World War 1 - Fifth Panel

WWI FIFTH PANEL WORLD WAR I FIFTH PANEL - BRISTOL GRAMMAR SCHOOL - INDIVIDUAL BIOGRAPHIES

Bristol Grammar School Fifth Panel, Great Hall

World War One - Fifth Panel Listing the individual biographies of all known additional Bristol Grammar School pupils who fought and died in wwi and who were not listed on the bgs war memorial

Research by Members of the BGS Archives Department Edited by Dr Carrie A. Rosser Archives Department and Former Teacher of Physics at Bristol Grammar School

with historical foreword

First Edition

with many photographs by Nicky Pearce and Tony O'Callaghan with thanks to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for maps and certificates

Bristol, 2021

FOREWORD TO THE FIFTH PANEL In 1922 the Old Bristolians’ Society

arranged for the War Memorial Screen to be erected. This memorial contains four bronze panels mounted in an oak screen. The bronze panels are the work of Messrs Humphreys and Oakes of Bristol, while the carved oak screen was executed by Messrs R F Ridd and Sons of Bristol. The Roll of Honour, printed in the Chronicle of July 1919, lists around 700 men and boys who served in the Great War. The original War Memorial records 124 casualties who died in action or from their wounds. In 2012, the authors of ‘Public Schools and The Great War, the Generation Lost’ requested a list of our casualties.

sections with the help of Andy Ward, of Wards of Bristol, who sought to replicate as closely as possible the typeface used on the original War Memorial. The panel was then struck in bronze and measures 1500mm by 750mm. It was unveiled in the summer of 2018 and is mounted facing the original War Memorial. The Panel holds the names of 36 men. However, the total number of casualties continues to rise and currently stands at 42. We are unlikely ever to identify all the pupils and staff who served and lost their lives in the Great War.

the Archives Department of the School and subsequently revealed that in fact over 1000 staff and pupils served in the Great War. The wider dispersal of the pupil population to the Empire, and to Canada, Australia and India in particular, explains some of the omissions from the Roll of Honour. It was therefore not surprising that more casualties were found. With the support of the Headmaster, Mr R I MacKinnon, it was agreed that an Addenda Panel, made in bronze, would be struck.

In addition to the physical presence of the Fifth Panel the stories of the additional casualties have been recorded in this booklet. During the research many documents were found and stories uncovered. For some we learnt about their lives before, during and after the war. They were, in some ways, ordinary men. They had jobs, some got married and some had families. Some travelled across the globe to start new lives in other parts of the Empire. All made extraordinary sacrifices to serve their country. In recording their stories in this booklet we hope that we do justice to them and their bravery.

The Addenda Panel, later known

We are indebted to the School,

The Panel was designed in three

Carrie Rosser / Anne Bradley February 2020

This prompted further research by

as The Fifth Panel, was made possible by the generosity of a group of Old Bristolians, though some funds were made available from the Headmaster and there was a smaller grant from the Monumental Brass Society.

Fifth Panel

to Roderick MacKinnon and to the generous donations from many Old Bristolians. The Fifth Panel would not have been possible without their support and encouragement.

7

CCONTENTS Foreword

7

Knee, George Creasey

47

Alsop*, Claude Simpson

9

Lock, Herbert James Hoddinott

49

Armfield, Archie Seaward

10

Logan*, Frederick Thomas Bishop

50

Baird, David Eugene

12

Machon, Cecil Francis Eardley

52

Birch, Frederick William

13

Manley*, John Hunter

53

Bourne*, Richard Balfour

14

Marsh, Francis Courtenay

55

Boyce, Percival Osmond Bean

15

Mayne, Cecil Robert

56

Bretherton, Walter Kington

17

Midddleton*, John

57

Browne, Henry Alfred Ford

18

Newton, Frederick William John

58

Burdett, Charles Plantagenet Balfour

19

Phillpotts, Fitzroy Charles

61

Calcott, George Reginald Charles

21

Pickard, Ernest William

62

Cavendish, Hugh Crawford

23

Read, Mortimer Charles

63

Cox, John Ramsay

25

Stephens, Noel Gordon

65

Croll, John Sherwood

26

Stone, Harold George

66

Davis, Francis Madresfield

28

Thomas, Arthur Lewis (master)

68

Davy, Henry Rawle

29

Tovey, Hubert Curthoys

69

Day, Richard

Denniss, William Calvert

30

Walker, Glbert Russell

70

32

Willis, Herbert Pakeman

71

Farmer, Reginald William Bartlett

34

Afterword

73

Gore*, Arthur Holmes

36

Grindon, Thomas Edward

38

Gunning, William Herbert

40

Harding, Lionel George

42

Hardingham, Francis George

44

Holdsworth, William Ewart

46

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The names with a * indicate a casualty who is not recorded on the 5th panel.

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ALSOP,

CLAUDE SIMPSON

BORN 18 JANUARY 1890

Claude Simpson Alsop was

born in Bristol on 18 January 1890, the son of Uriah Henry Alsop (b 1865 in Bristol) and Agnes Henderson (née Simpson b 1865). Uriah and Agnes were married on 14 June 1888, though records show Agnes died shortly after the birth of Claude; Uriah went on to have two further marriages.

On 5 August 1891, in Portsea, Uriah married Edith Ada (née Angear, b 1867 in Devon) and had two children: Dorothy Almira Edith in 1893 and Ernest Henry Angear in 1894.

However records indicate Edith died in Bristol in 1896.

On 6 August 1900 Uriah married Rosa Caroline, (née Powell, b 1874 in Bristol). Two sons were born: Kenneth Stuart in 1904 and Cyril John in 1907.

Claude entered the Shell form of the School on 18 September 1900 aged 10 and left in December 1902. His father was a manufacturer and the family lived at 2 Archfield Road, Cotham. Claude then attended Colston’s School from 1903 - 1907, leaving aged 17. In 1911, now a drapery assistant, he was living with his family in Rodney Hall, Filton, Bristol.

Passenger lists suggest that in March 1914, aged 24, Claude travelled from Liverpool to Saint John, New Brunswick, Fifth Panel

Canada. His occupation was recorded as Carter.

Whilst living at 298 Grey Street, London, Ontario, he enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force on 28 May 1915. Andrew Simpson has researched a number of servicemen that served with the CEF. His blog gives more detail about Claude’s war service.

After enlisting he left for Europe in March 1916 as a Private in the Canadian Infantry, Eastern Ontario Regiment, 2nd Battalion. He received a shell wound to his right shoulder in France on 18 June and was transferred to the 2nd Western General Hospital in Manchester.

Whilst being treated for the shell wound, Claude suddenly haemorrhaged from a lung and died in the Royal Infirmary on 25 July 1916, aged 26. He was buried in Manchester Southern Cemetery.

During the Great War there were between thirty and forty war hospitals in the Manchester area and many of those servicemen that died in these hospitals are buried in the cemeteries in Manchester.

The probate details of his will confirms he left everything to his half-sister Almira Dorothy Alsop, which amounted to £1417.

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ARMFIELD,

ARCHIE SEAWARD

BORN 7 FEBRUARY 1879

Archie Seaward Armfield

was born in Clapham, Surrey, on 7 February 1879. He was the son of Charles Augustus Armfield (b 1820 in London) and Mary Ann Armfield (née Seaward b 1851 in London ).

Charles and Mary were married in Westminster in 1873 and their family included Charles William Augustus Armfield (b 1874 in Westminster, London), Arthur Armfield (b 1892 in Bramley, Surrey) and Ivy Augusta Armfield (b 1889 in Clapham, Surrey).

Archie entered the School in the Lower Mercantile form on 20 September 1893, aged 14. At that time the family lived at Somerville Road, St Andrews, Bristol. This was an area of large attractive houses built for Bristol’s growing middle class professional population.

South Africa Police, Archie was awarded The Queen’s South Africa Medal Clasps: Rhodesia.

His name appears on the Boer War plaque in the Great Hall, a plaque which commemorates those who served in this conflict. Enlisting in 1914 and gazetted on 15 December 1915, Archie served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Irish Guards, 2nd Battalion. He was killed in action during the Third Battle of Ypres on 31 July 1917, aged 38.

At this time, his parents lived at 2 South View, Higher Torrs, Ilfracombe, Devon.

His Commonwealth War Grave is in the Canada Farm Cemetery, Ieper (Ypres), West-Vlaandren, Belgium, (grave reference II B 25). His name also

His father was a Surveyor of Taxes. Archie was in the Mercantile stream which was intended to prepare him for a future in the business world. A good sportsman, he appeared in a photo of the 1st XV Rugby team in the School Chronicle of April 1895 and was listed as a member of the Games Committee in the Chronicle of December 1895.

Archie left the School in December 1895, aged 16. After serving in the Anglo-Boer War in the II (Bulawayo) Division British Fifth Panel

10

CONT.

ARMFIELD,

ARCHIE SEAWARD

BORN 7 FEBRUARY 1879

appears on the war memorial in Combe Martin in Devon. Archie’s older brother, Charles William Augustus Armfield, did not attend the school.

After emigrating to Canada around 1901, Charles served as a member of the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force. He survived the war dying unmarried in 1954, in Devon. Ivy Augusta Armfield also died unmarried in 1966.

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11

BAIRD,

DAVID EUGENE BORN 1882

David Eugene Baird was born

in 1882 in Aldershot, Hampshire, son of Captain David Baird (b 1844 in Ireland) and Jannette Baird (b 1846 in Ireland).

His War Grave is in Beauval Communal Cemetery, Somme, France, (grave reference F7).

Census records from 1891 show the family living in Ilkley, Yorkshire.

David entered the School on 14 March 1892, aged 10. At that time the family lived at 12 West Mall, Clifton, Bristol.

His father was a retired officer from the West Riding Regiment. He attended the School for a very short time, leaving before the end of March 1892.

David married Elizabeth M F Jackson in 1916. He rose to the rank of Company Sergeant Major in the Border

The centrepiece of the Memorial Chamber on Parliament Hill is the main altar, which holds the First World War Book of Remembrance. The altar rests on steps made of stone quarried from Flanders Fields

He left his father David Baird of Ullard House, Borris, County Carlow and his wife Elizabeth M F Baird of Ash Brook, Roscrea, County Tipperary.

David is remembered in the Book of Remembrance, in Peace Tower, Ottawa.

His connection with Canada has not yet been discovered.

Book of Remembrance in the Peace Tower, Ottawa

Regment, 1st Battalion, before dying of his wounds on 6 July 1916, aged 34.

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12

BIRCH,

FREDERICK WILLIAM BORN 3 MARCH 1869

Frederick William Birch was

born on 3 March 1869 in Bengal, India, son of Major Henry (Harry) Holwell Birch (b 1837 in Peshawar Bengal) and Sarah Henrietta Birch (b 1841). Frederick had a sister Henrietta Eleanor Birch (b 1872 in Bengal), who died in Bengal in 1874 aged 2. Harry Birch died on 21 November 1878, aged 41, in Peshawar, Bengal. Frederick joined the School in VI Modern in September 1882, aged 13.

At that time, he lived with his widowed mother at 32 Fernbank Road, Redland.

He left the School in December 1885, aged 16. The Chronicle of March 1888 records (below) he passed the Sandhurst Final Examination for Commissions in Cavalry and Infantry.

He served at Samana and Hazara (1891) in the Tirah Punjab Frontier Campaign, with the 30th Punjabis (1897-1898).

