The Villager September- November 2018 LEST WE FORGET
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The Villager September- November 2018 LEST WE FORGET Dobwalls and Trewidland Parish Council ‘IN HONOURED AND GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THOSE MEN WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1918. ‘GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS’ On the War Memorial in Dobwalls, outside the Memorial Hall, there are the names of ten men who died in the Great War. Thanks to the invaluable research of Rob Bonser- Wilton, we have been able to put together short memorial pieces on each of these men. Joseph Henry ALLEN, born in 1895 in St Germans Cornwall, was the son of Joseph and Emma Allen who moved with their four children to Dobwalls by 1911. Henry at 15 was one of four servants to Elizabeth Parker in St Germans. (Joseph) Henry Allen enlisted for World War One at Liskeard. He joined the 6th Battalion of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry as a Private in the opening years of World War One in time to be a recipient of the 1914-15 Star Medal when he would have been only 19. Married to Beatrice M Bartlett, he fought in France and Flanders with the 6th Battalion of the DCLI, was killed in Action on the 18th August 1916 and is buried in the Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery, Manancourt, Somme. World War One Tablet, The British Cemetery Liskeard Parish Church Manancourt, Somme. John BARTLETT was the son of James and Mary Bartlett of Tideford. In 1911 the address of ‘Dobwalls, Liskeard, Cornwall’, was recorded for John Bartlett, Aged 27 ‘Head’ of the Household with his wife Beatrice Mary Bartlett, and son still under 1 year old. A ‘Platlayer’ for the Great Western Railway, John enlisted in Liskeard in the 10th Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. He died on the 16th December 1917 aged 35, and is buried in Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery, Manancourt, Somme, France. John H COLE Born in 1882 at St Cleer to parents William and Emma J Cole, John was resident (at date of Enlistment in Bodmin) at Blackwater. He served in the 1st Battalion Somerset Light Infantry (formerly Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry) and served in France and Flanders, Belgium. John was killed in Action on 22 April 1918 - Aged 36 and buried at Loos, Pas de Calais. John H Cole is also remembered on the St Martin’s Church, Liskeard War Memorial Tablet 2 Joseph Percy CONGDON was born in Dobwalls in 1893, the youngest of 3 children of John Congdon and Mary Pollie Congdon, who lived at Beneathway, Dobwalls. At the time of the 1911 Census Percy Congdon was aged 17, Single and living with his mother and father and his brother and sister, ‘Assisting on Farm’. By the time of his death, Sgt Congdon had already suffered the loss of his wife Lucy H. Congdon, whom he must have married between the 1911 Census and his death in 1917. Sergeant Congdon was killed in action on the 27th October 1917, aged 24, having fought in France and Flanders with the 1st and 5th Battalion of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. He is buried in Sunken Road Cemetery, Fampoux, Pas de Calais. Ernest John COOMBES On the 1911 Census Ernest Coombs, born in 1895 in Liskeard Parish, was aged 16 and living at Twelvewoods, Dobwalls with his parents, Henry and Esther Coombs and his younger brother Alfred. His occupation on the 1911 Census was given as ‘Masons Labourer’. Ernest John Coombs worked as a Porter - Railway Worker member of the Lostwithiel Branch of the National Union of Railwaymen. He enlisted for World War One at Bodmin, and served with the 7th Battalion of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. Ernest was killed in Action on 14th October 1917 aged 22 years and is buried in the Fins New British Cemetery, Sorel-Le-Grand, Somme, France Richard CRAGO was born in 1885 the son of Robert and Elizabeth Crago, Lerryn Village, St Veep, Cornwall. By the time of the 1901 Census Richard Crago, aged 17, was employed as a ‘Horse Man on Farm’ of Thomas Blewett, Middle Taphouse. By the time of the 1911 Census Robert Crago (Senior) aged 67 and his wife, Elizabeth, aged 63, were living in Dobwalls, with the youngest 3 of their 8 children. Richard is recorded as being a member of the Truro branch of the Union of ‘Railway Workers’ and his occupation was ‘Relayer’. Richard Crago began his World War service with the Royal Engineers, enlisting at St Austell; later moving to the 22nd Battalion (Tyneside Scottish) of the Northumberland Fusiliers. In 1917 Richard married Elizabeth Williams. Only a few months after his marriage Richard was killed on 