1914-1918 Archives - Page 100 of 162 - Shaftesbury Remembers the Great War

John Brickell

Surname: Brickell

Other names: John

Locations in this story:
Little Down, Cann, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Bedwelty, Abertillery, Monmouthshire
France & Flanders
Somme, France
Sucrerie Military Cemetery, Colincamps, Somme, France

Story:
John Brickell was born in Cann, Shaftesbury, Dorset, in 1893, the son of William Brickell and Susan Brickell (née Parsons). John lived his early life at Little Down, Cann, Shaftesbury, until, by 1911, the family had moved to 34 Hill Street, Abertillery, Monmouthshire, for work in the mines. He married Florence A. Kidner on 6th June 1914 in Abertillery. He enlisted and joined the 10th Battalion of the South Wales Borderers as a Private (Service No. 20971). He was killed in action in France at the Somme on 20th July 1916. He was buried at the Sucrerie Military Cemetery, Colincamps, Somme, France, (Grave Ref: I.D.43). He was awarded the Victory and British War medals as well as the 1915 Star.

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

Walter Adams

7th April 2020/in 1914-1918 Devonshire Regiment, Labour Corps /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Adams

Other names: Walter

Locations in this story:
Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Bournemouth, Hampshire
France & Flanders
Efford, Plymouth, Devon
Upper Parkstone, Dorset

Story:
Walter Adams was born at Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, Dorset, in 1888, the son of Albert Adams and Alice Mary Adams (née Feltham), themselves from local families. (All other records indicate that he was born in 1891 but his birth was registered in Shaftesbury in the 4th Quarter of 1888 - mother's maiden name Feltham). He lived his early life in and around Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, until by 1911 his family had moved to Bournemouth, Hampshire. He originally enlisted with the Devonshire Regiment on 26 Feb 1916 as a Private (Service No.17423) but was rapidly transferred to the 12th Battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment (Service No. 28964) on 26 Mar 1916 and served with them in France & Flanders. He was transferred again on 9 May 1917 to the Labour Corps (Service No. 116112) and but regrettably died in the UK from pulmonary tuberculosis on 16th August 1917. He was awarded the Victory and British War medals. The War Graves Commission list his grave at Plymouth (Efford) Cemetery, Efford, Plymouth, Devon, (Grave Ref. Church C. 4890). His mother, then living in Upper Parkstone, Dorset, was granted a limited pension.

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The National Archives
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Frederick James Perry

7th April 2020/in 1914-1918 South Wales Borderers /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Perry

Other names: Frederick James

Locations in this story:
Shaftesbury, Dorset
Axbridge, Somerset
Shepton Mallet, Somerset
Alvediston, Wiltshire
France & Flanders
Souchez, Pas de Calais, France
Newport, Monmouthshire, South Wales

Story:
Frederick James Perry (sometimes known as James) was born in Shaftesbury, Dorset, in 1876 and baptised at St. James' Church, Shaftesbury, on 16th December 1876, the son of Thomas Perry and Cordelia Perry (née Davis). Frederick spent his early life in Shaftesbury until moving to Shepton Mallet, Somerset, just prior to 1896 in which year he married Beatrice Annie Tinkler at Axbridge, Somerset. They went on to have five children. By 1911 the family had moved to Alvediston, Wiltshire. They later moved to Newport, Monmouthshire, South Wales. Frederick enlisted at Newport and joined the 1st Battalion of the South Wales Borderers as a Private (Service No. 13219). He served in France and Flanders where he was killed in action on 9th May 1915. He was buried at the Caberet-Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez, Pas de Calais, France (Grave ref XXVII.A.3). He was awarded the 1914/1915 Star as well as the Victory and British War medals. A memorial plaque in Holy Trinity Church, Newport includes the name Frederick James Perry.

