Charles Lill London

Surname: London
Other names: Charles Lill
Other people in this story:
Charles Lill London
Mary Ann London née Mills
Laura London née Noble
Frederick George London
Jasper Hopkins London
Locations in this story:
Shaftesbury, Dorset
Cann, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Sturminster, Dorset
St. James' Church, Shaftesbury
Haimes Lane, Shaftesbury
St. Rumbold Road, Shaftesbury
Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, Dorset

Story:
Charles Lill London was born in Shaftesbury, Dorset, on 27th August 1897 and baptised at St. James Church on 3rd October 1897 the son of Charles Lill London and Mary Ann London (née Mills).  He lived all his life, apart from Military Service, in the Shaftesbury area.  He enlisted on 10th December 1915 but was not mobilized until 15th March 1917 when he joined Royal Field Artillery as a Gunner (Service No. 212668).  He served with the 19th/67th Brigade though it is not known in which theatre of war.  The Absent Voters List of 1918 gives his then address as 19 Haimes Lane, Shaftesbury.  On his discharge in 1919 he was awarded the Victory and British War medals.  The 1921 Census shows him living with his parents in Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, working at the Grosvenor Hotel, Shaftesbury as a Chauffeur. He married Laura Noble in Shaftesbury, Dorset, in 1929.  By the time of the 1939 Register he was living at 6 St. Rumbold Road, Shaftesbury, Dorset, working as a Taxi Driver.  His death was recorded at the Sturminster, Dorset, Registry in 1969 and after his funeral at St. Rumbold's Church, Cann, Shaftesbury, was buried in the Town Cemetery on 9th December 1969. Charles' brothers, Frederick Henry London and Jasper Hopkins London, also served in the conflict.  All their names appear on a Roll of Honour published in the St. James' Church Parish Magazine in Nov 1918.

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Frederick George London
The National Archives
Salisbury Street, Shaftesbury 1

Amos John Caudle

Surname: Caudle
Other names: Amos John
Other people in this story:
John Perkins Caudle
Martha Caudle née Crew
Ellen Mary Caudle née Bound
Locations in this story:
Sheffield, Yorkshire
Shaftesbury, Dorset
France & Flanders
Yeovil, Somerset
Kingsman Lane, Shaftesbury

Story:
Amos John Caudle was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, on 16th August 1884, the son of John Perkins Caudle and Martha Caudle (née Crew).  Amos lived his early years in the Yorkshire area until, by 1911, he had moved to Shaftesbury, Dorset, and was living at 3 Salisbury Street, Shaftesbury, and was working as a Grocer's Assistant.  He married Ellen Mary Bound in Shaftesbury on 18th August 1915 and they had one son. 

Amos enlisted on 2nd December 1915 but was not embodied until 31st May 1917 when he joined the Royal Field Artillery as a Gunner (Service No. 239630).  He served in France & Flanders on 27th November 1917 where he transferred to the 4th Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment as Private (Service No. 56698).  On 15th July 1918 he was further transferred to the Labour Corps (Service No. 573057) during this time he was working at PoW Camps in France where German prisoners were held.  He was discharged on 16th October 1919 and, though no medal record can be found, his Service papers show he was entitled to the Victory and British War medals. The 1921 census he was living at 7 Mustons Lane, Shaftesbury, working as a Carpet and Hardware Stores Assistant for Stratton, Sons & Mead of Shaftesbury. By the time of the 1939 Register he had moved to 4 Kingsman Lane, St. James, Shaftesbury, Dorset, described as a Hardware and Furnishing Manager.  His death was recorded at the Yeovil, Somerset, Registry in 1953.

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The National Archives
Melbury Abbas and Zig Zag Hill

Joseph Isaac Jesse

Surname: Jesse
Other names: Joseph Isaac
Other people in this story:
William Sidney Jesse
Ada Jesse née Rideout
Sophia M. Jesse
Lilian M. Jesse née Ashton
Gilbert James Jesse
Locations in this story:
Melbury Abbas, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Lyndhurst, Hampshire
Islington, Middlesex
France & Flanders
Crosby, Merseyside
Liverpool

