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

Private Percy Wall

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Private Percy Wall

Percy James Wall was born in the Somerset village of Kilmersden in the summer of 1880. The fifth of ten children, his parents were called Robert and Amelia. Robert was a cashier for a local colliery, but it seems that Percy did not follow into his father’s line of work.

The 1901 census found Percy working as a draper’s assistant for Jolly & Son’s in Bath. He was one of 27 boarders at the company’s lodgings on Milsom Street in the city centre. By 1911, he was still working for the same company, but as a draper’s clerk, and had moved to some new lodgings just to the north in Lansdown Road.

When war broke out, Percy stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Gloucestershire Regiment, although his full service records are no longer available. Private Wall was attached to the 1st/4th Battalion, and, by the autumn of 1916, he found himself caught up in fighting at the Ancre, part of the Battles of the Somme.

Percy was badly wounded, and evacuated to Britain for treatment. Full details are unclear, but his injuries were enough for him to medically discharged from the army. He was awarded the Silver War Badge – proof of his genuine discharge – but at this point his trail goes cold.

Percy struggled on with his injuries for a further two years. Hhe may have remained in hospital since his original injuries, but there are no records to corroborate this either way. At the start of 1919, he had been admitted to the Bath War Hospital, his family having also moved to the city by this point. He finally succumbed to his wounds, passing away on 3rd March 1919: he was 38 years of age.

Percy James Wall was laid to rest in the sprawling Locksbrook Cemetery, Bath, his pain finally eased.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, injury, photography, Royal Engineers, Sapper, Somerset, story, war, Yorkshire

Sapper George Bush

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Sapper George Bush

George James Bush was born in the autumn of 1889 in Bath, Somerset. One of eight children, his parents were Edward and Sarah Bush. Edward was a general labourer turned fishmonger and the family lived in a ramshackle cottage in Griffin’s Court, off Milk Street towards the centre of the city.

When he finished his schooling, George found employment as a general labourer. By the time of the 1911 census, he and three siblings were still living at home with their parents, and all of them were working to bring together an income for the household. Times were obviously hard for the Bush family, and the list of trades reads like something from one of Dickens’ novels: fishmonger, charwoman, box maker, carter and daily domestic.

Edward died in 1912, and this put a further strain on the household. When war came to Europe two years later, a career in the army seemed a price worth paying for the additional financial support it would bring George and his family. He had enlisted in the Royal Engineers as a Sapper by the spring of 1917.

Attached to the 503rd Field Company, George’s full service details are lost to time. He definitely saw action overseas, however, fighting in some of the fiercest battles of the war, at the Third Battles of Ypres in 1917. It was here, at Passchendaele, that Sapper Bush was wounded, his injuries severe enough for him to be medically evacuated to Britain.

George was admitted to Sheffield War Hospital, but complications set in.

Sapper G Bush, RE, formally employed by the Corporation as a motor lorry driver, died in the Warecliffe Hospital, Sheffield, on Saturday. He was wounded a short time ago, but the cause of death was pneumonia, which supervened. Sappe Bush, who was… unmarried, was a son of Mrs R Bush, of 19, Denmark Road, Twerton. He had been in the army close on two years. He was one of three brothers, all of whom joined the army. A younger brother, who enlisted soon after the outbreak of war, is now in Egypt with the Somersets.

[Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette: Saturday 1st December 1917]

George James Bush died on 24th November 1917: he was 28 years of age. His body was brought back to Somerset for burial, and he was laid in the family plot in Locksbrook Cemetery, Bath, reunited with his father far too soon.

Cheshire, Commonwealth War Graves, Cornwall, Great War, Gunner, history, killed in action, photography, Royal Marines, story, war

Private William Moore

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Private William Moore

On Saturday last an inquest was held at the Seaman’s Institute on the body of Gunner Wm. Moore, RNTS.

