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Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, injury, photography, story, war

Private Joseph Sibley

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Private Joseph Sibley

Joseph Henry Sibley was born on 23rd September 1897 in the hamlet of Elm, near Frome in Somerset. He was one of seven children to Joseph and Ellen Sibley. Joseph Sr worked as an iron moulder and, by the time of the 1911 census, the family had moved to South Petherton.

When he left school, Joseph Jr found work as a baker. But when he turned 18, and with war ravaging Europe, he enlisted to serve his King and his Country. On 8th December 1915, he joined the Somerset Light Infantry, and was assigned to the 6th Battalion.

Private Sibley’s service records confirm that he was 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall and 116lbs (52.6kg) in weight. He was declared fit for the army, and was formally mobilised in June 1916.

Joseph was sent to France and by January 1917, he found himself on the Front Line. On 19th May, he was injured, receiving a gun shot wound to his hand and face. Medically evacuated to Britain for treatment and admitted to hospital.

He was for some time in Norwich Infirmary for treatment and ultimately received his discharge from the Army. He had been home only a short time and his health being very unsatisfactory, he was taken to Bristol Royal Infirmary, where an operation was performed, which, unfortunately, terminated fatally.

Western Chronicle: Friday 22nd March 1918

Private Sibley died on 16th March 1918, he was just 19 years of age.

Joseph Henry Sibley’s body was brought back to South Petherton for burial. He was laid to rest in the town’s cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Grenadier Guards, Guardsman, history, injury, Kent, London, photography, Somerset, story, war

Guardsman John Boucher

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Guardsman John Boucher

John Charles Boucher was born in East Coker, Somerset, in the spring of 1894. The youngest of five children, he was the son of Charles and Ann Boucher. Charles worked on the railways as a plate layer, while John found work in a local textile factory as a yarn dyer when he left school. He was a sporty young man, and became a prominent member of the nearby Stoford Football Club.

Ann died in 1914 and, when war was declared, John was keen to play his part. He had enlisted in the Grenadier Guards by the summer of 1917 and was assigned to the 5th Battalion. Full details of Guardsman Boucher’s military service are lost to time, but it is clear that he served abroad, and was wounded twice in the fighting.

John was based at Guards barracks in Kensington, London. It was here that he met Elsie Louise Vaughan, who was the daughter of a local insurance agent. The couple married at the Holy Trinity Church in Paddington on 28th June 1917.

Guardsman Boucher was soon sent to the Western Front again, however, and, in the spring of 1918, he was caught up in the Battles of the Lys. Wounded for a third time, he was medically evacuated to Britain, and admitted to the Military Hospital in Sidcup, Kent. Sadly, it was to be third time unlucky for John: his wounds proved too severe, and he died of his injuries on 13th April 1918. He was just 24 years of age.

John Charles Boucher was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the cemetery of his home village, East Coker.

Tragically, just three weeks after John’s death, Elsie gave birth to their first, and only, child, a son she named after his father. She went on to marry again in the spring of 1919, to a John Bellamy. The couple would go on to have a child of their own – a daughter called Iris – the following year. John Jr died in 1972, and Elsie followed five years later, at the age of 83 years old.

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

Private Archibald Wilds

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Private Archibald Wilds

Archibald Percy Wilds was born in 1896 in Kilmington, Somerset. The youngest of three children, his parents were dairy farmers Charles and Emma Wilds. Charles passed away when Archibald was just a toddler, and with the help of her family, Emma raised their children while maintaining the business.

When he left school, Archibald also helped out on the farm, but war was coming, and he wanted to play his part for King and Country. Details about his service are sketchy, but it is clear that he joined the Somerset Light Infantry as a Private, before transferring to the Hampshire Regiment. He was assigned to the 15th (Service) Battalion, also known as the 2nd Portsmouth.

While Private Wilds’ battalion saw action in France, it is unclear whether he went with them. His records show that he was awarded the Victory and British Medals for his time in the army, but they do not give a date for him embarking for the continent.

The only other records relating to Private Wilds are those confirming his passing. The Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects confirms that he passed away on 26th February 1918 in a military hospital, while another database suggests that he died of wounds, although it is not possible to confirm how he was injured, or where specifically he passed. What can be confirmed is that he was just 21 years of age when he died.

Archibald Percy Wilds was brought to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in the graveyard of St Michael’s Church in Blackford, not far from where his mother still lived.

Emma Wilds went on to live until she was 70 years old. She passed away in 1932 and was also laid to rest in the family plot, reunited again with her husband and son.

Commonwealth War Graves, Essex, Great War, history, injury, London Regiment, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war

Private George Woodforde

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Private George Woodforde

George Augustus Woodforde was born on 21st April 1892 in Leyton, Essex. He was one of six children to George and Harriet Woodforde, although, tragically, George had died shortly before his son was born.

George Sr had been born in Ansford, Castle Cary, Somerset and this is where he was laid to rest. He was a theological student in his twenties and, according to the 1891 census, he was living on his own means. This is something that Harriet was fortunate enough to be able to do once she was widowed.