Story:
Joseph Isaac Jesse was born at Melbury Abbas, Shaftesbury, Dorset, in 1895 and was baptised at Lyndhurst, Hampshire, on 4th March 1898, the son of William Sidney Jesse and Ada Jesse (née Rideout). The family had moved following the death of Joseph's father in 1910, to Wiverley Lodge, Lyndhurst, Hampshire, where his mother was the Gatekeeper.  He enlisted with the Royal Field Artillery as a Driver (Service No 58589) and served with them in France and Flanders from 25 Aug 1915.  On discharge he was awarded the Victory and British War medals as well as the 1915 Star.  On his discharge he joined the Merchant Navy and signed on as a Steward on the RMS Olympic on 17 Mar 1919 - the vessel was the sister ship of the ill-fated Titanic. He remained in the Merchant Service throughout WW2 being involved in the Atlantic Convoys. He remained single until 1948 when he married Sophia M. (surname unknown) in Islington, Middlesex. In 1964 he married for a second time, in Crosby, Merseyside, to Lilian M. Ashton.  His death was recorded in Liverpool North Registration District in 1969. 

Joseph's brother Gilbert James also served in the war, but sadly died in 1917 while serving with the Hampshire Regiment in France.

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Gilbert James Jesse
The National Archives
Salisbury Guildhall Memorial

William Charles Knight

Surname: Knight
Other names: William Charles
Other people in this story:
Charles Knight
Elizabeth Ann Knight née Gray
Locations in this story:
Semley, Wiltshire
St. James, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Salisbury, Wiltshire
France & Flanders
Ploegsteert Memorial, Hainaut, Belgium
St. Leonard's Church, Semley

Story:
William Charles Knight was born in Semley, Wiltshire, in 1898 and baptised at St. Leonard's Church, Semley, on 20th February 1898, the son of Charles Knight and Elizabeth Ann Knight (née Gray).  He lived in Semley and St. James, Shaftesbury, Dorset, until, by 1911, his family had moved to Salisbury, Wiltshire. He enlisted with the Royal Field Artillery (Service No. 176400) but later transferred to the 11th Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers with the rank of Fusilier (Service No. 33489).  He was killed in action in Flanders on 10th April 1918. He is remembered on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Hainaut, Belgium (Panel 4) and on the Salisbury Guildhall Memorial in Salisbury, Wiltshire. He was awarded the Victory and British War medals.

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The National Archives
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
King John Hotel, Tollard Royal

Reginald James Coombs

Surname: Coombs
Other names: Reginald James
Other people in this story:
John Langhorn Coombs (Senior)
Amelia Coombs née Clarke
Annie Amelia Coombs née Hart
John Langhorn Coombs
Leonard Coombs
Locations in this story:
Berwick St. John, Wiltshire
Tollard Royal, Wiltshire
Salisbury, Wiltshire
Salonika, Greece

Story:
Reginald James Coombs was born at Berwick St. John, Wiltshire, in 1895, the son of John Langhorn Coombs and Amelia Coombs (née Clarke).  He lived much of his life, apart from Military Service, in the Tollard Royal, Wiltshire, area.   He had enlisted on 7th December 1915 and was mobilized on 29th February 1916, joining the Royal Field Artillery as a Driver.  He served in Salonika from 11 Nov 1916 and suffered from malaria which eventually qualified him for a pension following his discharge on 25th June 1919.  (During his service he had moved from Battery to Battery and received Service Nos. 1025, 132620 and 169422).  He was awarded the Victory and British War medals.

It is to be noted that his elder brother, John Langhorn Coombs (b.1894), served with the Middlesex Regiment and was awarded the Military Medal. Another brother, Leonard (b.1899) also served in the war, with The Hussars and the Tank Corps. By the time of the 1921 Census, Reginald had returned to Tollard Farm, Tollard Royal, and was assisting his father as a Horseman on the farm. He married Annie Amelia Hart on 15 Oct 1921 at Tollard Royal, Wiltshire.  There were no recorded children of the marriage.  Reginald death was recorded at the Salisbury, Wiltshire, District Registry in 1926. His wife remained at the Farm housekeeping for her father-in-law. She died in 1983.

