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Commonwealth War Graves, Driver, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Isle of Wight, photography, Royal Field Artillery, Somerset, story, war

Driver Frederick Parsons

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Driver Frederick Parsons

Frederick Charles Harold Parsons was born in 1889, the older of two children to George and Ann Parsons. George was a general labourer from Drayton in Somerset, and this is where he and Ann raised their young family.

Ann’s mother, Elizabeth, was a constant presence in the family’s lives, moving in with them when her own husband, William, died. The 1911 census found a packed family home, with George, Ann, Frederick, Elizabeth, Ann’s widowed brother Joseph and her nephew Robert all living under the same roof.

Frederick – who was known by the nickname Chall – was working as a grocer’s assistant by this point, but when war broke out, he was quick to step up and serve his King and Country. He enlisted on 2nd September 1914, joining the Royal Field Artillery as a Driver. His service records note that he was 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall and weighed 116lbs (52.6kg). He had dark hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion, and had a scar below his left eye.

For the first ten months of Driver Parsons’ service, he remained on home soil. He was finally sent to France in the summer of 1915 and spent nearly two-and-a-half years overseas. Towards the end of that time, he began to have issues with his kidneys, and was posted back to the UK for treatment.

Initially admitted to Milton Hospital in Portsmouth, Chall was then moved to the VAD Hospital in Ryde on the Isle of Wight. He was initially diagnosed as having kidney stones, but was subsequently found to have enlarged kidneys. He was placed on furlough in May 1918, before being medically discharged from service at the end of August.

At this point, Chall’s trail goes cold. He appears to have returned home to Drayton, as it was in nearby Langport that his death was subsequently registered. He died on 11th December 1918, at the age of just 29 years old.

Frederick Charles Parsons was laid to rest in the family plot in St Catherine’s Churchyard, Drayton.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 2nd Class Tom Mounter

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Stoker 2nd Class Tom Mounter

Tom Mounter was born on 24th March 1890 in the quiet Somerset village of Kingsbury Episcopi. He was one of ten children to Robert and Ellen Mounter. Robert was a farm labourer, while Ellen earned a little more money for the family by stripping withy – or willow – branches for use in a variety of ways, such as basket weaving.

When Tom left school, he followed his father into agricultural work, employed to grow and manage the withy fields. In April 1911, he married Ellen Talbot, a farm labourer’s daughter from the village. The couple went on to have three children, Frederick, Martha and Horatio.

When war came to Europe, Tom stepped up to play his part. On 14th December 1916, he joined the Royal Navy, along with four others from the village.

Tom’s service records show that he was 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. Stoker 2nd Class Mounter was initially sent to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, for training, before being assigned to the cruiser HMS Ariadne on 31st March 1917.

The Ariadne had been converted into a minelayer that year, and worked in the English Channel. On 26th July 1917, she was torpedoed by the German submarine UC-65, and sunk, with the loss of all 38 hands, including Stoker Mounter. He was just 27 years of age.

Tom Mounter’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful Kingsbury Episcopi Cemetery, next to George Bonning, who had enlisted on the same day as him, and who had died six months before.

The local newspaper, when reporting on Stoker Mounter’s funeral, noted that he was “the seventeenth Kingsbury Episcopi man who has died for his King and country. It is stated that he had a strong presentiment that he would be killed.” [Langport & Somerton Herald: Saturday 4th August 1917]

Stoker 2nd Class Tom Mounter
(from findagrave.com)
Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 2nd Class George Bonning

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Stoker 2nd Class George Bonning

George Thomas Bonning – whose forenames seem to have been interchangeable – was born on 9th August 1887 in the Somerset village of Kingsbury Episcopi. His parents were farm workers James and Elizabeth Bonning, and George also entered farm work when he finished school.

In 1909, George marred Olive Harvey, the daughter of another agricultural labourer from the village. The couple set up home together in the village, and went on to have a daughter, Lilian, the following year. It was around the time of their daughter’s birth that George’s mother passed away, happiness and sadness in a short space of time for the young family.

By 1911, George was employed as a carter in a factory, presumably a financial step up from his previous employment on the farm. The money was still not a great deal, however, and Olive was also working, machining gloves at home for the local factory.

War came to Europe, and on 14th December 1916, George enlisted in the Royal Navy, along with four other men from the village, including friend and neighbour Tom Mounter. His service records show that he was 5th 11.5ins (1.82m) tall, with black hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker 2nd Class Bonning was sent to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, for training, and it was here that he contracted a chill. Tragically, this developed into pneumonia, and he died in the barracks on 20th January 1917. He was 29 years of age, and had been in service for just 37 days.

