Worcestershire Regiment Archives - Shaftesbury Remembers the Great War

Alfred James Blanchard

Surname: Blanchard

Other names: Alfred James

Locations in this story:
Blandford, Dorset
Sutton Waldron, Dorset
Whitehall, Compton Abbas, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Fontmell Magna, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Blandford St. Mary, Dorset

Story:
Alfred James Blanchard was born in Blandford St. Mary, Dorset, on 1st February 1874 and baptised there on 25th March 1874, the son of Robert Blanchard and Sophia Blanchard (née Best). He lived most of his early life in the Blandford St. Mary area. He married Louisa Amelia Whitty in Blandford, Dorset, on 12th March 1901 and by 1911 they had moved to Sutton Waldron, Dorset. The Absent Voters List 1918 indicates that he was serving with the 1st (Garrison) Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment as a Private (Service No. 63748). He gave his address at that time as 32 Whitehall, Compton Abbas, Shaftesbury, Dorset. No records can be found either for service or medals to confirm his military background. The 1921 Census shows him living now in Fontmell Magna, Shaftesbury, Dorset, described as an out of work General Labourer. By the 1939 Register he was recorded at 63 Pipers Mill Cottage, Fontmell Magna, Shaftesbury, Dorset, and was now working as a farm labourer. He died locally on 11th October 1952.

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The National Archives

Frederick John Marchant

16th February 2020/in 1914-1918 Cameron Highlanders, Dorsetshire Regiment, Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Wiltshire Regiment, Worcestershire Regiment /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Marchant

Other names: Frederick John

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.

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Frederick James Read

16th February 2020/in 1914-1918 Dorsetshire Regiment, Labour Corps, Worcestershire Regiment /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Read

Other names: Frederick James

Locations in this story:
East Knoyle, Wiltshire
France & Flanders
Shaftesbury, Dorset
Blandford, Dorset
Meharicourt, France
India

Story:
Frederick James Read was born on 16th January 1871 in East Knoyle, Wiltshire, the son of William Read and Selina Read (née Fletcher). He lived in and around East Knoyle for all of his early life including 2 Church Hill. He had enlisted as a Private with the 3rd Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment on 21st January 1892 (Service No. 3379). He served in India from 13 Sep 1893 until 15 Dec 1905 until discharged on 5th January 1906. He re-enlisted on 27th April 1915 with the Dorsetshire Regiment (Service No. 14337) as a Private and was immediately attached to the Royal Engineers 14th Labour Battalion. He was transferred on 14th December 1916 to the 11th Garrison Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment (Service No. 38395) and served with them in France & Flanders from 9 Feb 1917. During this period he received bomb wounds at Meharicourt, France. Following his recovery he was attached to the Devonshire Regiment (Labour Company) and then to the Somerset Light Infantry (Service No. 52622). On the 21st November 1917 he returned to the UK and transferred to the Labour Corps (166th Labour Company) followed by the 651 Agricultural Company of the Labour Corps (Service No. 99317). He was discharged on 1st March 1919 and awarded the Victory and British War medals. The 1921 Census shows him living with his brother at The Green, East Knoyle, Wiltshire, described as a General Labourer (out of work). He married Minnie Ayres in Shaftesbury, Dorset, in 1924 but she regrettably died in 1927. There appear to be no children of the marriage. By the 1939 Register Frederick was living at 17d Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, Dorset, working as a casual labourer. He died in 1952 in the Blandford, Dorset, Registration District and was buried at the Town Cemetery, Shaftesbury, on 29 Feb 1952. (NB. He was registered at birth as Frederick but all later records give his name as Frederick James (the second name could have been added at baptism but no record can be found)).

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Arthur Eldred Woolfries

6th December 2019/in 1914-1918 Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, Labour Corps, Northumberland Fusiliers, Somerset Light Infantry, Worcestershire Regiment /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Woolfries

Other names: Arthur Eldred

Locations in this story:
Farnham, Dorset
Stroud Farm, Sturminster, Dorset

Story:
Arthur Eldred Woolfries was born in Farnham, Dorset, on 9th October 1892 and baptised there on 20th November 1892, the son of Francis Woolfries and Elizabeth Annie Woolfries (née Jeans). He spent much of his early life in and around Farnham. He enlisted on 9th December 1915 but was not mobilized until 8th February 1916 when he joined the 1st Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment as a Private (Service No. 33851). He was transferred to the 3rd Battalion of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry on 9th September 1916 (Service No. 21227) then on three other occasions to 10th Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry (14th November 1916) (Service No. 33065), the Northumberland Fusiliers (14th July 1917) (Service No. 55155) and finally the 683rd Agricultural Company of the Labour Corps (20th February 1918) (Service No. 528523). Throughout his military service he was apparently based in the UK. He was finally discharged on 3rd April 1919 and went back to his parents home in Farnham. No medal records have been found in this case. The 1921 Census shows him living with his sister at Sutton Steeple, Arne, Dorset, working as a Farm Labourer. By the 1939 Register he had moved to Stroud Farm, Sturminster, Dorset, and described as a Farmer. He apparently had moved to Meadow Farm, Trinity, Jersey, and was held on the Island following the German Invasion on 10 Jan 1941. He survived this experience but remained single throughout his life and eventually died 13 Mar 1961 back in Farnham, Dorset, being buried there at St. Lawrence Church on 16th March 1961. Of his brothers Edwin Woolfries served but regrettably died at Gallipoli whilst Harry Woolfries and Charles Woolfries both served and survived.

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Harry Woolfries
Edwin Woolfries

Charles Edward Ranger

19th October 2019/in 1914-1918 Royal Garrison Artillery, Worcestershire Regiment /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Ranger

Other names: Charles Edward

Locations in this story:
Shaftesbury, Dorset
Pontnewydd, Monmouthshire
India
Gibralter
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Bermuda
France & Flanders
St. James, Shaftesbury
Newton Longville, Bletchley, Buckinhamshire
Northampton

Story:
Charles Edward Ranger was born in Shaftesbury, Dorset, in 1870 and baptised at St. James Church on 27th May 1870, the son of Charles Ranger and Sarah Anne Ranger (née Elliott). He lived his early life in St. James, Shaftesbury. He enlisted on 21st March 1889 and joined the Royal Garrison Artillery as a Gunner (Service No. 4219). He saw service in India, Gibralter, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and Bermuda until his discharge after 18 years service on 12th July 1907. During this time he had married Emma Jane Hillier on 25th December, 1892. It is thought they had one child.

By 1911 Charles had moved to Pontnewydd, Monmouthshire where he had employment as a Collier Coal Hewer. His wife died in the same year and he went on to marry Laura Frances Charles in Pontnewydd on 6th October 1916. They had four children - one of whom died in early infancy. Charles had been mobilized on 17th October 1914 and returned to the Royal Garrison Artillery (Service No. 71904). He served a short time in France but spent most of the war in the UK. He was transferred to the 16th Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment as a Private on 27th April 1918 (Service No. 62273). He had been diagnosed with Rheumatism in 1915 and this was a constant source of concern. He was discharged on 19th March 1919 and awarded the Victory and British War medals as well as the 1914/15 Star. He later applied for the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal but this was refused after an official inquiry. By the 1921 Census he had moved to Brickyard Cottages, Newton Longville, Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, where he worked as a General Labourer in the Gravel Pits. He died in 1930 in the Northampton Registry area.

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Robert Roy Gray

25th September 2019/in 1914-1918 Dorset Yeomanry, Somerset Light Infantry, Worcestershire Regiment /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Gray

Other names: Robert Roy

Locations in this story:
Victoria Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Ireland
Gallipoli, Turkey
St. James' Church, Shaftesbury

Story:
Robert Roy Gray was born in Shaftesbury, Dorset, in 1868 and baptised at St. James' Church on 26th July 1868, the son of George Gray and Hannah Elizabeth Gray (née Wright). (A previous child called Robert had been born in January 1867 but had not survived.) Robert married Alice Louisa Brickell at St. James' Church on 14th July 1888 and they went on to have eleven children, one of whom, Frederick Percival Gray (b. 1896), was killed at Gallipoli on 21st August 1915. Robert had had previous experience with the Dorset Yeomanry. He enlisted on 18th April 1918 but was not mobilized until 6th September 1918 when he joined the Somerset Light Infantry as a Private (Service No. 54998). He was transferred to the 1st Garrison Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment from 5th December 1918 until his discharge on 24th January 1919 (Service No. 69393). He had served in Ireland and there are no records of any medals being awarded. By the time of the 1939 Register, Robert was living as a widower at 5 Victoria Street, Shaftesbury, described as a Retired Builder's Labourer. He died locally in 1946.

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Frederick Percival Gray

William Charles George Ginn

24th September 2019/in 1914-1918 Hampshire Regiment, Royal Army Service Corps, Worcestershire Regiment /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Ginn

Other names: William Charles George

Locations in this story:
Shaftesbury, Dorset
Sea Road, Pokesdown, Hampshire
Christchurch, Hampshire
Holy Trinity Church, Shaftesbury
Livingstone Road, Pokesdown, Hampshire
Bournemouith, Hampshire

Story:
William Charles George Ginn was born in Shaftesbury, Dorset, on 9th October 1884 and baptised at Holy Trinity Church on 4th December 1884, the son of William Ginn and Jane Ginn (née Stroud). William Charles lived with his family in Shaftesbury until 1891 when they moved from the area. William married Emma Yandell on 21st September 1910 at Christchurch, Hampshire, and they had at least one child. They lived by then at 53 Sea Road, Pokesdown, Hampshire, where William was working as a milkman.

He enlisted on 8th December 1915 and was placed on reserve with the Worcestershire Regiment (Service No. 30350). He was mobilized on 2nd June 1916 when he joined the 17th Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment as a Private (Service No. 381018). He was again transferred to the Army Service Corps on 28th December 1918 as a Driver (Service No. T/446804). He was demobilized on 27th September 1919 and awarded the Victory and British War medals. Both the 1921 Census and 1939 Register show he was living at 13 Livingstone Road, Pokesdown, Hampshire, latterly working in a Royal Navy Cordite Factory. He died on the 1st November 1959 in Christchurch Hospital.

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Percy Charles Hayter

16th July 2019/in 1914-1918 Dorsetshire Regiment, Labour Corps, Somerset Light Infantry, Worcestershire Regiment /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Hayter

Other names: Percy Charles

Locations in this story:
St. James, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Cats Ash, Shepton Mallet, Somerset

Story:
Percy Charles Hayter was born in Shaftesbury, Dorset in December 1881, and baptised at St. John's Church, Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, on 1 Jan 1882 the son of Charles Hayter and Susan Jane Edwards Hayter (née Upjohn). He married Harriett Minden Bendell on 20th July 1903 at Holy Trinity Church, Shaftesbury, Dorset and set up home at 7 St. James, Shaftesbury. There were at least four children of the marriage. By the 1911 Census he had moved to Shepton Mallet, Somerset for work as a Gardener. From here, having had previous military experience with the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment, he re-enlisted on 15th March 1913 as a Private in the Territorial Unit of the Somerset Light Infantry (Service No. 69115). He was embodied on 4th August 1914 and served throughout the war in the United Kingdom. He was transferred to the Labour Corps in 1918 (Service No. 200248) and then to the 16th Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment with the rank of Corporal (Service No. 204670). He was discharged on 23rd April 1919 having contracted a lung disease for which he received a War Pension plus the Silver War Badge. He was awarded the Victory and British War medals. The 1921 Census shows him living at 4 Cats Ash, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, working as a Jobbing Gardener. Unfortunately he died in July 1926 at Shepton Mallett. His brothers, Ernest George Hayter and Harry John Hayter, also served in the conflict. Source: Based on previous research by Ken Baxter.

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Harry Robins

3rd February 2017/in 1914-1918 Worcestershire Regiment /by Ann Symons

Surname: Robins

Other names: Harry Vaughan

Locations in this story:
East Ham, Essex
France & Flanders
Etaples Military Cemetery, Etaples, Pas de Calais, France
Salisbury Street, Shaftesbury
St. Peter's Church, Shaftesbury
Bournemouth
Holy Trinity Church, Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury Grammar School, Shaftesbury, Dorset

Story:
Harry Robins was born in 1894 in East Ham, Essex. He was the son of James Robins, a police constable, and Emma Jane Robins (née Cooke). He attended Shaftesbury Grammar School from September 1905 to April 1912. At the time of the 1911 Census he was single, a Scholar and living at 21 Salisbury Street, Shaftesbury. After leaving school he entered a wholesale drapery firm in Bournemouth. He enlisted in the 4th Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment (Service No. 28656) and at the time of his death held the rank of Lance Corporal. He served in France and Flanders and was awarded the Victory and British War medals. He died of wounds in a military hospital in France on 29th August 1917 and was buried at Etaples Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France (grave id. XXII.R.12A). He is remembered on the Park Walk War Memorial and on the Holy Trinity Memorial, now in St. Peter's Church, Shaftesbury. Harry's mother had died in 1914 and was buried in the Holy Trinity Churchyard. Following Harry's death the following inscription was added to the kerb surrounding her grave: Also of our brother, Harry, who died from wounds in France, Aug: 29th.1917, aged 22. Later his father received his personal effects and was also granted a pension of 5s. (25p.) per week. As a former pupil his name was also included on the Shaftesbury Grammar School memorial, now in Shaftesbury School. During the war a hand written list was compiled of Shaftesbury Grammar School old boys serving in the armed forces. An asterix can be seen next to Harry's name, indicating that he had died. The board is now at Gold Hill Museum. Harry's brother, Stephen Robins, also served with the Royal Air Force and survived until his early death in 1937. Printed Sources: Shaftesbury Grammar School Magazine, November 1917

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Shastonian