The Somme Remembered – 12th July 1916

Willie Archer Houseman served in the King’s Own (Liverpool) Regiment after enlisting in Liverpool.  Willie served as Private 24484 and Died of Wounds on the 12th of July.

In the 1901 census Willie, born in Halifax, was the youngest son of Frederick and Mary Houseman.  Frederick Houseman worked as a grocer’s manager – home was 40 Woodside Road, Halifax.  Ten years later in 1911, Willie, was the only child, of two born to Mary, that was living at home. Frederick was employed as the General Manager of a Co-operative Society and home was 50 Cowley Road, Walton, Liverpool.

Willie, as we know, died of wounds received during the hostilities.  He was eligible for the Victory and British Medals, which would have been sent to his brother  – his brother, Charles Frederick House, according the one record, was the person to whom all monies would have been sent.  The Probate entry for Willie gives details of his regiment, date and place of death along with two people who would receive a share of his £147 1s 8d, they were his brother Charles, who was now working as a civil servant and a lady named Sarah Jane Houseman, who was a widow – but whose?  It appears that Willie’s mother died and in 1908 Frederick Houseman married Sarah Jane in Halifax before he moved to Liverpool and declared he had and Sarah had been married 2 years on the 1911 census form.

Abbeville Communal Cemetery via CWGC

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission entry for Willie tells that he rests in Abbeville Communal Cemetery, where he rests along with over 790 other identified casualties. According to the CWGC  ‘Abbeville was headquarters of the Commonwealth lines of communication and No.3 BRCS, No.5 and No.2 Stationary Hospitals were stationed there variously from October 1914 to January 1920. The communal cemetery was used for burials from November 1914 to September 1916, the earliest being made among the French military graves. The extension was begun in September 1916’.

The Somme Remembered – 10th July 1916

War does not care what race, creed or colour you are. Or, whether you are the son of a miner from small mining community, living in a 2 up and 2 down. Or, the son of a Knight of the Realm, having access to more than one home.  In one of my other blogs I have remembered Prince Maurice Victor, grandson of Queen Victoria who was killed in action in 1915 – showing that War makes all men equal.

Within this blog, 31 days, 31 casualties – The Somme Remembered, I have tried to include men from all walks of life, from various parts of the country and from a cross-section of regiments. Today’s soldier comes from a privileged background!

Acton Park via Friends of Acton Park

Foster Hugh Egerton Cunliffe was born on 17th August 1875, the son of Sir Robert Alfred Cunliffe, 5th Bt. and Eleanor Sophia nee Leigh (married in Congleton Reg. Dist. Sept 1/4 1869).

Foster and his family were living at 37 Loundes Street, London in 1881.   Robert was described his occupation as Bart., M.P., J.P., Dep. Lieut. Lt. Col. Militia, and his place of birth as India.  At that time Foster was one of two children to Robert and Eleanor.

Foster attended Eton College followed by Oxford, being proficient at cricket, crichinfo Wisdens Cricketers’ Almanack reads:

‘………As a batsman he had a fine, free style, and h excelled as a left-handed medium-pace bowler, having a good lenght and sending down a difficult ball that came with his arm.  He was in the Eton XI in 1893 and 1894, and in his four Public School matches obtained 35 wickets for 10.17 runs each; he took  11.74 v. Winchester in 1893 and 13 for p4 v. Harrow in 1894.  At Oxford he obtained his Blue as a Freshman and in 1898, his last year in the XI, he was captain. In his four games against Cambridge he scored 99 runs in five completed innings and took 26 wickets for 22.88 runs each.  Against Surrey, at Oxford in 1896, he obtained eight wickets in an innings for 26 runs.  In 1897, when he began to appear for Middlesex, he was chosen for the Gentleman at Lord’s, and took three wickets in each innings of the Players.  In 1895, he became a member of M.C.C., serving on the committee from 1903 until 1906.  He was a Fellow of All Soul’s, Oxford, and a distinguished military historian.

