Tag Archives: Wiltshire

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

Private John Thompson

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Private John Thompson

The death occurred at the Voluntary Aid Detachment Red Cross Hospital last week of Private John Thompson, aged 38 years, of the 10th Battalion Gloucester Regiment. The deceased was admitted to the Hospital about two months since with injuries which developed into hemorrhage [sic] of the brain.

[Salisbury and Winchester Journal: Saturday 19th December 1914]

The life of John Thompson is a challenge to unpick. Full service details are lost to time, but his Pension Ledger Card confirms that he was married to a Mary Ellen, who lived in Ladywood, Birmingham, and that the couple had a daughter, Florence May, who was born on 4th October 1903.

The family do not appear on the 1911 census return, and there are no marriage records for John and Mary. It is uncertain whether the couple had wed before the time of the 1901 census, and without a definite place of birth, John’s name is too common to provide an accurate search before then.

The British Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects suggests that he had served with the Gloucestershire Regiment for less than six months, and, given the date of his death, it is probable that he enlisted shortly after war was declared, falling ill soon after that.

The 10th (Service) Battalion was based on Salisbury Plain when Private Thompson first became unwell, and it seems likely that he was camped near Mere, Wiltshire, as this is where the VAD hospital was situated.

John Thompson died on 9th December 1914, at the age of 38 years old. He was laid to rest in Mere cemetery on the outskirts of the town.

Commonwealth War Graves, Cumbria, Driver, Great War, history, illness, photography, Royal Field Artillery, story, war, Wiltshire

Driver George Messenger

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Driver George Messenger

The death of Driver G Messenger, aged 20, of the 18th Divisional Ammunition Column, stationed at Heytesbury, took place at the Red Cross Military Hospital on Friday, the 11th inst. Messenger was a native of Lower Braithwaite, Carlisle, and was admitted to the hospital in the middle of May suffering from consumption. Deceased joined upon the commencement of the war.

[Salisbury and Winchester Journal: Saturday 19th June 1915]

George Messenger was born in 1895 and was the third of seven children. His parents, George and Sarah, were farmers, and the family grew up in Mealsgate, on the edge of the Lake District. Sarah died in 1901, and by the time of the 1911 census, George Jr and his siblings were helping their father on the farm.

When war broke out, George Jr was quick to enlist. Details of his military service are sparse, but what does remain confirms that he had enlisted no later than December 1914, which backs up the details in his obituary.

Driver Messenger joined the Royal Field Artillery, but it seems unlikely that he spent any time overseas. He seems to have been sent to a camp on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, for training and this is where he became ill. Contracting tuberculosis, probably from the cramped environment of the army barracks, George was admitted to the Voluntary Aid Detachment Hospital in the town of Mere. He passed away from the lung condition on 11th June 1915: he was just 20 years of age.

Rather than being taken back to Cumbria, George Messenger was instead laid to rest in Mere Cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hertfordshire, history, illness, Kent Cycle Corps, London, photography, Private, Royal West Kent Regiment, story, war, Wiltshire

Private Horace Welch

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Private Horace Welch

Horace Ralph Welch was born in Mere, Wiltshire, in the autumn of 1884. The middle of seven children, his parents were John and Ellen Welch. John was a silk drier, and the family lived in Water Street, close to the town centre.

John died in 1895, and Ellen was left to bring up the family on her own. Her older children found work, and Horace was employed by John Runtz, stock broker and Justice of the Peace. The family lived at 131 Lordship Road, Stoke Newington and employed two live-in servants other than Horace, who worked as a page.

On 11th November 1916, Horace married Beatrice Batchelor. Born in Watford, Hertfordshire, she was the daughter of an engine driver and, at the point she exchanged vows, she was working as an assistant in a boot shop. Horace was now employed as a butler, and the couple set up home in Watford. They went on to have a daughter, Eileen, in the summer of 1917.

By this point, Horace has stepped up to play his part in the conflict that was raging across Europe. He enlisted on 12th December 1916 – just four weeks after marrying Beatrice – and was initially assigned to the Kent Cycle Corps.

Private Welch would spend the best part of two years on home soil, before being shipped off to France in April 1918. By now he had been transferred to the Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment).

Horace was only overseas for a matter of a fortnight, before he became unwell. Medically evacuated to Britain for treatment, he was admitted to the Voluntary Aid Detachment Hospital in his home town, Mere. Suffering from appendicitis, he was operated on, but died from peritonitis soon afterwards. Private Welch passed away on 2nd July 1918: he was 33 years of age.

