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Wootton

Erected in 1923 and located on Denton Road, the Wootton Great War

parish tribute is in the form of a wooden seat in a wooden shelter, which

whilst not unique, it is however fairly unusual within the county of Kent,

and is constructed of Kentish oak. Contained within the shelter is a

marble memorial plaque upon which are the names of nine casualties, as

can be seen in more detail on the photograph at the end of the following

brief tributes of the those who are commemorated. As is unfortunately the

case with the vast majority of locations throughout the county of Kent and

elsewhere, irrespective of the size of the overall population, the Wootton

Great War parish tribute does not have all of its natives and residents

commemorated on it. We once again are grateful to Liam J. Scullion who

kindly took the photographs at Wootton for inclusion here, and also

assisted with the following brief transcriptions. Regrettably Liam was

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unable to locate any form of remembrance in the village to the victims of

the Second World War, but that does not mean that there is not one

within the parish. The Wootton casualties of both world wars who appear

to not be commemorated within the parish, have been commemorated

below as 'Lost Men,' which sadly includes a father and son. As can be seen

at the end of the following brief commemorations, when viewing the

accompanying marble memorial plaque photograph, above the names of

those commemorated it has the following pair of common inscriptions:-

TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN THANKFULL MEMORY OF

(their names) and below the names is inscribed

WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR US 1914 - 1918.

The Great War 1914-1919

ATKINS, WILLIAM. Private, G/9807. 6th (Service) Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Died Friday 4 August 1916. Aged 25. Born Ottinge, Elham, Kent. Enlisted Folkestone, Kent. Resided Swingfield, Dover, Kent. Son of Thomas Atkins and Charlotte Atkins (née Dawkins) of Smallden Cottage, Wooton, Canterbury, Kent. Commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France. Pier & Face 5D, and on the Swingfield, Kent Great War parish tribute, also on the Acrise School Great War memorial plaque. When the 1901 census was conducted, the Atkins family lived at Hood Farm, Acrise, Kent. Head of the house was 46 year old Northbourne, Kent native Thomas Atkins, who was employed as a Shepherd on a Farm. At the time of the 1911 census, 20 year old William was employed as a Waggoner, and was residing as a boarder at Gibbletore Lodge, Wootton, Canterbury, Kent. Head of the house was 33 year old Denton, Canterbury, Kent native Joseph Deal who was employed as a Farm Labourer. On the evening of Thursday 3 August 1916 the 6th (Service) Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) prepared to take part in an attack during the fighting on the Pozières Ridge near the village of Thiepval on the Somme. The battalions’ objective being a trench system of enemy strong points called “Ration Trench”, zero hour was set for 23.15 hours, but just over two hours prior to the battalion going on the offensive enemy artillery bombarded their trenches, fortunately some French gunners were quick of the mark and returned fire with gas shells which silenced the German artillery and doubtlessly saved the lives of some of the waiting Buffs, eventually the attack was launched at the planned time, after successfully attacking, capturing and consolidating their gains following the action the battalion were relieved and retired to Martinsart Wood where a roll call was taken which revealed that the battalion had lost 4 officers and 114 men in this action. Following his death, William was initially recorded as missing, but in March 1917 the Army Council made the decision that for official purposes it was too be assumed that he had died on 4 August 1916.

