LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY

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Version 1.1 published November 2014

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INDEX

Introduction …………………………………… Page 4-5 …………………………………… Page 6-7 HOPE MANSELL …………………………………… Page 8-10 LEA ……………………………………. Page 12-13 LINTON ……………………………………. Page 14-18 UPTON BISHOP ……………………………………. Page 19-21 …………………………………….. Page 22-29

Appendix: Photographs of various memorials and cemeteries maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) ……………………….. Page 30-38

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INTRODUCTION

All the church memorials created in this area to honour the sacrifice of those that fell in the First World War were funded by public subscription. We can only guess at the impact of the loss of so many young men locally, particularly in a mainly agricultural society, but it is clear that families were numb with grief at the scale of the calamity. For many, the memorials must have represented a place of quiet reflection for a lost son or husband. Each Armistice Day commemoration, the memorials were surely a source of sadness tinged with pride for the community at large? The outbreak of the Second World War must have been galling for this generation who had lost loved ones fighting in what they believed was the war to end all wars.

The majority of memorials are specifically dedicated to those from the parish who were killed in action. However, this link could be by birth, home address or place of work. As memorials were paid for by donations from parishioners it appears some named are not local and simply have a family connection. Several names appear on more than one memorial in the area confirming that this was a closely knit community.

The British government had decided at the outbreak of war in 1914 that soldiers would be buried where they fell. This was a decision based on cost as a casualty rate of 40% had been forecast for the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) despatched to France. This proved an under estimation. Eventually, 720,000 British fighting men would die in four years of fighting in a war of attrition. Many have no known grave and are remembered as a name on a memorial along with thousands of their comrades. Numerous WW1 gravestones are inscribed simply with the words of Rudyard Kipling, ‘Known unto God’.

Men from this area of fought in all the main theatres of the war including the Western Front, Gallipoli and Palestine. Numerically, most served in our local regiments- the , Glosters and foremost, the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) - which were all active recruiters in the county. I have attempted to identify all those named on the Ariconium memorials using the extensive Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) records and a number of other specialist website databases (eg Ancestry and Forces War Records). Herefordshire Council has also replicated the relevant CWGC records on its website. Whilst few difficulties have been experienced with the identification of the majority of individuals there are some that still remain elusive.

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The local agricultural labour force in the 1910s was essentially itinerant moving from farm to farm especially at harvest time. In tracking down individuals in the 1911 census, it appears a question of luck in which parish the many farm labourers and their families ended up on the night of Sunday, 2nd April 1911 (census day). Many shared common surnames (eg Jones, Taylor) and a ‘Harry’ could also be a Henry, Herbert, Humphrey or Hubert! Many adults at this time would have been illiterate and army records can often relate to an initial not to a first name. To illustrate the problem, 487 ‘H Taylors’ died in the Great War!

Sadly, WW1 army records are far from complete with much being lost in 1940 in the London blitz with yet more sent for pulp to aid the war effort. The official regimental diaries are a fine source of general material but very rarely name individuals below officer rank. The Ariconium war dead were, of course, primarily privates although a few from a far wealthier background were commissioned. Conscription was introduced in 1916 for those aged 18 to 41 as voluntary recruitment had gradually declined. From this date, new conscripts could be sent to join regiments anywhere in Britain and we lost the primary local connection with the KSLI and the Glosters. Each year, some 500,000 young men reached their 18th birthday and by 1918 nearly half the British infantry in the field was aged 19 and under following the horrendous casualties at the Somme and Passchendaele.

We can but hope that in the near future all those named on the Ariconium war memorials will be accurately identified. It has been a humbling experience in tracking down these brave men. Their sacrifice fighting for King and Country should never be forgotten.

Roger Davies, Linton, October 2014

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ASTON INGHAM (Church of St John the Baptist)

Private Sidney Ralph BALDWIN 2nd Battalion South Lancashire Regiment Service number: 50311 Died: 22 March 1918 Age: 19 Sidney, who stayed in Gorsley with his aunt Leonora Gibbs pre-war, died on the second day of Operation Michael, the big German ‘push’ in the Spring of 1918. The church memorial states ‘RWF’ (Royal Welch Fusiliers) but this appears to be incorrect. Memorial location: Pozieres Memorial (commemorating over 14,000 UK casualties who died on the Somme from March to August 1918 and have no known grave). Son of Richard and Matilda Baldwin. . Private Frank GOOCH 2nd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers Service number: 4426 Died: 1 July 1916 Age: 20 Tragically, this was the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Frank was one of the 57,000 casualties in what proved to be the most costly single day in British military history. Frank was born and resided in . Memorial location: Thiepval Memorial (bearing the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of UK and South African forces who died in the Somme sector predominantly in 1916 and have no known grave). Son of Mrs. F. Gooch, of Chapmans Place, Kilcot, Glos.

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CSM Thomas McCAIN Royal Engineers 50th Field Searchlight Company (Company Sergeant Major) Service number: 28347 Died: 14 July 1917 Age: 39 A career soldier and recorded as an army engine driver in the 1911 census. Cemetery location: La Chapelette British and Indian Cemetery, Peronne (the 34th Casualty Clearing Station was at La Chapelette, east of Amiens, in July 1917). Son of Christopher and Sarah McCain.