Horace Ralph Welch was laid to rest in Mere Cemetery, on the outskirts of the town.

Australia, Commonwealth War Graves, Essex, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, injury, New Zealand, New Zealand Rifle Brigade, photography, Rifleman, story, war, Wiltshire

Rifleman Thomas Telford

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Rifleman Thomas Telford

Thomas Telford was born in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Australia, on 31st July 1873. The fifth of eleven children, his parents were James and Mary Telford.

There is little additional information about Thomas’ early life. By the time war broke out, he had moved to New Zealand, and was working as a bushman, based out of Whanganui on the south coast of North Island.

Thomas enlisted on 18th January 1916, and would be assigned to the New Zealand Rifle Brigade. His service records show that, at 42 years of age, he was 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall, and weighed 149lbs (67.6kg). A Roman Catholic, he had iron grey hair, blue eyes and fair hair.

Rifleman Telford’s unit left New Zealand in the spring of 1916. After five weeks in Egypt, he arrived on British soil on 7th August, marching from Southampton, Hampshire, to the Sling Camp in Wiltshire.

By 20th August, Thomas was in France, fighting on the front line. He was injured less than three weeks later and, after initial treatment in France, he was medically evacuated to Britain at the end of September.

Rifleman Telford spent time convalescing in a military home in Hornchurch, Essex, before being transferred to the ANZAC base in Codford, Wiltshire. That winter he contracted pneumonia, and he was admitted to the No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital on the outskirts of the village.

Sadly, the lung condition was to prove the better of Thomas. He passed away on 2nd February 1917, at the age of 43 years old.

Thousands of miles from home, Thomas Telford was laid to rest in the graveyard extension to St Mary’s Church in Codford, not far from where he had breathed his last.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, New Zealand, New Zealand Wellington Regiment, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire

Private James McFarlane

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Private James McFarlane

James Malcolm McFarlane was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 24th April 1893. Little is known about his early life, although his parents are recorded as Peter and Helen.

When he completed his schooling, James found work on a farm. By the time war broke out, he was employed as a shepherd for Patrick Burke of Woodgrove, in the country’s Canterbury region.

James gave up his work to join the army, enlisting on 24th March 1916. He would have cut a striking figure, standing 6ft 3.5ins (1.92m) tall, and weighing 184lbs (83.5kg). He had dark brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion. His records note that he had a small scar on his right shin, from an old pellet wound.

Assigned to the New Zealand Wellington Regiment, Private McFarlane spend three months in Trentham, on the North Island, for his training. His unit boarded the SS Maunganui and left Wellington for Europe on 26th June 1916. The troop ship arrived in Devonport, Devon, in late August, and James and his colleagues were sent to their camp in Sling, near Bulford, Wiltshire, arriving after a 4-day march.

Private McFarlane would not see any enemy action. In November 1916 he was moved to the ANZAC base near Codford, Wiltshire, and he was admitted to the No 3 New Zealand General Hospital located there. Suffering from pleurisy, he would remain there for the next two months. James passed away from pneumonia on 25th January 1917: he was just 23 years of age.

James Malcolm McFarlane was buried alongside his comrades in the newly extended graveyard attached to St Mary’s Church, Codford.

Private James McFarlane
(from findagrave.com)
Australia, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, New Zealand, New Zealand Rifle Brigade, photography, Rifleman, story, war, Wiltshire

Rifleman Alexander Shaw

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Rifleman Alexander Shaw

Alexander Richardson Shaw was born in Sandhurst, Victoria, Australia, on 10th February 1884. The second of seven children – although two of his younger siblings died when just babes-in-arms – his parents were Thomas and Elizabeth Shaw.

Little is known about Alexander’s early life. Thomas passed away in 1890, and Elizabeth was left to raise the family alone.

The next document for Alexander is his army service record, confirming that he enlisted on 27th June 1916. By this point he had moved to New Zealand and settled in Wellington. He was employed as a labourer and working for a GG Holmes.

It seems that Alexander had tried to enlist before: his records show that he had previously been turned down because of poor eyesight. At this point, however, with the war raging in Europe, and thousands of New Zealanders being called upon, he was taken on. His service records show that he was 5ft 8ins (1.72m) tall, and weighed 12st 6lbs (78.9kg). Alexander was also noted as having fair (reddish) hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Rifleman Shaw was sent to Trentham, outside Wellington, for his basic training. His time there was not without incident, however, and on 21st July he was confined to barracks for three days for failing to comply with an order.

