ASHFORD Kent www.ashfordsfallen.com www.roll-of-honour.com The Missing Men Submitted By: Neil R Clark, David Hughes, Kyle Tallett The Great War 1914-1919 1
INTRODUCTION TO THE MISSING MEN Rather bizarrely none of the following Ashford men appear to be recorded as war casualties by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The trustees of the civic war memorials in the years following the war carried out their own detailed investigations into the circumstances of each man s death and found conclusively that each and every man whose names appear here, died as a direct result of their war service. The authorities today responsible for adding names to the approved official war indexes should be guided by the over-riding principal that all these men s names appear on war memorials as casualties of war. The British government in the years following the Great War made monetary awards, either as lump sums or as pensions to 735,487 former soldiers, sailors and airman. Many of these awards were for non-battle casualties, but if the man was serving at the time he contracted the disease or suffered the accident, it was considered attributable to war service. In all there were 308,622 awards for the effects of wounds, including amputations, and 426,865 awards for the effects of diseases. Major disabilities for which pensions or gratuities were paid are as follows (taken from the official Ministry of Pension Great War statistics) Wounds not involving amputation 278,535 or 38% Mental Illness 67,840 or 9% Heart Problems 48,368 or 7% Malaria 43,572 or 6% Tuberculosis 34,884 or 5% Amputation 33,718 or 5% Rheumatism 28,992 or 4% Injured by gassing 8,371 or 1% Blindness 923 or 0.12% It is a fact that a disproportionate number of sailors who served in the navy contracted Tuberculosis of the Lungs after serving on board ships. The reason for this was the poor living and environmental conditions on board ships at that time. Although T.B was prevalent in the general population, its incidence at home was a fraction of the levels experienced by those on active service. The same argument can safely be used for soldiers and marines who served on active service in the close confines of filthy stinking rat infested trenches. The total amount of men accepted as having been left physically or mentally disabled by it comes to 1,437,897 men (nearly one and a half million men)! This is in addition to the 900,000 men of the British Imperial armed forces who fell and made the ultimate sacrifice! By adding the two together, gives a total of nearly two and a half million men who were either killed or disabled as a result of the Great War. This figure does not include those men who were wounded but went on to sufficiently recover from their wounds enough not to be entitled to a war pension (an estimated further half a million men). In the 1930 s the Royal British Legion, the ex-servicemen s organisation organised a concerted campaign to obtain pensions or lump-sums for men initially not considered to be eligible for war disability awards. As the years progressed the effects of the war surfaced and men found that the government s medical boards had ceased to sit. The Royal British Legion claimed at the time that there were at least 100,000 additional men who were so effected. If a man was invalided from the service suffering from an illness or disease and he eventually died of that SAME disease, then his death was attributable to his war service. It is that simple We care passionately about these men and formally submit their names for belated commemoration (80 years late)! 2
FORMAL SUBMISSONS To Mr Peter Holton Records Supervisor Commonwealth War Graves Commission 2 Marlow Road MAIDENHEAD Buckinghamshire for investigation by: Captain M.E.J O Neill The Registrar Ministry of Defence Directorate of Manning (Army) Trenchard Lines UPAVON Pewsey Wiltshire SN9 6BE On: Copies to Lady (The Countess Mountbatten of Burma) Brabourne New House Mersham Ashford Kent Mr Damien Green M.P Member of Parliament for Ashford (Kent) House of Commons London SW1 Mr David Hill Chief Executive Ashford Borough Council Tannery Lane Ashford Kent Mr Tony Harris Kentish Express North Street Ashford Kent 3
1.BAKER A.J APPROVED 25 th APRIL 2006 Ashford War Memorial Ashford (St Mary s) Plaque Sergeant Major Alfred (Alf) John BAKER DCM. Army Remount Service (A.R.S). Assistant Superintendant, Pluckley Remount Depot. Formerly (22 years) (55) 2 nd battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Died 17 th February 1915 aged 51 years. Born New Romney, Kent. Husband of Mercy Elizabeth E Baker (nee BEAN). Alf married Mercy at Ashford June 1903 (West Ashford 2A 1808). Alfred and Mercy resided at 204 Godinton Road, Ashford, Kent. Killed when he was thrown from his horse at the Pluckley railway station en route to the Remount Depot. Reported in the Kentish Express on 27 th February 1915. He fell in the road fracturing the case of his skull. Alfred was actually on duty when he had the accident. Alfred s service records do not appear to now exist. Extensive searches at the National Archives have been made. The situation is made even more difficult by the fact that Alfred did not serve overseas and was therefore not entitled to any Great War medals. Because of this his name will not be on the medal index cards. There is however overwhelming evidence to support a case for belated commemoration. Alfred was a serving soldier and died when on duty. Buried Ashford Cemetery, Canterbury Road, Ashford, Kent. Grave reference 3165. Alfred s wife Mercy died 15 November 1922 and her remains were interred in Alf s grave. Alf was a lifelong Freemason - Mooltan Lodge, Mooltan, India Passed for membership on 1 May 1889 and raised 31 August 1889. At this time Alf was 26 years of age and he gave his occupation as a British Soldier. 4
St George Lodge, Colombo, Ceylon (2170) Joined lodge 6 November 1893. His home address was given as Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand. His occupation was given as Sergeant Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Lord Charles Beresford Lodge, Chatham, Kent (2404) Joined 23 June 1896. Resigned 31 March 1899. United Lodge, Colchester, Essex (697) Joined Lodge 14 March 1900. Resigned December 1902. Occupation given Colour Sergeant, Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Stour Lodge, Ashford, Kent (2305) Joined 15 January 1914. His final entry states Killed in Action 17 February 1915. On 25 th April 2006 the Ministry of Defence (Army) finally APPROVED commemoration. Alf is soon to get a new military pattern headstone! Alfred s death Certificate reference is Western Ashford/CH15/415. An inquest was held into Alfred s death 18 th February 1915 by the Coroner of Kent C Duncan Murton. These records at Maidstone were destroyed in the 1950 s. Alfred was born in New Romney before coming to Ashford and working for Mr Finn (the grocer). Alfred served 22 years in the 2 nd Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment 17 of which were spent in India. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) by Lord Roberts in South Africa. He won the DCM during the Battle of Belfast (Boer war 1900-1902). It is recorded that he won this bravery award for rescuing an injured soldier whilst under heavy fire. In 1913 Alf was Drill Instructor for the Ashford Company, Kent National Reserve. When the Great War commenced Alfred volunteered for service overseas but was turned down due to his age. Instead he was enlisted into the Army Remount Service (A.R.S). Alfred was almost immediately appointed Assistant Superintendent of the Remount Depot at Pluckley. The Superintendant and Alf s boss was Colonel Birdwood also of the Army Remount Service. His DCM was gazetted in the London Gazette on 27 th September 1901 (Army Order 15/02). The award was made for a deed during the Battle of Belfast action on the 27 th August 1900. It is also recorded that Alfred was wounded in action on 24 th August 1900. The 2 nd Warwickshire Regiment sailed on the SS Gaul on 26 th November 1899 bound for the South African Boer War. It arrived in the Cape on 16 th December 1899. Upon reaching South Africa the battalion was placed in the 5 th Division commanded by Sir Charles Warren. The Battle of Belfast was the last set piece battle of the war. Alfred s death is not recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as a war casualty. His death should have been recorded as a war casualty because he was a serving soldier at the time of his death. The Army Remount Service was manned by experienced but elderly soldiers who were too old to serve overseas. It was custom for these men to use their former army ranks. The Army Remount Service had its own designated cap badge. The photo of Alfred shows him wearing a cap with this badge on it. The Remount Depots were run by the A.R.S but the vast majority of manpower was supplied by Army Service Corps (A.S.C) soldiers attached to the Army Remount Service. The Army Eastern area of command (which included Kent) had 6 Remount Depots staffed and run by the Army Remount Service in conjunction with the Army Service Corps (ASC). The personnel operating the Remount Depots were fulltime soldiers who in the main wore the badge of the Army Service Corps and 5
to a lesser extent the Army Remount Service. Alfred Baker was a member of the Army Remount Service. These remount Depots looked after the horses that were used by the British army throughout Europe and the Middle East. Pluckley was chosen because it was in close proximity to Dover. Pluckley s depot was located close to the railway line possibly near or at the site of the old brickworks. The horses were transported by train to Dover and then put on ferries for the sea crossing. Once in France or Belgium they were taken to a forward remount depot for field deployment. UK REMOUNT DEPOT s Pluckley, Kent (from 4 th August 1914) Brentwood, Essex Luton, Bedfordshire Market Harborough Kettering, Northamptonshire Redhill, Surrey. The Superintendant of the Pluckley Remount Depot was Colonel Birdwood. Members of the Remount Depot who attended Alf s funeral Colonel Birdwood Major Fagfan Captain Littledale (Veterinary Officer) Farrier Major Pierce Sergeant Bell Sergeant Griffin Sergeant Matthews Corporal Hemsley Corporal Kemp Corporal Packham Corporal Shorter Canteen Orderly Wood Private Homewood Private Buss Private Gibson Private Russell 6
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2.CATLING G.L APPROVED 20 OCTOBER 2005 Captain George Lionel CATLING. Royal Field Artillery (RFA). Formerly (Private) 4 th Lincolnshire Regiment. Died from the effects of being gassed 2 nd January 1920 aged 27 years. Born Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire 1892. Died at The Firs, Broad Down, Wye, Ashford, Kent. Husband of Gladys Catling (nee Woodcock) of Fernley Hotel, Ashford, Kent. Only son of Walter and Lucy Catling of Peterborough Hotel, St Leonard Street, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Buried 7 th January 1920 at the Old Ashford Cemetery, Canterbury Road, Ashford, Kent. Grave reference 2557. George Lionel Catling is remembered on King s School Memorial, which is located inside St Sprite s Chapel, Peterborough Cathedral. George was the only son of Walter and Lucy Catling. Walter Catling was born in 1862 in 8
Tilbrook and died in 1938, age 76, in Hastings. Lucy was from Camberwell, Surrey. Walter and Lucy were married on 19th May 1889. In 1891 they were proprietors of the Lion Hotel, Kimbolton before moving to Peterborough to run the Peterborough Hotel around 1897. George had one older sister, Hilda, born at Tilbrook in 1889. Walter Catling was President of the Peterborough Licence Victuallers Association by 1915 and ran the Young George Lionel Catling was educated at King s School, Park Road, Peterborough, and at the City of London School of which he was a Cadet in their Officer Training Corps (O.T.C). George Catling was working in the accounts department of the Antofagasta and Bolivia Railway Company in Chile when the War broke out and returned to England in 1915 to enlist into the 4 th Lincolnshire Regiment as a Private soldier. He later transferred to an Officer Training School and was gazetted as 2
3.CLOKE F.W APPROVED 12 JUNE 2006 Ashford War Memorial Dover Marine Railway Memorial Able Seaman 185806 Frederick William CLOKE. HMS Implacable, Royal Navy (R.N). Died of T.B 22 nd April 1917 aged 38 years at 12 Francis Road, Ashford, Kent. Born Ashford 9 April 1880. Resided (1901) 35 Kent Avenue, Ashford, Kent. Son of John Cloke of 44 Bridge Street, Ashford, Kent. Brother-in-Law of Charles Cramp of Ashford. Buried 26 th April 1917 at Ashford Cemetery, Ashford, Kent. Grave reference 7268 (no headstone). Frederick s death is not recorded as a war casualty by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Frederick contracted T.B whilst a serving sailor and died of the same disease 7 months after being invalided out of the navy. This means that his death was attributable to his war service. He was as much a casualty of the Great War as someone shot through the head and deserves his name to be recorded as such Before the outbreak of war Frederick was working in the Engineers Department at the Ashford Railway Yards. His name was NOT placed on the town s railway tribute but it was placed on the Dover Marine (SE&CR) Railway War Memorial. Frederick s father John Cloke was born Saltwood, Kent 1833 and was a Railway Labourer at the Ashford SE&CR Yards. Frederick joined the Royal Navy on the 9 th April 1898. He served on the following ships Boscawen, Alexandra, Centurion, Wildfire, Vermon, Black Prince. On the 9 th September 1915 Frederick was invalided out of the navy on medical grounds (T.B). The 1881 Census gives 44, Bridge Street, Ashford John Saltwood 1833 (48 years) Railway Labourer Frederick W CLOKE Ashford in 1880 10
Frederick s Grave in the old Ashford Cemetery (unmarked behind W Beale) 11
4.COLLINS C.N REJECTED 20 th April 2006 Ashford War Memorial Railway Rolls 1 (Invalided) Railway Rolls (served) Christchurch Ashford Ashford St Mary s Church Bugler Claude Noris COLLINS. 496 th (Kent Fortress) Field Company, Royal Engineers (RE). Died 23 rd July 1915 aged 17 years from Pulmonary Consumption (T.B). Son of Edward Collins of 1, Beaver Place, South Ashford, Kent. Resided and died at 6, Beaver Place, South Ashford, Kent. Buried 28 th July 1915 in the old Ashford Cemetery, Canterbury Road, Ashford, Kent. Grave reference 7560. Claude s father was present when his son died. Death Certificate reference- West Ashford/ASH28/293. Claudes name appears on a large number of Kent civic war memorials including the large and impressive Dover Marine War Memorial in Dover 1. Ashford Town War Memorial. 12
