Tag Archives: Wiltshire

Bombardier, Commonwealth War Graves, Driver, Egypt, Glamorganshire, Great War, history, illness, Mid-Glamorgan, photography, Royal Field Artillery, story, Wales, war, Wiltshire

Driver Jesse Lester

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Driver Jessie Lester

Jesse Herbert Lester was born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, in 1873. The second of six children, his parents were John and Annie. At the time of his son’s birth, John was a labourer in an iron foundry, and the family lived at 6 Havelock Street, to the south of the town centre.

By the time of the 1891 census, the family had grown, and moved to the next road – 90 Mortimer Street. John had changed trades, and was employed as a wool dyer, with Annie, and their two eldest children also working in the cloth industry. Jesse, now 18 years old, was earning money as a cloth presser.

In 1892, Jesse too the plunge and joined the army. He had already been volunteering for the 1st Wiltshire Rifles, and took the opportunity to see the world by enlisting in the Royal Artillery. His service papers show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall, and weighed 123lbs (55.8kg). His medical notes recorded brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion. They also identified a scar on the underside of his left forearm.

As a Driver, Jesse enlisted for a period of twelve years. During this time he saw the world, serving more than four years in India, and three in South Africa. His papers note two occasions where he forfeited a day’s pay, although his misdemeanours have been lost to time.

On 26th May 1904, having been back on home soil for eighteen months, Driver Lester’s contract came to an end, and he chose to return to civilian life.

Like so many of his peers at the time, Jesse moved to South Wales for work. On 28th March 1903, he returned home to marry, but gave his address as Nant-y-Moel, Mid Glamorgan. His new wife was Eliza Clark, and the couple married in their parish church in Trowbridge.

Nant-y-Moel was where the newlyweds relocated to, Jesse’s job as a miner obviously paying him more than any equivalent role back home. The couple moved in to 43 Brynogwy Terrace, and had two children, William and Edith.

When war broke out, Jesse was quick to enlist, joining the Royal Field Artillery on 1st October 1914. Attached to the 3rd Glamorgan Battery, Driver Lester spent the first year of his service on home soil, gaining a promotion to Bombardier in the process.

In November 1915, the unit moved to France. During their short spell there, “For drunkenness and neglect of duty”, Jesse was demoted to Driver once more.

On 5th February 1916, Jesse’s unit left Marseilles, bound for Egypt. They arrived in Alexandria five days later, and Driver Lester would spend the next ten months there. In October he was admitted to hospital with heart disease. The condition warranted a return to Britain, and ultimately led to his discharge from duty, with a Silver War Badge. Jesse returned to civilian life once again on 22nd December 1916.

At this point, Jesse’s trail goes cold. He passed away on 28th November 1918, at the age of 45.

It seems likely that, in his absence overseas, Eliza and the children returned to Wiltshire. She buried her husband in Trowbridge Cemetery, a short walk from where she was living, at 2 Havelock Street.

Air Mechanic, Army Cyclist Corps, Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, Royal Air Force, story, war

Corporal William Bailey

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Corporal William Bailey

William Bailey was born on 3rd May 1878, and was the oldest of five children. His father, Robert, was a cloth worker from Devizes, Wiltshire, but it was in the nearby garrison town of Trowbridge that he and his wife, Matilda, raised their children. The 1881, 1891 and 1901 census records all give the family’s address as 12 New Road, to the south of the town centre.

The 1901 census reveals some interesting information. By this point, Matilda records herself as widowed, and is financially supported by William, who is employed as a mattress maker, and two of his siblings. However, the same census states that Robert is, in fact, living and working in Llanwono, Mid Glamorgan, with another of their children, Frank. Father and son are both labouring in one of the local coal mines, Robert recording his status as married.

At this point, Matilda’ and William’s trail goes cold. The next census, taken in 1911, finds Robert still living in Llanwono, boarding with his brother in a fellow colliery work’s house on Rock Street. His records himself as ‘married, wife away’.

On 21st January 1915, William married Rose Hayward in their home town. War was raging across Europe by this point, and on 5th July 1916, he gave up his then job as a carpenter, to join the 2nd/7th Cyclist Regiment. Sadly, there is little information about his time in the army, although he rose to the rank of Corporal. Nine months after enlisting, however, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps.

Initially taking the role or Air Mechanic 2nd Class, his service papers show that he was just 5ft 4.5ins (1.64m) tall. By the summer of 1918, William had been moved across to the Royal Air Force, and promoted to Air Mechanic 1st Class. Attached to the 90th Squadron, then the 51st, he was based out of Waddington Airfield in Lincolnshire.