Images:

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The National Archives
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Stanley Edgar Saunders

2nd April 2020/in 1914-1918 Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Navy /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Saunders

Other names: Stanley Edgar

Locations in this story:
Barnet, Hertfordshire
Iwerne Minster, Dorset
Cheam, Surrey
Hammersmith, London

Story:
Stanley Edgar Saunders was born at Barnet, Hertfordshire on 7th March 1899, the son of Frederick Saunders and Mary J. Saunders. By 1911 the family had moved to Iwerne Minster where Stanley's father was employed as an Estate Carpenter and Stanley was a Hall Boy at Iwerne Minster House. He originally enlisted in the Royal Navy on 27th January 1916 (Service No. J49351) but he was discharged on 9th June 1916 as unfit for service. He re-enlisted on 12th March 1917 and was mobilized on 23rd April 1917, joining the Royal Army Medical Corps as Private (Service No. 112382). He was posted to the 329th (Lowland) Field Ambulance, serving in the UK only. He was discharged on 12th February 1919. No medal records have been found. According to the 1921 Census he had returned to Iwerne Minster House, living in as a Footman. He married Mildred Sutherland at Cheam, Surrey, on 30th March 1936 (he was described as a Butler) and there is possibly one child of the marriage. His death is not confirmed but could have been in Hammersmith, London, in 1967. (No other information can be found).

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The National Archives

Harry Frederick Haines Chant

2nd April 2020/in 1914-1918 Royal Army Service Corps /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Chant

Other names: Harry Frederick Haines

Locations in this story:
Preston Plucknett, Somerset
Bincombe, Dorset
Iwerne Minster, Dorset
Salonika, Greece
Yeovil, Somerset
Salisbury, Wiltshire
Exeter, Devon
Crediton, Devon

Story:
Harry Frederick Haines Chant was born in Preston Plucknett, Somerset, on 11th October 1894 and baptised at Bincombe, Dorset, on 23rd December 1894, the son of Frederick William Chant and Kate Chant (née Haines). The family moved shortly after to Iwerne Minster where Harry lived for a considerable amount of his early civilian life. His mother died in 1909. He enlisted on 3rd November 1915 but was not mobilized until 30th January 1917 when he joined the Royal Army Service Corps as a Farrier (Service No. TS/9184). He served in Salonika and was eventually discharged on 14th March 1919. He was awarded the Victory and British War medals. The 1921 Census shows him living with his newly remarried father at The Hollow, Iwerne Minster, Dorset, assisting him in his Blacksmith business. He married Annie Victoria Tribble in the Exeter, Devon, area on 17th December 1922 and they went on to have three children. By the 1939 Register he was boarding at 13 Danielsfield Road, Yeovil, Somerset, and was working as an aircraft fitter whilst his wife lived with her brothers in Crediton, Devon, where she died in 1942. There is a record of him having remarried Dorothy M. Simpson, in Exeter, Devon, during 1946. His death is recorded at the Salisbury, Wiltshire, District Registry in 1977.

Images:

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The National Archives

Albert Edwin Littlewood

2nd April 2020/in 1914-1918 Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, Royal West Kent Regiment /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Littlewood

Other names: Albert Edwin

Locations in this story:
Donhead St. Andrew, Wiltshire
Newmarket, Cambridgeshire
France & Flanders
Tenterden, Kent
Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex
Birdbush, Ludwell, Donhead St. Mary, Wiltshire