Private George William PAUL 6th Battalion Australian Infantry Service number: 2281 Died: 15 August 1916 Age: 22 The CWGC grave records reveal no next of kin but George fought with the Australian Imperial Forces on the Western Front. Memorial location: Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (This is the Australian National Memorial erected to commemorate all Australian soldiers who fought in France and Belgium during the WW1 and especially to those with no named grave. The memorial was designed by Lutyens and unveiled by King George VI on 22 July 1938). Nephew of James Pearce of Ashton Ingham.

Driver Francis Humpidge WHEELER 2nd Brigade Royal Field Artillery (53rd Battery) Service number: 187179 Died: 5 October 1918 Age:20 Francis is also remembered on the memorials at Christ Church, Gorsley and Clifford’s Mesne. CWGC records state ‘died of wounds’ some 5 weeks before the Armistice. Memorial location: St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen (Rouen had eight general, five stationary and one British Red Cross hospital for the duration of WW1. Most who died in these hospitals were taken to the city cemetery of St. Sever. The cemetery extension was created in 1916 and contains 8,348 Commonwealth burials. These include Francis but also Albert Drinkwater age 19 (Linton) and Henry Jones age 22 (Gorsley Baptist Church). Son of Mr. WH and Mrs. LH Wheeler, of Ivy-dene Cottage, , , Glos.

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HOPE MANSELL (Church of St Michael)

Private Charles Henry CORBETT 4th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment Service number: 48044 Died: 30 November 1917 Age: 19 Memorial location: Cambrai Memorial, Louverval (The Cambrai Memorial commemorates more than 7,000 UK and South African servicemen who died in the Battle of Cambrai in November and December 1917 and have no known grave. James Mayo (Upton Bishop) died on the same day and is also named on this memorial). Son of Bertha Mutlow (formerly Corbett), of Perlieu Cottage, Star Beach, Ruardean

Sapper David Albert CORBETT Royal Engineers Service number: 21434 Died 1 March 1920 Age: 27 Elder brother of Charles above and succumbed to his war time service in 1920. We have no other details in the CWGC records. Son of Bertha Mutlow (formerly Corbett), of Perlieu Cottage, Star Beach, Ruardean

Private Allen GARDINER 3rd Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry Service number: 11161 Died: 22 June 1916 Age: 20 The 3rd battalion was specifically a training battalion for new recruits before they moved on to front-line units. CWGC records from May 2009 state: ‘This casualty has recently been accepted for commemoration by the Commission’. Allen’s gravestone is St Michael’s churchyard near the main gate. Son of Joseph Gardiner.

Private Allen Gardiner’s gravestone in September 2014.

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Private Alfred JONES ALFRED JONES HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED BUT RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN FOR HEREFORDSHIRE COUNCIL SUGGESTS HIS CHRISTIAN NAME WAS IN FACT ALBERT. IF CORRECT:- Private Albert JONES 118th Company, Labour Corps [transferred from 29th Battalion Middlesex Regiment (78351)] Service number: 70419 Died: 30 November 1917 Age: 43 Formed in January 1917, the Labour Corps grew to some 389,900 men by the Armistice. The Corps was manned by officers and other ranks who had been medically rated below the ‘A1’ condition needed for front line service. Many were returned wounded. Cemetery location: Reninghelst New Military Cemetery (some 10 kms south-west of Ieper, Reninghelst was a suitable base for field ambulances for most of WW1. There are 798 Commonwealth graves in this cemetery). Stepbrother of Thomas Jones, of "Floyds," Lower Mascoed, Pontrilas,

Lieutenant Alfred Cornelius MARGRETT 2nd Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment (at the outbreak of war known as ‘Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Died: 1 January 1923 Age: 35 Regiment’) Died from effects of wartime mustard gas. Buried in St Michael’s churchyard. Husband of Florrie Margrett.

William James MARSHALL RESEARCH HAS NOT IDENTIFIED WILLIAM MARSHALL. HOWEVER, A RECENT ARTICLE IN THE ROSS GAZETTE SUGGESTS HE MAY HAVE SURVIVED THE WAR! A COPY OF THE ARTICLE IS TO BE FOUND ON PAGE 11.

Second Lieutenant Percy Walter NORRIS 34th Battalion Machine Gun Corps Died: 29 July 1918 Age: 30 Infantry The Machine Gun Corps was known as the ‘suicide squad’ as casualty rates were very high and no side gave any quarter to captured machine gunners. Cemetery location: Raperie British Cemetery, Villemontoire (Villemontoire is connected entirely with the victorious advance of the 15th and 34th Divisions, under French leadership, in the period from the 23rd July to the 2nd August 1918. The cemetery was created after the Armistice by the concentration of graves from across the battlefield. Many of the 600 graves relate to members of the Herefordshire Regiment). Husband of Kate May Norris, "Danygraig," Ystrad Mynach, Cardiff & brother of Alfred Norris. 2/Lt Alfred James Norris died in WW1 too. He served in the KSLI and died on 28 March 1918, age 22. In William Collin’s book ‘Herefordshire in the Great War’, published in 1919, he is listed with his brother as one of the two Hope Mansell war dead.

