Donhead St. Mary Church

William James Herbert Sansom

Surname: Sansom
Other names: William James Herbert
Other people in this story:
John Sansom
Amanda Sansom née Peters
Annie Victoria Samson née Wide
Locations in this story:
Jenkins Corner, Donhead St. Mary, Wiltshire
Kantara, Egypt
Wellington, Somerset
Mere, Wiltshire

Story:
William James Herbert Sansom was born at Donhead St. Mary, Wiltshire, on 10th September 1890 the son of John Sansom and Amanda Sansom (née Peters). He had pre-war service with the Wiltshire Regiment (Service No. 12790) and was discharged to Reserve. He was embodied on 5th September 1914 and re-joined his Regiment but was transferred on 17th September 1914 to the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and on 23rd September 1914 to the Leinster Regiment (Service No. 1843). He was posted to Kantara, Egypt, on 19 Jul 1915 where he was later further transferred to the Royal Engineers (Railway Operating Division) on 20th November 1917 (Service No. 288555). After training at Kantara, Egypt, he qualified as an Operational Driver with the rank of Sapper. He was demobilized on 4th May 1919. He was awarded the Victory and British War medals as well as the 1915 Star. The 1921 Census shows him living at the Cycle Works, Jenkins Corner, Donhead St. Mary, Wiltshire, with his parents and helping his father in the business as a Motor Engineer. He married Annie Victoria Wide in Wellington, Somerset, in 1927 and they went on to have one child. His last known address was Jenkins Corner, Donhead St. Mary, Wiltshire, per the 1939 Register, when he was still described as a Motor Engineer. His death was recorded in Mere, Wiltshire, during 1970 and he was buried at Donhead St. Mary on 9th April 1970.

Source: Based on previous research by Ken Baxter.

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Links to related web content / sources:
The National Archives
Tollard Royal

Sidney Raymond

Surname: Raymond
Other names: Sidney
Other people in this story:
Henry Raymond
Susan Raymond née Small
Ethel Jane Raymond née Cheeseman
Locations in this story:
Tollard Royal, Wiltshire
West Street, Blandford, Dorset
Poole, Dorset
Winterbourne Whitchurch, Dorset
Exbury, Hampshire

Story:
Sidney Raymond was born at Tollard Royal, Wiltshire, on 14th March 1873, the son of Henry Raymond and Susan Raymond (née Small). Before the war Sidney had served for a period in the Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment and had been discharged to the Special Reserve. He married Ethel Jane Cheeseman in Winterbourne Whitchurch, Dorset, on 30 Oct 1909. It is not know if there were any children of the marriage. Sidney was re-embodied as a Private on 24th August 1914 with his old Regiment (Service No. 3/269). He was however discharged on 8th October 1914 being 'unlikely to be an efficient soldier'. No medals were awarded. The 1921 Census shows him living in The Village, Exbury, Hampshire, working as a Farm Carter. His last known address, on the 1939 Register, was West Street, Blandford, Dorset, described as a Farm Labourer. He died in January 1945 (Poole, Dorset, Registration).

Source: Based on previous research by Ken Baxter.

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Links to related web content / sources:
The National Archives
Enmore Green, The Knapp

Frank Phillips

Surname: Phillips
Other names: Frank
Other people in this story:
Edward George Phillips
Edith Phillips née White
Lucy Alice Phillips née Morgan
James Phillips
Frederick William Phillips
Albert Charles Phillips
Locations in this story:
Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Wardour, Tisbury, Wiltshire
Tisbury, Wiltshire
Braishfield, Romsey, Hampshire
Salisbury, Wiltshire