In the autumn of 1918 Air Mechanic Bailey contracted pneumonia, and was admitted to the 4th Northern General Hospital in Lincoln. The condition would prove fatal, and, on 22nd November, he passed away: William was 40 years of age.

The body of William Bailey was laid to rest in Trowbridge Cemetery. His headstone commemorates his army rank.

Corporal William Bailey
(from ancestry.co.uk)
Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, photography, Private, Royal Army Medical Corps, story, war, Wiltshire

Private Thomas Pepler

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Private Thomas Pepler

Thomas Pepler was born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, in December 1885. The third of six children, he was the oldest son to Henry and Rosa. Both of Thomas’ parents were wool spinners, and the family grew up on Holbrook Lane, to the south of the town centre.

When he completed his schooling, Thomas found work in an iron foundry. By the autumn of 1906, he had moved to South Wales, and it was here, in Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, where he met and married Emma (or Emily) Draper. The couple went on to have four children: Rosina, Thomas, Frances and Phyllis.

By 1911, Thomas had moved the family back to Trowbridge, and had set up home at 10 Sylverthorn’s Yard, off Duke Street, to the east of the town centre. Thomas was the only breadwinner, and is recorded as being a labourer in a trellis works.

War was on the horizon by this point, and Thomas would step up and play his part. On 8th May 1915, he gave up his work (then as a rubber worker) and enlisted as a Private in the Royal Army Medical Corps. While his service papers are incomplete, they do show that he was 5ft 3ins (1.6m) tall when he joined up.

Private Pepler spent the next three years supporting medical teams at field ambulances and hospitals in France. Unfortunately, however, he was not to be immune to the illnesses of the patients he was helping. At the start of 1918, he was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment for bronchitis, spending more than four months in hospitals in Norfolk.

As winter came round once more, Thomas was admitted to hospital again. He had contracted influenza, and was given treatment at a hospital in Lincoln. Private Pepler’s body would ultimately succumb this time around, however, and he passed away on 8th November 1918 – just three days before the Armistice. He was 32 years of age.

A heavy bereavement has befallen Mrs Tom Pepler, 20, Dursley Road, and her four little children, in the death of her husband, Pte. Tom Pepler, RAMC, at the age of 32.

Pte. Pepler was… a rubber worker employed at Bradford, and joined the Army in May 1915, and after seeing service in France he was invalided home and did duty at a Red Cross Hospital in Lincolnshire, where his death occurred on Friday from bronchitis.

[Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser: Saturday 16th November 1918]

The body of Thomas Pepler was laid to rest in Trowbridge Cemetery, a short walk from where his family were living.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, injury, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire, Wiltshire Regiment

Private William Jacobs

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Private William Jacobs

William Jacobs was born in Shoeburyness, Essex, in 1884. The middle of seven children, his parents were John and Mary Jacobs. By the time William was born, John was employed as a domestic gardener, but it seems likely that he had been a military man, his children having been born in garrison towns across Britain and India.

William is missing from the 1901 census, but the family seem to have settled in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, by this point. On 7th October 1905, he married Laura Turner, a labourer’s daughter from the town. They went on to have two children, William Jr and Edgar.

By the time of the 1911 census, William was working as a painter and decorator for a local brewery. The family had set up home at 12 Wyke Road, to the north of Trowbridge town centre. War was on the horizon, however, and things were to change.

When war broke out, William stepped up to play his part. Full details of his time in the army have been lost to time, it is clear that he joined the Wiltshire Regiment as a Private, and was attached to the 1st Battalion.

Private Jacobs found himself in France by July 1915, and was certainly caught up in some of the the skirmishes of that summer and autumn. The following spring, however, he was wounded in the fighting, and was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment.

Admitted to the 5th Southern General Hospital in Portsmouth, Hampshire, Private Jacobs’ injuries would ultimately prove too severe. He passed away on 19th March 1916, at the age of 32 years old.

The body of William Jacobs was taken back to Wiltshire for burial: he was laid to rest in the garrison town’s cemetery, a short walk from where his widow and children were still living.

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

Private Arthur Park

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Private Arthur Park

Arthur Albert Park was born in the autumn of 1890, in Devizes, Wiltshire. The second of six children, he was the youngest son to Arthur and Bridget Park. Arthur Sr was a labourer in a rubber factory, and, by the time of the 1901 census, the family had moved to Church Lane in Melksham.

Arthur Jr sought a life of adventure for himself, and joined the army. By 1911, he had enlisted in the Wiltshire Regiment and, as part of the 1st Battalion, he was stationed in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

Sadly, there is little specific information available about Arthur’s military life. His medal roll card notes that he was re-engaged in the army on 7th October 1914, and was attached to the 2nd Battalion of his former regiment.