2. Ashford Railway Works Rolls of Honour (twice). 3. Ashford (St Mary s) Church war memorial plaque. 4. Dover (SE&CR) Marine Railway Station War Memorial, Dover. 5. Christchurch war memorial in South Ashford. Claude s name also appears on the Railwayman Roll of Honour published in the Kentish Express on 7 th June 1919. It records that C.N COLLINS was employed by the South East and Chatham Railway Company as a Turners Apprentice. His father Edward Collins was also a labourer on the railway. The 1901 census gives 1, Beaver Place, Beaver, Ashford Edward COLLINS 26 Railway Worker Willesborough Annie 24 Sellindge Claude 3 Ashford Claude contracted T.B whilst still a serving soldier and subsequently died of the SAME disease soon after being invalided from the army. The case for Claude is very strong and is supported by his name appearing on so many Ashford war memorials. Claudes unmarked grave is under this tree 13
5.FISHER A.L REJECTED SEPTEMBER 2006 Herbert s Grave (Falling apart) Ashford War Memorial Herbert s Grave (now looking rather sad) 14
Leading Seaman SS/81 Herbert (Albert) Lawrence FISHER. Royal Mount Naval Barracks, Royal Navy (RN). Died 16 th March 1921 aged 36 years. Albert died of T.B (Phthisis). Born Folkestone 10 th August 1884. Herbert died at 74 Albemarle Road, Willesborough, Ashford, Kent. Herbert s brother-in-law Frank H Newton was present at the time of his death. Formerly residing (1918) at 55 Hunter Road, Willesborough, Ashford with a Private 243652 Richard Kemp Barnard (5 th West Surrey s). Buried 19 th March 1921 at Willesborough Cemetery, Willesborough, Ashford, Kent. Grave reference Q 631. Herbert is also commemorated on the Willesborough War Memorial as H FISHER. It appears that he must have called himself Albert when in fact his birth name was Herbert. The Ashford War Memorial lists him as A.L FISHER. Albert s death certificate reference is EAST ASHFORD/BRA16/313. He is listed as a Naval Pensioner and former Postman. His Brother-in-Law Frank H Newton was present at the time of Albert s death. Before the outbreak of war Albert was employed as a Plumbers Mate and Postman. He enlisted in the Royal Navy on 2 nd October 1903 and served on H.M.S Andromeda and H.M.S Achilles. He completed his contract and retired on 9 th October 1908. On the outbreak of war in 1914 Herbert re-enlisted and was sent to HMS Pembroke in Chatham to assist with training new sailors. He remained there from late 1914 to 31 st December 1918. Herbert contracted T.B whilst a serving sailor and was subsequently invalided from the navy. Herbert died of the SAME disease 2 and a half years later. His death was atributable. He was as much a casualty of the war as a soldier shot through the head in the trenches 15
6.GLEAVE J.C (Wye) REJECTED 20 OCTOBER 2005 Neil wrote to the Police Service of Northern Ireland and asked them if they would pay for James grave to be renovated. Their reply gave the impression that they were ashamed to be associated with James and his ilk!! 16
GLEAVE J C (brother) Neil Clark found this man s grave in 2004 by literally tripping over it! Cadet 72825 James Chubb GLEAVE DFC. Royal Irish Constabularly (RIR). Formerly (Lieutenant) Royal Air Force (RAF). Murdered by the I.R.A 28 th November 1920 in the Kilmichael Ambush, Cork, Ireland. James was born in Worcester. Son of William and Kate A Gleave of 60 Mount Park Avenue, South Croydon, Surrey. Buried locally in the Wye (SS Gregory and Martin) Graveyard, Wye, Ashford, Kent. James headstone at Wye states clearly Killed in the Kilmichael Ambush, Ireland. The headstone requires urgent restoration. The lettering can now hardly be read. Once the letters have disappeared all trace of poor James will have gone! James lived in Crundale. He played football for Wye F.C or 10 years. Members of the Wye F.C lined the route of his funeral and provided a guard of honour at his grave. Two Royal Irish Constabulary Policeman from Beggar s Bush Barracks, Dublin sounded the last post. The following people attended James funeral alongside most inhabitants of Wye Mrs Deacock (James sister) Mrs Gleave (mother) Mrs Stanaway (friend) Rev Johnson (Rector of Crundale) Mr and Mrs Relf Mrs Graves Mr Earl Drax Rev Brade Birks Mr S.T Parkinson (Wye Agricultural College) Mr F.W Slaughter Mrs J.P Sharples Sergeant Masters James death is NOT recorded by the UK government as a war casualty! Had James have been serving in the RAF, Army or navy when killed he would have been entitled to have his name placed on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Roll of Honour. His headstone would also have been properly looked after and maintained from the public purse. In September 2005 Neil Clark presented his case to the MoD for belated commemoration. In November 2005 Neil was notified that James death would NOT be recorded by the CWGC because he was a policeman when killed. Neil Clark then wrote to the Police Service of 17
Northen Ireland asking them for funds to have James grave restored. Neil received a letter back from the police in Northern Ireland telling him they were not prepared to help. The country that James died for has betrayed him! The Ashford Absentee Voters List for 1918 gives Crundale Second Lieutenant James Chubb GLEVE. Royal Air Force (RAF). James brother Fergus was killed in action during the Great War and is also commemorated on James headstone in Wye Lieutenant Fergus GLEAVE. 10 th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment. Died 22 nd July 1916 aged 26 years. His name appears on the Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Panel reference 5A and 5B. James Gleave was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) during the Great War for bravery in the air. He was an Observer and later a Pilot in the Royal Air Force and was still serving in the RAF in November 1918 (confirmed by his service papers and the fact his name apeared on the Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List). James joined the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve on 18 th August 1920. He was one of 150 former commissioned officers from the armed forces who were specially selected for the task by the government in London. James was killed in the Kilmichael Ambush that occurred on the 28 th November 1920 near Cork in Ireland. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) led by Tom Barry a former British Army soldier who fought in the Great War carried out one of it s first terrorist atrocities. Seventeen British Army Auxillaries were killed including James. The British soldiers killed three IRA terrorists in the fight. It is believed that the British soldiers surrendered at one point and were shot in cold blood. The British Axillaries operated out of Macroon Castle in Cork. The British policeman were heavily outnumbered and were caught in open ground. The IRA volunteers were holding fortified and raised firing positions. All escape routes were covered. The British policeman tried to fight their way out of the ambush and sustained casualties in doing so. When it became obvious their position was untenable they surrendered. The British policeman layed down their weapons and then walked slowly towards the IRA positions. At some stage the IRA opened fire killing all surviving British policeman in cold blood. This would account for the fact all British policeman were killed and only 3 terrorists. The IRA like to present Tom Barry and his band of volunteers as honourable local men protecting their community. The reality is that they were a bunch of murderous thugs (much the same as they are now). James was murdered in cold blood by the IRA whilst on active service in Ireland. His death should have been recorded as a war casualty. The Roll of Honour Trust record James death. This is a private trust and nothing to do with the government. It can be contacted at www.policememorial.org.uk Police Roll of Honour Trust PO Box 999 PRESTON Lancashire PR4 5WW A similar case was recently approved by the MoD for a belated commemoration Private CH/19831 Henry CHANDLER. Royal Marine Light Infantry. Murdered by the IRA 21 st May 1921 in a terrorist (IRA) ambush at Ballyvaughan, Ireland. Buried Southborough Cemetery, Fulham, London. 18
