Charles Kingsbury

Surname: Kingsbury
Other names: Charles
Other people in this story:
George KIngsbury
Melina Kingsbury née Northover
Eliza Kingsbury née Reeves
Locations in this story:
Iwerne Minster, Dorset
Lindfield, Sussex
Haywards Heath, Sussex
Cuckfield, Sussex
Lewes, Sussex

Story:
Charles Kingsbury was born in Iwerne Minster, Dorset, on 19th May 1875 and baptised there on 1st August 1875, the son of George Kingsbury and Melina Kingsbury (née Northover).   He lived his early life in Iwerne Minster but by 1891 had moved to Cuckfield, Sussex.  He married Eliza Reeves on 8th June 1901 at Lindfield Parish Church, Sussex and they went on to have five children.  By 1911 he had moved to Haywards Heath, Sussex, and was working as a Commercial Traveller.  He enlisted on 8th December 1915 but his mobilization was delayed until 21st June 1918 when he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps as Private (Service No. 154264).  He served in the UK only at the 'C' Company Depot and was discharged on 31st January 1919.  There are no medal records. Whilst no 1921 Census records can be found the 1921 Electoral Register shows him living at 31 Queens Road, Cuckfield, Sussex, which address carried over to the 1939 Register working as a Grocer's Assistant.  His death is recorded in the Lewes, Sussex, Registry in 1957.

Images:

Links to related web content / sources:
The National Archives

Frederick John Marchant

Surname: Marchant
Other names: Frederick John
Other people in this story:
Henry Thomas Marchant
Elizabeth Marchant née Burt
Edith Marchant née King
Locations in this story:
St. Leonard's Church, Semley, Wiltshire
Wimborne, Dorset
Cranbourne, Dorset
Poole, Dorset
Egypt
The Glebe, Semley

Story:
Frederick John Marchant was born in Semley, Wiltshire, on 3rd November 1881 and baptised at St. Leonard's Church on 6th January 1882, the son of Henry Thomas Marchant and Elizabeth Marchant (née Burt).  His early life was spent with his family at the The Glebe, Semley, Wiltshire.   He married Edith King on 9th April 1913 in Holt, Wimborne, Dorset and they went on to have one child. 

Frederick enlisted on 27th June 1916 as a Private with the 1st Garrison Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment (Service No. 18657) and attached to the Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment on 28 Jun 1916. He reverted back to the Dorsetshire Regiment (Service No. 27863) on 22 Aug 1916 and on 29 Jan 1917 he was transferred to the 1st Garrison Battalion of the Cameron Highlanders as a Lance Corporal. His moves continued with one to the 1st (Reserve Battalion) of the Worcestershire Regiment on 27 Jul 1917 (Service No. 48995) then to the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (Service No. 37618) on 17 Oct 1917 at which time he was posted to Egypt.  He was assessed with poor eye sight and finally transferred, on 12th March 1918, to the 36th Battery Hospital of the Royal Army Medical Corps (Service No. 145481).  He was discharged on 4th March 1919 and awarded the Victory and British War medals.  The 1921 Census shows him living at The Shop, Witchampton, Wimborne, Dorset, working as a Draper and Grocer and by the 1939 Register at The Stores, Cranbourne, Dorset, now described as a Master Grocer as well as being an ARP Warden.  He died in the Jan/Mar Quarter of 1961 in the Poole, Dorset, Registration District.

Images:

Links to related web content / sources:
The National Archives

Alfred John Webb

Surname: Webb
Other names: Alfred John
Other people in this story:
George Webb
Caroline Elizabeth Webb née Chapman
Elizabeth Alexandra Webb née Turrington
Reginald Claude Eldon Webb
Charles Frederic Ratcliffe Webb
Edith Tryphena Webb nee Harding
Locations in this story:
East Orchard, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Cardiff, Wales
France & Flanders
Slough, Buckinghamshire
Herne Bay, Kent
Hartgrove, Dorset

Story:
Alfred John Webb was born on 12th March 1895 at East Orchard, Shaftesbury, Dorset, the son of George Webb (a Master at the National School, Hartgrove, Dorset) and Caroline Elizabeth Webb (née Chapman).  He lived most of his early life at East Orchard.  His mother had died in 1895 and his father had remarried Edith Tryphena Harding in 1896. Alfred had originally enlisted with the 5th Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment (Service No. 1515) as a Territorial on 7th March 1913. He was mobilized for war on 5th August 1914 but discharged on 16th November 1914 being physically unfit for service.  He re-enlisted on 25th January 1915 and joined the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Private (Service No. 11278).  He served in France from 14 May 1915 but was again discharged on 11th June 1916 because he was no longer physically fit due to tuberculosis.  He was awarded the Silver War Badge No. 203307 and in due time the Victory and British War medals as well as the 1915 Star. He married Elizabeth Alexandra Turrington in Cardiff, South Wales, in 1931 and they went on to have three children.  By the 1939 Register, Alfred was living at 17 Glasmor Road, Slough, Buckinghamshire, working as a Male Nurse in a Public Assistance Institution.  He died in the Herne Bay, Kent, area in 1964.

