1914-1918 Archives - Page 52 of 164 - Shaftesbury Remembers the Great War

Robert Samuel Baker

9th January 2021/in 1914-1918 /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Baker

Other names: Robert Samuel

Locations in this story:
Semley, Wiltshire
Egypt
Shaftesbury, Dorset
Mere, Wiltshire

Story:
Robert Samuel Baker was born in Semley, Wiltshire, on 24 Aug 1898 and baptised there on 18 Sep 1898 the son of Robert Baker and Emily Baker (nee Sharp). He lived much of his life in Semley including, at one time, Westwood Farm. He enlisted in Shaftesbury, Dorset, on 1 Jan 1916 and joined the Territorial Unit of the Dorset (Queen's Own) Yeomanry as a Private (Service No. 1778). He served in Egypt from 17 Jun 1916 and was transferred to the 17th Squadron of the Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry) on 17 Mar 1917 (Service No. 96200). He was discharged on 19 Mar 1919 and awarded the Victory and British War Medals. The 1921 Census shows him still living at Westwood Farm, Semley, with his widowed mother (his father having died in 1920). He was managing the farm on his mother's behalf. By the time of the 1939 Register he was living at Littledown, Shaftesbury, Dorset, working as a Postman and still single. His death was recorded at the Sturminster, Dorset, Registry, in 1971.

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Denis Hugh Maidment

9th January 2021/in 1914-1918 /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Maidment

Other names: Denis Hugh

Locations in this story:
Sedgehill, Wiltshire
Semley, Wiltshire
France & Flanders
Egypt
Tarrant Gunville, Dorset

Story:
Denis Hugh Maidment was born in Sedgehill, Wiltshire, in 1898 and baptised there on 30 Oct 1898 the son of Thomas Clement Maidment and Ella Grace Maidment (nee Flint). Shortly after his birth his family moved to Sem Hill, Semley, Wiltshire. He enlisted on the 21 Sep 1916 and joined the Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment as a Private (Service No. 46945). He served in France, Flanders and Egypt during which time he was transferred to the Devonshire Regiment on 27 Sep 1918 (Service No. 32656) and then the 2/4th Battalion of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry on 4 Mar 1919 (Service No. 4761). He was eventually discharged on 2 Apr 1920 and awarded the Victory and British War Medals. The 1921 Census shows him living with his parents in Caldicotts Cottages, Semley, Wiltshire, as a Farm Worker. He married Elsie May Giles in Tarrant Gunville, Dorset, on 24 Sep 1925. He regrettably died on 6 May 1938 in Tarrant Gunville at the early age of 39 years and buried there on 10 May 1938. His brother, Clement Martin Maidment, also served but died in 1918 after being discharged early due to his health which had been affected during his service.

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Clement Martin Maidment

Willie James Masters

9th January 2021/in 1914-1918 /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Masters

Other names: Willie James

Locations in this story:
Donhead St. Andrew, Wiltshire
Semley, Wiltshire
Salisbury, Wiltshire
Tisbury, Wiltshire

Story:
Willie James Masters was born in Donhead St. Andrew on 13 Dec 1887 the son of Thomas Masters and Emily Ann Burden Masters (nee Barber). He lived his early life in Berry Wood Lane, Donhead St. Andrew, and later in Barkers Hill, Semley, Wiltshire. His marriage to Alice Ellen Haimes was registered in the Tisbury, Wiltshire, Registry on 26 Dec 1914. He had enlisted on 15 Jun 1916 and joined the Royal Berkshire Regiment as a Private (Service No. 29455). Unfortunately he was discharged on 25 Aug 1916 due to having 'bad Feet' and thereby unlikely to make an efficient soldier. He was called up a second time on 15 Jun 1917 but was not embodied as he continued to remain unfit. He remained at Barkers Hill, Semley, at the time of the 1921 Census. By the time of the 1939 Register he had moved to 8 Shaftesbury Road, Wilton, Wiltshire, working as an Estate Carpenter. He death was recorded at the Salisbury, Wiltshire, Registry in 1967.

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Arthur Fred Kimber

8th January 2021/in 1914-1918 /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Kimber

Other names: Arthur Fred

Locations in this story:
Todber, Dorset
Shaftesbury, Dorset
Portsmouth, Hampshire
Jutland

Story:
Arthur Fred Kimber was born in Todber, Dorset, (registered in Shaftesbury, Dorset) on 11 Jul 1898 the son of William Kimber and Emily Ellen Kimber (nee Burden). He spent all his early life in Well Common, Todber, Dorset. He had enlisted on 10 Nov 1914 with the Royal Navy as a Boy Class 2 eventually rising to the being an Able Seaman (Service No. J32863). He served in many ships in many parts of the world including the Cruiser HMS Fearless (an Active Scout Class Cruiser) at the Battle of Jutland. Rather than being discharged at the end of the war, he signed on for extended service. He was awarded the Victory and British War Medals as well as the 1915 Star. The 1921 Census gives his registered address as Wavering Lane, Gillingham, Dorset, described as an Able Seaman (RN). He married Margaret Selina Newman in Portsmouth, Hampshire, during 1926. In 1928 he was due for discharge but signed on yet again. On 26 Aug 1931 he was also awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. By the time of the 1939 Register he was recorded living at 26 Totland Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, described as an Able Seaman serving on HMS Viceroy (land based posting) with Service No. PJX159488. His death was recorded in Portsmouth in 1984. His brother, Stanley Kimber, also served in the conflict during which time he had been awarded the Military Medal. (NB. The family advise that Arthur also served in the 2WW from 1940 to 1944. He was on board HMS King George V at a time which included the sinking of the German battleship Bismark.)

