Devonshire Regiment Archives - Shaftesbury Remembers the Great War

John Seymour

Surname: Seymour

Other names: John

Locations in this story:
Cann, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Salisbury Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, Dorset
France & Flanders
Holwell, Sherborne, Dorset

Story:
John Seymour was born in Shaftesbury, Dorset, on 26th December 1898 and baptised at Cann, Shaftesbury, on 26th January 1899, the son of William John Seymour and Blanche Ellen Seymour (née Parsons). He lived most of his life, except for Military Service, in the Shaftesbury, Dorset, area. At one time his address was 27 Salisbury Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset. He enlisted as a Private and served with three regiments in their turn. The Devonshire Regiment (Service No. 70338), the London Regiment (Service No. GS/83336) and the Royal Fusiliers (Service No. as London Regiment). He served in France and Flanders and on his discharge on 17 Mar 1919 was awarded the Victory and British War medals. The 1921 Census shows he had taken employment at Holwell Manor, Near Sherborne, Dorset, and was boarding the the Stables working as a Horseman (Servant). He married Olive Margaret Broadway at Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, Dorset, on 16th October 1929. They had at least one son. By the time of the 1939 Register John was living at Boyne Farm, Bozley Hill, Cann, Shaftesbury, Dorset, and was described as a Dairy Farmer. He died locally on 13th June 1989 and was buried at St. Rumbold's Church, Cann.

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The National Archives

Herbert John Holly

30th April 2020/in 1914-1918 Devonshire Regiment, Dorsetshire Regiment, Hampshire Regiment /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Holly

Other names: Herbert John

Locations in this story:
Melbury Abbas, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Shroton, Dorset
Cann Common, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Blandford, Dorset
Iwerne Mintser, Shaftesbury, Dorset

Story:
Herbert John Holly was born in Melbury Abbas, Shaftesbury, Dorset, on 8th December 1892 and baptised there on 5th March 1893, the son of Mark Holly and Harriet Holly (née Smith). He spent his early life in and around the Melbury Abbas and Cann Common area. He enlisted and served successively with the Dorsetshire Regiment (service No. 25813), the Devonshire Regiment (Service No. 52660) and the Hampshire Regiment (Service No. 30396). His rank in all cases was Private. On his discharge he was awarded the Victory and British War medals. The 1921 Census shows him living with his parents in Higher Blandford Road, Cann, Shaftesbury, working as a Baker for Ernest Otto of Iwerne Minster, Shaftesbury. He married Winifred Beatrice Gaisford at Shroton, Dorset, in 1923. By the time of the 1939 Register he was living at 1 The Corner, Blandford, Dorset, still working as a Baker. He died in Shroton on 2nd October 1983.

Herbert's brother, Harry Percival Holly (b.1891) also served and survived but his brother Ernest Walter (b.1895), died in the conflict while serving with the Royal Army Service Corps in Greece.

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Harry Percival Holly
Ernest Walter Holly
The National Archives

Sydney William Belbin

9th April 2020/in 1914-1918 Devonshire Regiment /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Belbin

Other names: Sydney William

Locations in this story:
Shaftesbury, Dorset
Boscombe, Bournemouth, Hampshire
Southampston, Hampshire
France & Flanders
Loos, Pas de Calais, France

Story:
Sydney William Belbin was born in Shaftesbury, Dorset, in 1886, the son of Henry Belbin and Selina Emma Belbin (née Wright). He lived his early life in Shaftesbury until, by 1901, the family had moved to Boscombe, Bournemouth, Hampshire. By 1911, Sydney had become a boarder in Southampton, Hampshire, where he obtained work as Painter. He enlisted with the 8th (Service) Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment as a Private (Service No. 17700). He was declared presumed killed in action on 25th September 1915 and is remembered on the Loos Memorial, Loos, Pas de Calais, France, (Panel 35 to 37). He was awarded the Victory and British War medals as well as the 1915 Star.

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The National Archives
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Walter Adams

7th April 2020/in 1914-1918 Devonshire Regiment, Labour Corps /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Adams

Other names: Walter

Locations in this story:
Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Bournemouth, Hampshire
France & Flanders
Efford, Plymouth, Devon
Upper Parkstone, Dorset

Story:
Walter Adams was born at Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, Dorset, in 1888, the son of Albert Adams and Alice Mary Adams (née Feltham), themselves from local families. (All other records indicate that he was born in 1891 but his birth was registered in Shaftesbury in the 4th Quarter of 1888 - mother's maiden name Feltham). He lived his early life in and around Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, until by 1911 his family had moved to Bournemouth, Hampshire. He originally enlisted with the Devonshire Regiment on 26 Feb 1916 as a Private (Service No.17423) but was rapidly transferred to the 12th Battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment (Service No. 28964) on 26 Mar 1916 and served with them in France & Flanders. He was transferred again on 9 May 1917 to the Labour Corps (Service No. 116112) and but regrettably died in the UK from pulmonary tuberculosis on 16th August 1917. He was awarded the Victory and British War medals. The War Graves Commission list his grave at Plymouth (Efford) Cemetery, Efford, Plymouth, Devon, (Grave Ref. Church C. 4890). His mother, then living in Upper Parkstone, Dorset, was granted a limited pension.