Story:
Albert Edwin Littlewood was born at Donhead St. Andrew, Wiltshire, on 25th September 1893 and baptised there on 11th November 1893, the son of George Hutton Littlewood and Elizabeth Littlewood (nee Harrison). He lived all his early life in Donhead St. Andrew. His mother died in 1909. He enlisted on 11th September 1914 and was mobilized on 4th November 1914, joining the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (Service Nos. 2328 & 265664). He served in France and Flanders from 29 Mar 1915 and rose to the rank of Corporal. Around 13 Oct 1917 he received a gunshot wound to the chest and was admitted to the 18th General Field Hospital being sent back to the UK for treatment. He returned to France on 30 Mar 1918 and transferred to the 3rd Battalion of the Queens (Royal West Surrey) Regiment on 1st Apr 1918 (Service No. 207993) and eventually discharged on 10th March 1919 as being permanently disabled and granted a 30% pension. He was awarded the Military Medal per a note on his record dated 1 Jun 1919. He received the Silver War Badge No. B166224 and was also awarded the Victory and British War medals and the 1915 Star. The 1921 Census shows him living with his widowed father at Birdbush, Ludwell, Donhead St. Mary, Wiltshire, working as a Gardener. He married Lilian Nesta Bowman in Newmarket, Cambridgeshire, on 22nd December 1923 at the Parish Church. They went on to have one daughter. By the 1939 Register he was living at Unity Cottages, Tenterden, Kent, and was still working as a gardener in private service. He died on 19th September 1967 in Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex.

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The National Archives

William Edward Pike

2nd April 2020/in 1914-1918 Devonshire Regiment, Dorsetshire Regiment, Labour Corps /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Pike

Other names: William Edward

Locations in this story:
Sixpenny Handley, Dorset
Fordingbridge, Hampshire
Iwerne Minster, Dorset
France & Flanders
Latchfield, Hampshire
Christchurch, Hampshire
Deanland, Sixpenny Handley

Story:
William Edward Pike was born at Sixpenny Handley, Dorset, on 16th August 1875 and baptised there on 24th October 1875, the son of Edward Pike and Ann (also known as Hannah) Pike (nee Foot). He spent his early life in Deanland, Sixpenny Handley. He married Eleanor Elizabeth Witt at Fordingbridge, Hampshire, on 31st July 1901 and they set up home at Iwerne Minster, Dorset, from where they went on to have four children. William enlisted on 11th December 1915 and was mobilized on 15th June 1916, joining the Dorsetshire Regiment as a Private (Service No. 4099). Within days he had been transferred to the Devonshire Regiment (Service No. 40664). On the 20th September 1916 he was again transferred to the 155th Labour Company of the Labour Corps (Service No. (92804). He served in France & Flanders and was eventually discharged on 10th April 1919. He was awarded the Victory and British War medals. Around the time of his discharge he made a claim for the effects of Rheumatism, which was partly caused by service conditions, for which he received a 20% pension. The 1921 Census shows him living at Bowers Barn, Iwerne Minster, Dorset, working as a Woodman and Hurdle Maker and by the 1939 Register he had moved to Latchfield, Hampshire, still working as a Woodman and Hurdle Maker. His death is recorded at Christchurch, Hampshire, in 1960.

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The National Archives

Henry Arthur Oborn

2nd April 2020/in 1914-1918 Devonshire Regiment, Labour Corps /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Oborn

Other names: Henry Arthur

Locations in this story:
Hammersmith, London
Horseshoe Inn, Ebbesbourne Wake, Wiltshire
Salisbury, Wiltshire
Crism Cottage, Ebbesbourne Wake, Wiltshire

Story:
Henry Arthur Oborn was born in Hammersmith, London, on 2nd June 1882, the son of Arthur Oborn (a Police Constable originally from Ebbesbourne Wake, Wiltshire) and Emily Jane Oborn (née Smith). By 1911 Henry's father had retired and moved back to his birthplace and become landlord of the Horseshoe Inn, Ebbesbourne Wake. Henry married Mabel Young at the Parish Church on 2nd May 1914 and they went on to have four children. Henry enlisted on 11th December 1915 and was mobilized on 3rd June 1916, joining the 13th Works Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment as a Private (Service No. 2648). He was transferred to the 312th Home Service Works Company of the Labour Corps on 28th April 1917 (Service No. 172906). He served in the UK and was eventually discharged on 15th July 1919. His military record shows he qualified for Medals which would have been the Victory and British War Medals. By the 1921 Census he was back in Ebbesbourne Wake working as a Carpenter and by the 1939 Register had moved to Crism Cottage, Ebbesbourne Wake, Wiltshire, in the same occupation. He died on the 29th December 1961 in Salisbury, Wiltshire. His brother, Ernest William Oborn, also served for a short time before being discharged as unfit fit further duty. Henry's sister Emily Beatrice (b.1886) also served in the war, with the Voluntary Aid Detachment in a number of military hospitals around the UK.