Frederick married May Onslow Thompson (b 1869 in Carmarthenshire, Wales) on 2 November 1892 in Bombay.

May died in 1908 and was buried in Sussex. After the death of his first wife, Frederick married Mary Dorothea (née McKenzie b 1887 in Cheshire) in 1910.

By 1911 they were living in Poole, Dorset. Frederick was a Pensioned Indian Army Officer. Whilst living in Poole they had two children, Frederick William Alexander Birch (b 1911) and James Holwell Birch (b 1913).

Though retired from the Indian Army, Frederick was recalled and subsequently served as a Major in the South Wales Borderers, 4th Battalion, before being killed in action in Mesopotamia on 17 April 1916, aged 47.

He is remembered with Honour on the Basra Memorial in Iraq (panels 16 and 62).

He left a wife Mary Dorothea Birch, aged 29, of 25 Florence Park, Redland, Bristol, and a widowed mother Sarah Henrietta Birch.

BGS Chronical March 1888

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13

BOURNE,

RICHARD BALFOUR

BORN 5 OCTOBER 1897

Richard Balfour Bourne was

born on 5 October 1897 in Stechford Worcestershire. He was the son of Henry Hutton Bourne, a silversmith (b 1866 in Birmingham) and Clara Lucas Bourne (née Balfour, b 1869 in Red Hill, Surrey).

Aerodrome, Dublin, due to an aero accident on 6 November 1919, aged 22.

He is buried at Grangegorman Military Cemetery, Dublin. He left his mother and father at 82 Addison Way, Golders Green, Middlesex.

Henry (Harry) and Clara were married on 3 September 1889 in Kingsbury, Warwickshire.

Census records show a large family living in Yardley, Warwickshire in 1911.

Henry and Clara had five children: three daughters: Cecile Balfour, (b 1892 in Stechford), Edith Mary, (b 1896 in Stechford) and Christine Mabel (b 1910 in Yardley) and a second son John Henry, (b 1904 in Yardley).

Richard was educated at King Edward’s High School, New Street, Birmingham from 1909 to 1912.

The school records of Bristol Grammar School show he entered form Lower III on 20 January 1913, aged 15.

His brother John Henry entered the Prep School, form Upper I at the same time. The family were living at 19 Cornwallis Crescent, Clifton, Bristol. Richard left on 28 March 1914, aged 16 whilst John left on 31 March 1915.

By 29 July 1916 he was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps and by 1 April 1918 he had risen to the rank of Captain. He was granted a permanent commission in the RAF on 1 August 1919. Richard lost his life at Baldonell Fifth Panel

14

BOYCE,

PERCIVAL OSMOND BEAN BORN 10 OCTOBER 1888

Percival Osmond Bean Boyce was born in Calcutta, India on 10 October 1888, the son of Osmond Bean Boyce (b in Calcutta) and Edith Mary Boyce (née Ward b 1864 in Merionethshire, North Wales).

According to the biography from the Merseyside Roll of Honour, his father was a civil engineer. Percival was the eldest of seven children: John Leonard Bean (b 1890 in East Indies), Cecil Lindsay Bean (b 1891), Edgar Ronald Bean (b 1892 in Koho India), William Edwin Bean (b 1894), Edith Irene Dorothy Bean (b 1896) and Noel Wilford Bean (b 1899). At the time of the 1901 census Percival and his brothers John and Cecil were boarders at Keyford College, Frome, Somerset.

German submarine ub-62 on 25 July 1918 off the coast of Donegal, Ireland.

The ship was beached and later refloated. Percival died four months later on 27 November 1918, aged 30 and was buried at Paignton Cemetery, Devon, (grave reference 2909).

A photo of his grave is to be found below from the Findagrave website.

He left his widowed mother Edith Mary Boyce and a wife Florence Evelyne Boyce. Percival was awarded the Mercantile Marine War Medal as all those that served in the Mercantile Marine (later renamed the Merchant Navy) were awarded a war medal.

Percival entered the Shell A Form of the School on 19 January 1904, aged 15, with his brothers John and Cecil joining the school on 17 January 1905. At that time, Percival lived in Chasefield, Knowle. John left the School in April 1905 followed by Percival in December 1905 with Cecil leaving in December 1906.

In June 1906, Percival was an apprentice in the Merchant Navy working on the steam ship Port Kingston.

Percival’s father died in 1907. On 19 May 1915, Percival married Florence Evelyne Cooper (b 1887 in Paignton).

During WWI he served as Chief Officer on the Elder Dempster cargo ship SS Indore, which was torpedoed by the Fifth Panel

15

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16

BRETHERTON, WALTER KINGTON

BORN 27 AUGUST 1871

Walter Kington Bretherton

was born on 27 August 1871, a son of Edward Bretherton (b 1835) and Sarah Georgiana Bretherton (b 1838).

In the 1881 the census shows he was the youngest of eight children with four brothers and three sisters: Alice M M (b 1858, undergraduate teacher), George H (b 1860, Lieutenant Hereford Militia), Edith G (b 1865), Frank A (b 1866), Willoughby J (1867), Ethel W (b 1869) and Gilbert Leonard (b 30 October 1869). The whole family was born in Gloucestershire.

Walter entered the School in January 1882, aged 10, together with his brother Gilbert, aged 12. An older brother, Willoughby James, entered in September 1881, aged 14.

At that time, the family lived at Brookthorpe, Hampton Road, Redland and his father was recorded as a Commission Agent.

Gilbert left the School in July 1888, aged 17 and Walter similarly left the VI Classics form in July 1890, aged 18. Walter went to the University of Oxford in 1890 to read Classics, graduating in 1894. Later he attained the Diplôme Supérieur de Alliance Française, in Paris.

He went on to register as a teacher and work in a number of schools: • Kelso High School, Scotland, 1895-1899 Fifth Panel

• University College Preparatory School, Holly Hill, Hampstead, London, 1899-1902 • Queen Mary’s School, Walsall, 1902-1903 • Hartford House School, Nr Winchfield, 1903-1906 On 8 August 1906 Passenger Lists show he boarded the ship City of Karachi, destination Bombay.

His career in teaching continued as follows: • Bishop Cotton School, Simla, India, 1906-1909.

• Headmaster – Hewett Kahattraja High School, 1909-1912 • Senior Assistant Master – La Martinière College, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 1912.

In 1912 Walter was a Captain of the Simla Volunteer Rifles. Later he served as 2nd Lieutenant in the Indian Army Reserve of Officers, attached to the Supply and Transport Corps.

He was gazetted as a Lieutenant in May 1916 though sadly died on 13 May 1916, aged 44. His Commonwealth War grave is in the Ferozepore Military Cemetery, India (grave reference Plot C Grave 203). He left a mother Sarah Georgina Bretherton (widow).

17

BROWNE,

HENRY ALFRED FORD BORN 9 FEBRUARY 1884

Henry Alfred Browne was

born in Bristol on 9 February 1884, son of Alfred Browne an accountant (b 1862 in Bristol) and wife Lydia Browne (b 1861 in Bedminster, Bristol).

By 1891 Henry was living with his mother and father and sister Hilda L (b 1886 in Bristol), in Montrose Avenue, Westbury on Trym Bristol.

the Pila P.O.W. Cemetery Memorial 1, Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery. Poznan is in Poland, 320 km west of Berlin.

Henry’s next of kin were his mother Lydia and his wife Norah, of 8 Ruskin Grove, Horfield, Bristol.

Henry entered the School on 19 September 1894, aged 10, at which time his father was an Insurance agent and the family lived at 142, Whiteladies Road.

Alfred and Lydia had two further children, Ivy (b 1898 in Redland, Bristol) and Ivor (b 1901 in Bishopston, Bristol).

Henry left the School on 4 February 1897, a few days before his 13th birthday.

The 1911 census shows Henry is now an Able Bodied Seaman in the Royal Navy, living at 49 Paul Street, Kingsdown, Bristol, with his widowed mother, Ivy and Ivor.

In 1912 Henry married Norah Weeks.

His war service is dated from 30 August 1914 and he was a Private in the Coldstream Guards, 1st Battalion, at the time of his death.

Serving in Flanders, most likely in the Battle of Mons and first battle of Ypres, he was taken prisoner of war and died on 15 July 1915.

His Commonwealth War Grave is in Fifth Panel

18

BURDETT,

CHARLES PLANTAGENET BALFOUR BORN 26 JANUARY 1890

Charles Plantagenet Balfour Burdett was born in the

United States on 26 January 1890. The University of Durham has researched the life of Charles and hence much of what we know comes from their Roll of Honour Record.

2nd Lt. C.P.B. Burdett (Ref: MIA 1/338)

He was the third child of John E Burdett and Adelaide Victoria Stanley Burdett (née Leatham b 1859). John, a Canadian citizen, was a mechanical engineer working with motor cycles.

Both John and Adelaide were originally from Ireland. John was born in 1856 in Newbliss, County Monaghan, whilst Adelaide was born in 1859 in Upper Langfield, County Tyrone. John and Adelaide had three more children, John Head Burdett (b 1884), Sybil Mary Burdett (b 1886 in Shell Mouth, Manitoba, Canada) and Cyril French Burdett (b 1896 in Lewisham London).

John and Adelaide returned to Fifth Panel

Liverpool, England on the RMS Etruria in 1893, and then settled in Middlesex.

Cyril was born after their return from Canada. John established a Cycle and Motor Engineering business under the name of Maxwell and Burdett.

Charles Burdett entered School on 12 January 1898, aged 7, but left after only a few months on 3 February 1898, aged 8. The records remark ‘was allowed to attend on a visit to Clifton’. Charles’ brother, John Head, also attended the School from 19 September 1893 to December 1898. At that time, the School records showed their guardian was their Aunt, Miss Louisa Burdett, of 6 Alma Road Clifton.

In 1911, Charles started a degree in Theology at the University of Durham, graduating with a BA in 1913. He was a keen sportsman taking an active part in hockey, football and rowing.

He was due to take the curacy of St Thomas, Stepney, but on the outbreak of war enlisted in September 1914. By 12 August 1915, he was a temporary Second Lieutenant in the Royal Fusiliers (the City of London Regiment), 15th Battalion. This was a reserve battalion that stayed on home soil.

Later he transferred to the regular forces and attached to the 9th Battalion arrived in France on 9 March 1916.

He was killed on 7 July 1916, aged 26, during an attack on the village of Ovillers, part of the Battle of the Somme. His commanding officer wrote to his parents, “Your son…was killed as he was gallantly leading his platoon to the attack. I cannot say too much about his calmness under fire. The whole 19

CONT.

BURDETT,

CHARLES PLANTAGENET BALFOUR BORN 26 JANUARY 1890

battalion honoured and respected him.”

A brother officer also wrote at the time, providing a more detailed report of the circumstances of his death.

Charles Burdett was originally buried in Mash Valley Cemetery but his grave was lost in later fighting and he is therefore commemorated on a memorial in Ovillers Military Cemetery, (grave reference Mash Valley Memorial, Panel 7).

He is also recorded on the war memorial at Ealing in London. His next of kin were recorded as John and Adelaide Burdett of 15 Waldemar Avenue, Ealing, Middlesex.

John Head Burdett, Charles’ brother, received his commission for the Royal Navy on 19 December 1914 and became a Surgeon Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Air Force, (Royal Naval Air Service).

“Our company was in the front line. Just before going over, your son was buried by a shell, but in spite of the severe shock, he persisted in going over with his men. When half way over No Man’s Land the company came under heavy machine-gun fire and the line halted, lay down, and opened fire on the German trench. After a short time, Burdett got up and rushed his men forward to the German lines.”

