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Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, India, Kent, photography, Royal Navy, Signalman, story, war

Signalman Albert Chevalier

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Signalman Albert Chevalier

Albert Patrick Michael Chevalier was born in India on 16th June 1893. There is little definitive information about his early life, although his mother was called Georgina, and the family may have moved back to England when Albert was just a child.

When he left school, Albert found work as an errand boy in an office. But he wanted bigger and better things and, on 4th May 1909, aged just fifteen years old, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. Because of his age, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and for the first eighteen months, he was assigned to training bases – HMS Ganges and HMS Impregnable.

After only a few months, Albert was promoted to Boy 1st Class and, after a month at HMS Pembroke – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – he was given his first sea-going appointment on board the cruiser HMS Minerva.

Albert spent eighteen months on Minerva, during which time he came of age. He seems to have had an understanding of basic technology, as he was given the rank of Ordinary Signalman. After some more time in Chatham, Albert went to sea again, this time on board another cruiser, HMS Cressy. At the start of 1913 he was promoted again, and given the rank of full Signalman.

Signalman Chevalier went on to serve on a number of different vessels, primarily the battleship HMS Swiftsure, where he served for nearly three years, plying the waters between Britain and India. By the spring of 1916 he was back in Chatham, however, and it was here that things took a turn for the worse.

Albert was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in the town, suffering from pleurisy. Sadly, the condition was to get the better of him and he passed away the hospital on 28th September 1916, at the age of just 23 years of age.

Albert Patrick Michael Chevalier’s body was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the dockyard from which he had made so many of his voyages.

Albert’s mother Georgina had not settled in England for long. The army pension record gives her as Albert’s beneficiary, but notes her address as Victoria Street, Daylesford, Victoria, Australia.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Gwynedd, history, injury, photography, Private, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, story, Wales, war

Private Owen Owen

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Private Owen Owen

Owen Jonah Owen was born in 1880, the oldest of eleven children to Jonah and Elizabeth Owen. Jonah was a quarryman at one of the slate mines around Llanberis, Gwynedd, and this is where the family were raised.

Owen followed his father into the slate quarries and, on 26th September 1903, he married Ann Jones, the daughter of another quarry worker. The couple went on to have four children: Richard, Jonah, Delia and Gwyneth.

He was well known and respected in the village, had a passion for singing and “had conducted singing festivals held by the Congregationalists of the district.” [Caernarvon & Denbigh Herald: Friday 24th November 1916]

War was closing in on Europe, and Owen was keen to play his part. Sadly his service records have been lost over time, but it is clear that he had enlisted in the army by May 1916. Private Owen joined the Royal Welch Fusiliers, and was assigned to the 14th Battalion.

Part of the 38th Division, the battalion was to be caught up in some of the fiercest and most desperate fighting of the First World War. In July 1916, Owen would have been entrenched at The Somme and, after the first few horrific days, his battalion was one of those involved in the fighting at Mametz Wood.

Private Owen was badly wounded during the battle and medically evacuated to Britain for treatment. Admitted to a military hospital in Birmingham, he was to remain there for a number of months until, on 12th November 1916, his body finally succumbed to his injuries. He was 36 years of age.

Owen Jonah Owen was brought back to his home village for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Peris Church in Llanberis.

Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Gwynedd, history, illness, Lancashire, photography, Private, story, Wales, war

Private Hugh Jones

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Private Hugh Jones

Hugh Henry Jones was born in around 1876 in the Welsh village of Llanberis, Gwynedd. He was one of seven children to quarryman John Jones and his wife Mary.

Slate was the big industry in Snowdonia, and Hugh and his brothers all followed his father into the quarries. Labour was plentiful and wages would not have been high, so when the opportunity arose for employment overseas, he seems to have taken it.

Exact details are sketchy, but Hugh emigrated to Australia at some point in the early 1900s. He settled in the city of Goulburn, New South Wales and the experience he had built up back home stood him good stead, as he continued working as a quarryman.

When war broke out in Europe, those in the British colonies were called upon to play their part, and Hugh was among those to serve King and Country. He enlisted on 29th December 1915, joining the 55th Battalion of the Australian Infantry.

Private Jones’ service records show that he was 40 years and six months old, stood 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall and weighed 130lbs (59kg). He had a dark complexion, blue eyes and black hair. He also appears to have had a denture in his lower jaw.

After initial training, Private Jones set off for Europe at the end of September 1916, arriving in Plymouth six weeks later. Within a matter of weeks he was on the move again, sailing for France, and arriving at Etaples at the start of 1917.