Alfred's brother Charles Frederic Ratcliffe Webb (b.1890) also served in the war, with the Dorsetshire Regiment. His half brother Reginald Claude Eldon Webb (b.1898) was sadly killed in 1916 while attached to the Wiltshire Regiment in France.

Images:

Links to related web content / sources:
Reginald Claude Eldon Webb
The National Archives
Charles Frederic Ratcliffe Webb
Tollard Royal

Harry Lucas

Surname: Lucas
Other names: Harry
Other people in this story:
Thomas Lucas
Bessie Lucas née Matcham
Flora Lucas née Booth
Locations in this story:
Tollard Royal. Wiltshire
Farnham, Dorset
Bournemouth, Hampshire
Moss Side, South Manchester, Lancashire
Chester

Story:
Harry Lucas was born in Tollard Royal, Wiltshire, on 5th June 1895, the son of Thomas Lucas and Bessie Lucas (née Matcham). He lived much of his early life around Tollard Royal, Wiltshire, and Farnham, Dorset.  His parents ran the Post Office at Farnham for many years and Harry eventually became a postman.  He enlisted on 3rd March 1916 but was not mobilized until 4th April 1917 when he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Private (Service No. 110442).  He served in the UK only due to the fact he had a glass eye fitted at Chester War Hospital, Chester. He was also based for a time at the 3rd Western General Hospital.   He was demobilized on 8th December 1919.  There are no medal records for Harry.   He had married Flora Booth in Poole, Dorset, on 4 May 1918 and they had at least one child.  The 1921 Census shows him living with his parents-in-law who lived at 29 Carlton Street, Moss Side, South Manchester, Lancashire. He lost his job as a Postman due to unfortunate reasons and the 1939 Register shows him at 20 Richmond Mansions, Richmond Gardens, Bournemouth, Hampshire, working as a Shop Assistant (Newsagent & Tobacconist).  His death was recorded in Bournemouth during 1943.

Images:

Links to related web content / sources:
The National Archives

Richard William Brown

Surname: Brown
Other names: Richard William
Other people in this story:
Fredercik Brown
Emily Brown née Mullens
Grace Lilian Brown née Herbert
Locations in this story:
Sutton Waldron, Nr. Shaftesbury, Dorset
France & Flanders
Fontmell Magna, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Highworth Road, Lower Stratton, Swindon, Wiltshire
Dorchester, Dorset
Pennington, Neasr Lymington, Hampshire

Story:
Richard William Brown was born in Sutton Waldron, Nr. Shaftesbury, Dorset, in 1886 and baptised there on 22nd August 1886, the son of Frederick Brown and Emily Brown (née Mullens).  He lived his early life in and around Sutton Waldron and Fontmell Magna, Dorset.  He enlisted as a Territorial Reservist with the Dorsetshire Regiment (Service No. 1985) prior to the outbreak of war gaining experience of Field Hospitals.  He married Grace Lilian Herbert at Lower Stratton, Wiltshire on 4th December 1912 and they went on to have two children.  He was mobilized on 14th June 1915 with the Royal Army Medical Corps (Territorial Force) (Service No. 88407) and joined the 77th Field Ambulance serving in France on 14 Jun 1917.  He received a gun shot wound in the left thigh on 25th May 1918 and was repatriated to the UK on 26th July 1918, receiving treatment in various military hospitals until 2nd January 1919.  He was discharged on 8th March 1919 and gave his address as 12 Highworth Road, Lower Stratton, Swindon, Wiltshire.  He was awarded the Victory and British War medals plus a limited pension. Both the 1921 Census and the 1939 Register show him living in Highworth Road, Lower Stratton, (or Stratton St. Margaret), Highworth, Wiltshire, and was described as a Pattern Store Manager (GWR).  He died in the Dorset County Hospital, Dorchester, Dorset, on 5 Oct 1963 having been previously living in Pennington, Near Lymington, Hampshire.