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CHANT, ROBERT HARRY. Gunner, 90158. 185th Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery. Died Wednesday 19 December 1917. Aged 32. Born Peckham, Surrey. Enlisted Camberwell, Surrey. Resided Wooton, Kent. Son of Emma Chant of 28 Tresco Road, Peckham Rye, London, SE15, and of the late Richmond Chant. Husband of Elizabeth Emily Northrop (formerly Chant), (née Mummery) of Wootton, Canterbury, Kent. Buried Karasouli Military Cemetery, Polikastro, Greece. Grave Ref: B. 373. As can be seen when viewing the photograph of the memorial plaque below, Harry has been commemorated on it as R.H. CHANT. The mistake if one can call it that, was probably as the result of official records/documentation appertaining to him including the then Imperial War Graves Commission, which unfortunately has of course resulted in Harry being commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission incorrectly. It would appear to be the case that at some point in time Harry's parents had made the decision to reverse his Christian names, and was then known by all and sundry as Robert. Harry was born at Peckham, Surrey on Tuesday 23 December 1884. He was baptised in the parish church of St. Mary Magdalene, Peckham on Sunday 22 February 1885, at which time Harry's family resided at 52 Gordon Road, Peckham, Surrey, and his father was a Grocer. At the time of the 1911 census, the Chant family resided at 50 Caulfield Road, Peckham, London, S E. Head of the house was 60 year old St. Johns Wood, London native Emma Chant, and Robert was recorded by the enumerator as being an Agent in Cotton Goods. Harry married Miss Elizabeth Emily Mummery at the parish church of St. Antholin, Nunhead, Southwark, London on Saturday 22 March 1913. At the time of their marriage, Harry was recorded as being employed as a Commercial Traveller, and both were recorded as living at 28 Tresco Road, Peckham Rye, London, SE15. Harry stated that he was 30 years and 11 months old when he enlisted in the army on Friday 10 December 1915 'For the Duration of the War', at which time he said that he lived at Thatch Cottage, Wootton, Canterbury, Kent, and was employed as a Drapery Warehouseman. Having been placed on the Army Reserve (Class B), Harry was mobilized on New Years Day 1916 as a Gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery, which he joined at the No.1 Depot, Derby, Derbyshire. On the completion of his training and Home Service, Harry embarked at Devonport on Friday 12 January 1917 for service in the Balkan war theatre, and he arrived at Salonika on Friday 2 February 1917. On Wednesday 25 April 1917, he was admitted as a patient at the 5th Canadian General Hospital at Salonika, suffering with burns to his face, hands and legs which were caused by a backfire of a gun whilst in action. Later he was moved to a General Hospital for additional medical attention, and it was not until Thursday 19 July 1917 that Harry was able to rejoin his unit in the field. Exactly five months after rejoining the 185th Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, Harry was killed in action by enemy shell fire. With effect from Monday 1 July 1918, Harry's widow Elizabeth received a pension for herself and two children. The cemetery at Polikastro (formerly Karasouli) where Harry is at rest, contains 1,421 Commonwealth burials of the Great War, 56 of which are unidentified. The cemetery was begun in September 1916 for the use of casualty clearing stations on the Doiran front. At the Armistice, it contained about 500 burials but was greatly increased

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when graves were brought in from several other cemeteries, amongst those which were moved was that of Robert. He was originally buried at the Anglo French Cemetery at Kilindir (now Kilindia), a village with a railway junction three miles South of Lake Doiran, where 45 British soldiers were buried in two cemeteries there. Following the exhumations and reburials, where possibly the next of kin of the casualties were informed of same by the then Imperial War Graves Commission, and a letter was sent to Harry's widow on Monday 12 May 1919. At the time of writing back to the IWGC, Elizabeth Chant was living at Ivy House, Wootton, Canterbury, Kent, and in the letter she asked the reason why her late husbands' body had been moved from its original place of burial. The marriage of Elizabeth Emily Chant to William Henry Northrop was recorded in the Dover, Kent, Registration District during the first quarter of 1920. Following William died at Yorkshire House, East Northdown, Margate, Isle of Thanet, Kent on 10 March 1947, and Elizabeth who was born on Sunday 16 February 1890 subsequently married George S. Norchi in the Thanet, Kent, Registration District during the third quarter of 1956. The death of 90 year old Elizabeth Emily Norchi was recorded in the Surrey South Western Registration District during the first quarter of 1980. Harry was a brother-in-law of the Wootton Great War casualty Arthur Richard Mummery. DEAL, HORACE EDWIN. Private, G/25264. 1st Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Died Friday 10 May 1918. Aged 19. Born Whitstable, Kent. Enlisted Canterbury, Kent. Resided Wootton, Canterbury, Kent. Son of Frederick Deal and Jane Deal (née Buesden) of Hill House Farm, Wootton, Canterbury, Kent. Buried Esquelbecq Military Cemetery, Nord, France. Grave Ref: II. C. 21. Also commemorated on the Petham, Canterbury, Kent civic war memorial. At the time of the 1901 census, the Deal family resided at Wadden Hall, Waltham, Canterbury, Kent. Head of the house was 37 year old Crundale, Kent native Frederick Deal, who was an Own Account, Farmer. When the 1911 census was conducted, the Deal family was still living at the same address as in 1901. On the day that Horace was killed in action, the 1st Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) in which he was serving suffered only two other ranks deaths. The other casualty was 26 year old Lance Corporal, Stanley Jagelman of Upper Tooting, London who died of wounds. A younger brother of Horace, Waltham, Kent native Cecil Henry (aka Harry) Deal (1895-1961), also served overseas during the Great War, most of which was as Driver, T/3085 and Driver, 542086 in the 495th Field Company, Royal Engineers. Thankfully unlike Horace, Cecil survived the carnage of the Great War, and died on Thursday 2 February 1961 at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Ethelbert Road, Canterbury, Kent, at which time his home address was recorded as being at 2 Ileden Farm Cottages, Kingston, Canterbury, Kent. Brief mention should be made here that Wadden Hall, Waltham, Canterbury, Kent where Horace and his family members had once lived, was the one time residence of Sir Nicholas Haulte (1357-c.1415) who a number of publications record as having been a Member of Parliament, but it would appear to be the case that Sir Nicholas’s only election to Parliament was early in 1395, and was his only term that he actually spent in that office.