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Leonard Coombs
John Langhorn Coombs
The National Archives

Arthur John Harding

Surname: Harding
Other names: Arthur John
Other people in this story:
George Arthur Harding
Annie Harding née Bleathman
Rosena Ellen Harding née Bonnieface
Locations in this story:
Sedgehill, Wiltshire
Cocking, Midhurst, Sussex
France & Flanders
Heyshott, Midhurst, Sussex
Midhurst, Sussex
Berwick St. John, Wiltshire
Grimsby, Lincolnshire

Story:
Arthur John Harding was born on 11th May 1893 in Sedgehill, Wiltshire and baptised there on 3rd September 1893, the son of George Arthur Harding and Annie Harding (née Bleathman).  He lived his early life in Sedgehill and Berwick St. John, Wiltshire, before moving with his family to Crypt Cottage, Cocking, Midhurst, Sussex, by 1911.  At the outbreak of war Arthur was living with his grandmother in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, where he enlisted on 30th August 1914 and joined the 2/1st North Midland Battery of the Royal Field Artillery as a Gunner (Service No. 98547).  (His military records show him as John Arthur Harding as the family knew him as John.)  He served in France & Flanders from 4 Oct 1915 and was discharged on 18th April 1919. He was awarded the Victory and British War medals as well as the 1915 Star.  At some time shortly after discharge he returned to Cocking to join his family.   He married Rosena Ellen Bonnieface in Midhurst, Sussex, in 1925 and they went on to have two children.   By the 1939 Register he was living at 251 The Barracks, Heyshott, Midhurst, Sussex, and was working as a Farm Carter.   His death is recorded in Midhurst in 1966. (NB Not to be confused with Arthur John Harding also of Sedgehill but born in 1888 and father was Thomas Baker Harding.)

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The National Archives
The Well, Farnham

Albert Bennett

Surname: Bennett
Other names: Albert
Other people in this story:
Charles Bennett
Anne Bennett nee Woodford
Locations in this story:
Farnham, Dorset
France & Flanders
Sixpenny Handley, Dorset
Brighton, Sussex.
Deanland, Nr. Wimborne, Dorset
Blandford, Dorset

Story:
Albert Bennett was born in Farnham, Dorset, on 19th February 1878 and baptised there on 17th April 1878, the son of Charles Bennett and Anne Bennett (nee Woodford).  Whilst the family moved around the area during his early years he was mainly associated with the Farnham area.  He had enlisted with the Dorsetshire Regiment in 1905 but had bought himself out within a few days of joining.  He again enlisted on 6th December 1915 and joined the Army Service Corps as a Driver (Service No. T4/160362) serving with the 128th Company.  On the 29 Jan 1917 he was transferred to the 16th Reserve Regiment of the Royal Field Artillery (Service No. 220813) and posted to France on 14 May 1918.  He was taken ill in France and invalided back to the UK on 30 Jan 1919 spending some time in the Brighton War Hospital, Sussex.  He was demobilized on 28th March 1919 and awarded the Victory and British War medals.  The 1921 Census shows he had returned to Farnham and worked as a Farm Labourer and that by the 1939 Register he had moved to Deanland, Nr. Wimborne, Dorset, now working as a Contractors Labourer.  His death was recorded at the Blandford, Dorset, Registry in 1947 and he was buried at Sixpenny Handley, Dorset, on 5th May 1947.

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The National Archives

Reginald John Creed

Surname: Creed
Other names: Reginald John
Other people in this story:
Charles Edmund Creed
Cymbriana Green Creed née Berry
Mary L. Creed née Williams
Locations in this story:
Semley, Wiltshire
Tisbury, Wiltshire
India
Stockbridge Road, Winchester, Hampshire

Story:
Reginald John Creed was born in Semley, Wiltshire, on 8th September 1891 and baptised there on 6th December 1891, the son of Charles Edmund Creed and Cymbriana Green Creed (née Berry).  He lived with his family near Church Farm, Semley, Wiltshire.  He was a Wheelwright and Carpenter when he enlisted on 7th December 1915 and mobilized on 4th March 1916, joining the Royal Field Artillery 3/3rd Brigade. (Service No. 2951).  He served in India from 16 Jun 1916 joining the 9th (Secunderabad) Division of the British Indian Army (Service No. 861184).  He again transferred to the 1103rd Battery of the 227th Brigade on 1st January 1917 (Service No. 288402).  Throughout he was a Gunner in rank though his wheelwright skills were well used.  He was released early to work with his father's business at Semley on 23rd February 1919.  He was awarded the British War Medal only.  No 1921 Census record can be found. He married Mary L. Williams in the Tisbury Registry area in 1926 and they went on to have one son. Regrettably his wife died in 1929.  By the 1939 Register he was living as a widower at 25 Stockbridge Road, Winchester, Hampshire, and was described as an Allotments Secretary (Disabled).  He died at Winchester on 10th August 1957.