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Private George Henry RUDGE 1st/4th Battalion Regiment Service number: 28589 Died: 13 June 1917 Age: 37 In ‘B’ Company and enlisted at Cinderford. Killed in action. Memorial location: Arras Memorial (commemorates almost 35,000 UK, South African and New Zealand servicemen who died in the Arras sector between the spring of 1916 and August 1918 and have no known grave). Son of Helen Probert.

Lance Corporal Evan TAYLOR 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment Service number: 8030 Died: 21 December 1914 Age: 25 A regular pre-war soldier. Born in Ross and enlisted in . Died of wounds. Cemetery location: Tourcoing (Pont-Neuville) Communal Cemetery (Tourcoing is in the Lille district. There are nearly 200 graves in this cemetery from those who died in British hospitals). Son of William Taylor.

< The Hope Mansell Roll-of-Honour

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- Ross Gazette article concerning William Marshall published in August 2014

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LEA (Church of St John the Baptist)

Lance Corporal Allan YOUNG 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment Service number: 5575 Died: 9 May 1915 Age: 34 A pre-war regular. Born in Hope Mansell and enlisted in Newnham. Killed in action at the Battle of Aubers Ridge where the British Army suffered 11,000 casualties in one day. Listed at top of the Lea memorial by virtue of senior rank (lance corporal). Memorial location: Le Touret Memorial (commemorates over 13,400 British soldiers who have no known grave and killed in actions along a section of front line between Estaires and Grenay from the beginning of October 1914 to the eve of the Battle of Loos in late September 1915). Husband of Charlotte Emily Young.

Harry ANDREW RESEARCH IN CWGC RECORDS HAS NOT YET IDENTIFIED HARRY. However, If H. Andrews could be:- Private H ANDREWS 5th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry ????? Service number: 12106 Died: 9 April 1917 Age: 27 ????? Cemetery: TILLOY BRITISH CEMETERY, TILLOY-LES-MOFFLAINES ????? Son of the late W. Thomas Andrews and Harriett Andrews ?????

Gunner William Henry GUILFORD MM Machine Gun Corps (Heavy Branch) Service number: 205674 Died: 8 May 1917 Age: 29 Awarded the Military Medal for gallantry. The Machine Gun Corps were also known as the ‘suicide squad’. William died of wounds. Heavy Branch operated the early tanks! Buried in Lea churchyard Son of Mr and Mrs W H Guilford, of Newport, Shropshire; husband of Annie Lilian Guilford, of Hill Top Bungalow, Chessgrove, Longhope, Glos.

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Private Alfred GWILLIAM 6th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry Service number: 12103 Died: 18 September 1916 Age: 30 A volunteer battalion raised in September 1914. Killed in action at the Somme. Memorial location: Thiepval Memorial (bearing the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of UK and South African forces who died in the Somme sector predominantly in 1916 and have no known grave). Son of George and Agnes Gwilliam.

Private Frederick John POPE 4th Battalion The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment Service number: 40507 Died: 25 December 1918 Age: 18 A pre-war territorial battalion. Fred, a new recruit, died on Christmas Day 1918 some 6 weeks after the Armistice. Buried in Lea churchyard. Son of John Pope, of Aston Crews.

Grave of Pte. Frederick Pope ^^^ Grave of Gunner William Guilford MM ^^^

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LINTON (Church of St Mary the Virgin)

Sergeant John Arthur ADDIS 5th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry Service number: 11292 Died: 18 March 1916 Age: 20 Born in Linton Hill. A ‘groom gardener/domestic’ in 1911. Volunteered in August 1914 and first saw action at Ypres on 31 May 1915. Jack served entirely on the Western Front and endured some of the worst fighting of the war in the Ypres Salient in 1915. Jack was one of three killed (and 13 ‘other ranks’ wounded) on 18 March near Souchez from German shelling. German artillery units were able to control this sector of the front from two ridges which flanked the village – Vimy Ridge to the east, and Notre Dame de Lorette to the west. Cemetery location: Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez (Souchez is a village 3.5 kms north of Arras. The cemetery was much enlarged after WW1 and today the cemetery contains over 7,650 WW1 burials, over half of which remain unidentified). Son of J. C. Addis and Annie Addis, of "Redlands", Much Marcle.

Private Walter BYARD Depot Battalion, South Wales Borderers [Formerly 135660 of 7th Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry] Service number: 42209 Died: 11 February 1917 Age: 22 A farm labourer born in Linton. Volunteered in August 1914. Wounded fighting with 7 KSLI in France. Soldiers no longer considered fit for front line duties were transferred to depot battalions but it appears Walter succumbed to his injuries (possibly gassed?). Cemetery location: Birmingham (Lodge Hill) Cemetery Son of Eber and Mary Catherine Byard of The Routs Farm, Llanwern, Newport, . Walter also appears on the memorial at Christchurch near Newport.