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GOODBURN, ERNEST WILLIAM. Private, 18982. 37th Company, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry). Died Monday 28 February 1916. Born and resided Wootton, Canterbury, Kent. Enlisted Canterbury, Kent. Son of Thomas Goodburn and Ann Goodburn (née Keeler). Buried Vermelles British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. Grave Ref: II. F. 2. Formerly Private, 472, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Ernest's places of birth, residence and enlistment as shown above were accessed from his entry in/on Soldiers Died in the Great War. His birth was recorded in the Bridge, Kent, Registration District during the fourth quarter of 1895. At the time of the 1901 census, Ernest was recorded by the enumerator as being a 5 year old Barham, Canterbury, Kent native who was residing with his parents at Wootton. Head of the house was 33 year old Barham, Canterbury, Kent native Thomas Goodburn, who was employed as a Domestic Gardener. Depending on what data sources are checked results in both Ernest, and also his father being shown as being natives of both Barham, Kent and Wootton, Kent. At the time of the death of Thomas Goodburn on Wednesday 19 January 1949, he resided at The Black Cottage, Wootton, Canterbury, Kent. LAWFORD, PERCY JAMES. Lance Corporal, T/176. 1/4th (Weald of Kent) Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment), (Territorial Force). Died Tuesday 30 May 1916. Born St. Gregory's, Canterbury, Kent. Enlisted Canterbury, Kent. Resided Wootton, Canterbury, Kent. Son of James Joseph Lawford and Elizabeth Lawford (née Hayes) of Canterbury, Kent. Buried Ranikhet New Cemetery, Almora, Uttarakhand, India. Commemorated on the Madras 1914-1918 War Memorial, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Face 7, and on the Canterbury, Kent civic war memorial. Percy's birth was recorded in the Canterbury, Kent, Registration District during the second quarter of 1881 and such he would have been about 35 years old when he died. Prior the disbanding of the Volunteers and the formation of the Territorial Force on Wednesday 1 April 1908, Percy had served as a member of the 1st (Volunteer) Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Along with several other members of the battalion, Percy enlisted in the Territorial Force on Friday 10 April 1908 at which time he stated that he was 25 years of age, and that he was employed as a Mailman by the General Post Office, he also stated that he resided at 34 Union Street, Canterbury, Kent. At the time of the 1911 census, the Lawford family still resided at 34 Union Street, Canterbury, Kent. Head of the house was 58 year old Canterbury, Kent native James Lawford who was a Carpenter, and the then 29 year old Percy was recorded by the enumerator as being employed as a Post Office Mailman. Like many of the Great War British casualties who lost their lives whilst serving in India, Percy is recorded as having 'Died,' as opposed to having been killed in action or dying of wounds. Unfortunately the actual cause of Percy's death has not yet been ascertained by the transcriber of these brief commemorations.

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MUMMERY, ARTHUR RICHARD. Stoker Petty Officer, K.16667. (Ch). Royal Navy, H.M.S. Vanguard. Died Monday 9 July 1917. Aged 24. Born Wootton, Canterbury, Kent on Saturday 16 July 1892. Son of William Mummery and Elizabeth Alice Mummery (née Seath) of Ivy House, Wootton, Canterbury, Kent. Commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial. Panel 23 as shown above. Arthur was not living at the Mummery family home when the 1911 census was conducted, at which time he was almost certainly serving at sea in the Royal Navy, and the Mummery family resided at Wootton. Head of the house was 56 year old Swingfield, Kent native William Mummery, who was employed as a Farm Labourer. A survivor from the Battle of Jutland in which she was part of the Fourth Battle Squadron, H.M.S. Vanguard, on which Bert was serving at the time of his death, was a 19,560 ton St. Vincent class Royal Navy battleship which was commanded by Lieutenant Commander Alan Charles Henderson Duke R.N, when it blew up and sank to the north of the Golta Peninsula in Flotta, Scapa Flow at approximately 23.20 hours on Monday 9 July 1917 with the loss of 843 lives. She went down as the result of a magazine explosion in one of the two magazines which served the ‘P’ and ‘Q’ turrets amidships. Following her loss an Admiralty Court of Enquiry was convened, with three possible causes tendered, they being:- (1) A spontaneous detonation of cordite, which had become unstable. (2) The cordite having caught fire from heating in an adjacent compartment. (3) Sabotage. To their credit Brian Budge from Kirkwall, and fellow enthusiast, Jonathan Saunders from Gillingham, Kent have carried out extensive research over a number of years into the loss of Robert’s ship, and it as the result of their findings that the actual death toll and following information has been ascertained. The vast majority of those lost with H.M.S. Vanguard numbering 622, are commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial. Although no formal cause for the cordite explosion was ever found by the Court of Inquiry, the most likely explanation is that a fire in a coal bunker or other neighbouring area simply smouldered away undetected long enough to heat the cordite stored at an adjoining bulkhead to dangerous levels, which eventually triggered an explosive reaction. Although dwarfed by the losses such as the S.S. Lancastria off the coast of France in the Second World War, but the loss of H.M.S. Vanguard remains Britain’s worst disaster in Home Waters. The wreck-site of the ship is now thankfully designated as a controlled site under the Protection of Military Remains Act. Stoker Cox and Private Williams of the Royal Marines, survived the explosion, but the only officer to do so was the ships commander Lieutenant-Commander Alan Charles Henderson Duke R.N, but sadly whilst receiving treatment for his injuries on the hospital ship H.S. Garth Castle in the Orkney Islands, he succumbed on Wednesday 11 July 1917 of the extensive wounds that he had received when H.M.S. Vanguard had exploded. Fortunately, 15 of H.M.S. Vanguard’s officers had not returned to the ship from a concert onboard H.M.S. Gourka, which was moored beside the battleship H.M.S. Royal Oak, whilst some of her ratings survived by virtue of the fact that they were on leave at the time of the loss of H.M.S. Vanguard. Albeit belatedly, the wreck of H.M.S. Vanguard was finally declared an official protected war grave in 1982.

