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accident, Commonwealth War Graves, Derbyshire, Great War, history, Kent, Nottinghamshire, photography, Private, Royal Marines, Sherwood Foresters, story, war

Private John Stenson

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Private John Stenson

John Joseph Stenson was born in the Derbyshire village of Crich on 27th October 1869. He was the younger of two children to Jane and Joseph Stenson. Jane had been married and widowed before, and John had a number of half-siblings in his extended family.

Tracing John’s early life is a bit of a challenge, and he is missing from a number of census records. By 1901, he was working as a blacksmith in Nottingham, and living at 94 Park Street, to the west of the town centre. He was married to Rose Moon, and they had exchanged vows in 1896.

By 1911, the couple had moved to the Bulwell area of Nottingham, and were living at 23 Padley Street. John was still working as a blacksmith, Rose as a dressmaker, and their adopted son, 18-year-old John Daley, was also living with them, and was employed as a hosiery washer.

When war broke out, and despite his age, John stepped up to play his part. He enlisted on 5th September 1914, joining the Sherwood Foresters as a Private. His service records show that he was just under 5ft 8ins (1,72m) tall, with brown hair and grey eyes.

Private Stenson did not stay with the army for long and after just ten days he was transferred to the Royal Marine Light Infantry. His time was split between two bases, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, and the equivalent in Portsmouth, Hampshire. He did see time overseas, with a later report confirming that he had fought at Gallipoli.

ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF A SLEEP WALKER

At an inquest at Chatham on Tuesday on Pte. John Joseph Stenson… belonging to Bulwell, Nottingham, whose body was found in an area beneath the barrack rooms, it was stated that he walked in his sleep. A verdict of “Accidental Death” was returned.

[Kentish Gazette: Saturday 9th September 1916]

Other reports suggested that Private Stenson had started sleep walking in recent weeks. The coroner reported that he was killed “either by falling our of his bedroom window or over the passage-way railings…” [Hull Daily Mail: Wednesday 6th September 1916]

John Joseph Stenson was 46 years of age when he died on 2nd September 1916. His body was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the dockyard at which he had been based.

Chief Stoker, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Leading Stoker, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker Petty Officer William Bruce

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Stoker Petty Officer William Bruce

William Bruce was born in Chatham, Kent, on 3rd July 1873. The oldest of fourteen children, his parents were David and Sarah Bruce. David worked as a blacksmith in the local dockyard, and this is a job that William also followed when he finished his schooling.

For the early part of William’s life, the Bruce family lived on Fort Pitt Street, initially at No. 29, then, as the family grew, No. 42. Working as a blacksmith brought in a salary, but the navy offered William more of a career and, on 20th June 1893, he signed up.

Stoker 2nd Class Bruce’s service papers show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall, with dark brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion. He would spend a total of 13 years with the Royal Navy and, unsurprisingly, given where he was living, he would be based out of HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham.

William spent six months at HMS Wildfire – the dockyard in Sheerness, Kent – during the summer of 1893, before returning to Pembroke. She would remain his home for the next three years, during which time he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class. His time back at Pembroke was not without incident, however, and he spent three days in the cells for an unconfirmed misdemeanour in August 1894.

On 14th January 1896, Stoker Bruce was given his first sea-going posting, on board the cruiser HMS Endymion. Over the remaining nine years of his initial contract, he would go on to spend time on three further ships. William’s commitment to the role was now becoming evident: he was promoted to Leading Stoker 2nd Class in October 1900, and Leading Stoker 1st Class less than four years later.

Away from the sea, love was blossoming for William. On 12th February 1900, he married Nellie Benster, a dressmaker and lady’s companion from Chatham. The couple took rooms at 145 Thorold Road, a home for the new bride while her husband was away at sea.

When Leading Stoker Bruce’s 12-year contract came to an end, he immediately renewed it. In August 1905, he was assigned to the battleship HMS Resolution, and he remained on board for the next nine months. William’s next assignment was another battleship, HMS Triumph, and he would be attached to her for nearly six years.

On 1st July 1906, William was promoted to Stoker Petty Officer. He retained this rank until December 1910, when he reverted to Leading Stoker. His papers hint at the cause for this demotion: his annual review had dropped from very good to merely good after he took the new role.

Over the next two years, Leading Stoker Bruce went on to serve on three further ships: the depot ship HMS Aquarius, the cruiser HMS Talbot and the sloop HMS Cadmus. By December 1912, William seems to have proved his mettle once more, and was promoted to Stoker Petty Officer again.

William remained on Cadmus for more than three years, returning to Chatham in the spring of 1916. Over the next few months, his health began to suffer and he was admitted to the town’s Royal Naval Hospital with pneumonia. The condition would get the better of him, and he passed away on 20th October 1916, at the age of 43 years old.