George Thomas Bonning’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful Kingsbury Episcopi Cemetery.

Olive never remarried after losing her husband. She remained in the village, raising Lilian and finding occasional employment to help pay the bills. She passed away on 26th March 1968, at the age of 79, and was laid to rest with George, husband and wife reunited after more than fifty years.

accident, Army Veterinary Corps, Commonwealth War Graves, Dragoon Guards, Farrier, Great War, history, injury, photography, Reserve Cavalry Regiment, Sergeant Major, Somerset, story, war, Wiltshire

Serjeant Major Ernest Simmons

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Serjeant Major Ernest Simmons

Ernest Simmons was born in Priddy, Somerset, in 1869, the oldest child to Henry and Ellen Simmons. Henry was a mason who, by the time of the 1881 census, was employing ten men and a boy. Three doors down lived another Simmons family, Daniel and Elizabeth, and it is likely that Ernest’s father was somehow related to them.

Ernest sought a bigger and better life away from the Somerset countryside, and enlisted in the army, joining the Army Veterinary Corps. “[He] served for 28 years… 10 of which were spent in India and 5 in South Africa.” [Wells Journal: Friday 23rd August 1918]

His service did him well, and he progressed through the ranks. The 1911 census recorded him back in the UK, renting a room in a terraced house in Preston, near Brighton. He was still serving in the army, however, and was listed as being a Farrier Sergeant Major in the 4th Battalion of the Dragoon Guards.

When war was declared, Ernest was quick to return to the fray, arriving in France on 16th August 1914. He served his battalion well, and was mentioned in dispatches for his action in the retreat from Mons the following month.

Farrier Sergeant Major Simmons returned to Britain, and transferred across to the 6th Reserve Regiment of Cavalry. This new regiment, formed in 1917, trained men for a number of regiments, including the 3rd, 4th, 6th and 7th Battalions of the Dragoon Guards. Ernest’s previous experience with horses, including his time in the Army Veterinary Corps, likely stood him in good stead for the role.

It was while he was at the camp in Tidworth, on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, that Ernest met with an accident. “[He] was thrown through his horse tripping over some wire. He was found in an unconscious state and died the same day.” [Wells Journal: Friday 23rd August 1918] Farrier Sergeant Major Simmons died on 26th July 1918: he was 49 years of age.

Ernest Simmons’ body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Lawrence’s Church in his home village of Priddy.

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, Somerset, story, Training Reserve Battalion, war, Wiltshire

Private Charles Oborne

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Private Charles Oborne

Charles Philip Oborne was born in Mosterton, Dorset, early in 1899. He was the middle of three children to Charles Oborne. Charles Sr had been married before, to a woman called Martha, and the couple had a son, Joseph. Martha died in the mid-1890s and Charles remarried, to a woman called Elizabeth. They went on to have two children, of which Charles Jr – better known as Charley to avoid confusion with his father – was the older.

There is little documentation for the Oborne family. Charles Sr was a farm labourer, and the family moved from Dorset to Stratton-on-the-Fosse, near Shepton Mallet in the early 1900s. At the time of the 1911 census, Charley was a student, and there is no direct evidence of what he went on to do when he finished his schooling.

Nor are there many documents relating to his military service. Private Oborne joined the Training Reserve, and was assigned to the 94th Battalion. The troop had formed from the 16th (Reserve) Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment, and was based in Chiseldon, to the south of Swindon in Wiltshire. There is nothing to confirm when he enlisted, but given his age, and when he passed, it is likely to have been during the winter of 1916/17.

What is clear is that while Private Oborne was training, he contracted pneumonia, and, on 20th March 1917, he passed away from the condition. He was just 18 years of age.

The body of Charles Philip Oborne – Charley to his friends and family – was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Benedict’s Roman Catholic Churchyard in the village of Downside, a mile to the north of Shepton Mallet, and not far from Stratton-on-the-Fosse, where his family were still living.

Charles was not alone in succumbing to pneumonia at Chiseldon Camp that spring. Two Somerset soldiers from battalions based there, Private Everett Ferriday, and Private Ivan Day, passed away in the same hospital just days after Charles.