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Private Albert DRINKWATER 1st/4th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment Service number: 203201 Died: 3 August 1917 Age: 19 Born at Two Parks farm, Linton and a farm hand in 1911. Recruited in Bristol and joined ‘A’ company. During the main Third Battle of Ypres, the Glosters attacked the German lines in the battle of Pilckem Ridge (between 31 July and 2 August 1917). The German counter-attack drove the British back before it was stopped by mud, artillery and machine-gun fire. Albert died of wounds in a Rouen military hospital. Cemetery location: St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen (This cemetery also contains the grave of Francis Wheeler (Aston Ingham)). Son of Thomas and Lucy Drinkwater, Two Parks Farm, Linton.

Private Sydney JEYNES 6th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry Service number: 25030 Died: 21 March 1918 Age: 28 A farm labourer born at Church View, Linton (see James Mayo at Upton Bishop). The Germans launched a major offensive in the Spring of 1918. The Battle of St Quentin in the southern Somme area raged for several days from 21 March. Extremely heavy losses were suffered by 6 KSLI and Sydney died from wounds during much confused fighting. The 53rd Casualty Clearing station used the Roye Cemetery at this time. Cemetery location: Roye New British Cemetery Son of Charles and Ellen Jeynes,"Church View," Linton.

Private Ernest Harold LANE 7th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry Service number: 13561 Died: 23 October 1918 Age: 26 A labourer born in Dymock and living in in 1911. Died on the first day of the Battle of the Selle just three weeks before the Armistice as German resistance crumbled. Cemetery location: Vertain Communal Cemetery Extension (the extension contains 52 WW1 Commonwealth burials). Son of Mark and Sarah Ann Lane.

Lance Corporal Henry William Bourne PALIN 1st Battalion Canterbury Regiment, Service number: 6/319 Died: 27 September 1916 Age: 31 New Zealand Expeditionary Force. The son of Edward and Brita Palin, late vicar of Linton. Born at the old Vicarage in Linton. Educated at Shrewsbury School. Emigrated to New Zealand in 1912. Volunteered as a farm hand to join the Canterbury Regiment. Fought at Gallipoli and died at the Battle of the Somme. Memorial location: Caterpillar Valley (New Zealand) Memorial (W of Longueval some 13 kms east of Albert. This memorial commemorates more than 1,200 men of the New Zealand Division who died in the Battles of the Somme in 1916 and have no known grave). Son of late Edward and Brita Palin formerly of The Vicarage, Linton.

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Rifleman Thomas PROBERT 3rd Battalion 3rd New Zealand Rifle Brigade Service number: 21090 Died: 18 October 1917 Age: 31 Born in Much Marcle and lived at Revels Cottages. Brother of Clara Probert, who ran Linton shop and Post Office (as Mrs Lee). Emigrated to New Zealand and volunteered to fight with Rifle Brigade. In April 1916, the NZ Division moved to France. During 1917, Thomas would have fought at the Battle of Messines, the and the Battle of Broodseinde before being wounded at the First (12 October 1917). He died from these wounds in a Boulogne hospital. Cemetery location: Boulogne Eastern Cemetery (this cemetery was used extensively by the Boulogne military hospitals and contains 5,577 WW1 Commonwealth burials). Son of Louisa Wintle of Revells Cottages, Linton.

Private Joseph George PUGH 7th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry Regimental number: 24854 Died: 2 January 1917 Age: 28 Born in Byford, Herefordshire and living in Netherton (W of Ross) in 1911. A shepherd and drover, married to Emily. The 7 KSLI spent Xmas 1916 at Bus in the Serre sector near Baupame. ‘The condition of the trenches was very bad and the country round a sea of mud, rivalling the Ypres salient’ [‘History of KSLI in the Great War’]. Killed by artillery fire? Memorial location: Thiepval Memorial (bearing the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of UK and South African forces who died in the Somme sector and have no known grave). Son of George and Mary Pugh. Joseph also appears on the Llanwarne war memorial.

H TAYLOR RESEARCH HAS NOT OFFICIALLY IDENTIFIED H TAYLOR. However, if Henry Taylor, a timber feller from Gorsley in the 1911 Census and a volunteer of August 1914, then quite probably:- Private H Taylor 5th Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry Service number: 16163 Died: 16 June 1915 Age: 40 Memorial location: Ypres (Menin Gate) memorial Son of Charles Taylor, Gorsley Common.

Private Wallace WEAVER 7th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry Service number: 13533 Died: 21 March 1916 Age: 23 Born in Linton, the son of a ‘jobbing gardener’. In 1911, Wallace lived with his parents near the Cross in Bromsash and worked as a domestic gardener. Like Walter Byard, Ernest Lane and Joseph Pugh he had volunteered to join 7 KSLI in September 1914. The battalion first saw action in the Ypres salient in the winter of 1915-16. On the 21 March 1916, Lt CV Townsend was killed out on patrol with the snipers he commanded near the Mound at St Eloi. Was Wallace with him? Cemetery location: Dickebusch New Military Cemetery (This cemetery near Ieper was used by fighting units and field ambulances and contains 624 WW1 burials). Son of George and Naomi Weaver, Near The Cross, Bromsash.

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7 KSLI near Arras March 1917

LINTON CHURCHYARD THOMAS PROBERT New Zealand Forces “who died of wounds in France September 18th 1917 aged 31”

HENRY WILLIAM BOURNE PALIN “Killed at the Somme Sept 27 1916 Pro patria”

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Memorial to JIMMIE MAYO in Linton churchyard. His name appears on the Upton Bishop war memorial.