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STONEY, THOMAS RAMSEY. Second Lieutenant. 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers attached to the 6th (Service) Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers. Died Wednesday 10 April 1918. Aged 35. Born Dungarvan, County Waterford, Ireland. Enlisted Dover, Kent. Resided Wootton, Canterbury, Kent. Son of the late Major George Ormonde Stoney, (K.O.S.B.) and the late Meylia Stoney (née Laing). Husband of Dorothy Agnes Stoney (née Sheepshanks) of Stokelake House, Chudleigh, Devon. Buried La Clytte Military Cemetery, Heuvelland, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Grave Ref: IV. A. 19. Also commemorated on page 84 of Ireland's Memorial Records 1914-1918. Thomas was born at Dungarvan, County Waterford, Ireland on Sunday 9 July 1882. He was the second of the three Stoney brothers who were educated at Wellington College, Crowthorne, Berkshire, which is where he captained the College XV in 1900, and was the deputy Head of College in 1901. On the completion of his education at Wellington College, Thomas went up to Pembroke College, Cambridge in 1901 to complete his education, where he played for the Pembroke College and Cambridge University XI. On the completion of his studies, unlike many of his family members who chose to serve in the military as a career, Thomas entered the teaching profession. At the time of the 1911 census he was recorded as being employed as an Assistant Schoolmaster, whilst lodging at South Lodge, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. South Lodge on the corner of Charles Street, Hemel Hempstead was once used as accommodation by the teachers for Lockers Park School, and as such it would be fair to assume that Lockers Park School was where Thomas was employed. Recorded by the enumerator as being the head of the house was 52 year old Garlieston, Wigtownshire native John Wildman, and like Thomas he too was employed as an Assistant Schoolmaster. Thomas subsequently became the Headmaster of Wootton Court Preparatory School. On Friday 14 January 1916 Thomas enlisted in the army 'For the Duration of the War, at which time he stated that he was aged 33 and 185 days, and employed as a Headmaster residing at Wootton, Kent. He named his brother Captain Patrick Sinclair Stoney of the Headquarters Staff, 26th Punjabis who was serving in India as his next of kin. On Wednesday 18 April 1917 Thomas married Miss Dorothy Agnes Stoney Sheepshanks, who was a daughter of the Reverend Thomas Sheepshanks of Stokelake House, Chudleigh, Devon, and his wife then became his next of kin. Having initially been placed on the Army Reserve, Thomas was mobilized on Tuesday 8 May 1917 and posted to serve as Private, 31034 in the King's Own Scottish Borderers, which was his late fathers regiment. Thomas' time spent as a Private was short lived as he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers on Saturday 25 August 1917, whilst he was stationed at Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland. At the time of his death on Wednesday 10 April 1918 during the Battle of the Lys at the time of the 1918 German Spring Offensive, Thomas was attached to the 6th (Service) Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers and was serving as the battalion Adjutant. He was one of the four of five Stoney brothers who served in the army. Thomas and his brother Lieutenant-

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Colonel George Butler Stoney, D.S.O. both served in the King's Own Scottish Borderers as had several of their family members. George died at Gallipoli on Friday 15 October 1915 aged 38, whilst commanding the 1st Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers. Patrick Sinclair Stoney briefly referred to above, served as an officer in the 26th Punjabis during the Great War, and at the time of his death on Friday 17 July 1942 was a Colonel. The other brother who served in the army was Colonel, Henry Howard Stoney, D.S.O., O.B.E. of the North Staffordshire Regiment, who died on Sunday 27 February 1955 at the age of 68. The other brother was Bowes Ormond Stoney who was a member of the Ceylon Civil Service, died on Sunday 16 October 1910 aged 31. Following Thomas' death his widow Dorothy did not remarry, and she died at St. Vincent's Nursing Home, Kingussie, Inverness-shire, Scotland on New Years Day 1960. At the time of her death, the home address of Dorothy Agnes Stoney was recorded as being at "The Glebe House," Ashton, Devon.