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

Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Dorsetshire Regiment, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, India, Mesopotamia, photography, Private, Royal Navy, story, war

Private Thomas Adams

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Private Thomas Adams

Thomas Charles Adams was born on 18th April 1891 in Ilfracombe, Devon. The oldest of four children, his parents were Thomas and Amanda Adams. Thomas Sr was a mason turned builder, but his son seemed keen to carve his own path in life.

On 5th October 1905, Thomas Jr enlisted in the Royal Navy. His papers show that he was 5ft 6ins (1.67m) tall, with dark hair, hazel eyes and a dark complexion. His time with the navy seems to have been brief, he was sent to HMS Impregnable for training, but was discharged on 9th November 1905, the reason given being “Invd”. Later documents suggest that he was dismissed because he was under the regulation chest measurement, but it was likely due to the fact that he had added two years to his age in order to be accepted.

Thomas returned home, and found employment as a fitter. He was not to be deterred, however, and joined the Dorsetshire Regiment as a volunteer. On 30th January 1907 he gave up his job, and enlisted in the army full time. Thomas’ papers give similar physical descriptions to his naval record, but also include his weight, 123lbs (55.8kg).

Private Adams was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, and spent the next two years on home soil. On 5th January 1909, however, the life of adventure he had wanted truly began. His unit was sent to India, and he would remain overseas for more than six years. His time overseas was not without incident, however, and he had four separate admissions to hospital with neuralgia (in April 1909), gonorrhoea (1910 and 1912) and malaria (in 1914).

By May 1915, Thomas was back in Britain. He was still having health issues, however, and he was admitted to Netley Hospital, Hampshire, suffering from tuberculosis. The condition would lead to his discharge from the army, and he was formally stood down on 15th June 1915.

At this point, Thomas’ trail goes cold. It is likely that he returned to his family, who were now living in Combe Martin, Devon. This is where he passed away, on 14th October 1915, at the age of 24 years old.

The body of Thomas Charles Adams was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Peter’s Church, Combe Martin.

Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, injury, Middlesex, photography, Private, story, war

Private Augustus Hines

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Private Augustus Hines

The funeral of Pte. Augustus Hines, of the Australian Imperial Forces, took place on Monday in Combe Martin Parish Churchyard. Wounded in Northern France, he was sent to a hospital in Middlesex, and when convalescent was granted leave to pay a visit to Mr and Mrs John Dovell, of Glen Cottage, whose two sons, Corpl. Herbert Dovell and Pte. Lewis Dovell, were his comrades in Western Australia, and also in the field of battle. Unfortunately he developed pneumonia, and passed away on August 16th… The coffin was followed by the members of the Parish Council, convalescent soldiers, and a large number of friends, the late soldier’s genial and frank disposition having made him popular during his brief stay in the parish.

[North Devon Journal: Thursday 24th August 1916]

Augustus Hines was born in 1874 in the town of Concord, New South Wales. Details of his early life have been lost to time, but he was the son of Allen and Elizabeth Hines, and had at least one sibling, a sister called Lily.

By the time war was declared, Augustus had moved to the outskirts of Perth, and was employed as a timber worker. He enlisted in the army on 27th September 1915, his service records showing that he was 5ft 6.5ins (1.68m) tall, and weighed 10st 4lbs (65.3kg). He had fair hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.

Private Hines was assigned to the 28th Battalion of the Australian Infantry and, by the start of 1916, he was on his way to Europe. After a two-month stop in Egypt, Augustus’ unit travelled on to France. They disembarked in Marseilles on 21st March, and headed from there to the Front Line.

Private Hines’ unit was sent to the village of Marle, but he would not remain there for long. Within a matter of weeks he received a gun shot wound to his foot. Initially treated by the 7th Field Ambulance, he was transferred to a hospital in Etaples, then taken to Britain on board the Hospital Ship Brighton.

Augustus was admitted to the 1st Australian General Hospital in Harefield, Middlesex, where he remained for the next six weeks. From there, he was discharged to convalesce, and made his way to his friends’ family in Devon.

It was while he was here that Private Augustus Hines fell ill. He passed away on 16th August 1916, at the age of 42 years old. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Peter’s Churchyard, Combe Martin.

Additional, Cambridgeshire, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class Herbert Bavister

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Stoker 1st Class Herbert Bavister

AN AIR-RAID VICTIM

Killed in Barracks After Passing Through Many Battles

A Cambridge family which already had a splendid record suffered another loss by air raid on the Chatham-Sheerness district on Monday night in the death of Stoker Herbert Bavister. It will be remembered that a bomb fell on the naval barracks at Chatham, causing terrible casualties…

Stoker Bavister, the son of Mrs Bavister, of 68, New-street, was 28 years of age, and had been in the Navy over seven years. He had a grand record, having taken part in the Battle of Falkland Isles on December 8th, 1914, in the attack on the Dardanelles, both in the attack on the outer forts on February 19th and on the Chanak Forts on March 18th, 1915, and in the Battle of Jutland on March 31st-June 1st, 1916. He did not receive a scratch in any of these battles.

