use. The Royal Navy offered career prospects and, on 14th December 1915, he enlisted. His service papers show that he was 5ft 6ins (1.67m) tall, with black hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion.

Initial training took place not far from home at the Portsmouth shore based HMS Victory and HMS Fisgard. In November 1916, however, Plumber’s Mate Hodge was given his first sea-faring assignment, on board the battleship HMS Zealandia. She would remain his home for the next six months.

In the spring of 1917, William came down with tuberculosis. He was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, Kent, but the condition would prove too severe. He passed away on 19th April 1917, aged just 20 years old.

The body of William James Hodge was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, photography, Royal Navy, Scotland, Stoker, story, war, Wiltshire

Stoker 1st Class Stanley Curtis

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Stoker 1st Class Stanley Curtis

Stanley Curtis was born on 31st October 1899, and was one of 21 children to Rowland and Sarah Curtis. Rowland was a gardener and labourer from Warminster, Wiltshire, and it was here, at 9 Marsh Street, that the family were raised.

There is little information available about Stanley’s early life: he was only two years old at the time of the 1901 census, and still at school for the next return in 1911. Later document, however, confirms that he worked as a farm labourer when he completed his schooling and that he was an active member of the Warminster Cadets.

Stanley was keen to play his part when war broke out. He enlisted in the Royal Navy as soon as he was able to, joining as a Stoker 2nd Class on 7th December 1917. His service records show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.62m) tall, with brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker 2nd Class Curtis was sent to HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire, for his training. After four months there he was given his first assignment, on board the protected cruiser HMS Amphitrite. Working as a minelayer, she served in the North Sea, and was positioned off Scotland when Stanley fell ill.

Stoker Curtis was disembarked in Edinburgh, and was admitted to the city’s Royal Naval Hospital with peritonitis. Sadly the condition was to prove fatal, and he passed away on 13th September 1918, a few weeks short of his 19th birthday.

The body of Stanley Curtis was brought back to Wiltshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of Christ Church, Warminster, just a few minutes’ walk from where his grieving family lived.

accident, Berkshire, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Boy 1st Class Harry Jerrom

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Boy 1st Class Harry Jerrom

Harry Herbert Jerrom was born in the parish of Shinfield, Berkshire, on 26th July 1897. The oldest of eight children, his parents were caller Harry and Alice. Harry Sr was a farm labourer, and the family lived in Three Mile Cross.

Details of Harry Jr’s short life are scarce. Certainly when war broke out he stepped up to play his part, and had enlisted in the Royal Navy by the autumn of 1914. He was under the age to fully enlist by this point, and so held the rank of Boy 1st Class.

Harry was assigned to the battleship HMS Bulwark. Part of the Channel Fleet, she was tasked with patrolling and defending Britain’s southern coast. On 26th November 1914, Bulwark was moored in the River Medway, close to Sheerness, and was being stocked with shells and ammunition. That morning, some poorly stowed cordite charges overheated, detonating the shells stored nearby. The resulting explosion ripped through the battleship, and more than 740 crew were killed. Boy 1st Class Jerrom’s was among the bodies to be recovered: he was 17 years of age.

Those who were killed in the explosion were laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent. As his body had been identified, Harry Herbert Jerrom was laid to rest in a marked grave.

Boy 1st Class Harry Jerrom
(from findagrave.com)
accident, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, Middlesex, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Ordinary Seaman Frederick Millis

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Ordinary Seaman Frederick Millis

Frederick Harold Millis was born in Marylebone, Middlesex, on 18th March 1896, and was one of five children to horse keeper William Millis and his wife Emily. Details of his early life are a challenge to piece together – he does not appear on the 1901 census, although Emily and his siblings are recorded at 1 Linhope Street.

William died in 1908, and by the time of the 1911 census, Emily had moved to Brighton, Sussex, where she was living at 49 Bernard Street with Frederick and two of his brothers. Fred was 15 years old by this point, and was working as a telegraph messenger, while his older sibling Alfred was working as a draper’s assistant.

Frederick sought a better life for himself, and, on 28th January 1913, he signed up to the Royal Navy. Being under age, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and was sent to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, Devon, for his training.

After just three months, Frederick was promoted to Boy 1st Class, and just a few weeks later was assigned to the battleship HMS Prince of Wales. In October 1913, he was moved to another battleship, HMS Bulwark, and it was here that he was formally inducted into the navy.

The now Ordinary Seaman Millis signed up for twelve years’ service, and his papers note that he was 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall, with dark brown hair, dark brown eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also recorded as having a clasped hands tattoo on his right forearm and another of a sailor on his left arm.

Ordinary Seaman Millis would remain on board HMS Bulwark for a year. The battleship was part of the Channel Fleet, tasked with patrolling and defending Britain’s southern coast. On 26th November 1914, she was moored in the River Medway, close to Sheerness, and was being stocked with shells and ammunition. That morning, some poorly stowed cordite charges overheated, detonating the shells stored nearby. The resulting explosion ripped through the battleship, and more than 740 crew were killed. Frederick was amongst those whose bodies were recovered and identified: he was 18 years of age.

The bodies that were recovered from the tragedy were taken to the Woodlands Cemetery in nearby Gillingham and laid to rest. Frederick Harold Millis was buried alongside his colleagues in a marked grave.

Frederick’s headstone suggests he held the rank of Officer’s Steward: this seems to be an error, and possible a mis-interpretation of the initials of Ordinary Seaman.