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UPTON BISHOP (Church of St John the Baptist)

Charles Henry GIBBONS - is a cause of some debate. The only CWGC record that fits is:- Corporal Charles Henry GIBBONS Royal Warwickshire Regiment Depot Battalion Service No: 9036 Died: 19/07/1916 Age: 31 Cemetery: BIRMINGHAM (LODGE HILL) Husband of Elizabeth Ann Gibbons, of 50, Elist St, Nechells, Birmingham. However, this appears incorrect! We do know that at the outbreak of WW1 the Gibbons family lived at White House, Upton Bishop. The Ross Gazette published on 17th September 1914 lists Charles as serving in the Herefordshire Regiment. We have a copy of the medal card of Charles H Gibbons which shows he was given a new service number in 1917 again whilst serving with the Herefords (235225):-

This would indicate that Charles had served at Gallipoli and in Palestine. Records at the Herefordshire Regiment museum suggest this Charles Gibbons also served in the 5th and 7th battalions KSLI. Sadly, research in the CWGC records has not as yet yielded any confirmation. Did Charles die from the effects of gas?

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Private William Thomas GRUNDY Wellington Regiment New Zealand Service number: 42092 Died: 26 November 1917 Age: 30 Expeditionary Force Like so many who emigrated for a new life in New Zealand, Wiliam returned to fight for Britain and the Empire. The Battle of Passchendaele had finished in early November. Cemetery location: Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery (is located 12 Kms west of Ieper and it became a natural place to establish casualty clearing stations. The cemetery contains 9,901 Commonwealth burials from WW1). Son of J. and M. Grundy, of Crews Court, Upton Bishop.

Sergeant John HUCKSON 1st/1st Battalion Herefordshire Regiment Service number: 174 Died: 3 November 1915 Age: 32 The low service number indicates already a regular soldier when the Herefordshire Regiment became a territorial unit in 1908. Killed by a sniper whilst ‘wiring’ at Fort Conan, a sand-bagged strong point, in the Gallipoli campaign. Memorial location: Helles Memorial (This memorial serves the dual function of a Commonwealth battle memorial for the whole ill-fated Gallipoli campaign and a place of commemoration for the 21,000 Commonwealth servicemen who died there and have no known grave). Husband of the late Laura Huckson.

Private Frank James JONES 1st/1st Battalion Herefordshire Regiment Service number: 235245 Died: 26 March 1917 Age: 26 Frank died fighting in Palestine: ‘On 26 March 1917, the 53rd Division bore the brunt of the First Battle of Gaza ………. it had to advance across exposed ground, withstanding shrapnel, machine gun and rifle fire, to capture the Turkish fortifications. Despite gaining the advantage towards the end of the day, the British commander called off the attack so that the division's casualties, close to 3,500, were suffered in vain.’ Memorial location: Jerusalem Memorial (commemorates 3,300 Commonwealth servicemen who died during the WW1 in operations in Egypt or Palestine and who have no known grave). Son of Bertha Jones of Probyns Hill, Upton Bishop.

Private James MAYO 5th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment Service number: 36212 Died: 30 November 1917 Age: 19 Jimmie Mayo was born in Linton at Church View cottages in 1898. He is also remembered on his parent’s gravestone in Linton churchyard. Memorial location: Cambrai Memorial, Louverval (The Cambrai Memorial commemorates more than 7,000 UK and South African servicemen who died in the Battle of Cambrai in November and December 1917 and have no known grave. Charles Corbett (Hope Mansell) died on the same day and is also named on this memorial. Son of J. and Elizabeth Smith, of 1, Bamford Cottages, Upton Bishop.

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Private Hubert POWELL 6th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry Service number: 12120 Died: 23 October 1915 Age: 26 Hubert’s name also appears on the Kempley memorial. The 6th was a war-raised “Pals” battalion formed in Shrewsbury in September 1914. It had fought with distinction at the Battle of Loos in September 1915. Cemetery location: Rue-Du-Bacquerot No.1 Military Cemetery, Laventie (Laventie is a village 6 kms south-west of Armentieres and the cemetery contains 637 Commonwealth burials). Son of Thomas and Hannah Powell.

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WESTON UNDER PENYARD (Church of St Lawrence)

Private Albert Edward BOURTON 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards Service number: 25368 Died: 8 December 1917 Age: 21 The Guards regiments retained their very strict recruitment standards throughout the Great War and were greatly admired by the Germans for their discipline under fire. Albert had fought at Passchendaele but died of wounds when his battalion was engaged at the Battle of Cambrai in November and December 1917. Memorial location: Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery, Manancourt (This cemetery near Bapaume was begun in 1917 and used mainly by the 21st and 48th Casualty Clearing Stations posted at Ytres. The cemetery contains 1,838 Commonwealth burials). Son of Albert and Kate L. B. Bourton, of Ivy Cottage, Lower Weston, Nr Ross.