You can read their stories by following the links above.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Gunner, history, photography, Royal Field Artillery, Somerset, story, unknown, war, Wiltshire

Gunner Douglas James

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Gunner Douglas James

Douglas Arthur James was born on 8th May 1893 near Shepton Mallet, Somerset (records variously quote Oakhill, Stoke St Michael and Shepton itself, but all are within a few miles of each other). One of seven children, his parents were dairy farmers Theo and Elizabeth James.

When Douglas and his siblings left school, they all took up work on the farm, but when war broke out, Douglas wanted to play his part. He would not get his chance to do so until the spring of 1917, when he joined the Royal Field Artillery.

Again, the records differ, one suggesting that he was assigned to the 3rd (Reserve) Brigade, while another suggests that Gunner James was actually assigned to the 15th Reserve Battery. Both units served overseas, although it is impossible to determine whether Douglas went as well.

The only other identified document relating to Gunner James confirms that he was admitted to the Fargo Military Hospital at Larkhill, Wiltshire. The cause of his admission is unclear, but he passed away while there on 3rd September 1917. He was just 24 years of age.

The body of Douglas Arthur James was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in the graveyard of St Bartholomew’s Church in West Cranmore.

Douglas remained alone in the family plot for a number of years. The family were eventually reunited, however, when Theo, who died in 1929, and Elizabeth, who passed in 1940, were also laid to rest there. Two of Douglas’ sisters were also buried in the plot – Evelyn, the oldest James daughter, who died in 1952, and Emily, the youngest of the siblings, who passed away in 1977.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, injury, photography, Private, Somerset, Somerset Light Infantry, story, war

Private Edgar Cox

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Private Edgar Cox

Edgar Albert Cox was born in Wanstrow, Somerset, in the spring of 1897. The youngest of five children, his parents were railway packer Herbert Cox and his wife, Orpha.

When he left school, Edgar found employment as a live-in farm hand in Upton Noble, a mile from where his parents lived. When war came to Europe, however, he felt a pull to serve, and enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry.

Full details of Private Cox’s military service are lost to time, but he was assigned to the 8th (Service) Battalion, and arrived in France towards the end of July 1915. He certainly saw action at the Somme, where his troop was involved in the battles of Bazentin Ridge, Flers-Courcelette and Morval.

It was in the battle of le Transloy, however, that Edgar was injured. His wounds were severe enough for him to be medically evacuated to Britain for treatment, and he was admitted to the 1st Southern General Hospital in King’s Norton, Birmingham. Sadly his wounds were too much for his body to bear: he passed away on 9th October 1916, at the age of just 19 years old.

The body of Edgar Albert Cox was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the quiet graveyard of St Mary’s Church in his home village of Wanstrow.

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, story, Suffolk, war

Able Seaman Jesse Baber

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Able Seaman Jesse Baber

Jesse Baber was born on 28th February 1889 and was the youngest of thirteen children to John and Jane Baber. John was a farm labourer from Westcombe in Somerset, and it was in this village that he and Jane raised their family.

Jesse chose not to follow his father and siblings into farm work and instead, on 6th October 1906, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. As he was underage for full service at the time, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class and sent to HMS Ganges, a training establishment on the outskirts of Ipswich, Suffolk. His service records confirm that he was 5ft 5.5ins (1.66m) tall at the time of joining. He was also noted as having dark brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion, with a mole on his right cheek being highlighted as a distinguishing mark.

Boy Baber spent six months at HMS Ganges, and was promoted to Boy 1st Class for his commitment. He was then transferred to HMS London, a dreadnaught battleship for a further six months. During his time on board, Jesse came of age, and was formally enrolled in the Royal Navy with the rank of Ordinary Seaman.

Over the next eight years, Jesse served on eleven different vessels, sailing between his British base of HMS Vivid in Devonport and the East Indies. His service seems to have generally been very good – he was promoted to Able Seaman in February 1909 – although he did spend five days in the brig in July 1912 for reasons unrecorded.

When war broke out, the ships that Able Seaman Baber served on patrolled the waters of the Mediterranean. In the summer of 1916, while on board HMS Dartmouth, he contracted malaria. Jesse was admitted to a hospital in Malta, where he remained for six weeks, and was then sent on leave home to recover.

He arrived at Castle Cary [in Somerset] on the evening of the 23rd August, on a visit to his sister, in a very serious condition, being practically in a state of collapse. Medical attention was immediately obtained, but his condition was hopeless, and he lay in an unconscious condition until Friday September 1st, when he expired, death being due to meningitis, following malaria.