UNDERHILL, THOMAS WILLIAM. Second Lieutenant. 8th (Service) Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Died Saturday 19 August 1916. Aged 19. Born Sedgley, Staffordshire on Saturday 17 October 1896. Son of Edith Mary Underhill (née Waterhouse) of “Woodsetton,” Sea Wall, Dymchurch, Romney Marsh, Kent, and of the late Herbert Underhill. Buried Bray Military Cemetery, Somme, France. Grave Ref: I. B. 17. Thomas is also commemorated on the Dymchurch, Kent civic war memorial, and via his original grave marker which is located in the parish church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Dymchurch, Romney Marsh, Kent. Thomas was born at Sedgley, Staffordshire on Saturday 17 October 1896, and was christened at Darlaston, Wednesbury, Staffordshire on Monday 20 December 1897. He attended Rugby School from 1910 to 1913, and at the time of the 1911 census he was recorded by the census enumerator as being a 14 year old boarder residing at 3, Barby Road, Rugby, Warwickshire. Whilst Thomas was at Rugby School, his home address and that of his widowed mother was Wootton Court, Wootton, Canterbury, Kent. Following Thomas’s time spent at Rugby he went up to Birmingham University to study engineering. At the commencement of the Great War, Thomas was only 17 years old when he enlisted in the army, and was attested to serve as Private, 1158, in the 1/6th (Cyclist) Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment in which he was serving when he was appointed to Lance Corporal. After being commissioned

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as a Second Lieutenant in The Buffs (East Kent Regiment), Thomas was posted to serve with the 8th (Service) Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) in France with the British Expeditionary Corps on Sunday 10 October 1915. Shortly after arriving on the Western Front, Thomas was wounded and was evacuated back to England. Having recovered from his wounding, Thomas returned to France in February 1916 and joined his battalion in the field. He took part in a number of engagements with the enemy prior to his death in a former German trench near Delville Wood during the ‘Battle of the Somme.’ The immediate chain of events that led up to his demise began on Sunday 6 August 1916, when plans were put in place for his battalion along with the rest of the 72nd Brigade of the 24th Division, to take over frontline trenches which were located between the village of Guillemont and Deville Wood on the Somme, but as so often happened due to the ebb and flow of battle during the Great War, plans were altered at the very last moment, one of the resultant changes found Thomas’s battalion on Wednesday 9 August located in reserve positions situated on the Carnoy to Montauban road, where the following day several casualties occurred when British artillery fired shells which dropped short. On Saturday 12 August the battalion which was still near the Somme village of Carnoy and was heavily shelled all day, but on that occasion by the enemy, as opposed to their own artillery pieces. During the night of Thursday 17 August the battalion moved forward under the cover of darkness to take up assembly points in readiness for an attack near Waterlot Farm, which had been a German strong point in their second line of defence, and which was situated between the villages of Longueval and Guillemont, although the enemy strong point was called a farm, in fact it was a sugar refinery that had been captured from the Germans during the fighting in the area in mid July 1916. The battalion was in action all day, with the enemy position location known as ‘Machine Gun House’ eventually falling to the officers and men of “A” Company, in addition to which the northern end of an enemy trench complex named ‘ZZ Trench’ was taken by “C” Company. Although in terms of assigned objectives being captured etcetera, Saturday 19 August 1916 was a success for the 8th (Service) Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment), but it had been costly as casualties that day were an officer (Thomas) and 60 other ranks killed, plus 6 officers and 297 other ranks were wounded, some of whom later succumbed to their woundings. At the time of his death Thomas was on lookout duty; his Captain had just given some orders, and is reported to have had only gone approximately ten yards down the trench when he heard a shell burst. The Captain ran back and found Thomas and four of his men lying dead, he evidently having been killed by concussion.” One of the other ranks who were killed by the shell with Thomas, was Private Percy James Hines from the nearby town of Hythe, Kent. At the time of his death, Thomas' home address was recorded as being at Wootton Court, Wootton, Canterbury, Kent. Prior to his death in 1908 at the age of only 49, Thomas father Herbert Underhill who was a native of Oxford, Oxfordshire had been employed as a Schoolmaster at Wootton Court Preparatory School, which is where Wootton Great War casualty Thomas Ramsey Stoney had been employed as the Headmaster prior to enlisting. When the 1911 census was conducted, widowed Edith Mary Underhill was recorded by the enumerator as being the Headmistress at Wootton Court Preparatory School.