This account appeared in Obituary, “Deaths.” Times [London, England] 21 July 1916.

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20

CALCOTT,

GEORGE REGINALD CHARLES BORN 3 NOVEMBER 1884

George Reginald Charles Calcott was born in Bristol on

3 November 1884, son of Benjamin Calcott (b 1853 in Bristol) and Louisa Calcott (née Bishop b 1853 in Portsmouth, Hampshire).

Benjamin and Louisa were married in Portsmouth on 5 February 1878.

George was one of four children and had three sisters, Eleanor C (b 1879), Violet (b 1880), Dorothy (b. 1882) and Annie Marjorie (b 1890). In the 1891 census, George was living with his parents, Dorothy and Annie at Portland Square, Bristol. Benjamin was at that time a Provision Merchant.

George entered School on 15 January 1895, aged 10, though it is not clear when he left, the School records seems to suggest around 1900. In the 1901 census George was living at 5 Belgrave Road, Bristol together with his parents and sisters Eleanor and Annie.

George was killed in action on 5 November 1916, aged 32. At that

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time, he was a Lance Corporal in the Worcester Regiment, 2nd Battalion.

He previously served with the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars.

He left behind his widowed mother, Louisa, of West Town, Backwell. His father Benjamin died in 1914.

George’s name is recorded on the Thiepval Memorial, (grave reference Pier and Face 5A and 6C). This memorial commemorates more than 72000 men of British and South African forces who have no known grave and who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918. The majority of those on the memorial died during the Somme offensive of 1916.

The Thiepval memorial was designed

by Sir Edwin Lutyens and is the largest Commonwealth Memorial to the missing in the world. It overlooks the Somme River in France, an area where some of the heaviest fighting took place in the First World War.

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22

CAVENDISH, HUGH CRAWFORD

BORN 1 JANUARY 1881

Hugh Crawford Cavendish

was born in Cochin (now Kochi), Southern India, on 1 January 1881, son of Alexander Carnegie Cavendish (b 1845 in Bristol) and Joanna May Campbell Cavendish (née Crawford b 1854 in India). His parents were married in Madras in 1876.

Hugh had an older brother, Alexander, (b 1879), a younger sister Mary Carnegie (b 1882) and a younger brother James Robert Carnegie (b 1885). Hugh and his three siblings were all baptised in Madras.

Hugh’s older brother, Alexander, entered the School on 10 May 1889, aged 9. Hugh entered the School on 22 September 1892, aged 11, at the same time as his younger brother James Robert Carnegie, aged 7. The family lived at 5 Northcote Road, Bristol and his father worked as an agent for the Bank of Madras. Alexander Carnegie Cavendish died in India on 5 April 1893 and the three children left the School in the same month. Hugh and James attended Bedford Modern School from September 1893.

Hugh Crawford received his commission on passing out of Woolwich in November 1899. He served in the South Africa War and was awarded the Queen’s medal with two clasps. Hugh, aged 27, married Marjory Philippa George, Fifth Panel

aged 27, in Fleet Church, Dorset on 8 September 1908. At that time, he was living at Fleet House near Weymouth.

Moving back to India, his daughter, Barbara Anne Crawford, was born on 6 July 1909. The 1911 census records Hugh, aged 30, and his wife Marjory as living in Jullundur Cantonments, Punjab India. A son, Hugh Edward Cavendish, was born in 1912 in Fleet, Dorset but died in infancy.

In 1914, Hugh became a Major and went to Belgium in the first battle of Ypres, serving in the 7th Division. He

was wounded and returned home.

In July 1915 he returned to the front serving with the Royal Field Artillery, B

Battery, 87th Brigade. Hugh died in the Battle of the Somme, on 1 August 1916, 23

CONT.

CAVENDISH,

HUGH CRAWFORD

BORN 1 JANUARY 1881

aged 35, leaving his parents and widow, Marjory, of Upper Chilland House, Winchester. His War Grave is in Flatiron Copse Cemetery, Mametz (grave reference VIII G 2). It is likely his body was moved to this cemetery from one of the many smaller ones in the area after the Armistice.

Hugh was mentioned in despatches in the London Gazette on two occasions: 17th February 1915 and 4th January 1917.

The life of Hugh Crawford Cavendish is commemorated in the church of the Holy Trinity in Fleet, Dorset.

Inside the church is a wooden cross bearing his name.

There is also a brass plate (see below) with the inscription ‘In thankfulness to God for the most dear memory of a very true and gallant Soldier, Hugh Crawford Cavendish…’

Hugh is commemorated on several memorials.

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24

COX,

JOHN RAMSAY

BORN 29 JUNE 1873

John Ramsay Cox was born in

Yatton, Somerset, on 29 June 1873, son of William Charles Cox (b 1841 in Bedminster, Bristol), and Catherine Margaret Cox (née Ramsay b 1846 in Tintinhull, Somerset). William’s father was the late Reverend Alexander Ramsay, Vicar of Crewkerne, Somerset.

In 1881 census records show John living with his parents at Ashley Lawn, Yatton, Somerset.

John entered the School on 15 January 1889, aged 15, leaving in April 1890.

By 1891, John was one of 6 children residing at Worlebury, South Road, Weston Super Mare, Axbridge, Somerset. His other siblings were Mary R (b 1868), William S R (b 1870), Kathleen R (b 1871), Edith R (b 1873) and Erskine R (b 1882). John was also educated at Bruton, Somerset and formerly served in the Worcestershire Regiment, 6th (Special Reserve) Battalion.

In 1898 John married Florence Julia May Comber (b 1872 in Corsham, Wiltshire, daughter of Commander G. Mervyn Comber R.N.). By 1901, census records show that John, a fruit grower, and Florence were living at Wilton Court, Wilton, Ross, Herefordshire.

were living at 4 Malvern Place Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and John’s occupation is Lieutenant Special Reserve of Officers.

A more detailed account of John’s war service is recorded in ‘The British Army, Bond of Sacrifice: Officers died in the Great War 1914-1916’. This records he was educated for some time at Bruton.

After leaving the Army, he enlisted again in September 1914, when he was gazetted to the reserve of his old regiment (Worcestershire Regiment).

After a time, he was attached to the 11th Battalion, and temporarily employed as a Staff Captain at the 78th Infantry Brigade Headquarters. Early in January, he was drafted to 1st Battalion and proceeded to the front. He was killed in action about 9 a.m. on 11th March 1915 ,aged 41, during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle when to quote his commanding officer, ‘he behaved with the greatest gallantry during the whole operation’. John’s promotion to the rank of Captain from 2 February 1915 was not gazetted until May 1915, a short while after his death. He had been a member of the East India United Service Club and was good at all games but preferred tennis and golf. He was also keen on hunting.

He was survived by his wife Florence and he is remembered on Panels 17/18 of the Le Touret Memorial.

However, by 1911, John and Florence Fifth Panel

25

CROLL,

JOHN SHERWOOD

BORN 1 SEPTEMBER 1894

John Sherwood Croll was born on 1 September 1894, son of John (b 1849 in Scotland) and Martha Croll (b 1850 in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland).

In 1891 the father, John Croll, was recorded as a Commercial Traveller, however he died in 1895 in Bristol.

In 1901 the census recorded Martha Croll (widow) living at 9 Burghley Road, St Andrew’s, Bristol, with her son John Sherwood, a scholar, and his three

was a college preparing students for the Civil Service Exams.

By 1911 Martha Croll was still at 9 Burghley Road, St Andrews, Bristol, with her son John, a Clerk in the Timber Trade, and daughter Maggie Harris, a Manufactures Agent. John joined the General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corporation Ltd, Bristol, on 19 December 1912, aged 18. Martha Croll died on 21 December 1916.

In 1918, John married Nora Lilian Soper in Bristol. John served as a Private in the 369th Royal Army Service Corps, Motor Transport Company. He died in London, on 21 January 1919, aged 24, as a result of his wounds following an accident in France. He left his wife Nora Croll of 22 Surrey Road, St Andrew’s Park, Bristol. He is buried in Greenbank Cemetery in Easton, Bristol, (Grave reference BBE. 7. Special Memorial).

Upon his death, John Croll left effects of £14, (valued today at approximately £700).

older sisters: Maggie Harris, Commerical Agent, (b 1878), Ida Florence, (b 1884), Winifred Martha, (b 1888). All the children were born in Bristol.

John entered the Lower Division of the School on 15 September 1908, aged 14.

He left on 27 July 1909. He then moved to Skerry’s College, Edinburgh, which Fifth Panel

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27

1881 - A BGS Cadet Corps & Gun Carriage in main yard

DAVIS,

FRANCIS MANDRESFIELD BORN 21 JULY 1880

DAVIS, Francis Madresfield

joined the School on 18 September 1888, aged 11. Francis and Edward both left in July 1891 aged 10 and 14 respectively. They transferred to Stamford School in Lincolnshire where Francis stayed until 1895.

In 1851 William Henry was a Corn Miller in Wokingham, Berkshire, married to Hannah (b 1815 in Harwell, Berkshire). They had five children.

Newton (b 1843) and Lawrence (b 1845) were born in Sandford, Oxfordshire, while Clement (b 1847), Marian (b 1848) and Humphry (b1850) were born in Twyford, Berkshire.

On leaving Stamford, Francis moved to South Africa and served as a Trooper in Imperial Light Horse Regiment, a colonial unit in the Boer War. He was wounded in 1899 at Elandslaagte. He married Alice McLaren in 1906.

When war was declared in 1914 he gained a commission as Lieutenant and fought during the German South West Africa Campaign. He rose to the rank of Captain in the South African Infantry,

was born on 21 July 1880, son of William Henry Davis (b 1817 in Abingdon), of Twyford House, Shirehampton and his wife Frances (b 1843 in London).

Sometime later William Henry Davis (presumably widowed) married Frances and by 1881 he was a retired miller living in Wotton St Mary, Gloucestershire, with his wife, baby son Francis Madresfield Davis and six children: Lawrence (b 1845), Florence (b 1857), Bertha (b 1862), Clement (b 1873), Sunnie (b 1875) and Thurston (b 1876).

The 1891 census shows William, a retired flour miller, wife Frances and five children living at The Hermitage, Main Road, Shirehampton, Gloucestershire. The children were Francis Madresfield, Rayner, an Engineer Apprentice (b 1871), Edward Thurston (b 1886) and Leslie N (b 1884) and a daughter Sunnie (b 1875). In all Francis Madresfield had 12 siblings or half siblings.

Francis entered the School on 13 January 1891, aged 10. His older brother Edward Thurston, born on 28 November 1876, had previously Fifth Panel

2nd Regiment, saw action during the Battle of Delville Wood and was mentioned in dispatches. During his service he was listed as wounded in both July 1916 and October 1916.

He met his death at the Third Battle of Ypres on 20 September 1917, aged 37, and is remembered with honour on the Ypres (Menin Gate) memorial, Addenda Panel 57.

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DAVY,

HENRY RAWLE

BORN 12 MAY 1875

Henry Rawle Davy was born on

Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), 11th Battalion. He died on 20th October 1917, aged 42, of wounds received whilst serving in Flanders. He is remembered with honour in the Dozinghem Military Cemetery, Vleteren, Belgium, (grave ref XI G 7).