He graduated from New College, Oxford with a M.A., and lectured on Military History at Oxford University.  Foster wrote a book entitled ‘The History of the Boer War, which has been digitised.

By the 1901 census, we know that Foster has graduated from Oxford and living with quite a few, mainly single men and a female servants at **************, Bethnal Green.  He is 25 years and ‘living on his own means’.  The head of the household is Bernard R Wilson, a Clerk in Holy Orders.

Ten years later Foster is one of six living in a 16 roomed house – he is the first listed on the page and classes himself as a boarder, along with Carlisle James Scott Spedding, 58, living on Private MeTans; Francis Dyson Yeatman, 21, visitor and an Undergraduate at Cambridge along with servants – John Beeton Whitcheal, 41, Butler, Clara, his wife and the house cook, and their nine year old son, John Dawson Whitcheal. The entry for Foster seems to be in a different hand to the other entries, even so it is Mr Spedding that signs the document and more than likely completes the entries for himself and the rest of the household at 78 Oxford Terrace, London W.

In the Electoral Registers for 1915 have both Foster and Carlisle James Scott Spedding still living in rooms at 78 Oxford Terrace – Foster has the ‘back room second floor, furnished’, while Carlisle has the ‘Front room third floor furnished.  Mr N Middleton of the same address is given as the Landlord or the person to whom the rent was paid. While Sir Foster Cunliffe, Bart., lived at no. 78, his friends and family could have telephoned him on Paddington 6397.

Foster’s headstone source not known

1914 came and war was declared and by July of 1915 Foster was in France, serving as a Major in the 13th Btn. Rifle Brigade.  His medal card, as well as, informing about the medals awarded to Foster and their references, there are details of his Nominal Roll and on the reverse side are details of his brother – Sir Neville Cunliffe Bt., 25 St James Court, Buckingham Gate, SW1.

Major, Sir Foster Hugh Egerton Cunliffe was Killed in Action on this day 100 years ago and rests in Bapaume Post Military Cemetery, Albert with 409 other casualties, but of those only 229 are identified.  He is also remembered in the cloisters of Eton College, where a rectangular tablet with indented corners has the following memorial in gold lettering ‘ In memorial F H E Cunliffe Baronetti Sexti de Acton viri amicis percari perjucundi qui apud Etonam et Oxoniam pilae artibus insignis in scholis annalium rei militaris diligens disipulus et doctor sociis coll anim adscriptus postea imles factus fideliter pro patria mortem oppetit XIII Die Julii MDCCCCXVI’

The Probate entry for Foster reads:

Cunliffe sir Foster Hugh Egerton of Acton Park Denbighshire baronet major 13th battalion Rifle Brigade died 10 July 1916 in France in action Probate London 6 February to the honourable Charles Henry Lyell major R.G.A. Henry Bucknall Betterton and Noel Middleton barristers-at-law and dame Cecile Victoria Cunliffe widow.  Effects £135883 7s 1d’.

The Register of Soldiers’ Effects tells that over £120 was due to Foster, this would have more than likely been included in the Probate money paid to Charles, Henry, Noel and Cecile.

Fosters service records are available to purchase from the National Archives at Kew.

The Somme Remembered – 9th July 191619

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has our 9th of July casualty listed as L C Brodribb,

L C Brodribb was Killed in Action on this day 100 years ago.  L C, born in 1896, was the son of Thomas James Brodribb and his wife Alma Margaret nee Leaman, who had married in 1894.

The 1901 census brings L C to life – the family entry for 4 Seymour Vs Rd, has Thomas J Brodribb, Alma M, Leslie C and Hilda M.  So L C  is Leslie, to find what the ‘C’  stands for another document is needed and that document is the census for 1911.

1911 census oops!