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The Great War 1914-1919

Lost Men

HOBBS, REGINALD HENRY. Private, CH/18461. Chatham Battalion, Royal Marine Light Infantry, 63rd (Royal Naval) Division. Died Saturday 8 May 1915. Aged 19. Born Wootton, Canterbury, Kent on Monday 12 April 1896. Son of Henry John Hobbs and Fanny Hobbs (née Deal) of 7 Redvers Cottages, Kearsney, Dover, Kent. Commemorated at Courtney’s and Steel’s Post Cemetery, Anzac, Turkey. Ref: Special Memorial 26. At the time of the 1911 census, the Hobbs family resided at 7 Redvers Cottages, Kearsney, Dover, Kent. Head of the house was 41 year old Wootton, Canterbury, Kent native Henry John Hobbs, who was a Gardener, and the then 14 year old Reginald was recorded by the enumerator as being employed as a Newsboy. He enlisted in the Chatham Division of the Royal Marine Light Infantry on Monday 20 April 1914, and had served in the Chatham Battalion at Dunkirk, Nord, France from Sunday 20 September 1914 to Friday 2 October 1914. Reginald had also taken part in the Defence of Antwerp from Saturday 3 October 1914 to Friday 9 October 1914. He served in the Chatham Battalion, Royal Marine Light Infantry, 63rd (Royal Naval) Division, in the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force from Saturday 6 February 1915 until his death on Saturday 8 May 1915. Although both of Reginald's parents were still alive at the time of his death, it was his brother Leonard who was living at The Cottage, Crabble Farm, River, Dover, Kent that was officially informed of Reginald's death. The cemetery in Turkey where Reginald is commemorated is named after two of the positions originally occupied by the 14th Australian Infantry Battalion, and were located on the lip of Monash Valley. Courtney's Post, towards the northern end of the original Anzac line, was named after the Commanding Officer of the14th Australian Infantry Battalion, Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Edmond Courtney, C.B., V.D., who brought the 14th Australian Infantry Battalion to it on Tuesday 27 April 1915. Steel's Post was next to it on the south-west was named after Major Thomas H. Steel of the same battalion. Both these positions were occupied on Sunday 25 April 1915 and held until the evacuation of the Anzac sector in December. There are 225 Commonwealth servicemen of the Great War buried or commemorated at Courtney’s and Steel’s Post Cemetery, where 160 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 58 casualties believed to be buried among them, one of which is in remembrance of Reginald, who following his death was buried on the North Side of Monash Valley, Gallipoli, Turkey. It would seem likely that Reginald is at rest in Courtney’s and Steel’s Post Cemetery, but was unidentified. On Friday 13 June 1919 the 1914 Star to which Reginald had been entitled, was issued to his father Henry John Hobbs. Sadly Henry also lost his life as the result of enemy action but during the Second World War on Monday 28 October 1940, and he has been commemorated by us below as a Wootten, Kent Second World War 'Lost Man.'

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KEELER, ALFRED WOODCOCK. Stoker 1st Class, SS/100794. Royal Navy, H.M.S. Bacchante. Died Sunday 23 June 1918. Aged 34. Born Wootton, Kent on Tuesday 29 April 1884. Son of Joseph Woodcock Keeler and Elizabeth Keeler (née Murton) of Shelvin Lane, Wootton, Canterbury, Kent. Buried St. Mary Magdalene Churchyard, Denton, Dover, Kent. At the time of the 1911 census, the Keeler family resided at Shelvin Lane, Wootton, Canterbury, Kent. Head of the house was 56 year old Denton, Kent native Joseph Woodcock Keeler, who was employed as a Bricklayer, and Alfred was recorded as being employed as a Farm Labourer. Although whilst thankfully fairly uncommon, but whilst researching the various forms of remembrance to the victims in Kent and elsewhere, a casualty is sometimes found which having checked relevant information about the person concerned via various data sources online, or in publications etcetera, conflicting information appertaining to the person concerned is found. Alfred falls in to the aforementioned category. Depending on which year of the census which records Alfred shows him as having been a native of Barham, Kent, or Denton, Kent, or Woolton, Kent the latter is clearly a spelling mistake and should be Wootton, which is how he was recorded by the Royal Navy. Some sources checked record that at the time of his death, Alfred had served at Gallipoli, and was serving on board H.M.S. Bacchante at the time of his death, and that he fell overboard and was drowned. On Sunday 23 June 1918, H.M.S. Bacchante was en route St. Helena for Simonstown, and there is no entry shown in her Log Book for anybody lost on that date. Other data records Alfred as having been at the Chatham, Kent naval barracks H.M.S. Pembroke on the day of his demise, which is probably correct in view of his grave.