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The National Archives
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

William Edward Pike

2nd April 2020/in 1914-1918 Devonshire Regiment, Dorsetshire Regiment, Labour Corps /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Pike

Other names: William Edward

Locations in this story:
Sixpenny Handley, Dorset
Fordingbridge, Hampshire
Iwerne Minster, Dorset
France & Flanders
Latchfield, Hampshire
Christchurch, Hampshire
Deanland, Sixpenny Handley

Story:
William Edward Pike was born at Sixpenny Handley, Dorset, on 16th August 1875 and baptised there on 24th October 1875, the son of Edward Pike and Ann (also known as Hannah) Pike (nee Foot). He spent his early life in Deanland, Sixpenny Handley. He married Eleanor Elizabeth Witt at Fordingbridge, Hampshire, on 31st July 1901 and they set up home at Iwerne Minster, Dorset, from where they went on to have four children. William enlisted on 11th December 1915 and was mobilized on 15th June 1916, joining the Dorsetshire Regiment as a Private (Service No. 4099). Within days he had been transferred to the Devonshire Regiment (Service No. 40664). On the 20th September 1916 he was again transferred to the 155th Labour Company of the Labour Corps (Service No. (92804). He served in France & Flanders and was eventually discharged on 10th April 1919. He was awarded the Victory and British War medals. Around the time of his discharge he made a claim for the effects of Rheumatism, which was partly caused by service conditions, for which he received a 20% pension. The 1921 Census shows him living at Bowers Barn, Iwerne Minster, Dorset, working as a Woodman and Hurdle Maker and by the 1939 Register he had moved to Latchfield, Hampshire, still working as a Woodman and Hurdle Maker. His death is recorded at Christchurch, Hampshire, in 1960.

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The National Archives

Henry Arthur Oborn

2nd April 2020/in 1914-1918 Devonshire Regiment, Labour Corps /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Oborn

Other names: Henry Arthur

Locations in this story:
Hammersmith, London
Horseshoe Inn, Ebbesbourne Wake, Wiltshire
Salisbury, Wiltshire
Crism Cottage, Ebbesbourne Wake, Wiltshire

Story:
Henry Arthur Oborn was born in Hammersmith, London, on 2nd June 1882, the son of Arthur Oborn (a Police Constable originally from Ebbesbourne Wake, Wiltshire) and Emily Jane Oborn (née Smith). By 1911 Henry's father had retired and moved back to his birthplace and become landlord of the Horseshoe Inn, Ebbesbourne Wake. Henry married Mabel Young at the Parish Church on 2nd May 1914 and they went on to have four children. Henry enlisted on 11th December 1915 and was mobilized on 3rd June 1916, joining the 13th Works Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment as a Private (Service No. 2648). He was transferred to the 312th Home Service Works Company of the Labour Corps on 28th April 1917 (Service No. 172906). He served in the UK and was eventually discharged on 15th July 1919. His military record shows he qualified for Medals which would have been the Victory and British War Medals. By the 1921 Census he was back in Ebbesbourne Wake working as a Carpenter and by the 1939 Register had moved to Crism Cottage, Ebbesbourne Wake, Wiltshire, in the same occupation. He died on the 29th December 1961 in Salisbury, Wiltshire. His brother, Ernest William Oborn, also served for a short time before being discharged as unfit fit further duty. Henry's sister Emily Beatrice (b.1886) also served in the war, with the Voluntary Aid Detachment in a number of military hospitals around the UK.

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Emily Beatrice Oborn
The National Archives

William James Whitty

29th March 2020/in 1914-1918 Devonshire Regiment /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Whitty

Other names: William James

Locations in this story:
Blandford, Dorset
Redmans Lane, Melbury Abbas, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Wincanton, Somerset
Sutton Waldron, Dorset
Hardway, Near Bruton, Somerset
Coventry, Warwickshire

Story:
William James Whitty was born in Blandford, Dorset, on 15th July 1887 and baptised there on 28th September 1887, the son of George Whitty and Jane Whitty (née Gosney). He lived most of his early life in and around Blandford. He married Maud Winifred Martin at Sutton Waldron, Dorset, on 30th December 1914 and they set up home in Redmans Lane, Melbury Abbas, Shaftesbury, Dorset. They went on to have five children. He enlisted on the first occasion on 26th June 1915 and joined the Devonshire Regiment as a Private (Service No. 27408) and served in the UK for nearly two years before being discharged due to deafness on 24th July 1917. He returned to the Devonshire Regiment on 11th February 1919 (Service No. 186345) classified as a 'W' Reservist and working at the Munitions Factory situated at the Rover Company in Coventry, Warwickshire, where he served until 24th July 1919. There are no medal records. The 1921 Census shows him living at 19 The Street, Sutton Waldron, working as a Wheelwright. By the 1939 Register he was living at 3 Sunnyside, Wincanton, Somerset, now described as a Wheelwright and Carpenter. He died at Hardway, near Bruton, Somerset, on 25th July 1961.