There are three brothers in the Army, on of whom – Pte. J Bavister, of the Rifle Brigare – was taken prisoner by the Germans during the retreat from Mons. The other two are Pte. W Bavister, of the Bedford Regiment, and Pte. A Bavister, of the Middlesex Regiment. Stoker Bavister was well known in Cambridge, and will be greatly missed by a wide circle of friends.

[Cambridge Daily News: Saturday 8th September 1917]

Herbert Lewis Bavister was born in Cambridge on 31st July 1889. The youngest of eight children, his parents were farm labourer William, and his wife, Ann. The 1891 census found the family living at the long-since-gone 8 Wellington Passage, to the east of the city centre.

By the time of the 1901 census, it seems that family were splitting. William was missing from the document and, given his age, and his passing a few years later, it may be that he had been admitted to a hospital or institution. Anne was living in a small cottage at 9 Albert Street, and was working as a charwoman. She was supported by three of her sons – Simon, Alfred and William – all of whom were employed as carters on a farm, while 11-year-old Herbert completed the household.

The 1911 census found a further moved for Ann and Herbert. The other children having flown the nest, it was just the two of them, living at 64 New Street, a one-up, one-down cottage on the outskirts of the city. Now 66 years of age, Ann was not working, and it was down to Herbert, employed as a fishmonger’s assistant, to bring in the money.

Supporting his widowed mother was clearly important to Herbert, and his shop salary was not enough to provide for her properly. He needed a regular pay packet, and the Royal Navy seemed to offer that security. On 30th May 1911 he enlisted, and was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. With the rank of Stoker 2nd Class, his papers show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall, with brown hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion.

Following his induction, Stoker Bavister was given his first assignment, on board the battlecruiser HMS Inflexible. She would be his home for the next six years, and the newspaper article both outlines his time on board and his promotion to Stoker 1st Class, which came in June 1912.

The summer of 1917 found Herbert back on dry land in Chatham, his tenure aboard Inflexible at an end. HMS Pembroke was a particularly busy place at that point in the war and temporary accommodation was set up. Stoker Bavister found himself billeted at The Drill Hall, away from the main barracks.

On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line, as the German Air Force launched a bombing raid. One of the bombs landed squarely on the Drill Hall, and Stoker Bavister was amongst the dozens killed. He was just 28 years old.

The body of Herbert Lewis Bavister was taken back to Cambridgeshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the city’s Mill Road Cemetery.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Leading Stoker, Oxfordshire, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker Petty Officer Alfred Bishop

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Stoker Petty Officer Alfred Bishop

Alfred Bishop was born on 18th June 1892 in the Oxfordshire town of Burford. The oldest of eleven children, his parents were Samuel and Emily Bishop. Samuel was employed by a local tannery, and the 1901 census found the family living on Guildenford, to the east of the town centre.

Alfred would initially follow his father into the tannery, where he was employed as a harness maker. However, he had his sights set on bigger and better things and, on 24th January 1911, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. His service records show that he was just under 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall, with brown hair, hazel eyes and a ruddy complexion. The document also noted a scar on his left groin following a varicocele operation.

Stoker 2nd Class Bishop was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. In August 1911 he was given his first posting, on board the cruiser HMS Black Prince. She would remain his home for the next nine months, during which he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class.

Over the next four years, Alfred would serve on five further vessels, returning to HMS Pembroke between each assignment. On 10th April 1916, he joined the crew of the cruised HMS Liverpool, and would remain with her for more than two years.

By this point Stoker Bishop’s annual reviews were increasingly positive, noting a very good character and a superior ability. This would pay off: in June 1916 he was promoted to Leading Stoker, with a rise to Stoker Petty Officer following two years later.

Alfred remained in the Royal Navy until 6th August 1919, when he was medically discharged with tuberculosis. By this point he had served for more than eight years, and had served on eight vessels.

Following his discharge, Alfred returned to Oxfordshire. The 1921 census found him living at 9a Markey Square with his wife, Eliza, and their five-month-old daughter, Bertha. There is little information about Eliza, but it seems likely that the couple met after her husband had returned home.

At this point, Alfred Bishop’s trail goes cold. He passed away on 29th August 1921, at the age of 29 years old. His body was laid to rest in the graveyard of St John the Baptist’s Church, in his home town of Burford.

Commonwealth War Graves, Gloucestershire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, Oxfordshire, photography, Private, story, war

Private Albert Search

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Private Albert Search

Albert Search was born in Burford, Oxfordshire, in the autumn of 1891. One of thirteen children, he was the third son to William and Fanny Search. William was a farm labourer, and this is work into which Albert followed.