Private Jones was ensconced on the Western Front for the next few months but, as spring came, he was starting to have some health issues. In April he was admitted to a field hospital suffering from dyspepsia (indigestion), which was subsequently diagnosed as gastritis.

Medically evacuated to Britain for treatment, Hugh spent the next few months being treated in hospitals in Kent, and Dorset, before being admitted to the Royal Infirmary in Liverpool. Sadly, by this point, his condition had been identified as stomach cancer and, while in Liverpool, he passed away. Private Jones breathed his last on 13th November 1917, at the age of 41 years old.

Hugh Henry Jones was brought back to Wales for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Peris Church in his home village of Llanberis.

Private Hugh Jones
(from findagrave.com)
Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Gwynedd, history, illness, photography, Private, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, story, Wales, war

Private William Rowlands

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Private William Rowlands

William Pierce Rowlands was born the summer of 1891 and was the oldest of three children to Thomas and Ellen Rowlands. Thomas was a slate dresser and quarryman from North Wales, and William was born in Ffestiniog, Gwynedd. By the time his sister Margaret was born, the young family had moved to Llanberis, settling in a small cottage on the outskirts of the village.

When he left school, William found work as a clerk, and this was the work he was carrying out when was broke out. He enlisted on 10th April 1915, joining the 14th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Welch Fusiliers. His service records show that he was 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall.

Private Rowlands served on home soil for just over seven months, before being sent to France on 30th November 1915. He had been suffering from a cough for a couple of weeks, and this came to a head while he was overseas. He reported sick on 16th December, and was sent back to Britain for treatment a month later.

His condition was identified as pulmonary tuberculosis, aggravated by military service. Private Rowlands was medically discharged from the army on 8th February 1916, and returned home.

At this point, William’s trail goes cold. His condition appears to have worsened, however, and it was from tuberculosis that he was to die. He passed away at home on 18th February 1917, at the age of 25 years old.

William Pierce Rowlands was laid to rest in the quiet graveyard of St Peris Church, in the family home village of Llanberis.

Thomas and Ellen lived until 1932, when the passed away within a couple of months of each other (Thomas in August, Ellen in November). They were reunited with the son, and lie together in the family grave, along with Ellen’s brother, also called William, who had passed away in 1930.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Gwynedd, history, illness, Lancashire, photography, Private, South Wales Borderers, story, Wales, war, Welch Regiment

Private Griffith Hughes

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Private Griffith Hughes

Griffith Hughes was born in Llanberis, in modern day Gwynedd, in 1893. Sadly, there is little information about his early life, and records mention his mother – Margaret – but no father. The 1901 census records Griffith as living with his grandmother, Ann Hughes.

Ten year later, the two are living in a two-up, two-down cottage – 19 Snowdon Street, Llanberis – with Griffith’s aunt, Ann’s daughter Jane, and her husband, Thomas. Griffith is earning money by now, working as a slate dresser at one of the local quarries.

War was coming to Europe by this point, and Griffith was called upon to play his part. He initially enlisted in the Welch Regiment as a Private, although he seems to have transferred across to the South Wales Borderers during his service.

Private Hughes’ time in the army was spent on home soil, although he earned the Victory and British Medals for his service. He remained in the army through to the end of the war and beyond until, on 15th August 1919, he was medically discharged. He had developed tachycardia, and this was having an impact on his life.

When Griffith left the army, he was based in Lancashire, and was living in the village of Bryn, to the south of Wigan. He remained in the area for the next year, his health sadly deteriorating. Admitted to the cottage hospital in nearby Pemberton, he passed away from his heart condition on 18th September 1920. He was just 27 years old.

Griffith Hughes was brought back to Wales for burial. He was laid to rest in the quiet graveyard of St Peris Church, in his home village of Llanberis.

Commonwealth War Graves, Driver, Great War, Gwynedd, history, illness, photography, Royal Field Artillery, story, Wales, war

Driver Griffith Williams

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Driver Griffith Williams

Griffith Owen Williams was born the autumn of 1876 in Llanberis, Gwynedd. One of nine children, his parents were blacksmith William Williams and his wife, Alice.

Little information remains about Griffith’s teenage years. The 1891 census record that, at 14 years old, he was a scholar, but the next document that can be attributed to him comes fourteen years later.

At this point, on 7th March 1905, he married Margaret Jane Williams at the parish church in Llanberis. Margaret was 24 years old, and the daughter of a quarryman: Griffith gave his profession as Post Office official, and he was living in Caernarfon, eight miles away, on the Menai Strait.