On 16th October 1916, Rifleman Shaw’s unit – the New Zealand Rifle Brigade – set sail from Wellington on the SS Willochra for their ten-week voyage to Europe. Discipline remained tight on board and, as the ship was nearing the end of its journey, Alexander was again pulled up. His records simply state that his offence was ‘for clothing issued’, and he was stopped the sum of 3d 6d from his pay.

The Willochra arrived in Devonport, Devon, on 29th December 1916 and, while the rest of his unit was sent to their base at Sling Camp near Bulford, Wiltshire, Rifleman Shaw was admitted to the port’s military hospital. His condition is unclear, but by 10th January he was well enough to be moved to the No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital in Codford, Wiltshire.

Private Shaw was suffering from influenza, and this quickly developed into pneumonia. He passed away on 15th January 1917, just five days after being admitted. He was 32 years of age.

Thousands of miles from home, the body of Alexander Richardson Shaw was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard extension to St Mary’s Church in Codford, not far from where he had died.

Commonwealth War Graves, Egypt, Essex, Great War, Greece, history, illness, injury, Lance Corporal, Middlesex, New Zealand, New Zealand Otago Regiment, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire

Private James McLeod

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Private James McLeod

James McLeod was born on 15th April 1893 in Dunedin, New Zealand. There is little further information about his early life, although the Commonwealth War Graves Commission give his father’s name as Samuel, and his service records note his next-of-kin as his brother, George McLeod.

James was employed by A&T Watt as a French polisher. However, he gave that up on 25th January 1915, when he enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. His service records show that he was 5ft 8.5ins (1.74m) tall, and weighed 166lbs (75.3kg). He was recorded a having fair hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.

Private McLeod was assigned to the New Zealand Otago Regiment, and undertook his initial training on home soil. He evidently showed some promise as, on 1st May, he was promoted to Lance Corporal. Six weeks later his unit was heading for Europe, and by the summer James was in Egypt.

On 20th August 1915, Private McLeod was admitted to the New Zealand and Australian Convalescent Hospital in Mena with a gun shot wound to his finger. He remained there for three weeks, returning to his unit in time for them to leave for the Dardanelles on 7th November 1915.

What happened to James over the next couple of months is uncertain. Certainly he was on the Greek island of Moudros by 18th November and in the Dardanelles on 7th December 1915. Just 20 days later he was back in Alexandria, and he would remain there for the next few months. There is, however, nothing in his medical record to suggest that his return to Egypt was on health reasons.

On 6th April 1916, Private McLeod was on the move again, this time to France. He was wounded again on 14th July 1916, and medically evacuated to Britain for treatment. Details of this injury are not clear, but he was admitted to the 2nd London General Hospital in Chelsea, Middlesex. After a month recuperating, James was released from hospital and sent to camp in Hornchurch, Essex. At this point he was also demoted to Private, although, again, the reason is unclear: it may have been a personal choice, or the reversion may have been connected to his injuries.

In September 1916, Private McLeod was transferred to the ANZAC Camp on the outskirts of Codford, Wiltshire. That winter he contracted pleurisy, and he was admitted to the No. 3 New Zealand Hospital, which was connected to the camp, on Christmas Day. His condition worsened, and James passed away from pneumonia on 28th December 1916. He was just 23 years of age.

Thousands of miles from home, James McLeod was laid to rest alongside his fellow soldiers in the extension to the graveyard of St Mary’s Church, Codford.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, New Zealand, New Zealand Rifle Brigade, photography, Rifleman, story, war, Wiltshire

Rifleman William Garlick

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Rifleman William Garlick

William Garlick was born in Whakatane, New Zealand, on 18th October 1888. The oldest of seven children, his parents were Wiltshire-born Charles and New Zealander Maria Garlick. There is little information about William’s early life, but it is clear that by the outbreak of war he was working as a shearer in Gisborne.

William enlisted on 19th November 1915, and was assigned to the New Zealand Rifle Brigade. His service records show that he was 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall, and weighed 168lbs (76.2kg). He was noted as having black hair, brown eyes ad a dark complexion. He had a tattoo of an anchor on his upper right arm and a few boil scars on his leg.