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Emily Beatrice Oborn
The National Archives

William Crutcher

1st April 2020/in 1914-1918 Royal Engineers, Royal Garrison Artillery /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Crutcher

Other names: William

Locations in this story:
Woodcutts, Sixpenny Handley, Dorset
Sixpenny Handley, Dorset
France & Flanders
Deanland, Sixpenny Handley, Dorset

Story:
William Crutcher was born at Woodcutts, Sixpenny Handley, Dorset, on 14th March 1888 and baptised at Sixpenny Handley on 6th May 1888, the son of William Crutcher and Mary Anne Crutcher (née Witherington). He lived all his civilian life in and around Sixpenny Handley. William enlisted on 11th December 1915 and was mobilized on 22nd May 1916 when he joined the Royal Garrison Artillery as a Gunner (Service No. 82122). He served in France & Flanders. He was transferred to the No. 1 (RGA) Sussex Company (Service No. 374578) and then to the 368th Forestry Company, Royal Engineers 2 Aug 1918 as a Pioneer (Service No. 327932). He was finally discharged on 20th October 1919 and awarded the Victory and British War medals. The 1921 Census shows him living at Deanland, Sixpenny Handley, living with his, by then, widowed father working as a Woodman and Hurdle Maker on his own account. He married Margaret Ellen Lane at Sixpenny Handley, Dorset, on 31st October 1921. There are no records of children. By the 1939 Register he was still living at Deanland, with the same occupation. His death is recorded on 17th August 1968 and he was buried at Sixpenny Handley on 20 Aug 1968.

Images:

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The National Archives

John Langhorn Coombs

1st April 2020/in 1914-1918 Middlesex Regiment /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Coombs

Other names: John Langhorn

Locations in this story:
Berwick St. John, Wiltshire
Tollard Farm, Tollard Royal, Wiltshire
France & Flanders
Salisbury, Wiltshire
Birmingham, Warwickshire

Story:
John Langhorn Coombs (same names as his father) was born on 12th May 1894 at Berwick St. John, Wiltshire, the son of John Langhorn Coombs and Amelia Coombs (née Clarke). He spent all his civilian life in and around Berwick St. John and Tollard Royal, Wiltshire. He enlisted on 4th February 1915 and joined the Public Schools Battalion of the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex) Regiment rising to the rank of Lance Corporal (Service No. 1558). He served in France and Flanders from 17 Nov 1915 and was awarded the Military Medal in accordance with the Special Army Order dated 14th August 1917. He also received the King's Certificate No. 10642 dated 7th September 1917. He was discharged on 12th Feb 1919 and further awarded the Victory and British War medals as well as the 1915 Star. The 1921 Census shows him living with his parents in Tollard Royal assisting his father of the Farm.

His brother, Reginald James (b.1895) had also served and been wounded in the conflict, dying in 1926. John went on to marry his Reginald's widow, Annie Amelia Hart (Coombs), in Birmingham, Warwickshire, in 1928 and they had two children. Another brother, Leonard (b.1899) also served in the war, with The Hussars and the Tank Corps.

By the 1939 Register John was living at Tollard Farm, Tollard Royal, Wiltshire, and described as a Dairy and Corn Farmer as well as a Special Constable. His death is recorded at the Salisbury, Wiltshire, District Registry on 20 Sep 1967 and he was buried at Tollard Royal.

Images:

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The National Archives
Leonard Coombs
Reginald James Coombs