Henry entered the School on 9 January 1890, aged 14, at which time the family were living at Chelwood House, Pensford, near Bristol. In the 1891 census, Henry was a boarder, at Camelot, St John’s Road, Clifton. The School was not a boarding school but it did help to provide accommodation for boys whose family home was too far away for a daily commute. Rev Samuel Robert Browne was a teacher at the School from July 1885 to July 1909. He, and his wife Violet, had a large home and provided accommodation for a number of boys.

Initially Samuel taught Classics, but from 1888 onwards he taught Mathematics. Henry left the School in April 1892, aged 16.

Henry and other members of the family are commemorated on a grave in the Church of St Leonard, Chelwood. (see below)

12 May 1875 in Chelwood, Somerset, son of William Henry Davy (b 1847 in Crediton, Devon), Solicitor, and his wife Emily, (née Rawle, b 1853 in Taunton, Somerset). William and Emily were married in 1873 in Taunton.

Census records from 1881, 1901 and 1911 indicate that William and Emily had 9 children, all born in Chelwood.

These were Louisa Mary (b 1874), Henry Rawle, Julia Frances (b 1877), Georgiana Elizabeth (b 1882), Edward William (b 1884), Ethel Caroline (b 1885), Edith May (b 1889), Reginald Thomas (b 1891) and Samuel Charles (b 1892). In 1911, William and Henry were both working as Solicitors while Reginald was a Law Clerk and Samuel was a Solicitor’s Articled Clerk.

Henry served as a Private in the Royal Fifth Panel

29

DAY,

RICHARD

BORN 10 AUGUST 1890

Richard Day was born on 10

August 1890 in Ystalyfera, Glamorgan, son of Richard Day a Colliery Agent, (b 1865 in Yorkshire), and wife Margaret Gettins Day, (b 1867 in Glamorgan). The 1891 census shows them living at Hendre Forgan, Llanguick, Pontardawe, Glamorganshire.

Richard entered the School on 26 September 1899, aged 9. At this time the School recorded that he was the ward of his uncle, Ben Day, a Solicitor at Central Bank Chambers, Leeds. When at School he resided at Thorne Lodge, a boarding house run by JG Holmes on behalf of Bristol Grammar School.

The 1901 census shows that his mother was by this time widowed and living in Ystabyfera, Glamorganshire. Richard left

the School in July 1904, aged 13.

By 1911 a census shows that Richard was a Law Student, boarding with Herbert Walter Hatcher, Foreman Jobbing Gardener and his family, at 11 Hawthorn Road, Chapel Allerton, Leeds, Yorkshire.

In 1914, Richard, at that time living in Wakefield, joined the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, 4th (Reserve) Battalion. He rose to the position of Major, Acting Lieutenant Colonel, West Riding Brigade, Royal Field Artillery. He was awarded the Military Cross on 1 January 1918. The London Gazette, dated 4 February 1918, announced he had been awarded a first bar to the Military Cross, ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He commanded his battery in the open during an attack. On the enemy opening a very heavy fire on the battery soon after the attack commenced, he calmly walked from gun to gun, encouraging the men, with the result that the battery’s rate of fire was maintained throughout the barrage. His great courage and magnificent example inspired his men during a very severe ordeal.’

Richard died in Belgium, on 23 February 1918, aged 27. His Commonwealth war grave is in Vlamertinghe New Military Cemetery, (Grave Reference VIII H 11).

His next of kin at that time is recorded as Ben Day, The Rookery, Chapel Allerton, Leeds. We do not know what became of his parents.

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31

OTC 1914 - Rifles & Bicyles

DENNISS,

WILLIAM CALVERT

BORN 10 SEPTEMBER 1878

William Calvert Denniss

was born on 10 September 1878, son of John Henry Dennis, (b 1843 in Yorkshire) and Elizabeth Denniss (née Dooby, b 1847 in Hull Yorkshire). John and Elizabeth were married in 1864 and in the 1871 census they were living at Thorngumbald, Patrington, Yorkshire.

John and Elizabeth had six children: Sarah Elizabeth, (b 1867 in Yorkshire), Ethel Mary (b 1870 in Yorkshire), John H (b 1873 in Yorkshire), Alice (b 1872 in Yorkshire), William Calvert and George C (b 1885 in Bowden, Cheshire).

The school records show that William entered the School on 9 January 1890, aged 11. His mother was widowed and the family were living, at Wolverton House, Clarendon Road, Redland. The 1891 census shows William and his siblings George C, Alice and John H at Wolverton House with their mother Elizabeth and Grandmother Sarah Dooby.

William left the School in April 1892, aged 13, transferring to the Haywardsfield Boarding House, Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire. The book ‘Wycliffe and the War 1914-1918’ documents his time from 1892-1895 as follows.

Denniss, William Calvert, was at Haywardsfield from 1892- 1895, became a Probationer, and was a member of the '94-’95 ‘invincible’ Football XI. After Fifth Panel

leaving school he was for some years in a bank in India, and later became a planter in British East Africa. On the outbreak of war he joined the King's East African Rifles, and was killed in action early in 1916. The only details regarding his death are found below.

“I am directed by the Secretary, Mr. Bonar Law, to inform you that a despatch has been received from the Governor of the East African Province stating that the late Lieut. W. Denniss, in company with Mr. Hall, Intelligence Agent, went out to reconnoitre a certain strip of bush, where they came into contact with the enemy, Lieutenant Denniss being killed and Mr. Hall taken prisoner. As the latter was the only eye-witness of the event, the Governor regrets that he is at present unable to furnish more complete details."

(From Wycliffe and the War).

William died on 7 February 1916, aged 37, whilst serving with the East African Intelligence Department.

He was mentioned in dispatches,

War Memorial in Wycliffe Chapel 32

CONT.

DENNISS,

WILLIAM CALVERT

BORN 10 SEPTEMBER 1878

recorded in the London Gazette on 30 June 1916.

He is remembered with Honour at the Taveta Military Cemetery, Kenya, close to the border with Tanzania, (Grave Reference VI B 3).

On this death, his sister Alice Robinson (who had married Oliver Edward Robinson in 1898) was recorded as administering his estate, valued at £1592.

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FARMER,

REGINALD WILLIAM BARTLETT BORN 27 JUNE 1888

Reginald William Bartlett Farmer was born on 27 June 1888 in

Petersham, New South Wales, Australia, son of William, (b 1807 in Middlesex), and Clara Farmer (née Buck, b 1855 in Kingsbridge, Devon). Clara was one of eight children to parents Henry William Buck and Elizabeth (Betsey) Buck. Originally from Kingsbridge, the family moved to Stoke Damerell, Devon and by 1871 to Truro, Devon. In 1881 Clara was a certified teacher living with her sisters Alice and Emily Buck in Hastings Villa, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol; this being the home of her married brother Thomas J, his wife Sophia and their two daughters. Clara married William Farmer in St Werbergh’s church on 4 June, 1881.

ston’s School.

In about 1904 Reginald entered the merchant navy as an apprentice and joined the sailing ship 'Invergarry' on

The following description of his life comes from the Australian War Memorial Collection.

Reginald was born in Sydney as was his sister Kathleen Josephine (b1887) and brother Aubrey George (b 1892). After their father died, their mother moved the family back to England around 1895. Reginald was educated in Devon before securing a scholarship to Bristol Grammar School.

a voyage to Sydney. From there he transferred to steamers, signing on with the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand, which operated passenger ships. His mother, brother and sister returned to live in Sydney in 1908.

The school records show that Reginald entered the School on 18 September 1900, aged 12. At this time, he was living with his widowed mother, Clara, at 115 Cotham Brow, Bristol. The census of 1901 show Clara, Reginald, Kathleen and Aubrey living on Cotham Brow. Reginald left the School in April 1903, aged 14. Aubrey attended Col-

Reginald was 26 years old, serving in the 7,000 ton SS Makura, and already an experienced officer, when he was appointed a Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Australian Naval Reserve on 15 December 1915. After training at HMAS Cerberus in Victoria, he was appointed navigator of the newly commissioned River Class torpedo boat destroyer

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34

CONT.

FARMER,

REGINALD WILLIAM BARTLETT BORN 27 JUNE 1888

HMAS Torrens in June 1916. Torrens began her seagoing service as part of the British Far East Patrol, operating out of Singapore and Sandakan in Borneo until May 1917. In July 1917 the ship became part of the Australian Destroyer Flotilla and in August arrived in the Mediterranean, tasked with escorting merchant ships to protect them against enemy submarine attack.

From October 1917 Torrens was based at Brindisi, Italy, helping to patrol the Strait of Otranto to prevent enemy submarines based in Austrian and Adriatic ports from reaching the open sea. This subsequently turned into a combined British and French fleet full scale blockade of the Adriatic Sea. On 8 September 1918 Torrens was withdrawn to Messina in Sicily for a refit. On 1 October, while the ship was in dry dock, Reginald contracted what was later diagnosed by Italian doctors as the 'Spanish' influenza. Efforts to treat his symptoms aboard the Torrens were ineffective and his temperature rose to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. On 6 October he was taken ashore to the Military Hospital for treatment.

Delirium set in and he died there of pneumonia on 9 October 1918, aged 30. He is buried in the Messina Town Cemetery, (Plot 5, Row 2, Gr 12).

School, later he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF), B Company, and sailed for Egypt aboard the HMAT A14 Euripedes in October 1914. As part of the AIF 3rd Battalion he landed at Gallipoli.

He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) for several acts of bravery. It is believed he was attempting to recover the body of Captain Edward Leer when he was killed. He died on or after 29 April 1915.

He is remembered with Honour on the Lone Pine Memorial, on the Gallipoli Penisula.

The Mosman Library Service has created an online resource ‘Doing our bit’ where the stories of over 1500 men and women are recorded. Reginald’s story is one of the people featured.

Farmer's mother, Clara, lost both her sons during the war. Her other son, Aubrey (below) attended Colston's Fifth Panel

35

GORE,

ARTHUR HOLMES

BORN 19 JANUARY 1871

Arthur Holmes Gore was born

19 January 1871, in Leyton, Essex, son of Thomas Holmes Gore (Solicitor b 1837, Kent) and Ellen Martyn Gore (née Wild b 1830, Kent). Ellen and Thomas were married on 26 April 1860 in East Peckham, Kent. Ellen, at that time a widow, had previously been married to Thomas Hugh Boorman and they had three children Walter H Boorman (b 1853 in Kent), Herbert W Boorman (b 1854 in Kent) and Blanche E Boorman (b 1855 in Kent).

Thomas Holmes Gore and Ellen Martyn Gore had five children: Beatrice Margaret Holmes (b 1862 in Margate Kent) and Caroline Edith (b 1863 in Kent), Hugh Holmes (b 7 June 1864 in Kent), Arthur Holmes and Gerard Holmes (b 1873 in Leyton Essex). By 1871 the family were living at Vicarage Road, Leyton, West Ham, London, but by 1881 the family had moved to 31, Cornwallis Crescent, Clifton, Bristol.

16 Faraday Mansions, Queens Club Gardens, West Kensington, with a daughter Dorothy Elise (b 1896 in Fulham, Middlesex), who herself went on to be an actress Dorothy Holmes-Gore. Arthur was an actor in the theatre in the period 1906 to 1915, working in Britain and the USA. In 1911 Arthur and Elsie were living at a hotel 139-141, Kings Road, Brighton.

In January 1915, he had to cut short his appearance in ‘The Flag Lieutenant’ at the Haymarket Theatre, London to take up a commission. Arthur joined the Hampshire Regiment, 8th Battalion (Isle of Wight Rifles), this was gazetted on 27 January 1915.