The young couple went on to have a daughter, Maggie, in January 1906. Sadly, Margaret died on 5th May 1908, when she was just 27 years of age. While the young family had been living in Caernarfon, she was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Peris Church in Llanberis.

At this point, Griffith’s trail goes cold once more. When war broke out, he enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery, and was assigned as a Driver in the 248th (Howitzer) Brigade. By April 1915, Griffith found himself on the Western Front and, by the next spring he was fighting at the Somme.

During the winter of 1916/17, Driver Williams fell ill. He contracted bronchial pneumonia, and was medically evacuated to Britain to recuperate. Sadly, the condition was to prove too much for his body to take. He passed away on 23rd February 1917, at the age of 46 years old.

Griffith Owen Williams’ was laid to rest with his late wife in St Peris Churchyard, in their home village of Llanberis.

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Ireland, Kent, London, Major, Middlesex, New Zealand, photography, story, war

Major George Hannan

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Major George Hannan

George Madder Hannan was born in Dublin in 1861, the son of banker Benjamin Hannan. There is little concrete information about his early life, but what can be pieced together produces the story of a well-travelled man.

On 22nd January 1896, George was initiated into the Lodge of Otago, a freemason’s collective in Dunedin, New Zealand. He is listed as being a Master Mariner.

George’s marriage certificate records that he wed Mary Carlisle on 27th October 1898. The wedding took place at St Jude’s Church in Kensington, London, and the groom was listed as a Gentleman. Mary was the daughter of a paper manufacturer, and had been born in Lancashire.

The next document for George is the 1911 census. This notes that he ad Mary were still living in Kensington, along with their only child – daughter Grace, who had been born in 1900 – and two servants. This time he is listed as being an army major, a special reserve officer.

Moving forward a few years, the next record for George is the notice of his funeral, in October 1915:

We regret to announce the death of Major Madder-Hannan, which occurred at May Bank on Wednesday morning. Major Madder-Hannan, who had only resided in the village [of Bearsted, Kent] for the past few months, held his commission in the 9th Service Battalion Cameronians. He had been an invalid since taking up his residence here.

Kent Messenger & Gravesend Telegraph: Saturday 16th October 1915

Sadly, no documentation remains about George’s time with the Cameronians. He passed away, presumably through illness, on 13th October 1915, at the age of 54 years of age.

Unusually, given the main family home was in Kensington, George Madder Hannan was buried in the village where he died. He was laid to rest in Holy Cross Churchyard, Bearsted.

Commonwealth War Graves, Gloucestershire Regiment, Great War, history, Kent, Lance Corporal, Malta, photography, Scotland, Second Lieutenant, Sergeant, story, unknown, war

Lieutenant Thomas Denny

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Lieutenant Thomas Denny

Thomas David William Denny was born on 26th December 1890 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire. There is little information on his early life, other than that his parents were Thomas and Annie Denny.

By the time of the 1911 census, Thomas Jr was serving as a Lance Corporal in the 2nd Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment, and was based at the Verdola Barracks in Malta.

When war broke out, the battalion was called back to mainland Europe. By 19th December 1914, Thomas found himself in France; two years later, he was in Salonika, Greece.

Thomas’ bravery was not in doubt. While serving in France, he received the Military Medal for conspicuous gallantry. This went hand in hand with a promotion to Sergeant. In 1917, he received a commission as Second Lieutenant and was moved to the regiment’s 3rd Battalion.

In the spring of 1918, Second Lieutenant Denny married Elsie, a woman from Bearsted, near Maidstone in Kent. Sadly, little else is known of her, and even a later newspaper report only referred to her as “a Bearsted lady” [East Kent Gazette: Saturday 15th March 1919].

By early 1919, Thomas was back in Britain. Whether he had been demobbed is unclear, but is seems more likely that he had returned home for medical treatment. On 6th March, he passed away in Maidstone. He was just 28 years of age.

Thomas David William Denny was laid to rest in the graveyard of Holy Cross Church in Bearsted close to where the now-widowed Elsie must have lived.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, London, London Regiment, photography, Private, story, war

Private Thomas Rice

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Private Thomas Rice

Thomas Merrall Rice was born on 4th January 1894, one of thirteen children to William and Martha. William was from Northamptonshire, but it was in Bearsted, near Martha’s home town of Maidstone, where the couple raised their family.