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Stanley Kimber

Herbert Victor Lucas

8th January 2021/in 1914-1918 /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Lucas

Other names: Albert Victor

Locations in this story:
Fontmell Magna, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Otterbourne, Hampshire
Loughton Essex
Tory Island, County Donegal, Ireland
Portsmouth, Hampshire
Chingford, Essex

Story:
Herbert Victor Lucas was born in Bedchester, Fontmell Magna, Shaftesbury, Dorset, on 19 May 1881 and baptised in Fontmell Magna on 11 Jun 1881 the son of Charles Lucas and Mary Maria Lucas (nee Lockyer). He spent his very early years in Bedchester, Fontmell Magna, before the family moved to Highbridge Farm, Otterbourne, Hampshire by 1891. Herbert married Lucy Burton at St. Peter and St. Paul's Church, Chingford, Essex, on 30 Jul 1910 and they went on to have one son. They set up home in Loughton, Essex, where Herbert was a Dairyman. He had enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry as a Private (Service Nos. PO/8584 & RMRB915). He was posted to serve on HMS Viknor, an armed merchant vessel used as a cruising patrol ship. On 13 Jan 1915, whilst off the coast of Ireland near Troy Island, County Donegal, his ship hit a mine, thought to have been laid by a German submarine, and sank with the loss of all hands. His body was not recovered for burial and he is remembered on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Portsmouth, Hampshire, (Panel 9). He was awarded the Victory and British War Medals as well as the 1914/15 Star. His wife went on to re-marry Joseph Mummery.

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Stanley Martin

7th January 2021/in 1914-1918 Royal Navy /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Martin

Other names: Stanley

Locations in this story:
Stour Provost, Dorset
Shaftesbury, Dorset
Dorchester, Dorset
Portsmouth, Hampshire
Sheerness, Kent
Gillingham, Kent

Story:
Stanley Martin was born in Stour Provost, Dorset, on 14th November 1879 and baptised there on 5th December 1879. The birth was registered at Shaftesbury, Dorset. He was the son of George Martin and Charlotte Martin (née Barnes). He lived most of his early life at 7 Stour Lane, Stour Provost, until by 1901 he had moved to Dorchester, Dorset, where he was employed as a fitter and turner. He enlisted for 12 years and joined the Royal Navy initially as a Acting Electician (Service No. 345056). He married Alice Julia Matilda Tilley at Portsmouth, Hampshire, Register Office on 29th November 1902.

He was due for discharge after his 12 years but was, by then holding the rank of Chief Electrical Artificer Class 2, posted to the Dreadnought Battleship HMS Bulwark in early 1914 thus remaining in the service. He had shortly after been awarded a bonus for inventing a combination lamp holder that would be used thereafter in the Royal Navy. On the 26th November, 1914, whilst moored up off Sheerness, Kent, there was an explosion in the vessel's boiler room and the ship sunk with all but 12 hands lost. Various estimates of those lost vary from 733 men to 741 men. The body of Stanley was not recovered and he is now remembered on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Portsmouth, Hampshire (Panel 5) and also on the local War Memorial at Gillingham, Kent. His name is also mentioned on plaques inside St. Michaels Church, Stour Provost, and the All Saints Church war memorial, now in the Stour Row Village Hall. He was awarded the Victory and British War medals as well as the 1914 Star. His wife went on to re-marry Charles Nithsdale on 3rd June 1915.

Source: Photographs of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial taken by Richard Lunn.

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The National Archives
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Tom Samuel Lampard

6th January 2021/in 1914-1918 /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Lampard

Other names: Tom Samuel

Locations in this story:
East Knoyle, Wiltshire
Bruton, Somerset
Romsey, Hampshire
Heligoland, off Dutch Coast
Portsmouth, Hampshire

Story:
Tom Samuel Lampard was born in East Knoyle, Wiltshire, on 24 Jul 1893 the son of William Thomas Lampard and Mary Jane Lampard (nee Beal). He spent his life prior to Military Service in East Knoyle, then Bruton, Somerset and finally, according to the 1911 Census, as an Assistant Dairyman living at Lee Cottages, Nr. Romsey, Hampshire. His mother died in 1913. He had enlisted in the Royal Navy on 22 Oct 1911 and was given the rank of Stoker Class 2. He served in a number of ships rising to the rank of Stoker Class 1 when, on 22 Sep 1914 onboard HMS Cressy in the North Sea near Heligoland off the Dutch coast, the ship was struck by a torpedo fired from German submarine U-9 and the ship sank. Many of the crew were saved by local fishing boats that were nearby but quite a number of them, including the Captain and Tom, were killed and their bodies not recovered. His name was officially recorded on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Portsmouth, Hampshire, (Panel 4). He is also recorded in the De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour. He was awarded the Victory and British War Medals as well as the 1914 Star. The WGC site note that his father was living at 'Rose Cottage', The Green, East Knoyle, Wiltshire. Tom's brother, Henry James Lampard, was also killed whilst serving in the Army.