Story:
Frank Phillips was born in Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, Dorset on 22 May 1885, the son of Edward George Phillips and Edith Phillips (née White). By 1901 he was living at Wardour, Tisbury, Wiltshire. He enlisted with the Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment on 28th March 1901 (Service No. 6635). He transferred to the Royal Field Artillery on 3rd November 1902 (Service No. 27222) until discharged to the reserves on 2nd November 1905. He was mobilized on 5th August 1914 and served in France from 19 Aug 1914 and later discharged on 9th November 1915 having completed his term of service. He married Lucy Alice Morgan at Tisbury on 1st February 1916 but was later recalled to duty the same year and served through until demobilization on 19th February 1919 with the rank of Bombardier. He was awarded the Victory and British War medals as well as the 1914 Star. The 1921 Census shows him living at Newport House, Braishfield, Romsey, Hampshire, working as a Farm Labourer. By the time of the 1939 Register he had moved to 112 Hindon Lane, Tisbury, Wiltshire, where he worked as a Cowman. His death was recorded in Salisbury, Wiltshire, during 1948.

Three of Frank's siblings served in the First World War: Frederick William (b.1875) with the Dorsetshire Regiment; Albert Charles (b.1877) with the Dorsetshire Regiment and the South Wales Borderers. The youngest James (b.1886) died on 21st October 1914 while serving in France with the Wiltshire Regiment.

Source: Based on previous research by Ken Baxter.

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The National Archives
Albert Charles Phillips
James Phillips
Frederick William Phillips
Gold Hill 1

George Henry Grass

Surname: Grass
Other names: George Henry
Other people in this story:
Robert Grass
Naomi Grass (nee Reynolds)
Elizabeth Selina Grass
Locations in this story:
Tollard Royal, Wiltshire
India & North West Frontier
Mandalay, Burma
Shaftesbury, Dorset
Tisbury, Wiltshire

Story:
George Henry Grass was born at Tollard Royal, Wiltshire in 1866 and baptised there on 8 May 1866, the son of Robert Grass and Naomi Grass (nee Reynolds). His mother had died in 1875. He had served with the Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment as a Private (Service No. 1740) between 2 Feb 1887 and his discharge after 12 years service on 1 Feb 1899, having served in the North West Frontier of India and Mandalay, Burma. His father died in 1908. George re-enlisted on 2nd July 1915 serving with the 1st Battalion, then the 4th Battalion and finally the 85th Provisional Battalion (Territorial Force) of the Wiltshire Regiment as a Private (Service No. 3653). He served in the UK only and was discharged on 10th March 1916, being 'no longer physically fit'. There are no medal records. His sister, Elizabeth Selina Grass, had become his next-of-kin for military purposes - she lived at 19 High Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset. William died during 1925 in the Tisbury, Wiltshire, Registration District.

Source: Based on earlier research by Ken Baxter.

Images:

Links to related web content / sources:
The National Archives
Semley War Memorial 2

William Edwin Toogood

Surname: Toogood
Other names: William Edwin
Other people in this story:
William Toogood
Emily Toogood nee Hull
Locations in this story:
Semley, Wiltshire
Egypt
Ramleh War Cemetery, Palestine
Church Green, Semley, Wiltshire
St. Leonard's Church, Semley
Salisbury

Story:
William Edwin Toogood was born in Semley, Wiltshire, in 1896 and baptised there on 11th October, 1896. He was the son of William Toogood, a Domestic Gardener, and Emily Toogood (nee Hull). At the time of the 1911 Census he was single, working as a Garden Boy and living at Church Green, Semley, Wiltshire. He enlisted in Salisbury as a Private and joined the 1st/4th (T.F.) Battalion of the Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment (Service No. 201994). He served in Egypt and was awarded the Victory and British War medals. He died on 10th April 1918 and was buried at Ramleh War Cemetery in Palestine (grave id. T.1). He is remembered on the Semley War Memorial in St. Leonard's churchyard, and on the Roll of Honour inside the church. His name was included on the Baptist Chapel plaque, now also in the church.