Images:

Links to related web content / sources:
The National Archives
Bimport, Shaftesbury 3

Frederick Weldon

Surname: Weldon
Other names: Frederick
Other people in this story:
William Weldon
Frances Mary Weldon née Cass
Harold Cecil Weldon
Locations in this story:
Shaftesbury, Dorset
Kempton Park, Surrey
Holy Trinity Church, Shaftesbury
Bimport, Shaftesbury
Magdalen Lane, Shaftesbury
St. James Street, Shaftesbury
Salisbury, Wiltshire

Story:
Frederick Weldon was born in Shaftesbury, Dorset, on 14th February 1877 and baptised at Holy Trinity Church on 4th March 1877, the son of William Weldon and Frances Mary Weldon (née Cass).  The family lived in and around the Bimport area of Shaftesbury for many years.  Frederick, who was working as a Dealer, enlisted on 3rd March 1916 but was not embodied until 18th June 1917 when he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Private (Service No. 120913) and was posted to the 6th Company.  On 8th January 1918 he was transferred to the Western Command Labour Company, then part of the Army Service Corps (Service No. 506097).  He was again transferred to the Royal Army Service Corps (Motor Transport Division) on 20 Feb 1918 (Service No. M/376837).  His final transfer was to the VR Depot at Kempton Park (Horse Transport Company) (Service No. T/406598).  Throughout his service he was posted within the UK only.  His only medical problem appeared to be a case of vertigo which was reported on 16th August 1918.   He was discharged on 4th March 1919 and went to live at 13 Magdalen Lane (or No. 3 per the 1921 Census), Shaftesbury, working as a Fish Hawker.  There are no medal records in this case.  By the 1939 Register he is shown living at 17 St. James Street, Shaftesbury, employed as a General Labourer.  He remained single all of his life and died in the Salisbury, Wiltshire, Registration District in 1951. 

Frederick's brother, Harold Cecil Weldon (b.1884) also served in the war, with the Coldstream Guards and the Royal Garrison Artillery.

Images:

Links to related web content / sources:
The National Archives
Harold Cecil Weldon
Cann from Melbury Hill

Percy Brockway

Surname: Brockway
Other names: Percy
Other people in this story:
Walter George Brockway
Martha Brockway née Barter
Nellie Charlotte Mabel Brockway née Farnfield
Locations in this story:
Cann, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Melbury Abbas, Shaftesbury, Dorset
France
Cann Common, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Poole, Dorset

Story:
Percy Brockway was born at Cann, Shaftesbury, Dorset on 23 Sep 1896, the son of Walter George Brockway and Martha Brockway (née Barter). He lived all of his life in the area apart from when on Military Service. He enlisted on 22nd November 1914 and joined the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Private (Service Nos. 2237 and 461450). He served in France from 13 Feb 1917 with the 2nd/3rd Wessex Field Ambulance as a Stretcher Bearer and Water Carrier and as a result he suffered from a severe hernia due to heavy lifting and he was also wounded in action on 26 Oct 1918. He was demobilized on 15th February 1919 and was awarded the Victory and British War medals. He had also applied for a pension but received a one off gratuity of only £35. The 1921 Census shows he was living as a Boarder in Cann Common, Shaftesbury, where his mother was working as a housekeeper. He was working as a Dairyman at the time. His marriage to Nellie Charlotte Mabel Farnfield was registered in Poole, Dorset, during 1927 and there was one child of the marriage. By the 1939 Register he was living at 1 Hillside Cottages, Cann, Shaftesbury, Dorset, employed as a Cowman. He died on 27th January 1964 and was buried in the New Yard Cemetery, Melbury Abbas, Shaftesbury, Dorset on 31st January 1964. Source: Based on original research by Ken Baxter.

Images:
  • Cann School Building 2019

Links to related web content / sources:
The National Archives
Shaftesbury Grammar School War Memorial

Thomas Norman Langford

Surname: Langford
Other names: Thomas Norman
Other people in this story:
Edward Langford
Harriet S. Langford
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury
Charles Henry Tovey
Edward Ralph Langford
Locations in this story:
Park End Cottage, Love Lane, Alcester, Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury Grammar School, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Gillingham, Kent
Hartley Wintney, Hampshire
Tunbridge Wells, Kent
France & Flanders
Queen Mary Military Hospital, Whalley, Lancashire
Armagh Military Hospital, Northern Ireland
Langford's Lane, Shaftesbury
Holy Trinity Churchyard, Shaftesbury
Rouen, France
Bimport, Shaftesbury

Story:
Thomas Norman Langford was born in 1897 in Shaftesbury. He was the son of Edward Langford, a Veterinary Surgeon, and Harriet S. Langford. The family lived at Park End Cottage, Alcester, Shaftesbury. His brother Edward Ralph (b.1886) also served in the war, with the East Yorkshire Regiment.