Private Arthur Park… joined the 2nd Wiltshire Regiment in 1907. He went to France in 1914, and was captured while acting as a stretcher bearer during the German offensive in March 1918. He was released in December, and came home in the beginning of January, but he was far from well, his ill-treatment in Germany having undermined his constitution…

Private Park comes from a military family, his late father having served with the Colours, and a brother is at present a private in the Rifle Brigade. He has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.

[Wiltshire News: Friday 14th February 1919]

There is no information about Arthur’s award, and the newspaper report comes after his passing:

[He] was staying in Trowbridge. He was sent up to the hospital in an unconscious state, and was apparently dying. He passed away on Sunday from double pneumonia and exhaustion, owing to the deprivations he had undergone in enemy hands.

[Wiltshire News: Friday 14th February 1919]

Arthur Albert Parks died in Trowbridge Hospital on 9th February 1919. He was 28 years of age. His body was laid to rest in Trowbridge Hospital, not far from the hospital in which he had passed.

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, Kent, killed in action, Leading Seaman, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, war, Wiltshire

Leading Seaman William Snook

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Leading Seaman William Snook

William Albert Snook was born on 8th December 1885, in the Wiltshire village of Mere, The was the second of nine children to Frank and Louisa Snook. Frank was an agricultural labourer, and when he finished his schooling, this is a trade into which his son followed.

William wanted a life of adventure, however, and, on 25th June 1901, he joined the Royal Navy. Given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, he was sent to the training ship HMS Boscawen to start learning the skills he would need.

Boy Snook spent the next year at Boscawen, during which time he was promoted to Boy 1st Class. Over the next year, he spent time on three ships – the cruiser HMS Minotaur, and the battleships HMS Agincourt and Hannibal.

While assigned to Hannibal, William came of age. Now formally inducted in the Royal Navy, he was given the rank of Ordinary Seaman. His papers show that he was 4ft 11.5ins (1.51m), and had brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

William had enlisted for a period of twelve years, and during this time he would go on to serve on a further eleven ships, returning to HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire, in between assignments. His annual review consistently showed a very good character and a superior ability in his role. In March 1905 he was promoted to Able Seaman, and in July 1913, William received a further rise in rank, taking the role of Leading Seaman.

In March 1915, William was moved to HMS Princess Irene, an ocean liner requisitioned on the outbreak of war and converted to a minelayer. On the morning of 27th May 1915, she was moored in the Medway Estuary and was being loaded with mines in preparation for a mission. At 11:14am, a faulty primer on board set off a series of explosions, and she blew apart and sank. More than 250 crew – including Leading Seaman Snook – were killed. He was 29 years of age.

The body of William Albert Snook was brought ashore and laid to rest in the Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, Kent. He was buried alongside some of the other crew whose bodies had been rescued and identified.

Leading Seaman Snook’s headstone states that he was assigned to, and killed during the sinking of, HMS Bulwark. This is incorrect, and he was with Princess Irene.

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

Able Seaman John Poole

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Able Seaman John Poole

John Poole was born in Swindon, Wiltshire, on 11th May 1893. One of nine children, his parents were James and Mary Poole. James was a quarryman, and, at the time of the 1901 census, the family were living at 5 Cross Street, on the southern edge of the town centre.

John was keen to make his mark on the world and when he completed his schooling, he joined the Royal Navy. His service papers show that he began his naval career on 12th March 1909, a couple of months short of his sixteenth birthday. Given his age, he was assigned the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and sent to HMS Impregnable, the training base in Devonport, to start learning his skills.

Boy Poole initially impressed his seniors, and, on 12th November, he was promoted to Boy 1st Class. The positive start to his career, however, was not to continue, and over the next five years, his service record is peppered with misdemeanours. The first of these came on 6th January 1910, when he did a bunk from base: the authorities caught up with him, however, and he was frogmarched back to Devonport some three weeks later.

On 1st February, John was given his first formal posting, on board the armoured cruiser HMS Donegal. He transferred to another cruiser – HMS Grafton – in April, but by August he has moved again, to the battleship HMS Swiftsure.

Swiftsure would remain John’s home for the next eighteen months, during which time he came of age. Now old enough to formally enlist in the Royal Navy, he was given the rank of Ordinary Seaman. His papers show that he was 5ft 3.5ins (1.61m) tall, and had brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion.

Ordinary Seaman Poole did not get off to a good start and, on 28th June 1911, he was sent to the brig for 28 days for refusing a duty. In April the following year, Swiftsure was docked in Portsmouth, and John saw a chance to go AWOL. Apprehended quickly, he was nevertheless sentenced to 42 days’ detention at HMS Victory, the city’s naval base.