Corporal Ernest William CARPENTER 119th Brigade Royal Field Artillery Service number: 5193 Died: 29 September 1918 Age: 31 In ‘A’ battery normally equipped with 18 pdr field guns. The village of Langemark was captured from the Germans in September 1918 in the final phase of WW1. Cemetery location: Cement House Cemetery (This cemetery is located in Langemark, north of Ieper. There are now 3,592 Commonwealth graves with 2,425 of the burials unidentified). Brother of Charles Carpenter, of Springetts Lane, Weston under Penyard.

Private James CLOSE 11th Battalion Border Regiment Service number: 27722 Died: 18 November 1916 Age: 19 James originally volunteered for the Herefordshire Regiment but with no prospect of early action agreed with his comrades to join the Border Regiment as replacements for casualties suffered on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Sadly, James fell with many ex-Herefords in the Battle of the Ancre in which the Border Regiment helped

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2nd Lieutenant Charles Edwin DAVIS 14th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment Died: 15 September 1918 Age: 22 The 14th was a pioneer battalion and sadly Charles drowned whilst on active service. Cemetery location: Mont Huon Military Cemetery, Le Treport (Le Treport is a small seaport 25 kms north-east of Dieppe). Son of Samuel and Elizabeth Davis of 28, Russell St, Gloucester. Native of Weston under Penyard.

Private Edward GOODE 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment Service number: 285208 Died: 20 September 1918 Age: 19 Born in Linton at Bayton Cottages (demolished in the 1960s). A farm labourer, his family lived at Bury Hill in WW1. Originally, served with the Monmouthshire Regiment with service number 315044 but joined the Glosters to replace wartime losses. The 1st battalion had fought at the Battle of Epehy on the Hindenberg line on 18 September. Cemetery location: Vadencourt British Cemetery, Maissemy (Maissemy is a village about 5 kms NW of St.Quentin. This cemetery was extended post-Armistice concentrating several smaller burial grounds in the vicinity). Son of Henry and Mary Goode of Bury Hill.

Driver Albert Thomas GURNEY Army Service Corps attached 40th Field Ambulance Service number: T/37856 Died: 25 May 1916 Age: 21 Amara was occupied by the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force on 3 June 1915 and it immediately became a hospital centre. The accommodation for medical units on both banks of the Tigris was greatly increased during 1916. Albert may have died from disease. Cemetery location: Amara War Cemetery (IRAQ) (Amara is a town on the left bank of the Tigris some 520 kms from the sea! This cemetery contains 4,621 WW1 burials but in 1933 all the headstones were removed as salts in the soil were causing them to deteriorate. A screen wall was erected in its place with the names of those buried in the cemetery engraved upon it). Son of Albert and Eva Gurney.

Private Arthur GURNEY 8th Battalion The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) Service number: 24301 Died: 6 December 1917 Age: 25 Arthur Gurney’s father was Albert Gurney’s grandfather. Arthur had fought at Passchendaelle. At the time of his death his regiment was engaged in the Battle of Cambrai. [See also Albert Bourton]

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Cemetery location: Jeancourt Communal Cemetery Extension (Jeancourt is a small village situated approximately halfway between Peronne and St. Quentin. The village was a German hospital centre but in Allied hands in December 1917. The cemetery extension contains 492 WW1 Commonwealth burials but also 168 German graves). Son of William and Sarah Gurney.

Lance Corporal Arthur George HALL 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards Service number: 20995 Died: 11 July 1916 Age: 23 Like Albert Bourton, served with the Grenadier Guards in Flanders. The Guards Division has the unusual distinction of being formed in France in August 1915. The various Guards units that had been with other divisions were brought together to create a feared formation. It remained on the Western Front throughout the rest of the war. Arthur died of wounds fighting with the 2nd company 3rd battalion near Ypres. Cemetery location: Ferme-Olivier Cemetery (This cemetery 7 kms NW of Ieper was used continuously by field ambulances between June 1915 and August 1917. The cemetery contains 408 Commonwealth WW1 burials). Son of George and Mary Hall, natives of Weston-under-Penyard.

Corporal Frank J HALL 12th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment Service number: 36802 Died: 2 October 1917 Age: 23 Arthur Hall (see above) was a cousin. Frank had originally enlisted in Hereford and served with the 2nd line 1st battalion Herefordshire Regiment (service number: 3241). He transferred to the Glosters to replace wartime casualties. Frank died during the Battle of Polygon Wood which took place in the second phase of the Third Battle of Ypres between 26 September and 3 October 1917. Memorial location: Tyne Cot Memorial (The Tyne Cot Memorial is one of four memorials to the missing in Belgian Flanders which cover the area known as the Ypres Salient. It bears the names of almost 35,000 officers and men with no known grave). Son of Charles and Martha Hall, of Palmer's Flat, Hopes Ash, Ross, Herefordshire.

Lieutenant Robert Dennis HUDSON 109th Battery Royal Field Artillery Died: 25 January 1916 Age: 22 Appears as Dennis Hudson on the W-u-P memorial. The first German phosgene attack took place near Ypres on 19 December 1915. It is not known if Dennis was affected but he was subsequently killed in action. The 109th battery was part of XXIII Brigade from the outbreak of war and served exclusively in Flanders. Each regular battery consisted of six guns, normally 18 pounder field guns. Cemetery location: Dickebusch New Military Cemetery (The New Military Cemetery near Ieper was begun in February 1915 and was used until May 1917 by fighting units and field ambulances. It contains 624 WW1 burials). Son of Commander WJV (RN) and Mrs. EH Hudson, of Frogmore, Nr Pontshill, Herefordshire. Brother of Erris (see below).