The 1911 census found the family living on Guildenford, close to the town centre and St John the Baptist’s Church. Three of the household were employed, three of the children were still at school, and they had a lodger – 71-year-old widower Steven Lange, who was also working on the farm.

On 15th August 1915, Albert married Annie Pearse. The same age as her new husband, she was also from Burford, and was the son of a cowman, possible connected to the same farm as her father-in-law. The couple set up home in Lawrence Lane, and went on to have a child, Albert Jr, who was born the following year.

Albert was called upon to serve his country some time after the wedding, and he joined the Gloucestershire Regiment as a Private. Assigned to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, he was soon sent to the Eastern Mediterranean. Private Search would spend more than two years there, but contracted malaria.

He was in hospital six months, and was afterwards invalided home for a month. He then returned back to his unit in Bristol, was sent back to hospital, and was discharged in 1920.

[Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette: Friday 9th September 1921]

Albert returned home to Annie and his son. When his health had recovered enough, he returned to farm work, and the 1921 census recorded him working on Tangley Farm. During that summer, however, his health deteriorated once more:

..on August 23 he was taken ill and died within eight days. Deceased was a native of Burford, where he was well known and highly respected.

[Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette: Friday 9th September 1921]

Albert Search was just 29 years old when he died. His body was laid to rest in the graveyard of St John the Baptist’s Church: this was where he had both been christened and married, and was at the end of the road from where his widow still lived.

In dying when he did, Albert became one of the last servicemen eligible for a Commonwealth War Grave.

Commonwealth War Graves, Gloucestershire, Great War, history, injury, Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, photography, Private, story, war

Private Wilfred Morse

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Private Wilfred Morse

Wilfred John Morse was born in the spring of 1886 in the Gloucestershire village of Upper Slaughter. The oldest of six children, he was one of five sons, although one of his brothers died when he was a babe in arms, and a second died when he was nine. Wilfred’s parents were agricultural labourer and carter John Morse and his wife, Amy. John travelled to where the work took him, and by the time of the 1901 census, the family had settled in Burford, Oxfordshire.

The following census return, taken in 1911, noted that Wilfred had also found farm work, and he was employed as a milkman, possibly on the same farm as his father. When war broke out, however, Wilfred would step up to play his part.

The full service papers for Private Morse have been lost to time, but it is clear that he had enlisted in the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry early on in the conflict. Assigned to the 6th (Service) Battalion, he found himself on the Western Front by July 1915.

It is unclear how long William remained on the Western Front, but is is likely that he was involved in the Battle of the Somme. By the start of 1917 he was injured, and his wounds were severe enough for him to be medically evacuated to Britain for treatment.

We regret to announce the death of Wilfred John Morse… of the Oxford and Bucks LI, who passed away in a London hospital after an operation following shell wounds and gas. After the action he was conveyed to the Australian Base Hospital and then to London, where it was found necessary to operate.

[Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette: Friday 9th March 1917]

Wilfred John Morse died on 1st March 1917, at the age of 30 years old. His body was taken back to Oxfordshire for burial, and he was laid to rest in the graveyard of St John the Baptist Church, Burford.

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 emplpyed 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.

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

Sapper Leslie Long

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Sapper Leslie Long

Leslie Stanfield Long was born in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, on 15th November 1893. He was an only child, the son of Albert and Alice Long. Albert ran a building company and, at the time of the 1901 census, the young family were living at 46 Newtown, a terraced house to the west of the town centre.

Alice died in 1910, at the age of 35, and was laid to rest in the graveyard of Christ Church, Bradford-on-Avon. Albert remarried, to a woman called Emeline, and the next census found the family living at 8 St Margaret’s Villas, a large detached property to the south of the town. Also recorded on the census were Albert’s niece, Beatrice, and domestic servant Gladys Stone. Leslie had completed his schooling by this point, and was working as an apprentice motor care repairer.

When war broke out, Leslie was quick to step up and play his part. He enlisted on 14th September 1914, and was assigned to the Royal Engineers as a Sapper. His service records show that he was 5ft 11ins (1.8m) tall, with good vision and good physical development. He was attached to the 1st/1st Wessex Field Company, and found himself in France before the year was out.

Sapper Long would spend the next six months in France, but would be medically discharged from the army on 23rd June 1915. There is no evidence that he was injured, so the likelihood is that he fell ill with a contagious illness such as tuberculosis. He returned home, and would remain there until the following spring.

Leslie Stanfield Long’s health was obviously impacted: he passed away at home on 25th April 1916, at the age of just 22 years old. He was laid to rest alongside his mother in the family plot in Christ Church graveyard.