Mrs Brennan, sister of the deceased, stated that he was 43 years of age, and lived when off duty with her at Somerville, Seacombe, Cheshire. He joined the Royal Marine Light Infantry over 20 years ago.

Mr R Sussex Langford, Lloyd’s agent, stated that he saw deceased on landing. He help to get him into a cart, but found he was too ill to travel that way, so he had him put on an ambulance and taken to the Royal National Mission for Deep Sea Fishermen, and immediately sent for the doctor. Deceased was semi-conscious and very sick. He was a gunner from a torpedoed ship. Deceased died on Thursday [25th July 1918] at 6 o’clock.

Dr Sargent stated that he was called on the 23rd to see deceased, and found him semi-conscious, complaining of great pain in the abdomen and vomiting. He lay in that condition until the 25th, when death took place. The cause of death was acute traumatic peritonitis, the result of injuries received by the explosion of an enemy torpedo.

[Newquay Express and Cornwall County Chronicle – Friday 02 August 1918]

Other than the details outlined in the newspaper report, little concrete information is available about the life of William Moore. The name does crop up in the 1891 census in Seacombe, Cheshire, and, if this relates to Gunner Moore, then he was one of five children to widowed lithographer Margaret Moore. Beyond that one census, however, it is not possible to find any more specific details.

William was on board the steam ship SS Anna Sophie in the summer of 1918, which was sailing from Rouen to South Wales, On 23rd July, she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-55 off Trevose Head, Cornwall. The Anna Sofie was sunk, Gunner Moore was one of those who subsequently passed from their injuries.

William Moore’s sister may not have been able to pay for her brother to be brought back to Cheshire for burial. Instead, he was laid to rest in Padstow Cemetery, and shares his resting place with another member of the crew, Lance Corporal William Whitmore.

William’s headstone reads: “In honoured memory and grateful remembrance of William Moor [sic] who lies here, and all others who in the Great War 1914-1918, perished at the enemies hands off this coast. RIP.”

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

Private Wilfred Butler

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Private Wilfred Butler

Wilfrid Hinton Butler was born on 11th June 1895 in Cowley, Oxfordshire, one of four children to Alexander and Mary Butler. Alexander was a foreign stamp importer who, by 1899, had moved the family to the outskirts of Clevedon, Somerset.

The 1911 census found Alexander and Mary living in Clevedon, with Wilfrid’s two younger siblings. Wilfrid himself is missing from the document and, intriguingly, his parents are noted as having only two children: this is likely an misunderstanding over the number of children, and the number residing at home.

At this point, Wilfrid drops off the radar completely, and it is only through later documentation that we can identify what became of him. When war broke out, he joined up, enlisting in the London Regiment. Initially assigned to the 15th (County of London) Battalion (Prince of Wales’s Own Civil Service Rifles), he moved across to the 13th (County of London) Battalion (Kensington) at some point during the conflict.

Private Butler was firmly ensconced in northern France by 1916 and his unit fought in some of the bloodiest battled of the Somme. He was not to come out unscathed, however, and it is likely that he was wounded during the Battle of Morval.

The injuries Private Butler had received were severe enough for him to be medically evacuated back to Britain for treatment. He was admitted to hospital in Kings Norton, Birmingham, but his wounds were to prove fatal. He passed away on 2nd October 1916: he was 21 years of age.

Wilfrid Hinton Butler was taken back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Mary’s Church, Walton Clevedon.

Commonwealth War Graves, Cornwall, Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry, Great War, history, injury, photography, Private, story, war, Yorkshire

Private Christopher Runnalls

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Private Christopher Runnalls

Christopher Runnalls was born in the village of Cardinham, Cornwall, in 1892. The fourth of five children, his parents were game keeper John Runnalls and his wife, Mary. Christopher – who was better known by the nickname Kitt – didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps, instead finding work as a stone mason when he finished his schooling.