[Shepton Mallet Journal: Friday 15th September 1916]

Jesse Baber was 27 years old when he passed away. He was laid to rest in the quiet graveyard of St Mary’s Church in Batcombe, not far from where his mother, who was now 74 years old, was living.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Officer's Steward, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, story, Tyne & Wear, war

Officer’s Steward 3rd Class Harry Macklin

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Officer’s Steward 3rd Class Harry Macklin

Harry Ernest Macklin was born in the Frome area of Somerset in the autumn of 1893. The oldest of four children, his parents were Henry and Elizabeth Macklin. Henry Sr was a groom who travelled with work, and by the time of the 1901 census, the family were living in East Adderbury, Oxfordshire, which is where the third of the four siblings, Evelyn, was born.

Harry Jr seems to have been known as Ernest, probably to avoid confusion with his father. When he left school, he found work as a page. The family had moved again by 1902, to Witham Friary, to the south east of Frome. Harry Sr was now working as a farm labourer, while Minnie, his and Elizabeth’s second child, was employed as a house maid. The two younger children – Evelyn and George – were both at school, while Elizabeth’s widowed father, also called George, was visiting his daughter and their family.

Ernest changed jobs, becoming a gardener – possibly a euphemistic way of saying he had followed his father into agricultural labouring – but when war was declared he found the need to play his part. On 15th February 1915 he joined the Royal Navy as an Officer’s Steward 3rd Class, possibly drawing on his experience as a page.

For some reason, Ernest’s service records give his date of birth as 18th October 1894: they also confirm he was 5th 7.5ins (1.71m) tall, had dark brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion. They also note that he had a scar on his left thigh.

Officer’s Steward 3rd Class Macklin’s first posting was HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire. This is where he received his training and, on 10th August 1915, he was given his first posting, on board the Chilean-built HMS Canada.

The ship sailed to Scapa Flow, following the North Sea Coast. When it reached Newcastle-upon-Tyne, however, Ernest was disembarked, and admitted to the Armstrong College Hospital, suffering from an ear infection. Tragically his condition turned septic, and he died of blood poisoning on 23rd September 1915, having served just 43 days at sea. Officer’s Steward 3rd Class Macklin was just 22 years of age.

Harry Ernest Macklin’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the quiet graveyard of St Mary’s Church in Witham Friary. “He was a promising young fellow, liked by all who knew him, and he was a member of the Witham Church Choir from boyhood.” [Somerset Standard : Friday 1st October 1915]

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorsetshire Regiment, Gloucestershire, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, Somerset, Somerset Light Infantry, story, war, Wiltshire

Private Henry Wheeler

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Private Henry Wheeler

Henry William Edward Wheeler was born in early 1890, the fifth of thirteen children – and the oldest son – to Henry and Anne Wheeler. Henry Sr was a labourer from Witham Friary in Somerset, and this is where the family were born and raised.

When he left school, young Henry – who became known as Harry to avoid confusion with his father – found work as a postman. When war broke out, however, he enlisted as a Private in the Somerset Light Infantry. Full details of his military service are unclear, but his marriage certificate confirms that he was a soldier by the spring of 1915.

Harry’s wedding was to a woman called Mabel Hulbert, who was working as a domestic servant in Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire. It was in the village’s church that the couple exchanged vows, and within a matter of weeks, Private Wheeler was sent to France.

Harry’s troop – the 1st Battalion – was involved in some of the fiercest fighting of the war, and it is likely that he was involved at The Somme in July 1916. At some point, though, he moved across to the 5th (Service) Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment, who had moved to France, having been fighting at Gallipoli. The specifics of Private Wheeler’s time in the army are, however, destined to be lost to time.

Private Wheeler’s trail can be picked up again after the end of the war, presumably when he had returned to Britain prior to being demobbed. Sadly, however, he was admitted to a military hospital in Wilton, Wiltshire, suffering from ‘disease’. He passed away on 8th February 1919, at the age of 29 years old.

The body of Henry William Edward Wheeler was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the quiet graveyard of St Mary’s Church in his home village of Witham Friary.

Henry’s younger brother, John, also served in the First World War. He enlisted in the 8th (Service) Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, and arrived in France on 4th October 1915, just a couple of months after his older brother.

John was killed in fighting on 11th October 1917 – possibly as part of the opening salvos of the Battle of Passchendaele – and was just 20 years old. He was laid to rest in the Outtersteene Communal Cemetery in northern France.