In January 2007 we wrote to the district commander at Folkestone Police Station and drew his attention to James grave and headstone. We pointed out that it was decaying badly and required urgent restoration. We received a written reply back which concerned another matter James name was not even mentioned! It would appear that the local police don t even give a toss either These men died alongside James - D/Insp Francis William Crake MC, 27 Cadet William T. Barnes DFC, 26 Cadet Cecil James W. Bayley, 22 Cadet Leonard D. Bradshaw, 22 Cadet James C. Gleave, 21 Cadet Philip Noel Graham, 31 Cadet Stanley Hugh-Jones, 27 Cadet Frederick Hugo OBE MC, 40 Cadet Albert George J. Jones, 33 Cadet Ernest William H. Lucas, 31 Cadet William Pallester, 25 Cadet Horace O. Pearson, 21 T/Const Arthur F Poole, 21 Cadet Frank Taylor, 22 Cadet Christopher Wainwright, 36 Cadet Benjamin D. Webster, 30 19
. During a Cabinet meeting on 11 May 1920, the Secretary of State for War, Winston Churchill, suggested the formation of a "Special Emergency Gendarmerie, which would become a branch of the Royal Irish Constabulary." Churchill's proposal was referred to a committee chaired by General Sir Nevil Macready, Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in Ireland. Macready's committee rejected Churchill's proposal, but it was revived two months later, in July, by the Police Adviser to the Dublin Castle administration in Ireland, Major-General H H Tudor. In a memo dated 6 July 1920, Tudor justified the scheme on the grounds that it would take too long to reinforce the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) with ordinary recruits. Tudor's new "Auxiliary Force" would be strictly temporary: its members would enlist for a year: their pay would be 7 per week (twice what a constable was paid), plus a sergeant's allowances, and would be known as "Temporary Cadets". The ADRIC was recruited in Britain from among ex-officers who had served in World War I - especially those who had served in the Army and the Royal Flying Corps. Most recruits were British, though some were Irish, and others came from the British Empire and Commonwealth. Many had been highly decorated in the war and two, George Onions and James Leach, wore the Victoria Cross. Interestingly, their decorations make it clear that many had been promoted from the ranks: some men, for example, had been awarded the common soldier's Military Medal instead of (or in addition to) the officer's Military Cross. Enlisted men who had been commissioned as officers during the War often found it difficult to adjust to their loss of status and pay in civilian life, and historians have concluded that the Auxiliary Division recruited large numbers of these "temporary gentlemen". Recruiting began in July 1920 and by November 1921 the division was 1,900 strong. The Auxiliaries were nominally part of the RIC, but actually operated more or less independently in rural areas. Divided into companies (eventually fifteen of them), each about one hundred strong, heavily armed and highly mobile, they operated in ten counties, mostly in the south 20
and west, where Irish Republican Army (IRA) activity was greatest. They wore either RIC uniforms or their old army uniforms with appropriate police badges, along with distinctive Tam-o-shanter caps. They were commanded by Brigadier-General F P Crozier, a former officer of the Unionist paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force. Counterinsurgency Auxiliary companies were intended as mobile striking and raiding forces, and they scored some notable successes against the insurgents. On 20 November, the night before Bloody Sunday, they captured Dick McKee and Peadar Clancy, the commandant and vicecommandant of the IRA's Dublin Brigade. That same night, they caught William Pilkington, commandant of the Sligo IRA, in a separate raid. A month later, in December, they caught Ernie O'Malley completely by surprise in County Kilkenny: the IRA officer was reading in his room when a Temporary Cadet opened the door and walked in; "He was as unexpected as death," said O'Malley. In his memoirs, the commandant of the Clare IRA, Michael Brennan, describes how the Auxiliaries nearly captured him three nights in a row. However, such successes and near-successes were not common: the Division was hobbled by its lack of reliable intelligence, and most of its raids brought no result--or sometimes worse. In one case, they arrested a Castle official, Law Adviser W E Wylie, by mistake. In another, more notorious case, they raided the Shannon Hotel in Castleconnell, County Limerick on a tip that there were suspicious characters drinking therein. The "suspicious characters" turned out to be three off-duty members of the RIC: both sides mistook each other for insurgents and opened fire; three people were killed in the shootout that followed. Some of the IRA's most celebrated victories in the Irish War of Independence were won over the Auxiliaries. On 28 November 1920, for example, a platoon of Auxiliaries was ambushed and wiped out at Kilmichael by Tom Barry and the West Cork IRA. About two months later, on 2 February 1921, another platoon of Auxiliaries was ambushed and defeated by Seán MacEoin and the Longford IRA near Clonfin. On 19 March 1921 The IRA defeated the British Army & Auxiliary Division at Crossbarry Ambush. Later still, on 15 April 1921, Major John Mackinnon DCM MM, commanding officer of H Company, ADRIC, was assassinated by the Kerry IRA. Controversy Many of the Division's Temporary Cadets did not cope well with the frustrations of counterinsurgency: hurriedly recruited, poorly trained, and with an ill-defined role, they soon gained a reputation for drunkenness, lack of discpline, and brutality worse than that of the Black and Tans. They were disliked by members of the Royal Irish Constabulary, who considered them "rough." They seem to have been unpopular with the British Army as well. One British officer, who served as adjutant for the 2nd Battalion, Cameron Highlanders, wrote in his memoirs that the Auxiliaries "were totally undisciplined by our regimental standards." Macready wrote in his own memoirs that "those companies that had the good fortune to have good commanders, generally ex-regular officers, who could control their men, performed useful work, but the exploits of certain other companies under weak or inefficient commanders went a long way to discredit the whole force." Like the ordinary police, the Auxiliaries sometimes took reprisals in the wake of attacks by the IRA. On the evening of Bloody Sunday, for example, Dick McKee and Peadar Clancy were killed by their Auxiliary captors under very suspicious circumstances: the official explanation, that the two insurgents tried to escape, is widely disbelieved. But perhaps the most notorious reprisal involving the Auxiliary Division was the Burning of Cork on 11 December 1920. At 7:30 p.m. that evening, a truckload of Auxiliaries from newly-formed K Company was ambushed at Dillons Cross: a grenade was thrown onto their truck, wounding ten Auxiliaries and killing one, Temporary Cadet Chapman. Later that night, police and Auxiliaries took revenge by setting fire to the city's commercial centre, preventing the fire service from attending the blaze, and shooting seven people. Two IRA men, Cornelius and Jerimiah Delaney, were killed in their beds at home in Dublin Hill 21
(though Con Delaney survived to December 18). Five civilians were shot on the streets. Damage amounting to $20 million was inflicted. The Cork Fire Brigade did not have the resources to deal with the fires: law and order, it seemed, had completely broken down. The British Government at first claimed the citizens were responsible for the arson, but a military court of inquiry known as the Strickland Report later found that the fires had been started by the Auxiliaries. Its findings were suppressed by the government, but K Company was disbanded. Allegedly, some Auxiliaries took to wearing pieces of burnt cork (material) on their caps afterwards, to celebrate the occasion. A few days later, near Dunmanway, there was an ugly postscript to the Cork fires: in an apparently motiveless attack, Temporary Cadet Harte killed a young mentally disabled man and a seventy-year old priest. Harte was arrested and court-martialled: at his trial, it was revealed that he had been a "particular friend" of TC Chapman, and had been drinking heavily since 11 December; as a result, Harte was found not guilty by reason of insanity. While the verdict in the Harte case was legally defensible, other Auxiliaries literally got away with murder. On 9 February 1921, James Murphy and Patrick Kennedy were arrested by Auxiliaries in Dublin. Two hours later, constables of the Dublin Metropolitan Police found the two men lying shot in Drumcondra: Kennedy was dead, and Murphy was dying. Murphy died in Mater Hospital, Dublin on 11 February, but before the end, he declared that he and Kennedy had been shot by their Auxiliary captors. A military court of inquiry was held, and Captain W L King, commanding officer of F Company ADRIC, was arrested for the killings. King was court-martialled on 13-15 February, but acquitted, after Murphy's dying declaration was ruled inadmissible, and two officers from F Company provided perjured alibis for Captain King at the time of the shootings. But while the authorities often turned a blind eye to reprisals, they were less tolerant of crimes against "civilians" - loyal and non-political people. A number of Auxiliaries were dismissed and prosecuted for theft, including a one-armed former Temporary Cadet, Major Evan Cameron Bruce, who was imprisoned for robbing a creamery, after being dismissed from the Division for striking a civilian without cause. On 19 February 1921, Commandant Crozier resigned after a dispute over discipline with the Police Adviser. Crozier had dismissed twenty-one Temporary Cadets accused of looting a licensed grocery store belonging to Protestant Unionists in County Meath. When General Tudor reinstated these men pending an official inquiry, Crozier left the Force. He was replaced by his assistant, Brigadier-General E A Wood, who commanded the Division until it was demobilized. History and popular memory The Temporary Cadets of the ADRIC were and are often confused with the Black and Tans: many atrocities laid at the door of the latter were in reality attributable to the Auxiliaries. Disbanded along with the RIC in 1922, many Auxiliaries joined the Palestine Police. As with the Black and Tans, they are still a contentious issue in Ireland. Ah! thats because he is Foulkes on the web site. His real name was Ffoulkes in his earlier service papers. http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2743967 This man was an ex-officer who was employed as a Defence of Barracks Sergeant in the RIC, sole role was to bolster barracks (police stations) defences using his military knowledge. These men were the fore-runners of the famous Auxiliary Division of the RIC, the worlds first counter-terrorism force. Without getting out his papers I recall he lastd barely a few weeks in the RIC before being posted to a barracks in Tipperary which the scene of a ferocious attack. There is some indirect evidence he was wounded in the attack and died a week later; another source suggest he drank himself to death! Whatever he had been gassed and severly affected by this, my hunch is that the smoke from the burning building, assuming he was in it, may have finished him off. I must search for the others, I'm sure at least one was an Auxiliary. 22
7.HOLDER R.G.W APPROVED 20 OCTOBER 2005 Ashford War Memorial Christchurch South Ashford Reginald s Grave is now covered in dense undergrowth Private G/2642 Reginald George William HOLDER. Ashford (Territorial) Company, 2 nd (Home Counties) Field Ambulance. Royal Army Medical Corps. (RAMC). Died of Pulmonary Tuberculosis (T.B) 1 st January 1918. Died at 74, Beaver Road, Ashford aged 20 years. Born Ashford. Son of George Thomas and Lily R Holder of 72 Beaver Road, Ashford, Kent. Buried 24 th January 1918 at the old Ashford Cemetery, Canterbury Road, Ashford. Grave reference 3533. As well as the Ashford Town civic war memorial, Reginald s name appears on the Christchurch war memorial plaque hanging inside the parish church in South Ashford. 23
Reginald s death certificate reference is West Ashford/ASH29/253. His death certificate lists his occupation as a RAMC pensioner. Before the outbreak of war Reginald was working in Ashford as a Drapers Apprentice at Lewis and Hylands at 5, New Rents, Ashford. Reginald enlisted directly into the territorial force RAMC at the Drill Hall, Newtown Road, Ashford on 1 st April 1914 (4 months before the outbreak of war). On the outbreak of war his unit was mobilised and went to France. His service records show that he was discharged from the army on 29 th December 1915 at Ashford no longer fit for war service. His Commanding Officer wrote that Reginald was a hardworking, honest and industrious soldier. Reginald was evacuated from France on the Hospital Ship Anglia on the 4 th August 1915. He was taken to Frimley Sanatorium in Surrey to recuperate. The 1901 census gives 72, Beaver Road, Ashford George HOLDER 35 Boilermaker Ashford Lily R 31 Ashford Reginald 8 Ashford Harry 2 Ashford Reginald s Service Record states categorically that Reginald was invalided from the army suffering from T.B AGGRAVATED by his war service. He later died of the SAME disease. His death is attributable. 24
8.HOSKINS H.F REJECTED SEPTEMBER 2006 Ashford War Memorial Ashford Railway Rolls (invalided) Ashford Railway Rolls (served) Dover (SE&CR) Marine Railway War Memorial Tun Wells Equitable Able Seaman 202829 Herbert Frederick HOSKINS. HMS Royal Arthur. Royal Fleet Reserve (R.F.R). Died 20 th January 1915 aged 31 years. Died at 23 Christchurch Road, Ashford, Kent. The given cause of death was heart disease. Husband 25
of Mabel H Hoskins (nee Pilbeam) of Ashford, Kent. Brother of Caroline May Wilkins of 23, Christchurch Road, Ashford, Kent. Herbert normally resided at 66, Lower Denmark Road, Ashford, Kent. Buried locally 23 rd January 1915 in the Ashford Cemetery, Canterbury Road, Ashford. Grave reference - 7004. There is a Mabel Harriet Pilbeam buried in the same burial plot. Mabel was buried here on 2 nd February 1966 aged 79 years. Death Certificate reference West Ashford/ASH28/171. Before the outbreak of war Herbert was the Licensee of the Wheatsheaf Public House, Lower Denmark Road, Ashford. Herbert s death certificate states that he was a Railway Carriage Cleaner and a sailor. The Ashford Absentee Voters List for 1918 gives 51, Beaver Road, Ashford Driver 234110 Frank HOSKINS. Royal Field Artillery (RFA). The 1901 census gives 23, Christchurch Road, Ashford Charles HOSKINS 57 Labourer Baddeley, Hampshire Mary 54 Bungay, Suffolk Arthur 23 Carpenter Joiner Stepney, London Catherine 21 Stepney, London George 19 Hawker Stepney, London Frank 12 Stepney, London Herbert joined the Royal Navy in 1899 for 12 years service. He served on the following ships during this period St Vincent (1899), Argincourt (1900), Galatea (1900), Empress of India (1900/01), Caesar (1901/02), Wildfire (1903/04), Northampton (1904), Hawke (1904/05). Herbert left the navy on expiry of his service engagement. On the outbreak of war Herbert answered the call of his country and rejoined the navy. He was posted to HMS Royal Arthur on the 2 nd August 1914 and remained with this ship until 26 th November 1914. On the 27 th November 1914 he returned to HMS Pembroke in Chatham and was subsequently invalided on 21 st December 1914. Herbert died only 1 month later of heart disease. His death was therefore attributable. 7% of men who were awarded war disablement pensions were as a consequence of heart problems. The case for Herbert is extremely strong taking into account he died only 1 month after being invalided. 26
Herbert s Grave is now a disgrace 27
9.INGALL A.L APPROVED 20 OCTOBER 2005 Ashford War Memorial Centrepiece Church Plaque Norton Knatchbull War Memorial Alfred s Grave Bombardier L/31913 Alfred Leslie INGALL. 179 th (Deptford) Battery, 81 st Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (RFA). Died Cancer of the stomach 19 th June 1917 aged 40 years. Died at 42 High Street, Ashford. Resided (1915) at 27, Ladywell Park, London. Son of Joseph and Julia Ingall of 42, High Street, Ashford, Kent. Buried - 22 nd June 1917 in the Old Ashford Cemetery, Canterbury Road, Ashford, Kent. Grave reference 1019. Death Certificate reference West Ashford/ASH29/170. 28
Both Alfred s parents are buried in the same grave plot. The grave has gradually fallen apart and Alfred s name can now hardly be read. Neil Clark would very much like this man s grave to be renovated. Alfred s name also appears on The Centrepiece war memorial plaque, Bank Street, Ashford. He obviously attended that church before the outbreak of war. Interestingly his name appears on the memorial as LESLIE ALFRED INGALL not Alfred Leslie Ingall. Alfred s name also appears on the Norton Knatchbull Grammar School Roll of Honour. He attended that school from 1888 to 1892. Before the outbreak of war Alfred was employed as a Grocer s Assistant in Ashford. He enlisted at Deptford in South London on 7 th June 1915 aged 37 years. The WW1 medal rolls show that Alfred did serve overseas on active service and that he was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. The 1881 Census gives 42 High Street, Ashford Joseph INGALL Sheffield, Yorkshire 1837 Julia London 1832 Joseph M 1868 Ashford Frank E 1870 Ashford Percy A 1871 Ashford Sidney H 1873 Ashford Alfred L 1877 Ashford The Commonwealth War Graves Commission does not record Alfred s death. He was discharged on medical grounds (Invalided) from the army on the 15 th May 1917 when it was found that he had cancer of the stomach. After being invalided from the service Alfred died of the SAME disease only 1 month later. He contracted the disease whilst a serving soldier! 29
10.MACHIN A.S.H APPROVED 20 OCTOBER 2005 Ashford War Memorial Norton Knatchbull War Memorial Ashford (St Mary s) Plaque Private TR/128538 Albert Sidney Haydn MACHIN. 102 nd Training Reserve Battalion, Middlesex Regiment. (23 rd Reserve Brigade, Aldershot). Died Woolpack Farm, Westwell 20 th September 1918 aged 19 years of Pulmonary Tuberculosis (T.B). Born Ashford 11 th July 1899. Resided 19, Barrow Hill Road, St John s, London. Son of Albert Edward and Stella Mary Machin of 170, Station Road, Redhill, Surrey. Formerly Gladwyn, Elwick Road, Ashford, Kent. Buried 23 rd September 1918 in a private family plot at the Old Ashford Cemetery, Canterbury Road, Ashford. Grave reference - 2382. Death Certificate reference West Ashford/CH16/260. Albert s name also appears on the Norton Knatchbull roll of honour. He attended that school from 1907 to 1909. His name also appears on the Ashford St Mary s Plaque. Albert s father Albert Edward Machin was born 29 January 1867 and died at Holfontein, South Africa on the 20 th February 1904 aged 37 years. Albert Sidney Haydn had a brother who died aged 10 months Gerald Douglas Machin born 9 th February 1903 died December 1903 aged only 10 months. 30
Albert enlisted in the army on 25 th August 1917 at White City, London. When Albert was discharged from the army on 22 nd October 1917, his home address was given as 19, Barrow Hill Road, St John s Wood, London. The Royal Army Medical Corps at Connaught Hospital in Aldershot, Hampshire confirmed that Albert was unfit for further war service because of Pulmonary T.B. Albert was swiftfully invalided from the service and died of the SAME disease 11 months later. His death was attributable. The 102 nd Training Reserve Battalion was formed in 1915 as the 27 th and 28 th battalion s, Middlesex Regiment. Both drew their held strength from existing depot companies of the 17 th, 23 rd, 20 th and 21 st Battalions of the Middlesex Regiment. In December 1915 both reserve units (27 th and 28 th ) were at Northampton in the 23 rd Reserve Brigade. On the 1 st September 1916 both battalions were re-formed into the 101 st and 102 nd Training Reserve Battalions of the Middlesex Regiment respectively. Both battalions were at that time based at Aldershot. Both battalions remained in the 23 rd Reserve Brigade which was a home service (reserve) infantry unit consisting almost entirely of young soldiers completing their basic training. Albert s Grave is marked by a small incomplete lead inscription 31
11.PAGE W.R REJECTED SEPTEMBER 2006 Ashford War Memorial Railway Rolls 1 Dover Marine War Memorial Stoker 1 st Class 278041 William Robert PAGE. H.M.S Pembroke. Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham, Royal Navy Reserve (RNR). Died 11 th September 1917 of diabetes aged 38 years at 28 Postmans Row, Ashford, Kent. Born 15 th March 1879 in Willesborough, Ashford, Kent. Son of William and Caroline Page of 28 Postmans Row, Ashford, Kent. Buried 15 th September 1917 in the Old Ashford Cemetery, Canterbury Road, Ashford, Kent. Grave reference 7286 (paupers grave unmarked). His mother Caroline was present at William s death. William s death ceritificate reference West Ashford/ASH29/205. His death certificate states his occupation as (Late) Stoker, H.M Navy Pensioner. Before the outbreak of war William was working as a Baker in the Ashford area. In 1908 he was working in the Ashford Railway Works. His name appears on the Ashford Railway Rolls of Honour and on the South Eastern & Chatham Railway Dover Marine War Memorial. William joined the Royal Navy on 3 rd October 1894 and signed up for 12 years service. He served on the following ships between 1894 and 1900 Victory II, Hallabar, Fearless. Most of his service was spent on HMS Victory II. On the 8 th August 1903 William left the navy and was posted onto the reserve list. He returned home to Ashford. On the outbreak of war in August 1914 William was re-activated and was posted to HMS Pembroke in Chatham, Kent where he trained sailors. William was obviously an old hand and highly regarded by his 32
superior officers. William remained in Chatham until 29 th February 1916 at which time he was invalided out of the navy suffering from T.B. The Ashford 1881 Census gives Hinxhill Lane, Willesborough, Ashford William PAGE (Father) William R Born 1879 William is not recorded as a war casualty by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. He contracted T.B whilst a serving sailor in the Royal Navy and died of the SAME disease. His death was attributable. William s Sad Unmarked Grave 33
12.QUINNELL J.W APPROVED 12 JUNE 2006 Ashford War Memorial Ashford Sorting Office Leading Seaman 157659 John William QUINNELL. HMS Pembroke, Royal Naval Barracks Chatham, Royal Navy (R.N). Died of T.B 21 st July 1919 aged 44 years. John died at 18 Christchurch Road, Ashford. Born 8 th August 1875 at Hunton, Maidstone, Kent. Husband of M Quinnell of 18 Cristchurch Road, Ashford, Kent. John s wife was present when he died. Buried 24 th July 1919 at the Old Ashford Cemetery, Canterbury Road, Ashford, Kent. Grave reference 3271. John s name also appears on the Ashford Post Office War Memorial. Death certificate reference West Ashford/ASH30/107. On 8 th August 1893 John enlisted in the Royal Navy. He served on the following ships Victoria and Albert, Victory, Raleigh, Philomel, Galatea, Wildfire I, Victorious, Revenge, Benbow, Excellent, Jupiter, Sapphire. Immediately before the outbreak of war John was employed as a Postman in Ashford this accounts for the fact his name appears on the Post Office Sorting Office war memorial. On the outbreak of war John re-enlisted into the Royal Navy and was posted to HMS Pembroke in Chatham to assist with the training and induction of ratings. He was admitted into the naval hospital at Chatham in December 1915 suffering from T.B. On 29 th February 1916 John was invalided out of the navy on medical grounds (having contracted T.B whilst a serving sailor). The Ashford Absentee Voters List for 1918 gives 18, Christchurch Road, Ashford Leading Seaman 157659 John William QUINNELL. HMS Pembroke. Royal Navy. The 1881 census for Hunton Kent gives - East Street, Hunton William QUINNEL Ellen QUINNEL JOHN W QUINNEL Arthur QUINNEL Born 1854 at Hunton, Kent (Father) Born 1854 at Shaldon, Hampshire (Mother) Born 1875 at Hunton, Kent Born 1879 at Barming, Kent (Brother) There are other Quinnel s living in Hunton John QUINNEL Edward QUINNEL 34
Agnes QUINNEL John E QUINNEL Maurice QUINNEL John was invalided from the service having caught T.B whilst on active war service. He died of the SAME disease 3 years later. John s death was attributable. John s Grave in the Old Ashford Cemetery 35
13.ROSSITER E APPROVED 20 OCTOBER 2005 Ashford War Memorial Railway Rolls (Served) Driver 59170 Edward ROSSITER. No 2 Section, 29 th Division Ammunition Column. Royal Field Artillery (RFA). Formerly 3 rd (Volunteer) Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Died 1 st November 1920 aged 32 years of Pulmonary Tuberculosis at 58 Gravel Walk, Ashford. Born Ashford 1890. Son of Thomas and Ruth Rossiter of 4, Bates Passage, Ashford, Kent. Formerly residing 4 Gravel Walk, Ashford, Kent. Husband of Emma Susannah Rossiter (nee Bingham) of 58, Gravel Walk, Ashford, Kent. Buried 4 th November 1920 at the Old Ashford Cemetery, Canterbury Road, Ashford. Grave reference 6967 (umarked). Death Certificate reference West Ashford/ASH30/329. Edward s name also appears on the Ashford Railway Works (SE&CR) Rolls of honour. Before the outbreak of war he worked in the rail yards as a labourer. Edward enlisted into the RFA on 2 nd January 1915. Edward embarked at Avonmouth on 21 st March 1915 for Egypt. On 14 th May 1915 Edward was admitted into the 17 th General Hospital in Alexandria suffering from Tonsilitis. On 2 nd July 1915 Edward was fined for assaulting a native of Egypt. On the 18 th July 1915 he was admitted into Abbasia D.B.I hospital in Alexandria having contracted T.B on active service. On the 14 th August 1915 Edward was evacuated to England on the Hospital Ship Wandilla. The Ashford 1918 absentee voters list shows that Edward was still overseas on active service in January 1918. The 1901 Census gives 4, Gravel Walk, Ashford Thomas ROSSITER Dover Ruth Stelling Minnis Elvine Lenham Peggy Canterbury Mary Ambrose Ashford Edward Ashford 36
It is thought that the Rossiter family were gipsy s. The 1901 census provides information that there were many Rossiter families living in Gravel Walk. The other traveller families living there were the Penfolds and the Ransley s. The 29 th Division consisted 86 th, 87 th and 88 th Brigades. It served extensively in the Gallipoli and Egypt theatres before moving to France. Edward contracted T.B whilst serving in the army. He died of the SAME disease after being invalided. His death was attributable. Edward s Sad unmarked Grave 37
14. SHARP E Crundale Civic War Memorial REJECTED SEPTEMBER 2006 Stoker 1 st Class SS/113536 Ernest Stephen SHARP. HMS Royal Oak, Royal Navy (RN). Date of death unknown (at this time). Born 8 th April 1893 Elham, Kent. Ernest s name is not recorded as a casualty of war by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. His name does however appear on the Crundale parish war memorial Before the outbreak of war Ernest was a farm labourer. He joined the Royal Navy on 24 th February 1913. Serving on the following ships a. Pembroke II Feb 1913 to Aug 1913 b. King Edward VII 1913-1915 c. Pembroke II 1916 d. Victory II 1916 e. Royal Oak 1916 to 1919 Ernest was invalided 29 th April 1919. The Ashford Absentee Voters List for 1918 gives Sole Street, Crundale Stoker SS/113536 Ernest Stephen SHARP. HMS Royal Oak, Royal Navy. Private George Abraham SHARP. 2 nd Buffs (East Kent Regiment. Ernest was invalided from the Royal Navy because of disease and died of the SAME disease very soon afterwards. He died as a direct result of his war service. 38
15.SINDEN W Boughton Aluph Civic War Memorial APPROVED 20 OCTOBER 2005 Boughton Aluph War Memorial 39