George Jr studied into his late teens and, by the time war was declared in 1914, he was employed as a schoolmaster. He enlisted in April 1916, but was not mobilised until 17th November 1917. He served as part of the 28th Battalion (Artists’ Rifles) of the London Regiment and his records show that he was 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall and was of a slight build, weighing in at only 110lbs (50kg).

Private Woodforde soon found himself in France, and fought on the front line for a while. He was caught up in the Battle of the Canal du Nord in late September 1918, and was badly wounded. He was medically evacuated to England, and admitted to the East Leeds War Hospital. He had received gunshot wounds to both thighs and feet, and had fractured the tarsal and metatarsals of his right foot.

Private Woodforde’s left leg became infected, and he then developed double pneumonia. It was this lung condition that he was to succumb to: he passed away at the hospital on 11th November 1918 – Armistice Day. He was just 26 years of age.

George Augustus Woodforde was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Andrew’s Church in Ansford, Somerset, close to where his father had been buried all those years before.

Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Great War, history, injury, Kent, Monmouthshire, Monmouthshire Regiment, photography, Private, story, Surrey, Wales, war

Corporal John Cudby

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Corporal John Cudby

Frederick John Cudby – who was known by his middle name – was born in the summer of 1884 in Farnham, Surrey. The fourth of six children, his parents were William and Caroline Cudby. William was a bricklayer from Essex, while his wife was from Ramsgate in Kent. The family went where his work was, and by the mid-1890s, they had moved to Blaenavon in Monmouthshire.

When he left school, John found employment as a mechanic, working as an engine oiler at a local works. William passed away in 1901, and by the time of the next census, in 1911, John was working as a mason’s labourer. The family were all still living in Blaenavon, helping Caroline by keeping money coming in .

When war came to Europe, John was quick to serve King and Country. He enlisted in the Monmouthshire Regiment and, as a Private, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion. His troop was soon sent to France and, by November 1914, he was entrenched at Ypres, near Ploegsteert Wood.

Promoted to Corporal, little of John’s service information survives. It is clear that he was wounded during a skirmish and that he was medically evacuated back to Britain. It seems likely that he was admitted to the Preston Hall Military Hospital in Aylesford, Kent, and that this is where he subsequently succumbed to his injuries.

Corporal Frederick John Cudby died on 6th June 1915, at the age of just 30 years old. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Peter and St Paul’s Church in Aylesford, Kent.

While buried in the churchyard, the location of John’s grave is not known. Instead, he is commemorated on a joint headstone in the First World War section of the graveyard.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, injury, Kent, Kings Royal Rifle Corps, photography, Rifleman, story, war

Rifleman Frederick Avards

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Rifleman Frederick Avards

Frederick John Avards was born in Lamberhurst, Kent, in the summer of 1891. The oldest of three children, his parents were Frederick and Lucy Avards. Frederick Sr was a licenced publican and went on to run the Beckingford Arms in Tovil, near Maidstone.

Frederick Jr helped his father with the business, but when war came to Europe, he stepped up to play his part. He enlisted on 1st January 1915, joining the 7th (Service) Battalion of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps.

Rifleman Avards was sent to France on 19th May 1915 and very quickly found himself in the thick of things. Based on the Western Front, his regiment was involved in a number of skirmishes during the Battle of the Somme.

Last week [Rifleman Avards’] parents received a telegram stating that he was lying at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley, dangerously wounded. They at once proceeded to Netley but only to find that he had passed away.. Meanwhile his lieutenant, knowing he had been hit and thinking he had been killed on the battlefield, had written a feeling letter to the parents, saying his gallantly he had done his duty and that he had died a true rifleman’s death in the hour of victory, and worthily upheld the name of his regiment.

Kent Messenger & Gravesend Telegraph: Saturday 9th September 1916

Rifleman John Avards had passed away from his injuries on 3rd August 1916: he was just 24 years of age. His body was brought back to Kent for burial and he was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Peter & St Paul’s Church in Aylesford, Kent, not far from the Lower Bell public house, which his parents were then running.

Rifleman Frederick Avards
(from britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)

While buried in the churchyard, the location of Frederick’s grave is not known. Instead, he is commemorated on a joint headstone in the First World War section of the graveyard.

Commonwealth War Graves, Denbighshire, Great War, history, injury, photography, Private, Shropshire, story, Wales, war

Private Richard Morris

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Private Richard Morris

Richard Levi Morris was born in the village of Carno, mid-Wales, in the autumn of 1895. He was the oldest of five children to John and Hannah Morris. John was a tailor who, when Richard was still a babe in arms, moved the family north to the Denbighshire town of Llangollen.

When he left school, Richard found work as baker’s apprentice. He was employed by the Model Bakery on Church Street, Llangollen, a business that would go on to win, according to its subsequent advertising, a bronze medal for both its white and brown bread in both 1912 and 1913 [North Wales Journal: Friday 7th August 1914].

War was coming to Europe, and Richard stepped up to play his part. Full details of his service are sadly lost to time, but he had enlisted in the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry by the summer of 1918. Initially assigned to the 9th (Service) Battalion, Private Morris subsequently transferred to the 2nd/4th Battalion and was attached to one of the regiment’s depots.