WARD, HARRY. Private, 53842. 49th Company, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry). Died Wednesday 17 April 1918. Aged 33. Born Upper Standing, Alkham, Dover, Kent. Enlisted and resided High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Son of Margaret Eliza Ward (née Read) of Wootton, Canterbury, Kent, and of the late Edward Ward. Husband of Daisy Ethel Ward (née Adby) of 57, Desborough Avenue, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Buried Haringhe (Bandaghem), Military Cemetery, Poperinge, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Grave Ref: III. F. 19. Commemorated on the war memorial at the Hospital at High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and on a war memorial triptych within the parish church St. John's Church, High Wycombe which has now become redundant, and the triptych on which Harry is commemorated, may have been transferred to the parish church of St. Birinus and St. John, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. At the time of the 1911 census, the Ward family resided at Street Farm, Wootton, Canterbury, Kent. Head of the house was 68 year old widowed Lyminge, Kent native Margaret Eliza Ward, and 25 year old Harry was recorded by the enumerator as being a Farmer and an employer. Harry married Miss Daisy Ester Adby at High Wycombe, Berkshire on Saturday 16 January 1915. He enlisted in the army on Monday 22 November 1915 'For the

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Duration of the War,' at which time he stated that he was 30 years and 9 months old, employed as a Carman, and residing with his wife at 57, Desborough Avenue, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, naming his wife as his next of kin. Having been attested as a Private for General Service, Harry was placed on the Army Reserve until being mobilised on Monday 15 May 1916, and joined the Home Counties (Cinque Ports) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery at Dover, Kent as Driver, 2335. Harry's time spent serving as an artilleryman was of only a short duration, as he was transferred on Saturday 24 June 1916 to serve as a Private, 21415, in the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment which was part of the Harwich, Essex, Garrison. He volunteered for service in the Machine Gun Corps (Infantry), to which he was the transferred on Friday 1 September 1916, and in which he then remained until he died of wounds on Wednesday 17 April 1918. Harry had embarked from Folkestone, Kent on Sunday 21 January 1917 and arrived at Boulogne-sur-Mer the same day. He joined the Machine Gun Corps Base Depot at Camiers, Pas de Calais the day after arriving in France. From Camiers, Harry was posted to the 193rd Company, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry), which he joined in the field on Friday 2 February 1917. He was serving in the 193rd Company, when he suffered a gunshot wound to his face on Sunday 13 May 1917, for which having received medically attention locally, he was admitted as a patient two days later at the 6th Stationary Hospital at Frevent, Pas de Calais, which was stationed at the town of Frevent from June 1916 to the end of August 1918. On the day of going to the 6th Stationary Hospital, Harry was quickly moved to the 18th General Hospital at Dannes Camiers, Pas de Calais. Following his treatment at the 18th General Hospital, Harry went to the 6th Convalescent Depot at nearby Etaples, but only remained there for two days and then rejoined his unit. Harry was later posted to serve in 148th Company, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry), in which was serving when being granted a period of leave to the United Kingdom from Sunday 6 January 1918 to Saturday 19 January 1918, and rejoined his unit in the field on Tuesday 22 January. On Wednesday 17 April 1918 Harry suffered a shrapnel wound to his abdomen, whilst serving in the 49th Company, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry), and died later the same day at the 62nd Casualty Clearing Station at the village of Hardinge, Poperinge, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. With effect from Monday 28 October 1918, Harry's widow was awarded a pension for herself and daughter Dorothy who was born on Tuesday 12 September 1916. When Harry's widow completed Army Form W.5080 on Saturday 21 June 1919, it was witnessed by the Mayor of High Wycombe, Owen Haines J.P. who was the Mayor from 1919 until 1921. The form was filled in to allow Margaret Ward to be sent the bronze memorial plaque (aka Dead Mans Penny), and the accompanying scroll from H.M. The King in remembrance of Harry. At the time of completing the form, Harry's widowed mother was living at 100 High Street, Cheriton, Folkestone, Kent. Following Harry's death his widow did not remarry, and the death of 86 year old Daisy Ethel Ward who was born at High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire on Monday 25 August 1890, was recorded in the Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, Registration District during the third quarter of 1976. The information above regarding the two commemorations of Harry at High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, was accessed from the excellent website Buckinghamshire Remembers, which the joint owners of www.kentfallen.com wholeheartedly recommends to people.