Kitt moved to St Minver, near Wadebridge, for work and, in 1907, he married Susan Buse. The couple set up home in a small cottage in the village, sharing their home with Susan’s niece, Vivian.

When war was declared, Kitt stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, and, as a Private, was assigned to the 10th (Service) Battalion, also known as the Cornwall Pioneers. He soon found himself on the Western Front and, in the summer of 1916, was caught up in the Somme.

Pte. Kitt Runnals [sic], of the DCLI, who was wounded in France on August 10th, and was brought to Leeds Great Northern Hospital, died at that institution on September 10th. The body was brought to St Minver and buried at [St Enodoc’s Church] on Thursday, the 14th.

[He] was one of the most respected men in the parish. He was a mason by trade. When war broke out he thought it his duty to join up. He was a member of the United Methodist Church. He leaves a widow but no family.

Newquay Express and Cornwall County Chronicle: Friday 22nd September 1916

Christopher ‘Kitt’ Runnalls was 34 years old when he passed. He lies at rest in the peaceful landscape of St Enodoc’s Church, Cornwall.

Commonwealth War Graves, Gloucestershire, Great War, history, injury, Lieutenant, photography, Sherwood Foresters, Somerset, story, Surrey, war

Lieutenant Hubert Cavell

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Lieutenant Hubert Cavell

Hubert John Cavell was born on 12th August 1882 in Bristol, Gloucestershire. The middle of three children, his parents were John and Annie Cavell. The 1901 census recorded John as a cycle manufacturer, and both he and Annie were keen to educate their children.

Hubert studied to be an architect, and was employed as such when, on 17th February 1910, he married Florence Shellard. Also born in Bristol, she was the daughter of an insurance agent. Hubert’s father, however, had changed career by the time of his son’s nuptials, and was working as a manufacturer of steel rope.

After their wedding, Hubert and Florence moved out to Easton-in-Gordano, Somerset, and went on to have two daughters: Phyllis, who was born in November 1910; and Dorothy, born in April 1912.

War was brewing across Europe by this point, and, when hostilities were announced, Hubert stepped up to play his part. Full service records for him are lost to time, although is it clear that he joined the Sherwood Foresters (the Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Regiment). He was assigned to the 11th (Service) Battalion, and, by the spring of 1917, was firmly entrenched on the Western Front.

News has just been received of the death from wounds, received in action, of Lieut. Hubert John Cavell, of Easton-in-Gordano. The deceased officer was educated at the Cathedral School, and had been associated with the firm of Messrs. Paul and James, architects, for the past 16 years. He was for some years a member of the Church Ringers’ Society, being engaged in that capacity at St James’s Church, Bristol. He joined the Sherwood Foresters in January, 1916, received his commission, and had for the past three months held the position of acting-adjutant. He was 34 years of age, and leaves a widow and two little daughters.

Western Daily Press: Tuesday 24th April 1917

Lieutenant Cavell had been caught up in the fighting near Ypres, and was medically evacuated to a military hospital in Dorking, Surrey. It was here that he succumbed to his injuries on 22nd April 1917.

Hubert John Cavell’s body was brought back to Easton-in-Gordano for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in St George’s Churchyard. He was reunited with Florence, when he died in 1971, and Dorothy, when she passed away in 1997.

Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Essex, Great War, history, injury, Lance Corporal, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war

Lance Corporal Frederick Gilbey

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Lance Corporal Frederick Gilbey

Frederick James Gilbey was born on 1st September 1888 in Walthamstow, Essex. The oldest of nine children, his parents were Alfred and Emily. Alfred was a general labourer, and the family initially lived on Chingford Road, before moving to an end-of-terrace house at 41 MacDonald Road.

On 28th August 1910, Frederick married Katherine Heathorn. Little more information is available about her, although the young couple’s marriage seemed to be the start of something bigger: the newlyweds emigrated shortly afterwards, arriving in Fremantle, Australia, in October 1910. Frederick’s immigration records noted that he was employed as a salesman, while Katherine was working as a dressmaker.

The couple settled into their new life well. The 1916 Electoral Records found the family living at 20 Oswald Street in the leafy Victoria Park suburb of Fremantle. Frederick was now working as a tram conductor, while Katherine was busy raising their two children, Leslie and Arthur.

By this point, Europe was two years into a bloody conflict. Frederick’s younger brother William, a Private in the Royal Fusiliers, had been killed at Gallipoli in August 1915, and it would seem that he also felt pulled to serve his King and Empire.

On 12th September 1916, Frederick enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. His service documents note that he was 5ft 6.5ins (1.69m) tall and weighed 140lbs (63.5kg). Private Gilbey had auburn hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

After initial training, he left Fremantle for the two-month journey back to Britain. Assigned to the 13th Training Battalion, his unit was based in Codford, Wiltshire. In November 1917, Frederick attended the 15th Rifle Course at the School of Musketry in Tidworth, where he qualified as 1st Class, with a fair working knowledge of the Lewis Gun.

The following February, Private Gilbey was transferred to the 51st Battalion of the Australian Infantry, and sent with his unit to France. On 20th April, days before the Battle of Villers Bretonneux, he was promoted to Lance Corporal.

The battle, however, was to prove to be his last. Wounded in the right thigh by gun shot, he was medically evacuated to Britain, and admitted to Bath War Hospital, Somerset, for treatment. His wounds were too severe, however: Private Gilbey passed away on 2nd May 1918, at the age of 29 years old.

With his widow and children on the other side of the globe, Frederick James Gilbey was laid to rest in the military section of Bath’s Locksbrook Cemetery.

Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Cornwall, Egypt, Great War, history, illness, injury, Kent, Middlesex, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war

Private Albert Sweetland

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Private Albert Sweetland

Albert Graham Sweetland was born on 6th January 1895 in Kensington, Middlesex. The oldest of seven children, his parents were mechanical engineer Albert Sweetland and his wife, Edith.

A work ethic was instilled into Albert Jr from an early age. By the time of the 1911 census, he had been sent to Truro, Cornwall, where he worked as a servant to the Faull family, tending to their poultry.

Albert was set on developing a life for himself and, in the next few years, he emigrated to Australia. He settled in the town of Liverpool, now a suburb of Sydney, and found work as a station hand. War was on the horizon, however, and people of the empire were called upon to serve their King.

Albert enlisted on 22nd January 1916, joining the 18th Battalion of the Australian Infantry. His service records tell a little about the man he was becoming. He was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, and weighed 143lbs (64.9kg), with fair hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. The document also notes that he was a Methodist, and that he had tried to enlist in the British army before emigrating, but that a slight defect in his right eye had prevented him.

Private Sweetland set sail for Europe on 9th April 1916. His unit sailed via Suez, reaching Folkestone, Kent, that November. His time back in Britain was to be brief, however: within a matter of days he was in Etaples, France.

Albert was thrown into the thick of things. On 5th May 1917, he was wounded while fighting at Arras. He was shot in the legs, and medically evacuated to Britain for treatment and recuperation. He was to remain on home soil for the next year, before returning to his unit in June 1918.

On 3rd October 1918, Private Sweetland was injured during the Battle of the Beaurevoir Line. His unit’s push forward was initially successful, but ultimately failed to capture the the village. The German forces attacked with gas, and Albert was caught up in it, receiving a gun shot wound to his back.

By the time Beaurevoir was in Australian hands three days later, more than 430 Allied soldiers had been killed. Albert was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery during the battle.

Private Sweetland was medically evacuated to Britain once more, and was admitted to Bath War Hospital for treatment. This time, however, he was not to be as luck as he had been eighteen months previously. He died on 7th November 1918, from a combination of appendicitis, pneumonia and heart failure. He was just 23 years of age.

Albert Graham Sweetland was laid to rest in the military section of Bath’s Locksbrook Cemetery, not far from the facility where he had passed. His parents and his sister Winifred attended the funeral.

Canada, Canadian Infantry, Channel Islands, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, injury, Jersey, Kent, Oxfordshire, photography, Private, story, Surrey, Sussex, war

Private Philip le Cornu

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Private Philip le Cornu

Philip Francis le Cornu was born on 29th July 1894 in St Peter’s, Jersey. The youngest of five children, his parents were Philip and Mary le Cornu. Philip Sr was a farmer, but it seems that both he and Mary passed away not long after his youngest son’s birth. By the time of the 1901 census the children had been split between family members, and Philip Jr was living with his maternal grandparents.

Philip finished his schooling, and seems to have sought a purpose in life. He emigrated to Canada and, by the time war broke out, was living in Grande-Mère, Quebec. He found employment as a clerk, but with conflict raging on the other side of the Atlantic, he responded to the call to arms.

Philip enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 12th September 1916. His service records show that he was 22 years and 2 months old and stood 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall. He had black hair, blue eyes and a dark complexion. Private le Cornu sailed to Britain, and arrived there on 7th April 1917.

Billeted in Shoreham, West Sussex, Philip was attached to the 14th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry. Within weeks he was sent to France, and, on 15th August 1917, was caught up in the Battle of Hill 70 near Lens.

During the skirmish, Private le Cornu was badly wounded in the thigh and sent to the 58th Casualty Clearing Station. Within days he was moved to the 4th General Hospital in Camiens, but his condition necessitated medical evacuation to Britain.

Over the next year, Philip had three operations on his leg, and spent time at the 3rd Southern General Hospital in Oxford, the Manor War Hospital in Epsom, Surrey, and the 16th Canadian General Hospital in Orpington, Kent. Tragically, all of the medical treatment was to prove to no avail. Private le Cornu passed away from his injuries on 14th September 1918, more than a year after Hill 70. He was 24 years of age.

Philip Francis le Cornu’s body was taken back to the Channel Islands for burial. He was laid to rest in the quiet graveyard of St Mary’s Church on Jersey.

X-ray of Private Philip le Cornu’s left femur
(from uk.forceswarrecords.com)
Commonwealth War Graves, County Antrim, Great War, history, injury, Ireland, Northern Ireland, photography, Private, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, story, war

Private Charles McManus

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Private Charles McManus

Charles McManus was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, in 1891. The middle of three children, his parents were John and Maryann McManus. John was a horse dealer: when they finished their schooling Charles’ older brother, John Jr, found work as a hawker.

Maryann died in 1907, aged just 47 years of age. The next census record, in 1911, found John Jr living with his wife and family in Ballymena, while John Sr was boarding with a fishmonger elsewhere in the town. Alexander, Charles’ younger brother, was a pupil at an industrial school in Dublin, but Charles himself is missing from the census return.

John Sr passed away in 1913, at the age of 53 years old. Charles was 22 years old and an orphan. The following year war was declared, and Charles was one of the first to step up and serve his country. He joined the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers on 14th September 1914, and was attached to the 1st Battalion.

Full service records for Private McManus are lost to time. However, his unit was sent to Gallipoli in the spring of 1915, only to be evacuated from the region the following January. The 1st Battalion was then sent to France where it became entrenched at the Somme. For Private McManus and his colleagues, this must have felt like going from the frying pan into the fire, but this time he was not to emerge unscathed.

At some point Charles was wounded. He was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment, and admitted to the King George’s Hospital in London. Whatever his injuries, they were to prove too severe: he died on 24th July 1916, at the age of 25 years old.

Charles McManus’ body was taken back to Antrim for burial. He was laid to rest in the Crebilly Cemetery, overlooking his home town, Ballymena. His pension ledger suggests there was happiness in his life, beyond the killing fields. His next of kin is noted as Miss Mary Gordon of Ballymena, recorded as his unmarried wife.