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2nd Lieutenant Henry Erris HUDSON 9th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Died: 18 June 1918 Age: 19 Derby Regiment) Appears as Eris (only one ‘r’) on the W-u-P memorial. Awarded the Military Cross for gallantry with citation published in London Gazette although sadly not yet traced. On attachment to the 9th battalion which fought with the 33rd Brigade. This battalion had lost many of its officers in the Third Battle of Ypres in late 1917 but in June 1918 the Allies were again on the offensive. Memorial location: Loos Memorial (The Loos Memorial commemorates over 20,000 officers and men who died in the Loos area and have no known grave). Son of Commander WJV Hudson (RN) and Mrs. EH Hudson, of Frogmore, Nr Pontshill, Herefordshire. Brother of Robert (see above).

Private Robert Frederick JONES 77th Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps Service number: 77905 Died: 11 August 1917 Age: 27 Died of wounds. Cemetery location: Reninghelst New Military Cemetery (The village of Reninghelst, some 10 kms SW of Ieper, was occupied by Commonwealth forces from the late autumn of 1914 to the end of the war. It was sufficiently far from the front line to provide a suitable station for field ambulances. There are 798 Commonwealth WW1 burials). Husband of Mrs. WH Clarke (formerly Jones), of River Cottage, Wyastone Leys, .

Private Frank Edgar KEDDLE 4th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment Service number: 202875 Died: 7 September 1917 Age: 21 Frank’s POW record reveals he was captured in April 1917. He died in hospital in Tournai from dysentery and tuberculosis. Cemetery location: Tournai Communal Cemetery Allied Extension (Tournai was captured by the German II Corps on 23 August 1914 and the town remained in German hands until 8 November 1918). Son of Jonas and Laura Keddle

Sergeant Wallace LONGFORD 1st/1st Battalion Herefordshire Regiment Service number: 235655 Died: 19 April 1917 Age: 29 In ‘A’ company, Wallace had fought at Gallipoli in 1915-6 before fighting in General Allenby’s Egyptian Expeditionary Force in Palestine. He died at the Second Battle of Gaza. Gaza did not fall until the Third Battle of Gaza in November 1917 when the city had been reduced to rubble. Wallace’s medals are to be found in the Herefordshire Regiment Museum at the Suvla Barracks in Hereford. Cemetery location: Gaza War Cemetery (This cemetery contains 3,217 WW1 Commonwealth graves). Son of James and Elizabeth Longford. Born at Weston-under-Penyard.

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Private Arthur Cyril MAYO 14th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment Service number: 32005 Died: 25 August 1917 Age: 21 The 14th (West of ) battalion was formed on 22 April 1915 as a ‘bantam’ battalion by the Citizens’ Recruiting Committee in Bristol. ‘Bantam’ battalions recruited men who were under the minimum 5’ 3” height. Army records indicate Arthur was born in Ross and enlisted in Hereford. He had previously served with the Herefordshire Regiment (service number 1694). During 1917, Arthur had fought in the pursuit of the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line. He died from wounds at the Third Battle of Ypres (or Passchendaele) which had commenced in July and would run to the November. Cemetery location: Villers-Faucon Communal Cemetery (This communal cemetery 12 kms NE of Peronne contains 227 WW1 Commonwealth burials and 91 German graves). Son of Eleanor Mayo, of Webb's Cottages, Upton Bishop, Herefordshire.

Gunner Albert PRICE 28th Brigade Royal Field Artillery Service number: 74359 Died: 14 April 1917 Age: 27 In ‘A’ Battery. Killed at Vimy Ridge two weeks before his brother Oliver. Vimy Ridge was captured by the Canadian Corps on 9 April 1917 and remained in British hands until the end of the War. Cemetery location: Bois-Carre British Cemetery, Thelus (The village of Thelus stands on Vimy Ridge, near Arras. This cemetery was new in April 1917 and contains over 500 WW1 burials). Son of Henry and Mary Ann Price of Weston under Penyard.

Private Oliver PRICE 7th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry Service number: 32737 Died: 28 April 1917 Age: 29 Served with Thomas Putt (see below) and both died in April 1917. Oliver died of wounds at the two weeks after his brother Albert. This was a British offensive which lasted from 9 April to 16 May 1917. Cemetery location: Duisans British Cemetery, Etrun (The village of Etrun is 9 kms W of Arras. This cemetery was used by the 8th Casualty Clearing Station and most of the 3,207 WW1 Commonwealth graves relate to the Battle of Arras). Son of Henry and Mary Ann Price of Weston under Penyard. Husband of Mary Marfell Price of Bromsash Villa, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire.

Private Thomas E PUTT 7th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry Service number: 14614 Died: 7 April 1917 Age: 25 Killed in action just before the Battle of Arras. Served with Oliver Price (see above) who died later in the same offensive. Cemetery location: Beaurains Road Cemetery, Beaurains (This cemetery was begun a few days before Beaurains was captured by Commonwealth forces on 18 March 1917 and now contains 331 WW1 Commonwealth burials. Son of Thomas Henry and Mary Ann Putt, of 5, Dairy Cottages, Weston under Penyard.