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The Second World War 1939-1945

Lost Man

HAMBROOK, WILLIAM VICTOR. Corporal, 7689903. 18th Divisional Provost Company, Corps of Military Police. Died Sunday 11 July 1943. Aged 37. Born and resided Kent. Son of Frederic John Hambrook and Minnie Sarah Hambrook (née Colthup). Husband of Mary Kathleen Hambrook (née Marsh) of The Lodge Gates, Street End, Lower Hardres, Canterbury, Kent. Buried Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery, Myanmar. Grave Ref: B4. P. 3. Commemorated on the Lower Hardres, Canterbury, Kent civic war memorial. William was born at Wootten, Dover, Kent, and his birth was recorded in the Dover, Kent, Registration District during the first quarter of 1907. At the time of the 1911 census, the then 4 year old William was recorded as being a visitor at Upper Street, Tilmanstone, Eastry, Kent. Head of the house was 31 year old Brecon, Breconshire native Miss Emmeline Taylor who was an Elementary School Teacher. Also recorded as being in residence was William's 71 year old maternal grandparents Henry Colthup and Emily Colthup, both of whom were natives of Tilmanstone, Eastry, Kent. William's 18 year old sister Elsie who was a native of Nonington, Dover, Kent, his sister 15 year old Eythorne, Dover, Kent native Dorothy was also recorded by the enumerator as staying with Miss Emmeline Taylor. William's marriage to Mary Kathleen Marsh was recorded in the Bridge, Kent, Registration District during the second quarter of 1931. The 18th Divisional Provost Company, Corps of Military Police in which William was serving, was captured at the Fall of Singapore on Sunday 15 February 1942, of whom 35 other ranks of the Company died between Wednesday 2 June 1943 and Thursday 30 December 1943, and are at rest at Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery, Myanmar. The notorious Burma-Siam railway, built by Commonwealth, Dutch and American prisoners of war, was a Japanese project driven by the need for improved communications to support the large Japanese army in Burma. During its construction, approximately 13,000 prisoners of war died and were buried along the railway. An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 civilians also died in the course of the project, chiefly forced labour brought from Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, or conscripted in Siam (Thailand) and Burma (Myanmar). Two labour forces, one based in Siam and the other in Burma worked from opposite ends of the line towards the centre. The Japanese aimed at completing the railway in 14 months and work began in October 1942. The line, 263 miles long, was completed by December 1943. The graves of those who died during the construction and maintenance of the Burma-Siam railway (except for the Americans, whose remains were repatriated) were transferred from camp burial grounds and isolated sites along the railway into three cemeteries at Chungkai and Kanchanaburi in Thailand and Thanbyuzayat in Myanmar. Thanbyuzayat became a prisoner of war administration headquarters and base camp in September 1942, and from January 1943 a base hospital was organised for the sick. The camp was close to a railway marshalling yard and workshops, and heavy casualties were sustained among

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the prisoners during Allied bombing raids in March and June 1943. The camp was then evacuated and the prisoners, including the sick, were marched to camps further along the line where camp hospitals were set up. For some time, however, Thanbyuzayat continued to be used as a reception centre for the groups of prisoners arriving at frequent intervals to reinforce the parties working on the line up to the Burma-Siam border. Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery was created by the Army Graves Service who transferred to it all graves along the northern section of the railway, between Moulmein and Nieke. There are now 3,149 Commonwealth and 621 Dutch burials of the Second World war in the cemetery.

HOBBS, HENRY JOHN. Civilian casualty. Died Monday 28 October 1940. Aged 70. Son of the late Henry Allen Hobbs and the late Julia Rebecca Hobbs (née Constable. Husband of Fanny Hobbs (née Deal) of 2 Guildford Cottages, East Langdon, Dover, Kent. Buried St. Augustine's Churchyard, East Langdon, Dover, Kent. Henry was born at Wootton, and his birth was recorded in the Dover, Kent, Registration District during the third quarter of 1869. At the time of the 1871 census Henry was recorded by the census enumerator as being 1 year old, and residing with his parents at Smallden, Wootton, Kent. Head of the house was his father, 26 year old Acrise, Kent native Henry Allen Hobbs, who was employed as an Agricultural Labourer. In view of Henry's recorded age when the 1871 census was conducted, it would seem likely that the census address was also the actual location of his birth. Henry married Miss Fanny Deal in the Dover, Kent, Registration District during the third quarter of 1895. Henry was injured at the village of Martin, Dover, Kent on Thursday 24 October 1940 as the result of enemy action. He succumbed to his injuries whilst receiving treatment as a patient at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Waldershare, Tilmanstone, Kent. Henry was numbered amongst the many civilians of the Commonwealth whose deaths were due to enemy action during the Second World War. The names of some 67,092 are commemorated in the Civilian War Dead Roll of Honour, located near St. George's Chapel in Westminster Abbey, London. The death of 84 year old Swingfield, Kent native Mrs. Fanny Hobbs was recorded in the Dover, Kent, Registration District during the third quarter of 1954. For additional Hobbs family details, please also the brief commemoration of Wootton, Great War 'Lost Man' Reginald Hobbs who was a son of Henry Hobbs and Fanny Hobbs, and was serving in the Royal Marine Light Infantry when he died at Gallipoli on Saturday 8 May 1915.

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