Rifleman Garlick spent most of the next year training in the army camp at Trentham. On 25th September 1916 his unit finally left for Europe, and he set foot on British soil two months later. From Devonport, Devon, the battalion made its way to Sling Camp in Wiltshire. William was not to spend much time there, however, and within a fortnight he had fallen ill.

Admitted to the No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital in Codford, Rifleman Garlick had contracted pneumonia, and this was to get the better of him. William passed away on 13th December 1916: he was 28 years of age.

Thousands of miles from home, William Garlick was laid to rest in the ANZAC extension to St Mary’s Churchyard in Codford, not far from the medical facility in which he had breathed his last.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Dorset, Great War, history, illness, London, photography, Private, Somerset Light Infantry, story, war, Wiltshire

Private William Hasley

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Private William Hasley

William George Hasley was born on 14th June 1897. He was the oldest of three children to William and Sarah Hasley. William Sr, a former soldier, worked as a commissionaire, and the family lived at 11 Coach & Horses Yard, St James, Westminster.

Things had changed by 1900, and William Sr was employed as an engineer’s labourer. The family had moved to Dorset, setting up home in the village of Bourton, and their daughter, Susan, was born there at the turn of the century. Susan Sr came from just up the road in Zeals, Wiltshire, and it is likely that she was staying there when her youngest child, Sidney, was born in 1902.

By the time of the 1911 census, the family of five were living at Beach Cottage, Bourton. William Sr was drawing his army pension, but still employed at the engineering foundry; his eldest son, while still at school, was also listed as a news boy, possibly selling the periodicals to villagers.

War came to Europe in the summer of 1914, and William Jr was quick to step up and play his part. Giving up his job as an engineer’s fitter, enlisted on 1st September 1914, and joined the Somerset Light Infantry. His service records show that he stood 5ft 8.5ins (1.74m) tall, and weighed 124lbs (56.3kg). Private Hasley was noted as having brown hair, brown eyes and a sallow complexion. He also had a scar on the tip of the middle finger of his left hand.

Assigned to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Private Hasley’s unit moved to Devonport, Devon, at the start of 1915. It was here that he contracted tuberculosis, which would ultimately lead to his medical discharge from the army in July. He served just 308 days.

At this point, William’s trail goes cold. It is likely that he returned to Bourton, although he had regular check-ups by the army inspection board. He was deemed totally incapacitated by the illness on 3rd January 1917.

William George Hasley’s lung condition would seal his fate. He passed away on 23rd March 1917: he was just 19 years of age. He was laid to rest in Bourton Cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Devonshire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, India, Mesopotamia, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire

Private Samuel Harris

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Private Samuel Harris

Samuel John Harris was born in the spring of 1895, and was the oldest of three children to Samuel and Annie Harris. Samuel Sr was a cabinet maker from South Molton, Devon, and this was the village in which he and Annie raised their family.

The 1901 census found the Harrises taking rooms at 24 North Street, a house they shared with two other families. Move forward, and they were living four doors down the road at No. 28, a smaller cottage, but one they had to themselves.

Samuel Jr, at this point, was sixteen years old, but had completed his schooling and was working as a hotel waiter. His younger brother, Albert, had also started work, and was employed as an apprentice coach builder. Samuel Sr, meanwhile, was continuing with his cabinet making.

When war broke out, Samuel Jr was one of the first to enlist. While full details of his time in the army have been lost, it is clear that he joined the Devonshire Regiment, and he was initially attached to the 1st/6th Battalion.

Pte. SJ Harris proceeded to India and Mesopotamia with the Territorials. The hardships of campaigning and the trying climate in Mesopotamia proved too much for his constitution.

[Western Times: Friday 9th November 1917]

Samuel returned to Britain, and was admitted to the military hospital in Sutton Veny, Wiltshire. He passed away on 29th October 1917, from a combination of tuberculosis and a cyst in his back. He was 22 years of age.

Despite the apparent weakness in his constitution, the Western Times reported on his youth in South Molton:

The young man was very popular among his comrades in arms, and at Sutton Veny a general favourite. Prior to th war he was a familiar figure at football matches, having played for various teams at [South Molton] and in the district.

[Western Times: Friday 9th November 1917]

The body of Samuel John Harris was brought back to Devon for burial. He was laid to rest in the South Molton Cemetery, just a sort walk from his grieving family’s home.