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SINDEN W Private 446232 William Alfred SINDEN. 107 th (P.O.W) Company, Labour Corps. Formerly 836 th Area Employment Company. Formerly (5062) The Buffs, (East Kent Regiment). Died 2 nd August 1920 aged 44 years. Resided Worgers Cottage, Boughton Aluph, Ashford, Kent. William died at Worgers Cottage of heart disease and Rheumatism caused by or aggravated by his war service. William s son Mr A.W.H Sinden was present at his fathers death. William s death certificate reference is East Ashford/Wye/1920/entry 346. The death certificate states that William was a Domestic Gardener and former soldier. Buried 7 th August 1920 in an unmarked paupers grave in the Boughton Aluph parish churchyard, Boughton Aluph, Ashford, Kent. Grave reference 95. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission did not record William as a war casualty until October 2005. Neil Clark (assisted by Keith Sinden) submitted William s name for belated commemoration in September 2005. A month later the MoD finally agreed that William s name should be added to the CWGC roll of honour. More importantly an official war headstone will soon be erected. William was invalided from the army on 12 th March 1919 aged 43 years. Upon discharge he returned to Worgers Cottage, Boughton Aluph near Ashford, Kent. After William s death his widow was awarded a war pension by the Ministry of Pensions (Case number 7497). The certificate clearly states that William s illness WAS ATTRIBUTABLE TO WAR SERVICE. 41
William was married to Harriet Emily Sinden on 28 th August 1898 at Boughton Lees, Ashford. They had 4 children Alfred W.H 1900 Bertie George 30 th August 1902 Percy John 10 th June 1906 Nelson Benjamin 10 th July 1911 Fred David 30 th December 1914 William attested for war service in The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) on 30 th May 1916 at Ashford. He was posted to the army reserve the next day and commenced his training at the Citadel in Dover with the 3 rd Battalion, The Buffs. On the 27 th June 1916 William was drafted to a Buffs frontline service battalion. He served in The Buffs until 19 th August 1918 when he was transferred to the Labour Corps. He had been medically downgraded and was no longer fit enough to serve in the infantry. The 1901 census gives Boughton Lees William SINDEN 25 Stable Worker Boughton Aluph Harriet 21 Petham Alfred 6m Boughton Lees Boughton Lees Alfred SINDEN 52 Carpenter Great Chart Frances 44 Westwell Bertie 20 Bricklayer Boughton Aluph Percey 17 Gardener Boughton Aluph Valentine 15 Apprentice Boughton Aluph Isabella 12 Boughton Aluph Nellie 10 Boughton Aluph Edith 3 Boughton Aluph The Ashford Absentee Voters List for 1918 gives The Lees, Boughton Aluph Private 44467 Bertie James SINDEN. 19 th Army Corps. Private 12738 Percy David SINDEN. 5 th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters. Private 446232 William Alfred SINDEN. 107 th P.O.W Company, Labour Corps. We have discovered that William NORRIS (d1915)'s sister Harriet Emily NORRIS (born 1880 @ Petham ) was married to William Alfred SINDEN (d1920) - ie the two Williams commemorated @ Boughton Aluph were brothers-in-law. William Alfred SINDEN & Harriett Emily married at Boughton Aluph, All Saints on 28 Aug 1898. I have found a fifth child for the couple (all blood relatives of myself) who you do not seem to have - Alfred William H SINDEN born @ Boughton Lees Dec Q 1900, while I have an alternative birth date of his brother Nelson B SINDEN of 22 Jul 1911. I also have the following on William Alfred SINDEN & William NORRIS from earlier censuses: 1881 Census @ Molash, Kent 42
Frances SINDEN Visitor M 24 Wife of Carpenter Kent Westwell William SINDEN Visitor 5 Kent Boughton Aluph George H SINDEN Visitor Kent Boughton Aluph John T SINDEN Visitor 4 Kent Boughton Aluph Bertie J SINDEN Visitor 2m Kent Boughton Aluph 1891 Census @ The Lees, Boughton Aluph, Kent Alfred SINDEN Head M 40 Carpenter Great Chart Kent Frances SINDEN Wife M 35 Westwell Kent William A SINDEN Son 15 Farm Lab Boughton Aluph Kent George Hy SINDEN Son 14 Boughton Aluph Kent John Thomas SINDEN Son 12 Boughton Aluph Kent Bertie J SINDEN Son 10 Boughton Aluph Kent Percy SINDEN Son 7 Boughton Aluph Kent Benjamin SINDEN Son 6 Boughton Aluph Kent Isabella SINDEN Daur 2 Boughton Aluph Kent Nellie SINDEN Daur 2m Boughton Aluph Kent 1891 Census @ Boughton Aluph Lees Charlotte NORRIS Head W 27 Petham Kent Harriet E NORRIS Dau 11 Petham Kent Minnie W NORRIS Dau 8 Petham Kent William NORRIS Son 6 Crundale Kent William NORRIS (d1915)'s parents John and Charlotte Ann (nee FOORD) died in 1891 and 1899 respectively. She had remarried, to Thomas WILSON in 1892 @ Boughton Aluph and produced at least two half sisters for William NORRIS (d1915) - Rose c1892 and Dorothy c1893 I am a distant relative of William NORRIS (d1915) - our common ancestor is his grandmother Sarah BEGENT (born c 1825 @ Brabourne) who married William NORRIS (1820-1871) @ Smeeth in 1849. Sarah is my3x Gt Grandmother. My last sighting of her was in the 1901 Census living in Canterbury with her son Julius NORRIS (a cousin of William NORRIS d1915), so I was intrigued to see your mention of William's cousins in your website entry. Do you have any more details on them that you could share with me please? William s Grandson Keith Sinden has stated that William served in the trenches and was buried alive under debris (presumably from a shell explosion). He was recovered back to the UK and after recovering was medically downgraded which meant that he could no longer fight in the frontline as an infantryman (Buffs). He was transferred into the Labour Corps and returned to active service in a POW Labour Corps unit. His family said that after being wounded and buried alive, William was never the same again! Not entirely surprising given the circumstances! In any case poor Wiliam was dead within 2 years of discharge The 836 th Area Employment Company, Labour Corps was a home based (UK) farm labouring unit. It remained in the UK for the duration of the war. 43
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16.USHERWOOD J.J APPROVED 12 JUNE 2006 Ashford War Memorial Centrepiece Church Plaque Able Seaman J/5648 Jehu (John) Jones USHERWOOD. H.M.S Newcastle, Royal Navy. Died of Tuberculosis (T.B) on 27 th January 1916 aged 22 years. Born 18 th December 1893 Ashford, Kent. Son of Barnes and Annie Usherwood of 50, Kent Avenue, Ashford, Kent. Buried locally in the Old Ashford Cemetery, Canterbury Road, Ashford on 31 st January 1916. John died at 50, Kent Avenue, Ashford. John s brother s name (Barnes) appears on John s grave. This was probably done because Barnes has no known grave. Jehu s name also appears on the Centrepiece war memorial plaque, Bank Street, Ashford. He attended that church with his brother before the outbreak of war. John joined the Royal Navy on 18 th December 1911 at Chatham. He was immediately posted to HMS Ganges as a Boy 2 nd Class. John went onto serve in the following ships Impregnable (1910), Berwick (1911), Bulwark (1911), Natal (1911). He was sent to Gibraltar on 23 rd October 1912 and remained there until 4 th December 1912. On 5 th December 1912 John was posted to HMS Newcastle and he remained with that ship until 9 th April 1914. On the 11 November 1914 John was invalided out of the navy with Tuberculosis of the lungs. Upon leaving the navy John returned to Ashford where he died shortly afterwards. In 1896 there was a B Usherwood living at 136, New Town, Ashford. The Ashford Absentee Voters List for 1918 gives - 50, Kent Avenue, Ashford Private G/23515 Charles USHERWOOD. 5 th Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). The Ashford 1881 Census gives 133 New Town, Ashford Barnes USHERWOOD Horsmonden, Kent 1843 (Grandfather) Mary Ann Ramsgate 1843 45