What little documentation around Richard’s actual service confirms that he was sent to the Western Front. At some point towards the end of the conflict – possibly during the final advance in Picardy – he was wounded. Medically evacuated to Britain, he was admitted to a cottage hospital in Oswestry, Shropshire.

Sadly, it was here that Private Morris was to breath his last: he succumbed to his injuries on 18th January 1919, at the tender age of just 24 years old.

The body of Richard Levi Morris was brought back to Wales for burial. He was laid to rest in the quiet Fron Cemetery in Llangollen.

Commonwealth War Graves, Denbighshire, Great War, history, injury, Lance Corporal, Middlesex, photography, Private, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, story, war

Lance Corporal Thomas Roberts

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Lance Corporal Thomas Roberts

Thomas Roberts was born in Llangollen, Denbighshire, in 1895. One of seven children, his parents were William and Ellen Roberts. William was a butter merchant, and his wife helped in the business.

When Thomas left school, he found work as a greengrocer’s assistant, but when war was declared he saw an opportunity for glory. While full details of his military service are no longer available, it’s clear that he enlisted in the Royal Welch Fusiliers.

Private Roberts was assigned to the 13th (Service) Battalion (1st North Wales) and on 1st December 1915, found himself in France. For the next eighteen months, he was firmly ensconced on the Western Front, and rose to the rank of Lance Corporal for his service.

In April 1917, Thomas was injured in fighting and was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment to his bullet wounds. Admitted to the Edmonton Military Hospital in North London, his injuries were to prove too severe. Lance Corporal Roberts passed away on 22nd April 1917. He was just 21 years of age.

Brought back to Wales for burial, Thomas Roberts was laid to rest in the family plot in Llangollen’s Fron Cemetery.

Thomas was buried along with his brother David, who had passed away in 1912. They were joined by their father William, who died in 1919, and their sister Elizabeth, who passed away in 1945. The family were finally reunited with Ellen, when she died in 1947, at the age of 86.

Commonwealth War Graves, Denbighshire, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, South Lancashire Regiment, story, Wales, war

Rifleman Harold Dean

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Rifleman Harold Dean

Harold Dean was born in the spring of 1888 in Llangollen, Denbighshire. One of four children to John and Sarah Dean, his father was a waiter at the Hand Hotel in the town until his death in 1905. When Harold left school, he was taken on by the hotel, and, by the time of the 1911 census, was recorded as working as a billiard marker.

War was coming to Europe by this point and, on 24th October 1916, Harold enlisted. He joined the South Lancashire Regiment (also known as The Prince of Wales’s Volunteers) and was assigned to the 2nd/5th Battalion.

After an initial few months’ training, Private Dean was sent to France, and was soon ensconced on the Western Front. Caught up in the fighting, he received a gun shot wound to his left wrist on 7th June 1917 and, after some initial treatment in a camp hospital, he was evacuated to Britain for full recuperation.

Harold remained on home soil for the remainder of the year, He contracted tuberculosis that winter and was medically discharged from the army because of it on 5th December 1917.

At this point, Harold’s trail goes cold. He returned to Llangollen, and remained there after his mother passed away in 1919. It appears that his lung condition continued to dog him, however, and this was probably the cause of his untimely passing. He died on 16th March 1921, at the age of 33 years old.

Harold Dean was laid to rest in Fron Cemetery, in his home town of Llangollen.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Gloucestershire, Great War, history, injury, Kent, photography, Private, Royal Marines, story, war

Private Albert Harvey

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Private Albert Harvey

Albert James Harvey was born on 23rd May 1894 in the Gloucestershire village of Warmley. One of eleven children, his parents were James and Alice Harvey. James was a bootmaker, and most of Albert’s siblings followed him into shoemaking, but Albert bucked the trend, and found work with a baker when he left school.

He wanted bigger and better things, however, and so, on 26th April 1911, he enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry. His service records record that Private Harvey was 5ft 5.5ins (1.66m) tall, with blue eyes, auburn hair and a fresh complexion. It also suggests that he added a year to his age, to ensure that he was accepted for duty.

After initially enlisting in Deal, Kent, Albert was sent to Plymouth, Devon, where he served for most of 1912. On 18th November that year, he was assigned to the dreadnought battleship HMS Conqueror, on which he was to serve for the nearly five years.

It was during his time on board Conqueror that Albert married Ethel Brewer. The daughter of a pressman, the couple exchanged vows at St Barnabas Church in their shared home village, Warmley.

Private Harvey remained serving throughout the war and, in April 1918, he was involved in the Zeebrugge Raid. This was an attempt by the Royal Navy to block the Belgian port by sinking obsolete ships in the canal entrance. During the operation, more than 200 men were killed and over 300 – including Albert – were wounded.

Private Harvey was medically evacuated to England for treatment, but his injuries were to prove too severe. He passed away in a hospital in Plymouth on 28th June 1918. He was just 24 years old.

Albert James Harvey was brought back to Gloucestershire for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Barnabas’ Church, where he has been both baptised and married.