Arthur Holmes Gore, postcard portrait below.

Arthur and his brother Hugh both attended the School. Arthur joined on 20 January 1880, aged 9, leaving December 1881, aged 10. Hugh attended from 12 May 1880 to April 1882.They were keen sportsmen and played rugby for the School. By 1891 Arthur was a law student.

In 1893 Arthur passed the Final Examination of the Incorporated Law Society, qualifying as a solicitor. In 1894 Arthur Holmes Gore married Elsie Alice M Beatty (b 1860) in Liverpool. Census records show that by 1901 Arthur Holmes-Gore and Elsie Holmes-Gore were both actors and living at Fifth Panel

Captain Gore was killed in action at 36

CONT.

GORE,

ARTHUR HOLMES

BORN 19 JANUARY 1871

Gallipoli 12 August 1915, aged 44 and remembered with Honour at the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, Turkey.

He is also recorded on the Memorials at Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight and Drill Hall, Newport, Isle of Wight.

The Photo below was published in 1915 and shows the officers of the 1st/8th Battalion of The Hampshire Regiment, Arthur is top row and third from the right hand end.

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37

GRINDON,

THOMAS EDWARD BORN 28 JULY 1888

Thomas Edward Grindon

was born on 28 July 1888, in Penzance, Cornwall, son of William Henry (b 1829 in Bristol) and Mary Ellen Grindon, (née Boxer b 1859 in Bognor, Sussex).

Training Corps (OTC) and won a prize for shooting in 1904, scoring 62 points out of a maximum of 84. He left School in December 1904, aged 16.

William and Ellen were married in Cornwall in 1880 and census records show the family living in St Columb, Cornwall in 1881 and 1891. Thomas had a younger brother William Henry, (b 1890 in Penzance). William Henry died in 1895 and is buried in Newquay, Cornwall.

Thomas entered Form III of the School on 25 September 1902, aged 14. While at school he boarded at Thorne Lodge, the School’s boarding house.

His widowed mother at that time lived at Delafosse, Newquay, Cornwall.

Thomas excelled at School and on several occasions was top of his year in the end of year examinations in French, English and divinity. He was also a cadet in the Officer Fifth Panel

In 1914 he joined the Army, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, Devonshire Regiment, 8th Battalion. In 1916, less than a year before he was killed, he married Dora Eastlake in Cornwall.

Thomas died at the battle of Passchendaele on 26 October 1917, aged 29. He is buried at Hooge Crater Cemetery, near Ypres, (Grave Reference VII A 3).

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39

GUNNING,

WILLIAM HERBERT BORN 15 MARCH 1893

William Herbert Gunning

was born on 15 March 1893 in Bournemouth. He was part of a large family. His parents were John Gunning, an Ironmonger, (b 1859 in Calne, Wiltshire) and Mary Ann Paulina Gunning (née White b 1855 in Wincanton, Somerset). John and Mary were married on 9 October 1882.

William had a younger brother John Robert White, born 22 March 1891, and five sisters: Olive Paulina (b 1885), Ivy Jane Mary (b 1887), Laura Ruth (b 1889), Myrtle Rose (b 1896) and Hazel Dorothy (b 1898). All the children were born in Bournemouth.

The census records from 1901 show the family living at 5 Wellington Road, Bournemouth. However, on 17 September 1906 both the sons entered form II of the School; William Herbert was 13, John Robert 15. Their father’s occupation was Engineer and their home 10 Elmdale Road, Clifton.

William Herbert left on 27 July 1909, aged 16, transferring back to Bournemouth School. His brother left on 27 April 1909, aged 17, to join his father in Business. The family went back to 5 Wellington Road, Bournemouth.

After returning to Bournemouth School, Fifth Panel

William Herbert was a member of the Officer Training Corps at Bournemouth School, where he showed ‘keenness and efficiency’.

William’s obituary in ‘The Bournemouthian’ reads, ‘When war broke out he took a commission in the Hampshire Regiment and having been ordered to the Near East, he came in for some heavy fighting in the Balkan Peninsula.'

A report from Alexandria stated that he had been wounded on 1 October, and a letter was received from him stating that he was going on very well and his friends were not to worry.

He wrote, “It was

exactly a week ago that I was hit. Last Sunday at 2.30 am I got one in the side of the head, but fortunately I was wearing a shrapnel helmet and the bullet did not touch my skull. I shall try and send the helmet home, it will be worth keeping, for it saved my life. I was operated on on Tuesday as the wound was not too clean. There were two holes on the right side of my head where the bullet passed through, but they had cut them into one.”

On 28 October he sailed for Malta, presumably to recover. Five days later news was received that he was “dangerously wounded with gun-shot wound in the head” and his death was 40

CONT.

GUNNING,

WILLIAM HERBERT BORN 15 MARCH 1893

announced the next day 29 October 1916. He was 23 years old. Gunning was described as a bright and genial fellow, keenly interested in his profession, with every prospect of attaining great success in it.

At the time of his death he was a Second Lieutenant serving in the 3rd Battalion, attached to the 10th Battalion, of the Hampshire Regiment.

His Commonwealth War Grave is in Pieta Military Cemetery, Valletta, Malta, (Grave Reference D XV 2).

The Ancestry Medals index card lists William as receiving the Victory and British Medals, and the 1915 star. His theatre of war is given as Salonika, arriving on 6 October 1915 and dying on 29 October 1916.

His father, John Gunning Esquire, applied for his medals. He was living at that time at Holmwood, 18 Christchurch, Bournemouth.

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Pieta Military Cemetery, Valletta, Malta

41

HARDING,

LIONEL GEORGE

BORN 16 JANUARY 1888

Lionel George Harding

was born on 16 January 1888, son of Frederick George Harding, a hat manufacturer (b 1853) and Sarah Ann Harding (b 1852). Lionel was the youngest of three children. Archibald Frank Frederick was born (b 22 September 1882), followed by Gwendoline Violet (b 1885). Parents and children were all born in Bristol.

Lionel entered form I of the School on 11 January 1898, aged 9, at which time the family lived at 14 Edgecumbe Road, Redland, Bristol. He left in June 1900, aged 12. His brother Archibald also joined the School, entering Upper Mercantile on 14 January 1892, aged 9.

He left in April 1897, aged 14.

Battery, 242nd Brigade.

He lost his life on 22 September 1917, aged 29. He is buried in the Larch Wood (Railway Cutting) Cemetery, Belgium.

The 1901 census shows Archibald as a hat manufacturer, following in his father’s footsteps. Archibald was married on 16 July 1919 in Bishopston to Ruby Gertrude Lovell.

Lionel served as a Gunner in the Army, with the Royal Field Artillery, “D”

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HARDINGHAM, FRANCIS GEORGE BORN 11 JUNE 1890

Francis George Hardingham was born in Marylebone, London, on 11 June 1890, second child of a solicitor Arthur Shortridge Hardingham (18511908 born in London) and Georgina Margaret Hardingham, (neé Walker, 1858-1928 born in Shepton Mallet, Somerset). Arthur and Georgina were married in 1881 in Hanover Square, Westminster, London. Francis had four siblings: Robert Cecil (b 1886 in London), Cyril Arthur (b 1891 in London), Vivian Charles (b 1893 in Coggeshall, Essex) and Margaret (b 1897 in Coggeshall, Essex).

The book ‘Leaving Home to Fight’ (1) by Liz Tomlinson and Jenny Weeks records the stories of the men listed on the various WWI War Memorials in Stoke Bishop. Francis is one of those men and by kind permission the summary below shows some of the details of Francis, his life and his war experience.

The father, Arthur, retired early and by 1901 the family had moved to 21 Westbury Road, Westbury on Trym, Bristol. Francis was initially educated at Braidlea School. The school was founded in 1899 by Evelyn H V Elliott and by 1901 was situated at 42 Downleaze. It moved to 16 Ivywell Road (now Well House) sometime in the early 1900s and later moved again to Goodeve Road.

Braidlea School recorded on a brass shield the name, rank and regiment of 18 of its past pupils that had served in WWI, including Francis. When the school closed in 1971 the Braidlea School Shield was given to the church Fifth Panel

of St Mary in Stoke Bishop, where it is now displayed.

Francis subsequently moved to Bristol Grammar School on 4 May 1904, joining form Shell A, at which time the family were living at 145 Westbury Road, Bristol. The School records show he was also present in 1905, however he is absent in 1906 and so it is likely that he left School during 1905, aged about 15. His father, a retired solicitor, died in 1908 and his mother moved the family back to London.

All four brothers fought in WWI. Francis emigrated to Canada where he settled in Toronto and worked as a mechanical engineer. His younger brother, Vivian, (1893-1973) was a civil engineer and joined him in 1913. Francis and Vivian enlisted in Toronto on the 22 December 1914. They were both in the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles and left 43

CONT.

HARDINGHAM,

FRANCIS GEORGE BORN 11 JUNE 1890

Folkestone for France on 24 October 1915.

Francis was killed five months later on 23 March 1916, aged 25, when his battalion was in the front line at Sanctuary Wood, south of Ypres. He is buried in Maple Copse Cemetery, Zillebeke. This cemetery was later badly damaged in fighting during and after the Battle of Mount Sorrel in June 1916. The exact location of his grave is unknown so his gravestone is headed ‘Known to be buried in this cemetery’.

He died in Mingoyo on 18 September 1917 and is buried in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He was awarded the Military Cross.

His parents paid for the words, ‘Their glory shall not be blotted out’, to be carved under his name’. Vivian was captured and survived three POW camps, forced labour and Spanish flu.

After the war he became an artist.

Cyril (1891-1959) also survived the war and went on to appear on stage and in films. The eldest brother Robert, was a career soldier, and served in the Middlesex Regiment, 2nd Battalion attached to the King’s African Rifles.

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45

1909 Postcard Great Hall (from Douglas Veale)

HOLDSWORTH, WILLIAM EWART

BORN 16 OCTOBER 1898

William Ewart Holdsworth was born on 16 October 1898, in Scarborough, Yorkshire, son of Arthur Perier Holdsworth a Commercial Traveller (b 1870 in Greenfield, Lincolnshire) and Clara Gertrude Holdsworth (neé Milnes b 1874 in Brampton, Derbyshire).

His parents were married on 12 September 1891 in Yorkshire. William had an older brother Thomas Arthur (b 1895 in Doncaster, Yorkshire).

recorded as being a Messenger Boy. He served first with the Devonshire Regiment and later in the Gloucester Regiment, 2nd/5th Battalion, dying on 24 April 1918, aged 19.

His war grave is in Vieille-Chapelle New Military Cemetery, Lacouture, France, (Grave Reference VA 2).

He entered the Shell form of the School on 13 September 1910, aged 11 and left on 27 July 1914, aged 15. His brother did not attend this School. At this time the family lived at 16, Merfield Road, Knowle, Bristol.

In the census of 1911 his brother was

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46

KNEE,

GEORGE CREASEY

BORN 6 SEPTEMBER 1882

George Creasey Knee was

born 16 September 1882, in Peckham, Surrey, son of Henry Knee (b 1855 in Lacock, Wiltshire) and Mary Rebecca Knee (née Creasey, b 1858 in Kent).

George’s parents were married in 1881, in Camberwell, London. They had four children, George, Isabelle (b 1886 in Bristol), Daisy (b 1891 in Bristol) and Henry (b 1898 in Bristol).

of the whole war.