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Charles Ernest Miles

5th January 2021/in 1914-1918 /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Miles

Other names: Charles Ernest

Locations in this story:
Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Taunton, Somerset
Yeovil, Somerset
France & Flanders
Germany

Story:
Charles Ernest Miles was born in Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, Dorset, on 19 Jun 1886 and baptised there at St. John's Church on 22 Aug 1886 the son of Edwin Miles and Lucy Jane Miles (nee Meade). He spent all his early life with his parents at Nettlebed Nursery, Enmore Green, Shaftesbury. By 1911 he had moved to Taunton, Somerset, where he was boarding out and working as a Motor Mechanic. He enlisted on 18 Nov 1914 with the Royal Engineers as a Private (Service No. 1582). He married Mabel Theodora Victoria Warry at the Parish Church in Yeovil, Somerset, on 26 Dec 1914 prior to his posting. He was posted to France and Flanders and served there with the 8th Signal Company (Service No. 500134) and was also promoted to Corporal. Following the Armistice he was posted to the 6th Signal Company with the Rhine Signal Battalion in Germany. He was eventually discharged on 28 May 1920 and awarded the Victory and British War Medals. The 1921 Census shows him living at 3 Earle Street, Yeovil, Somerset, working as a Motor Engineer. By the time of the 1939 Register he had moved to 14 Salisbury Terrace, Yeovil, Somerset, working as an Aircraft Parts Inspector (previously a Motor Mechanic in a Garage). His death was recorded in Yeovil in 1951. Charles's brothers, Harold Edwin Miles and Arthur Douglas Miles, also served in the conflict.

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William Pike

5th January 2021/in 1914-1918 /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Pike

Other names: William

Locations in this story:
Stour Row, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Stour Provost, Dorset
France & Flanders,
Somme, France,
Gallipoli, Turkey
Gillingham, Dorset

Story:
William Pike was born in Stour Row, Shaftesbury, Dorset, in 1893 and baptised at Stour Provost, Dorset, on 15 Apr 1893 the son of Emily Matilda Pike. (There was no fathers name entered in the baptismal record.). William lived most of his life in the Stour Row/Stour Provost area until his Military Service. His mother married Harry Rake in 1903. William had enlisted on 7 Sep 1914 and joined the 5th Service Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment as a Private (Service No. 11043). He was wounded at Gallipoli, Turkey, on 4 Dec 1915 and had to be repatriated back to the UK on a hospital Ship on 22 Jan 1916. Following his recovery he was promoted to Corporal (Acting Lance Sergeant) and joined the 1st Battalion in France and Flanders on 12 Apr 1916. He received wounds again in the Somme, France, area on 1 Jul 1916 and subsequently died on 4 Jul 1916. There is however no grave reference and he is merely remembered on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France, (Addenda Panel 1.) and also on the Gillingham, Dorset, War Memorial, where his mother was then living. He was awarded the Victory and British War Medals as well as the 1914/15 Star.

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William James Ridout

3rd January 2021/in 1914-1918 /by Chris Stupples

Surname: Ridout

Other names: William James

Locations in this story:
Stour Row, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Stour Provost, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Balham, London
Upper Norwood, Surrey
Croydon, Surrey

Story:
William James Ridout was born in Stour Row, Shaftesbury, Dorset, on 3 Jan 1878 and baptised at Stour Provost, Dorset, on 27 Mar 1878 the son of Charles Ridout, a Farmer, and Hannah Sarah Ridout (nee Stone). He lived his early life with his family at Tile House Farm, Stour Row, until by 1908, when he married Margaret Florence Eyles in Hackney, London, on 19 Aug 1908. By 1911 he was living in Balham. London, working as a Drapers Assistant. He enlisted on 11 Dec 1915 but was not mobilized until 2 Sep 1916 when he joined the 2/1 Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment as a Private (Service No. 265708). He was transferred to the 6th (Cyclists) Battalion of his regiment (Service No. 2821) and later to the Army Pay Corps on 28 Nov 1918 (Service No. 24403). He was at this time promoted to Corporal. He was discharged on 24 Apr 1920 but no medal records can be found. Both the 1021 Census and 1939 Register shows he was living at 49 Spa Hill, Upper Norwood, Surrey, working as a Linen Drapers Assistant for Harrods Stores Ltd. His death was recorded at the Croydon, Surrey, Registry in 1969.

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