Sent back to his duties on 3rd July 1912, Ordinary Seaman Poole was obviously no longer happy in his role. Going absent without leave again on 2nd December, a harsher sentence was granted when he was captured, and he was sent to the brig for 60 days.

As a new year dawned, John was assigned to another armoured cruiser, HMS Black Prince. The move did nothing to temper Ordinary Seaman Poole’s attitude, however, and he was sent to the brig on 5th September 1913, for refusing a duty. Intriguingly, he was released three weeks later, and just a fortnight after that, he was promoted to Able Seaman.

John remained part of Black Prince’s crew until April 1914. After a short stint at HMS Excellent – the gunnery school in Portsmouth – he was given another assignment, on board 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. While she was being re-stocked with shells and ammunition, a number of 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 Able Seaman Poole was amongst those to be recovered. He was 21 years of age.

The body of John Poole was laid to rest alongside the other victims of the disaster, in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.

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

Private Ernest Bennett

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Private Ernest Bennett

Ernest Bennett was born in Calne, Wiltshire, early in 1887, and was the only child to Henry and Elizabeth. Henry was a general labourer and carter for a local mill, but when he son completed his schooling, he took work as a mason’s labourer.

Alongside his paid work, Ernest also volunteered with the local militia, as a Private in the 4th Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment. He also fell in love and, on the 6th December 1913, he married Emily Hitchens. The couple set up home in Trowbridge, and went on to have two children: Phyllis and Nelson.

When war broke out, Ernest’s time in the army proved invaluable. He was mobilised on the 1st September 1914, and assigned to the 3rd Battalion of his former regiment. Private Bennett’s medical report shows that he was 5ft 8.5ins (1.74m) tall and weighed 140lbs (63.5kg). He had fair hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.

Details of Private Bennett’s time in the army are sparse, but it is clear that he was sent to France by the end of November. He wasn’t overseas for long, however, and was back in Britain by the first week of February 1915. The reason for Ernest’s return is unclear, but it is likely to have related to his health: on the 2nd September 1915, he was medically discharged from the army.

At this point, Ernest’s trail goes cold. He appeared to have gone back home as, on Christmas Day 1916, this is where he passed away. He was 29 years of age.

The body of Ernest Bennett was laid to rest in Trowbridge Cemetery: the exact location has been lost to time, but he is commemorated with a CWGC headstone close to some other war graves.

Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Great War, history, illness, Lance Corporal, photography, Private, Sergeant, story, war, Wiltshire, Wiltshire Regiment

Private Stephen Smith

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Private Stephen Smith

Stephen Smith was born in Hilperton Marsh, Wiltshire, in 1890. The fourth of eight children, he was the second of three sons to Thomas and Vashti Smith. Thomas was a hawker, and the family were living at 14 Islington Place when Stephen was born.

By the time of the 1901 census, the family had moved to 65 Shails Lane, slightly closer to Trowbridge town centre. Three of the family – Thomas, Vashti (who went by her middle name, Sarah), and their oldest child, Selina – were all employed in hawking. Stephen, just 12 years of age, was still at school, but his older brother, Alfred, was earning a little by collecting rags.

On 30th August 1908, Stephen married Beatrice Harding. They were both just 18 years of age at the time, and it seems to have been a love match: they went on to have three children, but their eldest, daughter Annie, was not born until 1911.

By the time of that year’s census, the young were renting a tenement at 5 Burbidge’s Yard. Just around the corner from Stephen’s Parents in Shails Lane, it was small courtyard filled with dyers, needleworkers, carpenters and hawkers.

Stephen also wanted to do his bit in the service of his King and, on the 14th June 1908, he enlisted in the 3rd Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment. His service papers show that he was 5ft 7.5ins (1.71m) tall, and weighed 155lbs (70.3kg). He was noted as having brown hair and brown eyes.

Over the next four years, Stephen remained on home soil. He proved his mettle, and was appointed to Lance Corporal on 21st June 1911, and Corporal less than a year later. In October 1912, he extended his service for another four years. By June 1913, Stephen had been promoted again, his exemplary service resulting in him being made Sergeant.

War broke out in the summer of 1914, and Sergeant Smith found that his rank meant that he wouldn’t be able to serve with his men. At his own request, he reverted to the rank of Private and, on 11th September, he transferred to the 1st Battalion and was sent to France.

Private Smith’s unit fought at the Battle of Messines, and he was injured there. A gunshot wound to his right foot meant a medical evacuation to Britain, and he was admitted to the 2nd Western General Hospital in Manchester, Lancashire, for treatment.