"Norman" attended Shaftesbury Grammar School from May 1908 and was awarded an Exhibition of £3 per annum for two years in the scholarship examinations of 1909. In 1912 and 1913 he passed the Cambridge Local Preliminary and Junior Examinations, and received a school prize for “Good Examination Work”. On leaving school in 1914 he joined the Gillingham (Kent) branch of the London, City & Westminster Bank.

On 10th December 1915, at the age of 18, he volunteered to join the Army at Hartley Wintney in Hampshire (Service No. 137554). It was not until May 24th the following year that the Attestation was approved by the Commanding Officer of the 2/5th Battalion of The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) at Tunbridge Wells. On November 28th he was posted abroad as part of the British Expeditionary Force in France & Flanders. On 26th February 1917 he received a severe gunshot wound to the neck and two days later was admitted to hospital in Rouen. He returned to the UK and on March 3rd was admitted to Queen Mary Military Hospital, Whalley, Lancashire. In July 1917 he was posted to the Royal Scots, but returned to hospital, being discharged from Armagh Military Hospital on 11th January 1918. On 17th February 1918 he was transferred to the Royal Army Medical Corps (Service No. 5940).

On 12th August 1919 Norman was honourably discharged, being no longer physically fit due to Neurasthenia attributable to his war service. He was awarded the King’s Certificate and Silver War Badge. He returned to the family home at Park House in Love Lane, where his father ran his veterinary surgery. He received the Victory and British War medals in 1922.

In his “Tales of Old Shaftesbury” Fred Long recounts: “The direct road from Bimport to Love Lane (i.e. Langford Lane) did not exist and people walked down the lane as far as the surgery and to reach Love Lane had to bear to the right across Mr. Langford’s property. His son Norman contracted T.B. whilst serving in the 1914-18 War, but whilst he was strong enough to help in the work he and his father extended Langford Lane to reach Love Lane.”

Norman died of Pulminary Tuberculosis on 5th May 1923 and was buried in Holy Trinity churchyard.

On 16th October 1923 the Memorial Hall was opened by the Earl of Shaftesbury at Shaftesbury Grammar School. The ceremony was described in the November edition of the school magazine. The headmaster Dr. Tovey “read the names of the twenty-seven old boys in whose memory the Hall had been erected, and then Lord Shaftesbury removed the Union Jack from the beautifully carved oak tablet which recorded their names.” A wreath was “put at the foot of the tablet, bearing the words “Our Sorrow and our Pride. From the Old Shastonian Club.” Next morning this wreath was placed on the grave of T.N. Langford, the only one of the twenty-seven who was buried in Shaftesbury.”

The Shaftesbury Grammar School memorial is now in the school hall at Shaftesbury School. Throughout the war a hand-written list was also compiled of Shaftesbury Grammar School old boys serving in the armed forces. An asterix can be see next to the names of those who had died, but this is not the case with Norman, whose death had occurred more than four years after the war had ended. The board is now at Gold Hill Museum. 

Printed Sources: 
Tales of Old Shaftesbury by Fred Long, 1979

Shaftesbury Grammar School Magazine, October 1909
Shaftesbury Grammar School Magazine, May 1914
Shaftesbury Grammar School Magazine, October 1914
Shaftesbury Grammar School Magazine, November 1923

Images:
  • Grave of Norman Langford 1
  • Grave of Norman Langford 2
  • Grave of Norman Langford 3
  • Shaftesbury Grammar School Old Boys 5
  • Langfords Lane 1
  • Langfords Lane 2
  • Shaftesbury Grammar School Old Boys 1

Links to related web content / sources:
The National Archives
Shastonian
Edward Ralph Langford
Compton Abbas War Memorial

David Charles Fox

Surname: Fox
Other names: David Charles
Other people in this story:
John Fox
Sarah Jane Fox née Creed
Locations in this story:
Shaftesbury
Tyne Cot Memorial, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Compton Abbas
France & Flanders
Wimborne, Dorset

Story:
David Charles Fox was born in Compton Abbas, Shaftesbury, on 4th April, 1893. He was the son of John Fox, a shepherd, and Sarah Jane Fox (née Creed). At the time of the 1911 Census he was single, working as a shepherd and living at 8 Compton Abbas. He enlisted in Wimborne, Dorset, as a Private in the Dorsetshire Regiment (Service No. 9960) but transferred to the Royal Army Medical Corps (Service No. 46817). He served with the 58th Field Ambulance in France & Flanders and was awarded the Victory, British War and 1915 Star medals. He died on 10th April 1918 and his name appears on the Tyne Cot Memorial, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium (Panel 160). He is remembered on the Compton Abbas War Memorial, Shaftesbury.  

Images:
  • Compton Abbas War Memorial

Links to related web content / sources:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives