Stories Archive - Page 137 of 162 - Shaftesbury Remembers the Great War

Minnie Munro

Surname: Munro

Other names: Minnie

Locations in this story:
Exbury, Hampshire
1st Southern General Hospital, Selly Oak, Birmingham
Iwerne Minster, Dorset

Story:
Minnie Munro was, according to 1911 Census information, born in 1884 in Exbury, Hampshire. (It has been difficult to confirm this as no record of her birth can be found.) At the time of the 1911 Census, she was single and working as a domestic maid for James Hainsworth Ismay, (Lord Ismay), owner of the Iwerne Minster estate. She enlisted with the Red Cross as a nurse in the VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment) on 6th January 1916, her age then being given as 31 years. The official Red Cross record shows that she started working at the 1st Southern General Hospital, Selly Oak, Birmingham. However, her memorial inscription states that she commenced duties there in September 1915 which does not accord with the Red Cross records. She died at the hospital on 30th July 1917 from septic poisoning after contracting Pulmonary TB. She is remembered on the Iwerne Minster War Memorial, Shaftesbury.

Source: Photograph of Minnie Munro from the Imperial War Museum's First World War Portraits (Women's War Work) Classified Collection. Catalogue Number WWC Z-15.

Images:

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

Alfred William Neish

Surname: Neish

Other names: Alfred William

Locations in this story:
West Kirby, Wirral, Cheshire
Gallipoli, Turkey
Helles Memorial, Turkey
The Gardens, Iwerne Minster, Dorset
Chanuk Bair, Turkey
Reading, Berkshire.
London

Story:
Alfred William Neish was born in 1894 in West Kirby, Wirral, Cheshire and baptised there on 22nd April 1894. He was the son of William Neish, who became a gardener on the Iwerne Minster estate, and Jane Neish (née Hinder). Among his siblings was Annie, born in 1886. At the time of the 1911 Census Alfred was single, working as a gardener and living at The Gardens, Iwerne Minster, Dorset. He enlisted in London as a Private in the 5th Battalion of the Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment (Service No. 9764). He served at Gallipoli and was awarded the Victory, British War and 1915 Star medals. He died at Chanuk Bair on 10th August 1915 and his name appears on the Helles Memorial in Turkey (Panel 156 to 158). He is remembered on the Iwerne Minster War Memorial, Shaftesbury and also on the grave of his sister, Annie, in Reading, Berkshire, who died as a result of her work with the VADs.

Images:

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

Annie Neish

21st June 2017/in 1914-1918 Voluntary Aid Detachment /by Ann Symons

Surname: Neish

Other names: Annie

Locations in this story:
Feock, Nr. Truro, Cornwall
No. 1 Reading War Hospital
London Road Cemetery (Old Cemetery), Reading, Berkshire
The Gardens, Iwerne Minster, Dorset
Gallipoli, Turkey

Story:
Annie Neish was born in 1886 in Feock, Nr. Truro, Cornwall. She was the daughter of William Neish, who became a gardener on the Iwerne Minster estate, and Jane Neish (née Hinder). Among her siblings was Alfred William, born in 1894. At the time of the 1911 Census Annie was single, a domestic nurse, living at The Gardens, Iwerne Minster, Dorset.

On 18th January 1916 she became a Red Cross Nurse with the VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment) and served in No. 1 Reading War Hospital, Berkshire. She died there of sepsis on 18th October 1918 after nursing a soldier who had septic pneumonia. She was buried at London Road Cemetery (Old Cemetery), Reading (grave id. 80. 16489) on 23rd October, 1918. She is remembered on the Iwerne Minster War Memorial, Shaftesbury. Her gravestone in Reading includes memorials to her mother, Jane (died 1932) and her brother, Alfred William (died in Gallipoli, Turkey, 1915).

Printed Source:
Iwerne Minster Before, During, and After the Great War. Edited by P. Anderson Graham.

Images:

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

Frederick James Roberts

21st June 2017/in 1914-1918 Canadian Infantry /by Ann Symons

Surname: Roberts

Other names: Frederick James

Locations in this story:
Shaftesbury
Lens, France
Aix-Noulette Communal Cemetery Extension, Pas-de-Calais, France
Till Hay Cottage, Iwerne Minster, Dorset
York, Ontario, Canada
Iwerne Minster, Dorset
Toronto, Canada
Montreal, Canada

Story:
Frederick James Roberts was born in Iwerne Minster on 28th February 1891. He was the son of Frank Roberts, a Stationary Engineman, and Mary Eliza Roberts née Wareham. At the time of the 1911 Census, he was working as a teamster and living at Till Hay Cottage, Iwerne Minster, Dorset. He set sail for Canada on 8th July, 1911 aboard the SS Victorian bound for Montreal. On 2nd December 1912 he married Ada Ethel Bryant at York, Ontario, Canada. He enlisted in Toronto on 29th January 1916 as a Private with the 20th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry (Service No. 679171). He was killed while serving in the trenches near Lens in Northern France on 18th August 1917 and was buried at Aix-Noulette Communal Cemetery Extension, Pas-de-Calais, France (grave id. I.J.14). He is remembered on the Iwerne Minster War Memorial, Shaftesbury. His brother, Ernest Frank Roberts, served and survived the conflict.

Images:

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

John Roberts

21st June 2017/in 1914-1918 Royal Munster Fusiliers, Wiltshire Regiment /by Ann Symons

Surname: Roberts

Other names: John

Locations in this story:
Shaftesbury
Italy
Cremona Town Cemetery, Italy
The Drove, Iwerne Minster, Dorset
Trowbridge, Wiltshire

Story:
John Roberts was born in 1894 in Iwerne Minster and baptised there on 6th May, 1894. He was the son of Alfred Roberts, a waggoner on a farm, and Charlotte Roberts (née Jackson). He was married to Alice (as yet name unknown or when). At the time of the 1911 Census, he was a farm worker and living at The Drove, Iwerne Minster, Dorset. He enlisted in Trowbridge, Wiltshire and joined the Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment (Service No. 11930). He later transferred to the Royal Munster Fusiliers (Service No. G/1584) and at the time of his death held the rank of Corporal. He served in Italy and was awarded the Victory, British War and 1915 Star medals. He died of pneumonia on 20th October 1918 and was buried at Cremona Town Cemetery (grave id. C.4). He is remembered on the Iwerne Minster War Memorial, Shaftesbury.

Printed Source:
Iwerne Minster Before, During, and After the Great War. Edited by P. Anderson Graham.

Images:

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

Henry George Stockley

21st June 2017/in 1914-1918 Dorsetshire Regiment /by Ann Symons

Surname: Stockley

Other names: Henry George

Locations in this story:
Shaftesbury
Masaid, Egypt
Kantara War Memorial Cemetery, Ismalia, Egypt
Iwerne Minster, Dorset
Palestine
Blandford
Turners Puddle, Dorset

Story:
Henry George Stockley was born in 1883 in Iwerne Minster. He was the son of Edwin Swyer Stockley, a house painter, and Caroline Stockley (née Domoney). On 27th October, 1907 he married Emma Froud Sargent at Turners Puddle, Dorset. They had three children, Eva Annie (b.1908-d.1908), Edwin T. (b. 1910) and Henry G. (b. 1912). At the time of the 1911 Census, he was living in Iwerne Minster, Dorset and was working as a house painter. He enlisted in Blandford as a Private and joined the 2nd/4th Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment (Service No. 202036). He served in Egypt and Palestine and was awarded the Victory and British War medals. He was wounded in Palestine on 19th April 1918 and died on 14th May 1918 at Masaid, Egypt. He was buried at Kantara War Memorial Cemetery, Ismalia, Egypt (grave id. E.252). He is remembered as George Stockley on the Iwerne Minster War Memorial, Shaftesbury. His wife, Emma, did not remarry and was living in Blandford Road, Shaftesbury in the 1939 Register.

Images:

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

Sidney Charles Wareham

21st June 2017/in 1914-1918 Dorset Yeomanry, Household Cavalry /by Ann Symons

Surname: Wareham

Other names: Sidney Charles

Locations in this story:
Shaftesbury
Egypt
Jerusalem War Cemetery, Jerusalem, Israel
High Street, Iwerne Minster, Dorset
Palestine
Sherborne, Dorset

Story:
Sidney Charles Wareham was born in 1878 in Iwerne Minster and baptised there on 1 September, 1878. He was the son of William Wareham, a farmer, and Charlotte Matilda Wareham (née Burt). At the time of the 1911 Census he was single, working as a groom and living at High Street, Iwerne Minster, Dorset. He enlisted in Sherborne, Dorset, as a Private in the Dorset (Queen's Own) Yeomanry (Service No. 860). He later transferred to the Household Cavalry and Cavalry of the Line (Service No. 230234). He served in Egypt and Palestine and was awarded the Victory, British War and 1915 Star medals. He died of wounds on 9th June 1918 and was buried at Jerusalem War Cemetery, Jerusalem, Israel (then Palestine) (grave id. N.91). He is remembered on the Iwerne Minster War Memorial, Shaftesbury.

Images:

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

James Robert Hatcher

21st June 2017/in 1914-1918 Dorsetshire Regiment /by Ann Symons

Surname: Hatcher

Other names: James Robert

Locations in this story:
Childe Okeford, Dorset
France & Flanders
Hinton St. Mary, Dorset
Pozieres British Cemetery, Ovillers-La Boisselle, Somme, France
Fontmell Magna, Dorset
Shaftesbury
Iwerne Courtney, Dorset

Story:
James Robert Hatcher was born in 1898 in Childe Okeford, Dorset, and baptised at Iwerne Courtney, Dorset, on 7th May 1899. He was the son of Robert Edwin Hatcher, an agricultural labourer, and Louisa Hatcher (née Wareham). At the time of the 1911 Census he was single, a scholar and living at Hinton St. Mary. He enlisted in Shaftesbury as a Private in the 5th Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment (Service No. 14482). He served in France & Flanders and was awarded the Victory, British War and 1915 Star medals. He died on 26th September 1916 and was buried at the Pozieres British Cemetery, Ovillers-La Boisselle, Somme, France (grave id. I.H.44). He is remembered on the Fontmell Magna War Memorial, Shaftesbury.

Further reading: "Fontmell Magna and the First World War", compiled by Chris Bellers, Fontmell Magna Village Archive Society, 2014.

Images:

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

Albert Jenkins

21st June 2017/in 1914-1918 Dorsetshire Regiment /by Ann Symons

Surname: Jenkins

Other names: Albert

Locations in this story:
Fontmell Magna, Dorset
France & Flanders
Blighty Valley Cemetery, Authuille Wood, Authuille, Somme, France
Smith's Hole, Fontmell Magna
Shaftesbury

Story:
Albert Jenkins was born in 1898 in Fontmell Magna. He was the son of Henry Jenkins, a shepherd, and Ellen Jenkins (née Coombs). At the time of the 1911 Census he was single, a scholar and living at 44 Smith's Hole, Fontmell Magna. He enlisted at Shaftesbury and joined the 5th Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment (Service No. 13022) later transferring to the 1st Battalion. At the time of his death held the rank of Lance Corporal. He served in France & Flanders and was awarded the Victory, British War and 1915 Star medals. He died on 2nd July 1916 and was buried at Blighty Valley Cemetery, Authuille Wood, Authuille, Somme, France (grave id. II.B.9). He is remembered on the Fontmell Magna War Memorial, Shaftesbury.

Further reading: "Fontmell Magna and the First World War", compiled by Chris Bellers, Fontmell Magna Village Archive Society, 2014.

Images:

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

Frank Jesse

21st June 2017/in 1914-1918 Royal Berkshire Regiment /by Ann Symons

Surname: Jesse

Other names: Frank

Locations in this story:
Fontmell Magna, Dorset
France & Flanders
Soissons Memorial, Aisne, Picardie, France
Gulliver's Farm, East Orchard, Dorset
Shaftesbury Grammar School, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Sturminster Newton, Dorset

Story:
Frank Jesse was born in 1899 in Fontmell Magna, Dorset, and baptised there on 21st May, 1899. He was the son of William Jesse, a Miller & Farmer, and Kate Rose Jesse (née Jeanes). Unfortunately his mother passed away on 26th March, 1899 possibly following Frank's birth. His father died in 1905. At the time of the 1911 Census he was single, was a scholar and living with his brother, Reginald, at Gulliver's Farm, East Orchard, Dorset. His brother Charles also went on to serve in the war, with the City of London Regiment and Royal Engineers also brother, Percy William, served with the the New Zealand Forces .

Frank attended Shaftesbury Grammar School between April 1912 and July 1913. He enlisted in Sturminster Newton as a Private and joined the 2nd Battalion of Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire) Regiment (Service No. 44857). He served in France & Flanders and was awarded the Victory and British War medals. His death was 'officially accepted' as being 27th May 1918 as his remains were not recovered. He is remembered on the Soissons Memorial, Aisne, Picardie, France as well as on the Fontmell Magna War Memorial and the Shaftesbury Grammar School Memorial now in the hall at Shaftesbury School. (Originally his name was missed off the Fontmell Magna Memorial and had be hurriedly added at a later date).

His name was also included on a hand written list of Shaftesbury Grammar School old boys serving during the war. An asterix can be seen next to Frank's name, indicating that he had died. The board is now at Gold Hill Museum.

Printed Sources:
"Fontmell Magna and the First World War", compiled by Chris Bellers, Fontmell Magna Village Archive Society, 2014.
Shaftesbury Grammar School Magazine, March 1919.

Images:

Links to related web content / sources:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Shastonian
Charlie Jesse
Percy William Jesse