Little detail of Thomas’ early life remains. What is clear is that, by the summer of 1916, he was living in Plumstead, South East London and was working as a valet. He had met Annie Jane Rix by this point, and the couple married on 17th June 1916 at All Saints Church in Plumstead.

Thomas was called up for military duty not long after this and, on 1st November 1916, he enlisted in the 14th Battalion of the London Regiment, also known as the London Scottish. His service records show very specifically (although seemingly incorrectly) that he was 25 years and 300 days old. It was also noted that he stood 5ft 5.5ins (1.64m) tall and was, by this time, employed as an explosives worker at Woolwich Arsenal.

After his initial training, Private Rice was sent to France at the end of May 1917. His service overseas was not to be a long one, as, within a couple of months, his battalion had been the victims of a gas attack. Thomas was admitted to a field hospital but quickly developed pleurisy and tuberculosis, and was medically evacuated back to Britain in August, and discharged from the army as no longer fit for active duty just a couple of months later.

His failing health meant that Thomas was not able to actively work, and it seems that he had moved out of London and back to his family’s home on the outskirts of Maidstone. It is unclear whether Annie went with him, but, as they had a son, Albert, who had been born shortly before he was sent to France, it seems likely that they would have moved as a family unit.

William, Thomas’ father, died in the summer of 1919, and was laid to rest in the graveyard of Holy Cross Church, Bearsted. Sadly, Thomas was to follow him, passing away on 15th January 1920, a victim of the lung conditions that had dogged him since France. He had just turned 26 years of age.

Thomas Merrall Rice was laid to rest alongside his father in the quiet Holy Cross Churchyard.

Private Thomas Rice
(from findagrave.com)
Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Leading Seaman, Ordinary Seaman, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, Scotland, story, war

Petty Officer Albert Smith

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Petty Officer Albert Smith

Albert Septamus Smith was born in Maidstone, Kent, on 12th January 1881. The oldest of three children to George and Frances Ditcher, he may has been born before the couple married, and seems to have retained his mother’s maiden name throughout his life.

When he left school, Albert sought a life at sea, joining the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on 12th January 1898, when he was just fifteen. Albert’s naval career was a long and varied one which began on board HMS Impregnable, a training ship. After a month’s training, he was assigned to HMS Lion, where he spent more than a year, gaining a promotion to Boy 1st Class in the process.

In October 1897, Albert transferred to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. In the four months that he spent on shore, he turned seventeen and, as a result, came of legal age to formally be enlisted in the navy. Ordinary Seaman Smith signed up for a period of twelve years, and his service records showed that he was 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall, had brown hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion. He was also noted to have a scar on his right wrist, and a tattoo of a flower and bracelet on the same wrist.

Ordinary Seaman Smith was dedicated to his career. Over the next twelve years he served on board nine different vessels, and rose through the ranks, gaining promotion to Able Seaman (in May 1899), Leading Seaman (January 1903), and Petty Officer 2nd Class (September 1903). He returned to the rank of Leading Seaman, doing so in August 1906, but this seems to have been a deliberate choice, as his service record appears unblemished.

In 1910, Albert’s initial period of service came to an end and he chose not to renew his contract. He had married Ellen Miles on 6th October 1900, and, with four young children, it appears that family had become more important to him. Returning to Maidstone, he found work on the railways, joining the South East and Chatham company as a platelayer. The family home was in Bearsted, a village to the east of Maidstone, now part of its suburbs, and they shared is with Ellen’s sister, Dorothy.

Life was going well for the Smith family, but war was coming to Europe and, with his previous naval experience, Albert was to be called upon again. He was called out of reserve on 2nd August 1914 and, after an initial couple of weeks at HMS Pembroke, Leading Seaman Smith was soon back at sea.

After a couple of years on board the seaplane tenders HMS Engadine and Campania, Albert was promoted to Petty Officer again, and assigned to HMS Sandhurst, a fleet repair ship based at Scapa Flow. He was on board when an explosion in the boiler room killed seventeen seamen on 27th February 1917, although he was not hurt.

It was while Petty Officer Smith was on board HMS Sandhurst that he contracted tuberculosis. He returned to Chatham Dockyard, but the condition was severe enough for him to be medically discharged from active service in February 1918.

Albert returned to civilian life again, and his trail goes cold for a couple of years. His lung complaint continued to haunt him, however, and he passed away from tuberculosis on 4th March 1921. He was 40 years of age.

Albert Septamus Smith was laid to rest in the graveyard of Holy Cross Church in Bearsted, not far from his family home.

Petty Officer Albert Smith
(from ancestry.co.uk)