In 1911 the family is living at 47 Downend Road, Horfield, Bristol. Thomas James signs the form in a good clear hand, but he has not been so careful when completing the information needed to complete the printed columns. Thomas, however, has included the full names of all the family – L C is Leslie Claude Brodribb! The occupations of Thomas James is Commercial Traveller in Mechanical Rubber Goods and Leslie Claude is a Commercial Clerk –  does Leslie work in the same company as his father?

Leslie Claude enlisted in Bristol, joining the 1/4th City of Bristol (TF) Battalion, of the Gloucestershire Regiment, with the service number 1254.  Leslie became a Lance Corporal and later was promoted to Sergeant.  He entered France on the last day of March 1915.

Sucrerie Military Cemetery, via CWGC

Leslie rests in Sucrerie Military Cemetery, Colincamps,  some 16 km north of Albert, with 883 other identified and 216 unidentified casualties.

One more document tells how much money was owed to Leslie for his service to King and Country – money that was in the end paid to his father in two payments.  The document has been transcribed as Leslie David Brodrick, so without a service number this document would have been a little harder to come across..

The Somme Remembered –  8th July 1916

Thiepval Memorial via CWGC

George Fox was killed in action on this day 100 years ago and is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing, which in the last few days has been the focus of a memorial service and vigil to commemorate the Battle of the Somme’s centenary.

Who was George Fox?

George was the son of David and Mary Ann Fox and according to the census of 1891 was born in Yorkshire. Home in this census was West Street, Altofts, near Pontefract.  In the house was mum, Mary Ann and three siblings.  Ten years later, the family, including dad David, are at 5 Helena Street, Snydale – George now has seven siblings, ranging in ages from 23 to 8 months. His father, David, works as a coal miner, hewer aged 49.

St Andrew’s Church

George on 7 February 1906 in St Andrew’s Church, Wakefield married Maria Farrar – a Wakefield girl.  The couple at the time of their marriage both gave 58 Bailey’s Buildings as their address.  The 1911 census tells that George and Maria at the time had two children and George’s sister, Lily aged 19, was living with them.  Home for the extended family was 6 Halford Yard, Ingwell Street, Wakefield. George, like his father and brothers, was employed as a miner.

The hostilities began.  George enlisted in Wakefield, joining the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry 1/4th Battalion and becoming Private 201431.  There is a document that gives another service number – 3820, this document, tells that George was presumed dead between the 1 – 8th July, while other documents give the date of his death as the 8th – either way. he was 36 years of age.

Maria, his wife was eligible to receive all monies due to George from the War Office, which she received in two installments.

The Somme Remembered – 7th July 1916

The 7th of July would be a day the Moth family would not forget in a long time.

Albert Victor Moth, was the son of Shadrach Moth and his wife Sarah nee Cook.  He was born in Manchester.  By 1911 he was one of 8 surviving children living at 50 Bosworth Street, Openshaw, Manchester – a six roomed house where 10 lived.  His father worked as an iron founder at the local waggon works and 12 year old Albert attended school.

Albert enlisted in Manchester, joining the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment – Private 3571.

The Service Record for Albert survives and one page tells that he was wounded in action on the 4th July and transferred to 76 Field Ambulance.  Warloy-Baillon during the early part of 1916 had become a popular billeting area, with the hospital there at the time specialising in abdominal and chest cases.  By the summer of that year the 76th Field Ambulance was in the village – some said that the 76th should have been run as a base hospital and not by Field Ambulances.  On 2nd July, the situation at the hospital was said t be chaotic, with ‘too many wounded unable to be evacuated’, lying outside the tents.  The 76th FA was taken over by the 92nd Field Ambulance, the original medical officers slowed their working pace, their commanding officers being overwhelmed with paperwork.  The 92nd marched out on the 5th July leaving everything in disarray and dirty.

Albert’s headstone via FindaGrave

Albert died of wounds on the 7th July 1906 aged 17.  He rests in Warloy-Baillon Communal Cemetery Extension with over 1300 other identified casualties including 18 German casualties and two Second World War casualties.