19th October 1917, aged 33. There is no known grave for Richard Crago. He is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. It bears the names of some 35,000 men of the British and New Zealand forces who have no known grave, nearly all of whom died between August 1917 and November 1918. This area on the Western Front was the scene of the Third Battle of Ypres. Also known as the Battle of Passchendaele, it was one of the major battles of the First World War. 3 Charles GRANGER was born in 1893 the son of Frederick and Susan Granger who by the 1901 Census were living in Dobwalls with their 4 children. By the time of the 1911 Census Charles Granger, aged 18, had had joined the Royal Navy. He is recorded as being resident in Keyham Devonport, Plymouth, The Naval occupation of Charles Granger at the date of the 1911 Census was ‘Stoker 2nd Class’. Leading Stoker Charles Granger, aged 21 had the misfortune to be one of the first casualties of World War One, on the 6th August 1914, when the ship on which he was serving, HMS Amphion, was mined. Charles is remembered on the World War One Tablet in Liskeard Parish Church, on the Liskeard War Memorial at the junction of Castle Street and Castle Hill, and the Plymouth Naval Memorial. Richard HANCOCK - Leading Stoker Richard Hancock was born in 1892, the son of (Thomas) John Hancock and Annie Hancock who by 1901 were living with their four children at Looe Mills. In 1910 Richard Hancock, aged 18, married Olive Rose Dowling, aged 16. Richard Hancock was an early Royal Navy Casualty of World War One. He died on 1st November 1914, aged 23, as a result of ‘Surface Action’ serving as Leading Stoker on HMS Monmouth, leaving his wife, Olive Rose Hancock a widow at the age of only 20.The doomed HMS Monmouth, a Clyde-built cruiser, was sunk at the Battle of Coronel by the German vessel Nurnberg. This was the first naval battle of WW1 with the loss of two Royal Navy armoured cruisers and 1,570 men. Richard Hancock is also remembered on the Liskeard Parish Church World War One Memorial Tablet Richard James KELLOW was born on 6th December 1885, in St Minver, Cornwall, the son of John and Codelia Kellow. By the time of the 1901 Census Richard Kellow can be found, aged 15, as a ‘Servant’ - ‘Yard Boy for Cattle’ in the Household of Joseph Hawken, in St Minver, By the 1911 Census, Richard now aged 24, was a ‘Teamster On Farm’ by Occupation, meant that he was a Driver of a Team of Farm Working Horses. Sometime between the 1911 Census and his enlistment for World War One, Richard Kellow had moved from the St Minver area to the Liskeard area, presumably in pursuit of his Occupation of Agricultural Horse Teamster, as Richard enlisted for World War One in Liskeard in the ‘Royal Garrison Artillery’ In 1917, Richard aged 32 married, Edith M Powell, aged 23, of Dobwalls. By the time of his death on 18th July 1918, Richard, aged 33 held the rank of ‘Pioneer’ with the 342nd Railway Construction Company of the Royal Engineers. Richard saw War Service in 4 France and Flanders before his Death on 18th July 1918. Richard is buried at the Longuenesse (St Omar) Souvenir Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. Richard is also remembered on the Liskeard Parish Church World War One Tablet. George Edward WOODLEIGH (or Woodley) was born in 1887 in the Honiton District of Devon. By the time of the 1901 Census the Woodley family was living at ‘Wembury Woods', Wembury, Plympton St Mary, Devon with their two children. By the time of the 1911 Census George Woodley, aged 24, and a ‘Gardener Domestic’ by Occupation was ‘Single’ and a ‘Boarder’ in the Household at ‘Doublebois’. George Edward Woodley enlisted for Service in World War One at Bodmin, joining the Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry. By the time of his Death in Action on the 22nd March 1918, aged 31, George Woodley was an Acting Corporal in the 11th Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment. In 1916 they were in action on the Somme and in1917 they fought at the Battle of Messines and at Ypres. George is commemorated at POZIERES MEMORIAL, Somme. The Memorial commemorates over 14,000 casualties of the United Kingdom and 300 of the South African Forces who have no known grave and who died on the Somme from 21 March to 7 August 1918. The Plymouth Naval Memorial decked with Poppies from the Tower of London Thank You The above biographies are only a very brief extract from the detailed research that Rob Bonser-Wilton has undertaken, dedicated to the late Arthur & Yvonne Opie of Havett Farm. We hope to be able to find a way of making the full versions of this research available to family members local historians for the future.