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The National Archives
Motcombe Methodist Chapel and the Royal Oak Inn

William James Arnold

Surname: Arnold
Other names: William James
Other people in this story:
Thomas Arnold
Thirza Arnold née Case
Christina Arnold née Haddock
Mary Arnold née Vokins née Gill
Robert Vokins
Locations in this story:
The Street, Motcombe, Shaftesbury, Dorset
France & Flanders
Canterbury, Kent
India
York, Yorkshire
Birmingham, Warwickshire
Brighton, Sussex

Story:
William James Arnold was born in Motcombe, Shaftesbury, Dorset, in 1876 and baptised in Motcombe on 3rd September 1876, the son of Thomas Arnold and Thirza Arnold (née Case).  He lived with his parents in The Street, (adjacent to the old Royal Oak Inn), Motcombe, until by 1901 he had joined the 1st Battalion of the Royal Dragoon Guards (Service No. 4464).   By 1901 he was stationed in Canterbury, Kent, from where he did service in India.  He married Christina Haddock in York, Yorkshire, on 18th November 1903 and, by 1911, he was on Reserve and living at 9 Ped Buildings, Ped Street, Birmingham, Warwickshire, working as a Railway Carman.  His wife died on 18th July 1915 (leaving three children) shortly after he had enlisted on 5th May 1915 and joined the Royal Field Artillery, 64th Brigade, No. 4 Depot, as a Shoeing Smith (Service No. 98883).  He served in France from 3 Jun 1915 and promoted to Corporal Shoeing Smith and whilst there, on 10th August 1918, he was diagnosed with a tumour on his chest.  He was repatriated to the UK on 15th August 1918 and admitted to the 18th General Hospital, Brighton, Sussex.  On the 12th October 1918 he re-married Mary Vokins (née Gill) (widow of Robert Vokins) at Holy Trinity, Micklegate, York.  He was eventually discharged on 14th March 1919 and was awarded the Victory and British War medals as well as the 1915 Star though it is recorded the medals were returned to the issuing office.   The 1921 Census shows him living at 106 Charlotte Street, Birmingham, working as a Porter for the LNWR following this he moved in 1923 to 1 The Avenue, Ellen Street, Spring Hill, Birmingham, and died there during 1938 aged 61 years.

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The National Archives

Alfred Henry Adcock

Surname: Adcock
Other names: Alfred Henry
Other people in this story:
James Alfred Adcock
Sarah Annie Adcock née Scott
Kate Elizabeth Adcock née Watkins
Locations in this story:
Market Place, Warminster, Wiltshire
Bristol, Gloucestershire
Mustons Lane, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Sturminster, Dorset
High Street, Shaftesbury
Mountain Ash, Glamorgan, Wales
France & Flanders

Story:
Alfred Henry Adcock was born in Warminster, Wiltshire, on 24th May 1894, the son of James Alfred Adcock and Sarah Annie Adcock (née Scott).  He lived his early years with his parents at 8 Market Place, Warminster, Wiltshire.   At some time between 1901 and 1911 he moved to 3 Mustons Lane, Shaftesbury, Dorset.   He enlisted on 3rd January 1916 and joined the 44th Reserve Battalion of the Royal Field Artillery as a Gunner (Service No. 128208).  He married Kate Elizabeth Watkins at St. Gabriel's Church, Bristol, Gloucestershire, on 14th May 1916.  There were two children of the marriage.  Alfred served France & Flanders from 19 Jun 1916, rising to the rank of Acting Bombardier.  Whilst in France he was gassed on 7 Sep 1918 and later received a limited pension. He was demobilized on 8 February 1919 and awarded the Victory and British War medals.  The 1921 Census shows him now living at 27 Gwernifor Street, Mountain Ash, Glamorgan, Wales, working as a Boot Shop Manager. By the Electoral Register of 1928 he had returned to Shaftesbury and was living at 18 High Street. By the 1939 Register Alfred was still at 18 High Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset, working as a Boot Shop Manager.   He died in the Sturminster, Dorset, Registration District in 1968 and he was buried at St. James Church, Shaftesbury, on 20 Jan 1968.

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The National Archives