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The National Archives

Alfred John Toogood

17th February 2020/in 1914-1918 Devonshire Regiment, Labour Corps, Royal Army Service Corps, Wiltshire Regiment /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Toogood

Other names: Alfred John

Locations in this story:
Gutch Common, Semley, Wiltshire
Reading, Berkshire
Caversham, Reading, Berkshire

Story:
Alfred John Toogood was born on 16th May 1884 in Semley, Wiltshire, and baptised there on 13th July 1884, the son of George Levi Toogood and Mary Toogood (née Haines). He lived all his early life at Gutch Common, Semley, Wiltshire. He enlisted on 7th April 1916 and joined the Devonshire Regiment (Service No. 21463) as a Private. On 30th March 1917 he transferred to the Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment, Agricultural Company, (Service No. 34284) and again on the 30th June 1917 to the 442nd Agricultural Company of the Labour Corps (Service No. 263189). He was transferred yet again to the Motor Transport Section of the Royal Army Service Corps on 1st December 1918 (Service No. M/410835). Throughout this period he served solely in the UK. He was discharged on 17th February 1919. There are no evident medal records though he qualified for at least the British War Medal. By the 1921 Census he was back living with his parents in Gutch Common, Semley, where he assisted his father on the farm. He married Harriet Sarah Kate Trowbridge in Semley in 1929 and they went on to have one child. By the 1939 Register he was living at 16 Valentine Crescent, Reading, Berkshire, working as a Road Labourer. He died in Reading on 19th December 1964 and was buried in the Henley Road Cemetery, Caversham, Reading, on 23 Dec 1964.

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The National Archives

Walter James Broomfield

19th January 2020/in 1914-1918 Devonshire Regiment /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Broomfield

Other names: Walter James

Locations in this story:
Kirkby, Lincolnshire
Ringwood, Hampshire
Grove Arms, Ludwell, Donhead St, Mary, Wiltshire
France & Flanders
Higher Dean Prior, Totnes, Devon
Kingsteignton, Devon

Story:
Walter James Broomfield was born at Kirkby, Lincolnshire, on 1st September 1879, the son of Harry Jesse Broomfield and Fanny Matilda Broomfield (née Cooke). Walter's father had become the licensee of the Grove Arms, Ludwell, Donhead St. Mary, Wiltshire by 1911. Walter married Edith Eliza Emily Andrews at Ringwood, Hampshire, in 1908 and they went on to have four children. Walter had moved to Devon and was working there as a gamekeeper when he enlisted as a Private with the 15th Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment (Service No. 15146) on 1st January 1915. He served in France and Flanders where he was wounded on at least two occasions for which he eventually received a small pension. He was finally discharged on 21st March 1919 and awarded the Victory and British War medals as well as the 1915 Star. By the time of the 1939 Register he was living at Higher Dean Prior, Totnes, Devon, and working as a Head Gamekeeper as well as being a volunteer ARP Warden. He died in Kingsteignton, Newton Abbot, Devon, on 8th July 1964.

His brothers, Frederick John Robert and Edward William also served but sadly died in the war. The remaining brothers, Walter James, Harry, Ernest and Arthur, all served and survived. His sister, Eva Theresa Rose, was married to Percy William Norman who also served and survived.

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William Charles Barrett

30th November 2019/in 1914-1918 Devonshire Regiment, Dorsetshire Regiment, Labour Corps /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Barrett

Other names: William Charles

Locations in this story:
Farnham, Dorset
Chettle, Nr. Farnham, Dorset
Salisbury, Wiltshire

Story:
William Charles Barrett was born on 13th September 1880 in Farnham, Dorset, the son of Joseph Barrett and Eliza Barrett (née Hiscock). He spent most of his life, apart from Military Service, in and around the Farnham area. His father died in 1910. He enlisted on 20th January 1916 but was not mobilized until 10th October 1916 when he joined the 13th Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment as a Private (Service No. 42126). Within days he was transferred to the 2nd Works Company of the Devonshire Regiment until the 28th April 1917 when he was transferred again to the 311th (Home Service) Labour Company of the Labour Corps (Service No. 171979). On the 23rd July 1918 he was again moved, this time to the 3rd Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment (Service No. 46831). He served his whole time in the UK until being demobilized on 17th March 1919. No medal records can be found in this case. The 1921 Census shows he was living in Chettle, Nr. Farnham, Dorset, living with his widowed mother and working as a House Carpenter. The 1939 Register shows him still living in Farnham, Dorset, as a Carpenter. He died in the Salisbury, Wiltshire, Registration District during 1968 and was cremated on 27th September 1968 at Salisbury. His ashes were buried in the churchyard of Farnham Church on 24 Oct 1968. He had remained single throughout his life.

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The National Archives