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Corporal Edward Charles SAUNDERS 1st/5th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment Service number: 240723 Died: 16 August 1917 Age: 32 Born in Ross and recruited in Gloucester. Charles lived in London Road, Cheltenham and was a newsagent in 1911. A signaller in the Army, he was killed at the Battle of Langemarck during the Third Battle of Ypres (or Passchendaele). Memorial location: Tyne Cot Memorial (The Tyne Cot Memorial is one of four memorials to the missing in Belgian Flanders and specifically the Ypres Salient. It also bears the names of Frank Hall and almost 35,000 other officers and men with no known grave). Son of Mrs. Elizabeth Kitchener of Alms Houses, Pontshill, nr Weston under Penyard.

Private Horace Victor George SCUTT 1st/4th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Service number: 35336 Died: 13 August 1918 Age: 19 Infantry After serving in the Far East from the onset of WW1, 4 KSLI went straight to the Western Front in July 1917. The battalion fought around Messines during the German Spring offensive of 1918 and went into the line near Bethune in August 1918 where Horace died of wounds. Cemetery location: Chocques Military Cemetery (Chocques is 4 kms NW of Bethune. The No.1 Casualty Clearing Station was based in Chocques. This cemetery now contains 1,801 WW1 Commonwealth burials). Son of ER and LL Scutt, of Ivy Cottage, Weston under Penyard.

Gunner Charles SPARROW Royal Garrison Artillery G Corps Ammunition Park Service number: 78548 Died: 27 November 1918 Age: 31 Charles died of pneumonia in the weeks following the Armistice (Spanish flu?). The Royal Garrison Artillery was responsible for the heavier calibre guns on the Western Front. Buried in the old Ryeford Baptist Chapel burial ground. Son of Alfred William and Eliza Sparrow of Pencraig Cottage, Pontshill.

The grave of Gunner Sparrow at the old Ryeford Baptish Chapel burial ground^^^

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Private Arthur William WHITBY 11th Battalion Royal Fusiliers Service number: 2241 Died: 17 February 1917 Age: 28 In ‘B’ company. Operations by British forces in the Ancre area of the Somme sector recommenced in January 1917. Arthur was killed in action during this trench warfare. Memorial location: Regina Trench Cemetery, Grandcourt (Regina trench was a German earthwork. This cemetery was completed after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields of Courcelette, Grandcourt and Miraumont. Most date from October 1916 to February 1917. It now contains 2,279 WW1 Commonwealth burials). Son of Arthur (and late Mrs E) Whitby of Bill Mills, Ross-on-Wye.

Private John Gordon WILKS 13th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment Service number: 18156 Died: 22 March 1918 Age: 35 Please note ‘Gordon Wilkes’ on the Weston memorial but recorded as ‘Wilks’ with the initials JY in CWGC grave records. Such variancies in written records are not uncommon. Born in Pontshill and enlisted in Cinderford. The 13th, was the pioneer ‘’ battalion. Killed in action during the German offensive of Spring 1917. The Germans recaptured Peronne on 23 March 1918. Memorial location: Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension (There are 1,595 WW1 Commonwealth graves in the cemetery extension). Son of Elizabeth and Henry Wilks.

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- The Weston-under-Penyard Roll of Honour ^^^

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APPENDIX

PHOTOGRAPHS OF VARIOUS MEMORIALS AND CEMETERIES MAINTAINED BY THE COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION (CWGC) (LISTED ALPHABETICALLY BY CEMETERY OR MEMORIAL NAME)

Arras Memorial

Beaurains Road Cemetery, Beaurains

Bois-Carre British Cemetery, Thelus

Boulogne East Cemetery

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Cabaret Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez

Cambrai Memorial, Louveral

Cement House Cemetery, Langemarck

Chocques Military Cemetery

Dickebusch New Military Cemetery

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Duisans British Cemetery, Etrun

Ferme-Olivier Cemetery, Ieper

Gaza War Cemetery, Palestine

Helles Memorial, Gallipoli

Jeancourt Communal Cemetery extension

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Jerusalem Memorial

Le Touret Memorial

Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery

Loos Memorial

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Menin Gate (Ypres) Memorial

Mont Huon Military Cemetery, Le Treport

Peronne Communal Cemetery extension

Poziere Memorial

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Raperie British Cemetery, Villemontoire

Regina Trench Cemetery, Grandcourt

Reninghelst New Military Cemetery

Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery, Manancourt

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Roye New British Cemetery

Rue-du-Bacquerot No.1 Military Cemetery, Laventie

St Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen

Thiepval Memorial

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Tourcoing (Pont-Neuville) Communal Cemetery

Tournai Communal Cemetery Allied Extension

Tyne Cot Memorial

Vadencourt British Cemetery, Maissemy

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Vermelles Cemetery

Vertain Communal Cemetery Extension

Villers-Faucon Communal Cemetery

Waggon Road Cemetery, Beaumont-Hamel

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Photographs of the ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ installation commemorating the centenary of the outbreak of WW1. Tower of London, 28th October 2014.

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