Following his discharge, Stephen remained on home soil, but his health was becoming affected in unexpected ways. He had developed varicose veins in late childhood, and these developed to the point where he was not longer fit for military duty. He was discharged on 15th April 1916, and returned home to Trowbridge. The condition was declared not to be related to his service, so he did not receive any recompense for it.

By the spring of 1917, another issue had presented itself. Stephen was suffering from tuberculosis, and the prognosis was not good. “In my opinion [Private Smith] acquired the disease whilst in the service and the disease was aggravated in consequence of his military duties. He is suffering from the disease in rather an advanced stage and it does not appear to me probable that he will live for another year.” Signed Leonard Crossley MD, County Tuberculosis Officer. [Medical Report on Stephen Smith: 28th March 1917]

Ultimately, Dr Crossley’s prediction would prove correct:

The death occurred on Saturday at Lower Broad Street of Stephen Smith, aged 27, who served for some time in the Army and was discharged nearly two years ago on account of a wound in the leg. For some time past he had suffered from tuberculosis, but he was out of doors as recently as Friday. He leaves a widow and four young children.

[Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser: Saturday 8th December 1917]

The body of Stephen Smith was laid to rest in Trowbridge Cemetery, not far from where his grieving family were still living.

While Stephen’s father disappears into history, his mother, Vashti, lived on until 1934. She was laid to rest with her son, mother and son reunited after 17 years.

accident, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Hussars, Middlesex, photography, Second Lieutenant, story, war, Wiltshire

Second Lieutenant Samuel Ferris

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Second Lieutenant Samuel Ferris

A verdict of accidental death was returned by a Coroner’s jury at Tidworth on Thursday in the case of Second-Lieutenant Samuel Ferris, of the Cavalry Reserve. The officer was found in his room at the Barracks shot through the head, and died within the hour. Shortly before the occurrence he was in a cheerful mood, had been on parade, breakfasted, and was changing his wet clothes. Captain and Adjutant Barclay stated that he found a yard and a half from Lieutenant Ferris’s feet an automatic pistol of the latest pattern. It might, he said, easily be discharged by a person who did not intend to fire it, and who had no reason to know it was loaded. Captain Barclay expressed his opinion that the discharge of the pistol was accidental. Lieutenant Ferris, who had been to the front and was much improved in health since his return, was a son of Dr John Spencer Ferris, or Warwick Dene, Ealing.

[Wiltshire Telegraph: Saturday 10th April 1915]

Samuel Bernard Clutton Ferris was born on 1st December 1890, and was the oldest of three children to John and Mary Ferris. John was a physician and surgeon from Wiltshire, but the family were born and raised near his practice in Uxbridge, Middlesex.

Mary died in 1910, by which time Samuel had taken up studies at Cambridge. Following in his father’s line of work, he was reading natural science at the esteemed university. Outside of term time, John – now retired – Samuel, and younger sister Stella were living in an 11-roomed property at 2 Warwick Dene, Ealing, and were being supported by three servants – housemaid Mary Fisher, under housemaid Elizabeth Price, and cook Emma Lovejoy.

When war broke out, Samuel took up a commission in the 10th (Prince of Wales’s Own Royal) Hussars. Sent to France early in the conflict, it is likely that he saw action during the First Battle of Ypres, possibly at Langemarck or Gheluvelt.

Whether Second Lieutenant Ferris was wounded in France, it is unclear. He may, however, have fallen physically or mentally ill, and the wording of the newspaper report suggests this might have been the case. Either way, his condition was grave enough for him to be sent back to Britain for treatment or recuperation.

Back on home soil, Samuel was based at Tidworth, on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire. It was here, on the 6th April 1915, that the accident that ended his life occurred. He was 24 years of age.

The body of Samuel Bernard Clutton Ferris was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Leonard’s Church in Keevil, Wiltshire. This is where Samuel’s father had been baptised, and was his paternal grandparents’ parish church. The above newspaper report noted that the funeral was well attended, but that Samuel’s father was “very ill and unable to be present.” [Wiltshire Telegraph: Saturday 10th April 1915] His sister – now Mrs Walter Spencer – attended, but his brother, John, was absent, although it is likely that he was serving his country at the time.

Samuel’s probate records note that he left an estate worth £1243 1s (around £166,000 in today’s money). Interestingly, this did not go to a family member (his father did not pass away until the spring of 1921). Instead, the beneficiary was recorded as Mr Warner Herbert Taylor Ottley. A civil servant, it is likely that he and Samuel were friends.