Images:
  • Semley Baptist Chapel Plaque
  • Semley War Memorial 3
  • Semley War Memorial 1

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

Stanley Glover

Surname: Glover
Other names: Stanley
Other people in this story:
John Glover
Charlotte Glover née Hambridge
Florence Mary Glover née Jerred
Locations in this story:
Yeovil, Somerset
France & Flanders
Thiepval Memorial, France
Clifton Road, New Sarum, Salisbury, Wiltshire
Tollard Royal, Wiltshire
Laverstock, Wiltshire
Salisbury

Story:
Stanley Glover was born in 1884 in Yeovil, Somerset. He was the son of John Glover, an Engine Driver for the LSWR, and Charlotte Glover (née Hambridge). At one time he worked as a Greaser on the London & South Western Railway before enlisting in the (Royal) Army Medical Corps. However by the time of the 1911 Census he was still a Regular Soldier but living at 45 Clifton Road, New Sarum, Salisbury, Wiltshire. By 1913 he had left the army and taken employment as a Postman in Salisbury. On 22nd November, 1913, he married Florence Mary Jerred at St. Andrew's Church, Laverstock, Wiltshire.

Stanley enlisted in Salisbury and joined the 6th Battalion of the Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment (Service No. 6883) and served in France & Flanders. At the time of his death on 2nd July 1916 he held the rank of Sergeant. His name appears on the Thiepval Memorial in France (Pier and Face 13 A). He was awarded the Victory, British War and 1915 Star medals. He is remembered on the Tollard Royal War Memorial and on the Salisbury Post Office Memorial which is on the Old Post Office Wall, Salisbury. His wife, Florence, died in Laverstock in 1937 aged 52 years.  

Images:

Links to related web content / sources:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Semley War Memorial 1

Wilfrid James Butt

Surname: Butt
Other names: Wilfrid James
Other people in this story:
James Butt
Elizabeth Ann Butt née Kelly
Ernest Leslie Butt
Edwin Albert Butt
Locations in this story:
Semley, Wiltshire
France & Flanders
Etaples Military Cemetery, Etaples, Pas de Calais, France
Barkers Hill, Semley, Wiltshire
Warminster, Wiltshire

Story:
Wilfrid (as spelt on GRO Records and later census Records) James Butt was born in Semley, Wiltshrie, in 1896, and baptised there on 19th July, 1896. He was the son of James Butt, a Farm Labourer, and Elizabeth Ann Butt (née Kelly). His siblings included Ernest Leslie, born in 1889, who also died in the war and Edwin Albert Butt who served and survived. At the time of the 1911 Census he was single, working as a Farm Labourer and living at Barkers Hill, Semley, Wiltshire. He enlisted in Warminster as a Private and joined the 6th Battalion of the Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment (Service No. 22690). (Army records show his name as Wilfred) He served in France & Flanders and was awarded the Victory and British War medals. He died on 29th November 1916 and was buried at Etaples Military Cemetery, Etaples, Pas De Calais, France (grave id. XX.D.4A). He is remembered on the Semley War Memorial in St. Leonard's churchyard, and on the Roll of Honour inside the church. His name was included on the Baptist Chapel plaque, now also in the church.

Images:
  • Semley Baptist Chapel Plaque
  • Names on Semley War Memorial
  • Semley War Memorial 01

Links to related web content / sources:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Ernest Leslie Butt
Sixpenny Handley War Memorial

Ernest White

Surname: White
Other names: Ernest
Other people in this story:
Frederick James White
Annie White nee Kerley
Winifred Mary White née Goddard
Fred White
Locations in this story:
Farm End Cottage, Lower Odcombe, Stoke under Ham, Montacute, Somerset
France & Flanders
Soissons Memorial, l'Aisne, Picardie, France
Ham House, Childe Okeford, Dorset
Sixpenny Handley, Dorset
Childe Okeford, Dorset
Kinson Avenue, Poole, Dorset