He was killed in action, by a shell, on 3 May 1917, aged 35, in North West France, at Monchy-le-Preux. He is remembered with Honour at the Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery, Haucourt, (Grave Reference VD 23) He was survived by his wife Alice.

George entered the School on 19 September 1893, aged 11, at which time his father Henry was a Baptist Minister and the family lived at Wellington House, 5, Ashely Road, Bristol. He left School in July 1896, aged 13.

In 1911 the census records show George living 44 Park Road Hull, Sculcoates, Yorkshire and working as a Solicitor and in the same year he married Alice Mellows (b 1884 in Peterborough). In November 1914, he joined the East Yorkshire Regiment, 4th Battalion. By April 1915, he was a Captain attached to the 8th Battalion in France.

At dawn on the 9th April 1917, thousands of troops emerged from the tunnels beneath the town. Canadians headed north to take the infamous Vimy Ridge, the British headed east towards Cambrai.

The first days of the battle saw some of the greatest advances of any campaign, however, advantage was soon lost and the battle became, by rate of casualties for each day of the action, the bloodiest Fifth Panel

His name is also recorded on the The Ring of Remembrance memorial in Notre-Dame-de-Lorette near Arras.

This elliptical memorial, inaugurated in 2014, honours 576,606 soldiers of forty different nationalities who died at Nord-Pas-de-Calais in WWI.

47

CONT.

KNEE,

GEORGE CREASEY

BORN 6 SEPTEMBER 1882

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48

LOCK,

HERBERT JAMES HODDINOTT BORN 12 JANUARY 1875

Herbert James Hoddinott Lock was born on 12 January 1875 in

died, his next of kin was his sister Mrs Colledge.

Chesterblade, Evercreech, Somerset, son of James Candy (b 1839 in Croscombe Somerset) and Sarah Jane, (née Hoddinott, b 1849 in Saltford, Somerset). Herbert and Sarah were married 1868 in Frome, Somerset.

Herbert had an older sister Emilie A H (b 1871) and a younger brother Frank (b 1879).

Herbert entered the Preparatory School Shell form on 14 September 1886, aged 11, leaving in December 1890 from Upper School Mercantile, aged 15. His father was a Yeoman and they lived in Wick House Farm, Saltford, near Bristol.

Herbert went to New Zealand at the age of 18, settling on a farm in Crofton, Marton. He fought with the 3rd and 7th New Zealand Contingents in the South African War (1899-1902) and was subsequently wounded.

Herbert’s father died in 1913 and Herbert joined the Wellington Mounted Rifles in September 1915. He left Wellington, New Zealand, by ship on 9 October 1915, destination Suez and Egypt.

Serving with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in Alexandria, Trooper Herbert Lock was killed in action at Ayankara, south of Jaffa, Palestine on 14 November 1917, aged 42. He is buried in Ramleh War Cemetery, HaMerkaz, Israel, (Grave Reference B 35).

Since both his parents had already Fifth Panel

49

LOGAN,

FREDERICK THOMAS BISHOP BORN 28 JULY 1858

Frederick Thomas Bishop Logan was born on 28 July 1858 in

Kettering, Northampton, a son of James Logan (b 1826 in Dorset) and Jane Logan (née Horley, b 1832 in Warwickshire). James and Jane were married in Warwickshire on 3 May 1849. In addition to Frederick, there were four more children: Henry H Logan (b 1850 in Warwickshire), Agnes J Logan (b 1852 in Kettering Northamptonshire), James Clark Logan (b 1861 in Northamptonshire) and Herbert Edward Logan (b 1865 in Northamptonshire).

Frederick joined the School in January 1868, aged 9 at which time he was

and Annie were living at Dean Lane Bristol and had five children: Frederick Cecil Logan (b 1881) Marion Logan (b 1883), Harold Bishop Logan (b 1885), Philip Norman Logan (b 1889 later becoming an architect) and a daughter Norah Gwendolen Logan (b 1894). All five children were born in Bristol.

In due course the boys attended the school, Frederick Cecil Logan from 1891-1896, Harold Bishop Logan from 1894-1902 and Philip Norman from 1897- 1905. Frederick Cecil Logan served in the Boer war and was killed in action on 29 May 1901 at Vlakfontein.

Harold was a Captain in the Royal Field Artillery and Philip was a Major in the Royal Flying Corps/RAF. Frederick practised in Bristol and gained some notoriety after being called to examine Amelia Elizabeth Dyer. She had confessed to killing a number of children whose bodies were found in March 1896 in the river Thames.

living at 10 Redcliffe Parade (West). He left in December 1874, aged 16. James Clark attended from 1873-1875, Herbert Edward from 1875 -1880.

Frederick was a students at Guy’s Hospital between 1877 and 1878 and qualified as a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in May 1879. He married Annie Elizabeth Pridham on 6 April 1880 in Bristol.

Annie was born in 1856 in Llanelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales. By 1901 Frederick Fifth Panel

However, Dyer had a history of mental instability and had been confined to asylums on more one occasion. She was found guilty, sentenced to death and executed on 10 June 1896.

Frederick continued to practise medicine until his death on 7 February 1916, aged 57. A funeral service took place in St Mary Redcliffe. Dr Cyril Norwood, headmaster of Bristol Grammar School attended as did a number of representatives of the Old Bristolians’ Society. Frederick was a dedicated supporter of the athletic matters at the school and was appointed as 50

CONT.

LOGAN,

FREDERICK THOMAS BISHOP BORN 28 JULY 1858

Chairman of the Committee of the Old Boys’ Society in September 1915. The School Chronicle from April 1916 gives more details of his life and the funeral service.

Frederick was a student at Guys Hospital, he was registered for the 1877-1878 academic year. It is recorded on Guys Hospital War Memorial in Southwark London.

We have therefore included his name, in the belief he was assisting with military medical matters.

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51

MACHON,

CECIL FRANCIS EARDLEY BORN 5 DECEMBER 1897

Cecil Francis Eardley Machon was born 5 December

1897, son of George Joshua Machon (b 1862 in the Channel Islands) and Kate Florence Machon, (b 1865 in Somerset).

Cecil had two older brothers and all the boys attended the School. George Charles Shepherd Machon born 17 December 1891, attended between 14 December 1907 and 27 July 1910.

Ernest Arthur Machon born 18 April 1893, attended between 11 April 1908 and 1909. Cecil joined form IIIB on 18 January 1909 aged 11, leaving on 27 July 1914, aged 16. At that time the family lived at 1 York Crescent Road, Clifton, Bristol and their father was a Marine Surveyor. The 1911 census shows Ernest apprenticed to Marine Engineering.

All three boys served during WWI. George rose to be a Captain in the Welsh Regiment, 5th Battalion, and Ernest was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Gloucester Regiment, 9th Battalion.

Cecil had been a cadet in the School’s Officer Training Corps. On 20 March 1915, he joined the Gloucester Regiment, 3rd Battalion as a 2nd Lieutenant. He was posted to active service on 2 June 1916.

He served with the Devonshire R egiment, 9th Battalion, which was part of the 20th Infantry Brigade, 7th Division.

occurred as the 9th Battalion attacked the Guillemont-Ginchy Road, near Ginchy. He was evacuated to the UK and admitted to the Empire Hospital, London.

After lengthy treatment, but still with a paralysed right arm, he was returned to the 3rd (reserve) Battalion, Gloucester Regiment based at Maidstone. He was classed as fit for Home Service only.

He died in Bristol on 16 March 1920, aged 22 and is buried in Canford Cemetery, Bristol.

On 6 September 1916, during the Battle of the Somme, he suffered a serious gunshot wound to his shoulder. This Fifth Panel

52

MANLEY,

JOHN HUNTER

BORN 23 MAY 1890

John Hunter Manley was born

in Kasauli, Bengal, India on 23 May 1890, son of Leonard Richard Manley (b 1855 in Wrexham, Denbighshire ) and Grace Honoria Manley (née Hunter, b 1868 in Amballa, India).

Leonard and Grace were married in Rawalpindi, Bengal on 12 October 1887. Leonard was with the Bengal Commissariat Department but died on 26 July 1897 in Malakand, in Pakistan.

The 1901 census shows John was a scholar, aged 10, at Christs Hospital in Hertford, in the parish of St John and All Saints. He joined the School on 17 September 1906, aged 16 and left in July 1907. His guardian whilst at school was James G Holmes and he boarded with him at Oldbury House, St Michael’s Road.

JG Holmes was second master and the founder of the first Prep School.

By 1911, then 20, he is shown as a Pupil on Railway, living with his Aunt Lucy Honoria Denison in Limehouse, London. His mother, Grace Manley (widow), was then living at Bright Side, Hillside Road, Heswall, Cheshire.

John Hunter Manley served as a Captain in the India Army Reserve of Officers, attached to 59th Scinde Rifles (Frontier Force). He was gazetted on 16 April 1915 and again on 24 July 1917.

He died in Mesopotamia on 9 January 1917, aged 26, and is buried at the Amara War Cemetery, Southern Iraq, (Grave Reference XXVIII A 8).

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53

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54

1915 Cadet Corps - 186 boys

MARSH,

FRANCIS COURTENAY BORN 27 APRIL 1867

Francis Courtenay Marsh

in 1911. He rejoined in 1914 at the outbreak of war serving in the Border Regiment, 6th Battalion. He was wounded at Cape Helles, and killed in action at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli on 10 August 1915, aged 48. He is remembered with Honour at the Helles Memorial, Turkey.

Francis joined the School, aged 13, entering class V on 12 May 1880, at which time his widowed mother Agnes lived at Rosebank, Westward Ho!, North Devon. The 1881 census records him living at 14 South Parade Clifton.

His name is recorded on a plaque, originally in the Memorial Hall in Chalfont St Peter, but now located in the Royal British Legion Club, Chalfont St Peter. He is also remembered on the Haileybury College Chapel Roll of Honour, Hertford Heath.

He left the School on 31 July 1884, aged 17 and there is evidence that he went on to be educated at the United Services College, Westward Ho!, Devon.

Francis left a brother, Lieutenant Colonel H E Marsh, who applied for the 1914-15 star in respect of Francis’s service.

was born on 27 April 1867 in Westmeath, Ireland. His parents were Major Augustus Leacock Marsh (who served in the Border Regiment) and Agnes Marsh (née Scott). Augustus died in 1876 and is buried in Alwington, Devon.

He served in the Waziristan Campaign, North West Frontier (1894-95), was promoted to Major in 1909 and retired Fifth Panel

55

MAYNE,

CECIL ROBERT

BORN 3 SEPTEMBER 1898

Cecil Robert Mayne was born 3 September 1898, son of Robert Mayne (b 1861 in Wexford, Mayo, Ireland) and Minnie Todd Mayne (b 1867, Roundstone, Galway).

The 1901 census shows the family living in Main Street North, Wexford with a younger son Thomas R B Mayne (b 1901). In 1911 the family were living at 1 Oxford Road, Erdington, Warwickshire. By this time the family included a daughter Evallane Buckley Mayne (b 1902 in Wexford) and a son Robert John Buckley Mayne (b 1906 in Wexford).

Cecil entered the school on 15 September 1908 and left on 27 July 1909, leaving from form Upper I. His father was a Commercial Traveller. Cecil is recorded as attending Bedford School in 1914.

Cecil was a Second Lieutenant in the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry 2nd/5th Battalion attached to the 7th Battalion and was killed in action in France on 30 November 1917, aged 19.

He is remembered with honour at the Cambrai Memorial, Louverval, Nord-Pas-de-Calaias.