Story:
Ernest White was born in 1892 in Sixpenny Handley, Dorset, and baptised there on 12th January, 1893. He was the son of Frederick James White, a Builder/Bricklayer, and Annie White (nee Kerley). At the time of the 1911 Census he was working as a Farm Labourer and boarding with a family at Farm End Cottage, Lower Odcombe, Stoke under Ham, Montacute, Somerset. His family were living at Sixpenny Handley, Dorset. He enlisted at Childe Okeford, Dorset as a Private in the 2nd Battalion of the Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment (Service No. 8517). He served in France & Flanders and was awarded the Victory, British War and 1914 Star medals (Clasp). On 22nd December, 1916, he had married Winifred Mary Goddard at Childe Okeford, Dorset and they had one child, a boy. Ernest was missing in action and presumed dead on 1st Jun 1918. By this time his wife was living at Ham House, Childe Okeford, Dorset. His name appears on the Soissons Memorial, l'Aisne, Picardie, France and on the Sixpenny Handley War Memorial in Dorset. His wife remarried Fred White (her widowed brother-in-law) in 1945. Fred White (Ernest's brother) had also served and survived and had also been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.  

Images:
  • Sixpenny Handley War Memorial
  • Sixpenny Handley War Memorial
  • Sixpenny Handley War Memorial

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

Maurice George Messer

Surname: Messer
Other names: Maurice George
Other people in this story:
George Messer
Sarah Messer née White
Wilfred Purefoy (Jack) Messer
Reginald George Messer
Locations in this story:
Tidworth, Wiltshire
France & Flanders
Louvencourt Military Cemetery, Somme, France
Sixpenny Handley, Dorset

Story:
Maurice George Messer was born in 1892 in Sixpenny Handley, Dorset. He was the son of George Messer, a Wheelwright, and Sarah Messer (née White). At the time of the 1911 Census he was single, working as a Labourer and living at Sixpenny Handley, Dorset. He enlisted in Tidworth, Wiltshire, and joined the 1st Battalion of the Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment (Service No. 9153) and at the time of death held the rank of Corporal. He served in France & Flanders and was awarded the Victory, British War and 1915 Star medals (Clasp). He died of wounds and gassing whilst serving with 'A' Company on 26th July 1918 and was buried at Louvencourt Military Cemetery, Somme, France (grave id. Plot 1. Row D. Grave 8). He is remembered on the Sixpenny Handley War Memorial.  Of his brothers, Wilfred Purefoy (Jack) Messer and Reginald George Messer also served but survived.

Images:
  • St. Mary's Church, Sixpenny Handley
  • Sixpenny Handley War Memorial
  • Sixpenny Handley War Memorial

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

William George Phillips

Surname: Phillips
Other names: William George
Other people in this story:
Helen Annie Phillips née Day
William S. Clarke
Richard Phillips
Helen Phillips née Williams
Locations in this story:
Fulham, London
France & Flanders
Bethune Town Cemetery, France
Roe Buck Inn, Sixpenny Handley, Dorset
Sixpenny Handley, Dorset
Blandford, Dorset
Bethune No.6 Clearing Hospital.

Story:
William George Phillips was born in 1888 in Fulham, London. He was the son of Richard Phillips, a Brewer's Servant, and Helen Phillips (née Williams). His mother died in 1897 and his father in 1903. In the 1911 Census he is shown living with his cousin, William Williams, a groom, whose wife was the publican of the Roe Buck Inn, Sixpenny Handley, Dorset. He is described as an Army Reservist but by 1914 he had obtained employment as a Postman. On 17th June 1914 he married Helen Annie Day at Sixpenny Handley and there were no children of the marriage. He enlisted in Blandford, Dorset, as a Private and joined the 1st Battalion of the Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment (Service No. 6740) During the war he served in France & Flanders and was awarded the Victory, British War and 1914 Star medals (Clasp). He died of wounds on 24th Oct 1914 in the Bethune No.6 Clearing Hospital and was buried at Bethune Town Cemetery, Arras, Pas de Calais, France (grave id. I.B.20). He is remembered on the Sixpenny Handley War Memorial. His widow Helen remarried in 1920, to William S. Clarke.  

Images:
  • Sixpenny Handley War Memorial
  • Sixpenny Handley War Memorial
  • Sixpenny Handley War Memorial

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