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56

MIDDLETON, JOHN

BORN 20 FEBRUARY 1890

John Middleton was born on 20

February 1890, son of Colonel Francis Beckford Middleton, retired, (b 1838 on the Isle of Wight) and Charlotte May Middleton (née Swanston, b 1858 in East Indies). Francis and Charlotte were married 17 June 1876 in Madras, India.

Francis served in Burma in the Madras Staff Corps.

They had six children, including four sons: William S (b 1879 in East Indies), Frederick Nowell (b 1881 in East Indies), George E B (b 1888 in Bedford), Montague (b 1891 in Bedford) and a daughter Ethel Mary, (or May), (b 1882 in Trichinopoly, India).

In 1891 the family were living at Kimbolton Road, Bedford. John entered form III of the School on 16 January 1906, aged 15. At this time he was still living with his widowed mother at 74 Hampton Road, Redland Park. He stayed only a few months leaving the school in July 1906.

He then attended Clarence School, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, later becoming a Clerk at Fifth Panel

Lloyds Bank, Bristol.

In 1911 Charlotte was living with Frederick, Ethel and John at 8 Ravenswood Road, Redland. Frederick was a 2nd Officer in the Mercantile Marine.

John enlisted on 16 September 1914.

He was gazetted as 2nd Lieutenant in the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, 11th Battalion, on 30 December 1914.

He transferred to the 8th Battalion in September 1915, served in the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in Gallipoli and took part in the evacuation from Suvla Bay. He rose to the rank of Captain. He proceeded to Egypt in February 1916 and then France in the following June. He died, aged 27, from wounds received from a shell on 2 October 1917. His commanding office wrote, “I had only been 13 days with the battalion when he was killed, eight of which were spent in the lines.

This was quite sufficient time to show the sterling qualities of your son. He was a most charming character, a good comrade and a splendid soldier. He died a soldier’s death. He was killed instantaneously by my side by a shell.

The battalion had just been relieved when he was killed.” He was mentioned in Despatches by Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig, London Gazette, 17 November 1917, for gallant and distinguished service in the field.

John is buried and Remembered with Honour at Bard Cottage Cemetery, Boesinghe, West Vlaanderen, and Belgium.

57

NEWTON,

ROBERT FRANCIS BORN 1 JUNE 1893

Robert Francis Newton was born 1 June 1893 in East Compton, Gloucestershire, the son of Marcellus Henry Newton, Gentleman, (b 1847 in Brunton, Herefordshire) and Emily Katharine Newton, (née Coopland, b 1866 in Alkborough, Lincolnshire).

Marcellus and Emily were married in 1888 in Marylebone, London.

Robert had three brothers: Henry Monck (b 18 November 1889), John Bertram (b 11 June 1891 in Clifton, Bristol) and Clement Vaughan (b 13 April 1894 in East Compton, Gloucestershire). They all attended the school, Henry from 1903-1906, John from 1903-1907 and Clement from 1904-1910.

Robert entered the school on 4 May 1904, aged 10, and left on 8 April 1910, aged 16. At that time the family lived at 48 Cotham Road. In the 1891 census his father was recorded as a retired Land Agent.

Clement and Robert were both keen sportsmen and in 1910 gained Senior House Colours (Beames’ House).

The photograph on page 60 taken in 1909 shows them as members of the School’s 1st XI cricket team (Reference July 1909 Chronicle).

As first team members the Chronicle records that Robert “has proved most useful both in batting and bowling.

Must learn to lunge out with the left foot in playing forward. As a slow bowler should rely more upon his field”. Of Clement it was said, “Has a very smooth left-hand action and Fifth Panel

with coaching and practice ought to be a good slow bowler. Is good in the field and has made several very smart catches.”

Robert left somewhat unexpectedly on 8 April 1910, shortly before his 17th birthday, to join Lloyds Bank. He had studied a wide range of subjects including French and German and had clearly been a talented student in maths, technical drawing and science.

Henry, Robert and Clement all served in WWI. Henry served as a Lieutenant in the Cheshire Regiment. Later, whilst serving with the Lancashire Fusiliers, he was taken prisoner (21/03/1918) and later repatriated (17/12/1918).

Clement was a Captain in the Royal Sussex Regiment and was awarded the Military Cross. The entry in the London Gazette (14/08/17) reads, “His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to confer the Military Cross in recognition of conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in the field. After leading his company with great determination and courage to its objective, he showed skill and fearlessness in consolidating, personally leading out his covering parties and fearlessly exposing himself to machine-gun and rifle fire, in order to supervise and encourage the work.

He held his line for four days, setting a fine example to his men.”

Robert joined the Royal Flying Corps rising to the rank of Second Lieutenant.

As an observer in the 52nd Squadron, he saw action on the Western Front, flying with his pilot 2nd Lieutenant 58

CONT.

NEWTON,

ROBERT FRANCIS BORN 1 JUNE 1893

Ernest David Jones (b 1899). Ernest was from Llanfaes, Brecon, attending Brecon Grammar School for boys before leaving to join Barclays Bank and subsequently going to war.

At 12.30pm on 2 April 1918, Robert and Ernest were on a bombing raid over enemy lines in their aircraft, an R.E. 8 (A3868), when they encountered Manfred von Richtfhofen (The Red Baron) flying his Fokker DR I (477/17). Robert (aged 24) and Ernest (aged 19) were shot down over Hill 104, North East of Moreuil in France.

Both men died though their bodies were not recovered. In von Richthofen’s own combat report there is a full account of the air action in which he commends the bravery of his adversary.

This was von Richthofen’s 75th victory out of 80. Only 19 days later von Richthofen was shot down and died on 21 April 1918, (aged 25).

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Both Robert Newton and Ernest Jones are remembered with Honour at the Arras Flying Services Memorial.

59

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60

Robert is on the top row, second from the left and Clement is on the top row second from the right.

PHILLPOTTS, FITZROY CHARLES BORN 30 MAY 1894

Fitzroy Charles Phillpotts

was born on 30 May 1894 in Polesworth, Warwickshire son of Revd Ernest Alfred Phillpotts (b 1869 in Jamaica, West Indies), a Clerk in Holy Orders and Janet Lucy Phillpotts (b 1869 in Hampshire). Fitzroy had a brother Alfred Reginald (b 1895 in Clevedon, Somerset) and a sister Elinor Sibyl (b 1900 in Bristol).

in Holy Trinity Church Stapleton, Bristol.

The inscription reads: ‘To the glory of God and in ever loving memory of Fitzroy Charles Phillpotts, Lieutenant 7th Battalion Gloucester

Fitzroy entered the school on 17 September 1903, aged 9, leaving shortly after in December 1903. At that time the family lived at 30 Archfield Road, Cotham.

Fitzroy attended Trinity College Oxford from 1912 and was part of the University OTC. He served as a Lieutenant with the Gloucestershire Regiment, 7th Battalion. He died on 9 August 1915, aged 21, from wounds received at Chunuk Bair on the Gallipoli peninsula.

He is remembered on the Helles Memorial, Turkey.

His parents erected a plaque to commemorate Fitzroy. It is now located

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Regt. who died the 9 August 1915 aged 21 years from wounds received the day before in the attack at Chunuk Bair, Gallipoli Peninsula. He was a scholar of Trinity College, Oxford and formerly Head (Boy) of Clifton College. This Reredos has been erected by his parents, brother and sister’.

Alfred Reginald also served as a Lieutenant with the Gloucestershire Regiment.

61

PICKARD,

ERNEST WILLIAM

BORN 19 SEPTEMBER 1891

Ernest William Pickard was born on 19 September 1891 in Caerleon Monmouthshire, son of William Jasper Pickard (b 1860), and Ellen Pickard (b 1857). Both parents were born in Northam, Devon and married in 1884.

The 1901 census shows Ernest and his mother and father living at 17 The Hard, Portsmouth with daughter Eleanor Mabel Finley, (b 1888 in Newport, Monmouthshire) and son Reginald Gilbert (b 1889 in Newport, Monmouthshire).

He joined form I of the school on 15 September 1904, aged 12 and left form IVB on 17 December 1907. His father was the manager of the National Provincial Bank Stokes Croft, Bristol and the family lived at 95 Effingham Road, St Andrews.

He joined the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), 10th Battalion, as a Private.

He died on 14 September 1918, aged 27. He is remembered with Honour at the British Cemetery, Vis-en-Artois Memorial, near Arras, France.

Reginald Gilbert Pickard started work at his father’s bank in 1905. He moved through several branches and finally worked in the branch in Swansea.

During the war, he joined the Welsh regiment as a second Lieutenant. He died of wounds received in action in France on 2 March 1917, aged 28.

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62

READ,

MORTIMER CHARLES

BORN 22 NOVEMBER 1887

Mortimer Charles Read was born on 22 November 1887, son of Alfred Charles Read, (b 1857), accountant and Eliza Matilda Read, (b 1856).

By 1901 the census shows Mortimer living with his parents and four sisters at 23 St Michaels Park, Bristol. His sisters were Winifred Josephine, a Milliner (b 1879), Frances E, a Draper’s Assistant (b 1883), Eliza Louise (b 1891) and Nora Kathleen M (b 1898). Parents and children were all born in Bristol.

The 1911 census records Mortimer as a Marine Engineer. In the same year he married Annie Bessie Croft.

He served as Third Engineer on the S.S. ‘Bristol City’ (Mercantile Marine) which served as a supply vessel to the Royal Navy. He died at sea as a result of a submarine attack on 16 December 1917, aged 30.

He is remembered with Honour at the Tower Hill Memorial, London. He left behind his wife Annie Bessie Read of 40, Islington Road, Southville, Bristol.

He joined the Shell form of the school in January 1903 and left a few months later in July 1903, aged 15. The family were living at 23 St Michaels Park, Bristol.

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64

Cadet Corps - 18 boys with rifles

STEPHENS, NOEL GORGON

BORN 22 NOVEMBER 1888

Noel Gordon Stephens was

born on 22 November 1888 in Barton Regis, Gloucestershire, son of Frederick Gordon Stephens (b 1858 in Evesham, Worcestershire) and Maria Ann Stephens (née Hodgkins, b 1859 in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire).

By 1901 census records show a large family living in 8 Elmgrove Road, Bristol. Father was a Colonial Produce Agent and apart from Noel, the family included daughters Theodora (b 1886), Frances (b 1887), Hester Elizabeth Gordon (b 1892), Kathleen Gordon (b 1894), Mary Eileen Gordon (b 1895) and son James Eric Gordon (b 1897). All the children were born in Bristol.

Noel joined Form II of the School on 30 April 1903, aged 14. The family still lived at 8 Elmgrove Road, Cotham. He left in July 1904, aged 15.

In the 1911 census records show the family living at 18 Elmgrove Road, Bristol.

Noel enlisted on 3 November 1916, serving as a Sergeant Cadet in the Gloucester Regiment, 2nd/6th Battalion. He was discharged due to sickness on 2 April 1917 and died on 20 November 1920, aged 31, leaving behind his parents living at 15 Westbury Road, Westbury on Trym, Bristol.

He is remembered with Honour at Bristol (Canford) Cemetery.

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65

STONE,

HAROLD GEORGE

BORN 2 SEPTEMBER 1898

Harold George Stone was born 2 September 1898, only son of George Stone (b 1867 in Taunton, Somerset) and Maria Leach Stone (née Densham, b 1868 in Morchard Bishop, Devon).

George and Maria were married on 1 September 1897 in Bishopston, Bristol.

In 1901 they were living at 16 Tyne Road in Bishopston. His sister Edney Florence was born in 1903. On the 18 September 1911 Harold joined School, form Shell, aged 13. The School’s admission register records he was living at 11 Kent Road St Andrews Park. His father was a commercial traveller for a printing company. Harold appears in the school lists for Midsummer 1912 and 1913 but is absent after that. This suggests he left at about the age of 15 and records him starting work with the British American Tobacco Company.

of Scarpe in April 1917 followed by the battle of Pilkem Ridge (July – August 1917). Further fighting in the battles of Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcapelle, and the 1st Passchendaele (September – October) led to 100,000 casualties for little gain.

After a spell in reserve, 1918 saw him see action in the battle of Ancre. Heavy fighting took place in Rossignol Wood and part of the village of Bucquoy was lost. At this point, Harold was serving as Battalion signals officer.

By the end of 5th April 1918 little had been gained. About this time Harold, accompanied by Corporal Strawbridge, ran out of the trenches with a telephone line and relayed messages back to Battalion Headquarters until he was killed by shellfire and the line cut.

He was just 19.

The publication Bishopston at War gives a very detailed account of his military service summariesed as follows: Harold’s medal record suggests that he enlisted while under age with the 2/1 North Somerset Yeomanry shortly after it was formed in September 1914.

He transferred to the Somerset Light Infantry, 8th Battalion and proceeded to France on 8 December 1916. He gained a field commission as a 2nd Lieutenant shortly afterwards which was duly reported in the Bristol Times & Mirror on the 9th and 13th of January 1917.

He took part in the 1st and 2nd battle Fifth Panel

66

CONT.

STONE,

HAROLD GEORGE

BORN 2 SEPTEMBER 1898

In all 4 officers were killed that day and another 6 were wounded or captured.

Sadly Harold’s body was never recovered and his name was listed on the Arras Memorial, Bay 4, which commemorates the 35,000 Commonwealth soldiers who died in the sector between the Spring of 1916 and the 7th August 1918 and have no known grave.

His sister Edney died around March 1923, aged 20. His father died in February 1926, aged 59, followed by his mother in January 1928, aged 58.

His death was later reported in the Bristol Times & Mirror on 13 April 1918.

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67

THOMAS,

ARTHUR LEWIS

BORN 10 MARCH 1887

Arthur Lewis Thomas was

born on 10 March 1887 in Clitheroe, Lancashire, son of Rev Edward Hughes Thomas, (Vicar of Clitheroe, b 1846 in Liverpool), and Camilla Fanshawe Thomas (née Wootton b 1848 in Deal, Kent).

Edward and Camilla were married in 1875 in Kensington, London. They had five children including three sisters, Dora C (b 1877), Winifred M (b 1882), Elsie F (b 1886) and a brother Edward C W (b 1884). All the children were born in Clitheroe.

He was killed in action on 24 April 1918, aged 32. He left behind a widow at 2 Clifton Road, Folkestone and is remembered with Honour at the Pozières Memorial.

Archivist, Andy Mair, investigated the names of the pupils in the photograph and discovered that many of them never came home either – a poignant reminder of the losses endured by families and school alike.

In 1891 Camilla and the children were living in Galveston Road, Wandsworth, London. Arthur’s father died in the same year.

Arthur was educated at Exeter School from 1901 to 1906 before studying Classics at St John’s College, Oxford from 1906-1909. Between 1909 and 1914 he took a teaching post at the County Secondary School in Ramsgate, which later became Chatham House.

While there he taught Games, Classics and Latin and also became a Head of House.

Cricket XI c1910 - Arthur standing on the right hand side

He moved to Bristol Grammar School on 15 September 1914 on a temporary appointment. He left in December 1914 to join the Strand School in London.

Arthur enlisted in 1914, serving in the London Regiment and later in the Northamptonshire Regiment as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd and 3rd Battalion.

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TOVEY,

HUBERT CURTHOYS BORN 9 AUGUST 1883

Hubert Curthoys Tovey was

born on 9 August 1883 in Bristol, son of Charles Alfred Tovey (b 1857 in Breconshire, Wales), and Beatrice Maria Tovey (née Curthoys, b 1860 in Gloucestershire).

Charles and Beatrice married on 22 October 1882 in Bristol.

1891 census records Hubert living at Belmont Rod, St James and St Paul Out Parish, Barton Regis, Gloucestershire.

He had two younger sisters, Gertrude Mary (b 1885) and Dorothy Curthoys (b 1888) and a younger brother Philip Maxwell (b 1887). All the children were born in Gloucestershire and Charles is recorded as the Manager of a Newspaper.

Hubert joined the school on 16 September 1897, aged 14, at which time he lived with his widowed mother at 8 Woodfield Road, Redland. His father Charles died earlier in 1897.

in Command on the steamer ship “Saraswati” (or Sarasvati) on Harbour and Coast Defence Duties.

In October 1917, he was listed as a temporary lieutenant in Royal Indian Marine (RIM) in Bombay. He moved to the ship named “Satranji” in January 1918 but died shortly after from colitis on 30 January 1918, aged 34.

He was buried on 31 January 1918 in the Sewri Cemetery, Mumbai (formerly Bombay). Later on the war graves from this cemetery were moved to Kirklee Cemetery, near Poona outside Mumbai.

On 10 August 1918 probate valued his effects at £181 7s 8d which were transferred to his mother Beatrice Tovey.

At present he does not have a Commonwealth War Graves Certificate or listing. We have contacted CWGC but have not, so far, fulfilled his conditions for his recognition.

Hubert spent only a little over a year at school, leaving on 12 November 1898, aged 15.

The 1911 census shows mother Beatrice and 3 children, Gertrude, Philip and Dorothy living at 12 Woodfield Road Redland. Census records from 1939 show they were still living there.

His WWI service is described in some detail in the Indian Army lists accessed at the British Library. Appointed Lieutenant on 10 November 1915, he was serving by July 1917 as Lieutenant Fifth Panel

69

WALKER,

GILBERT RUSSELL BORN 7 MAY 1880

Gilbert Russell Walker was

born on 7 May 1880 in Long Ashton, son of Joseph Arthur Walker, (b 1853 in Hackney, Middlesex), and Sarah Ellen Walker, (née Setchfield b 1857 in Norton , Yorkshire). At this time the family lived at Firtree Cottage, Long Ashton.

Joseph and Sarah were married on 22 August 1878 in York. Gilbert had a younger brother Wilfred Arthur Walker (b 1882) and a younger sister Gertrude Nellie Walker (b 1885).

All three children were born in Long Ashton.

At the same time Sarah Walker, Wilfred and Gertrude were living in Long Ashton. Wilfred went on to serve with the Devon Regiment, 3rd Battalion and survived the war, dying in 1958.

Gilbert served as a Sapper in the 2nd/1st South Midland Field Company, Royal Engineer. He was killed in action on 8 February 1916, aged 35. He left his wife Eliza Walker and is Remembered with Honour in the Hebuterne Military Cemetery in Pas de Calais, France, (Grave Reference IP 13).

In 1891, the family lived at The Chestnuts, Long Ashton and the father was a Land Steward.

Gilbert, aged 11, and Wilfred, aged 9 both joined the school at the same time on 16 September 1891 and stayed until July 1894. Wilfred attended Dulwich College from April 1896 to December 1898.

Census records show that by 1901 Sarah Ellen was widowed and Gilbert was Articled in a Surveyor’s Office.

Gilbert married Eliza Mary Fanny Sheppard at St Nicholas Parish Church, Bristol, on 4 June 1905.

In the 1911 census Gilbert was living at the Lodge, Broomwell House Road, Brislington with two sons Arthur Russell Lawrence Walker, (b 1907) and George Milburn Walker, (b 1908) and a daughter Reata Walker, (b 1909). All the children were born in Bristol.

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WILLIS,

HUBERT PAKEMAN BORN 31 JULY 1885

Hubert Pakeman Willis was

born , on 31 July 1885 in Swindon, Gloucestershire, son of Hubert Thornton Willis (b 1860 in Cheltenham), and Mary Telfair Willis (née Pakeman, b 1858 in Cheltenham).

Hubert Thornton and Mary were married in 1884 and had three children including Brian Oscar (b 4 August 1887 in Cheltenham) and Noelle Edith (b 1891 in Cheltenham).

School records show him as Herbert Pakeman Willis, entering 17 September 1896, aged 11. At that time his mother was living at 2, Whiteladies Gate. His father is recorded as in Australia.

Hubert entered as a County Council Scholar, winning a form prize in July 1897 and leaving on 11 June 1900, aged 14. In the Chronicle of December 1899, Hubert, a member of Cotham House, received Division Football Colours. He is mentioned several times in the House Football reports and was clearly a good sportsman.

(bank clerk) and Mary Telfair Willis living at 115 Whiteladies Road with three children, Hubert Pakeman (recorded as single at this time), Brian Oscar and Noelle Edith Willis. (The marriage date of 1909 is at odds with the census details of 1911.)

Hubert Pakeman served with the Suffolk Regiment from 31 August 1915.

The school Chronicle of April 1917 makes mention of Hubert performing at the School Concert, held because of war time lighting restrictions, in the Victoria Rooms. Hubert sang the Sentry’s Song from Iolanthe. This was very appropriate as the Sentry's name was Private Willis.

He was discharged from service on 28 December 1917 and the school Chronicle of April 1918 records that Mr H P Willis sang Auld Lang Syne.

In 1921 the street directory records Hubert Pakeman Willis resident at 87a Redland Road.

Hubert Pakeman’s brother Brian Oscar Willis joined the school on 21 September 1899, aged 12, leaving in December 1902, aged 15. Brian entered as a Junior Technical Scholar in 1899.

Hubert Pakeman died of pneumonia and heart failure in Humber, Kingston on Hull on12 April 1922, aged 36, leaving wife Violet Frances Jenny Willis of 87a Redland Road.

The 1901 census shows Hubert living in Bristol, occupation Bank Clerk.

Given his medical history and early death it is reasonable to assume that his death resulted from medical problems caused by the War.

According to marriage records, Violet Frances Jenny Ashton (b 1885 in Clifton Bristol) married Hubert Pakeman Willis in 1909 in Bristol. However, the 1911 census shows Hubert Thornton Willis Fifth Panel

Australian Electoral records show Violet was living in Mosman, Sydney in 1935 and died in Australia on 28 November 1944.

71

AFTERWORD As the publication of this booklet was nearing completion, research continued to reveal further casualties from our community. To date a further six men have been identified.

Their names are given below.

William John Brooks Coombe

1872-1920

(BGS 1887-1890)

Edwin Dowden Duffett

1860-1921

(BGS 1871-1877)

Francis Hugh Stroud

1886-1918

(BGS 1895-1895)

Norman Vivian Williams

1893-1918

(BGS 1904-c1907)

William Hutton Williams

1875-1915

(BGS 1886-1888)

Harold Wilton

1890-1914

(BGS 1902 Jan-July)

It is certain that there are other casualties whose names are as yet unknown.

Perhaps time will reveal some of these people.

This booklet is dedicated to all those who served and lost their lives in active service or because of their injuries.

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Archives Department, Bristol Grammar School Further information on the Old Bristolians who served during the First World War can be found on our ‘Through the Great War’ website: https://www.throughthegreatwar.bristolgrammarschool.org.uk/ For any enquiries, please contact abradley@bgs.bristol.sch.uk