The Somme Remembered – 5 July 1916

George Neate was the son of George Neate and his wife Alice Maud Mary, born in Slaughterford.

The 1901 census has the family living, according to the census enumerator ‘road from Chippenham to Slaughterford’, possibly close to what was known as ‘Keeper’s House’. George snr. worked and his wife worked at the local paper mill.

Ten years later in 1911, George snr. was now a foreman at the papermill and it looks like four of his six children also worked in the mill.  Home for the family was Fford near Chippenham, the enumerator entered that their house had four rooms and that seven people lived there..  The entry for the family was completed by George jnr. who in error included his sister Annie on the sheet, Annie was infact living in Bath and worked as a servant for 70 year old Annie Marie Daries.  Annie’s entry was struck through by the enumerator and is one of the many mis-entries that are useful snippets of information.

Wiltshire Regiment via Wikipedia

George jnr. enlisted in Devises into the Duke of Edinburgh’s Wiltshire Regiment, serving as Private 18360 in D Company.

George, aged 22, was Killed in Action on the 5th of July 1916 and is remembered on the Theipval Memorial to the Missing along with over 72200 casualties whose final resting place is known only unto their God.

Thiepval Memorial

The Somme Remembered – 4th July 1916

William James Denton Milson was born in Beverley in 1890, the son of William Carr Milson and his wife, Ann Marie nee Cooper.

In 1909 William attested in Scarorough. By 1911  was a drummer in the 1st Btn Yorkshire Regiment, following in his father’s footsteps.  William Carr Milson had attested in 1885 aged 19. He was discharged at his own request on payment of £15 in 1884 – there must be an error in the typing as he was discharged before enlisting!  He must have at some time re-enlisted as he served in Egypt, South Africa, and the Cape Colony and was the recipient of medals for his service.  His character is described as being Very Good whist with the Colours.  He is described as being 5′ 5″ tall with a fair complexion, blue eyes, brown hair.  He had a scar on his right leg and had the tattoo of a man on his right breast and an anchor etc., on his left forearm.

DCM via Wikipedia

Back to William jnr., William James Denton Milson served as sergeant7813 in the Yorkshire Regiment, and according to his Medal Card was in France by June of 1915. On the 15th of March 1916 he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM).  His citation reads ‘7813 Sjt W J D Milsom (note the m in his name) 2nd Bn.  For conspicuous gallantry. Serjeant Milsom and Corporal Wilson organised a rescue party under heavy shell fire, and supervised and assisted in rescue work regardless of continuous sniping (15.3.16).

Yorkshire Regiment © Carol Sklinar

July 1916 arrived and with it one of the bloodiest battles – The Battle of the Somme. William during the first days of battle was injured and on the 4th day died of his wounds.  He rests in Corbie Communal Cemetery

C#orbie Communal Extension Cemetery via CWGC

Extension along with over 900 other identified casualties.  The Commonwealth War Graves Commission entry for the cemetery tells that the town became a medical centre and no. 5 and 21 Casualty Clearing Stations (CCS) based at La Neuville until October of 1916.

 Williams Medal Card tells that he was eligible for the 1915 Star along with the British and Victory Medals (Pip, Squeak and Wilfred).  His mother Annie Marie was the recipient of monies owed to her son, which were paid in two installments.  She would also have received his Memorial Plaque which is more popularly known as the ‘Dead Man’s Penny’ or ‘Death Penny’ and the accompanying scroll

The Somme Remembered – 3 July 1916

Humphrey Robertson Barkworth the son of Harold Arthur Sandbach Barkworth and  Mary Alma nee Gadesden, was born on 16 October 1891 (registered in Paddington) and baptised on 25 November 1891 in Christ Church, Epsom, Surrey.

Home for a 9 year old Humphrey, according to the 1901 census was 11 Cargate Avenue, Aldershot, one many fine looking semi-detached and detached villa’s.  Humphrey’s father was a Major in the Infantry and at one time served in the Border Regiment.  Humphrey was one of two children looked after by Miriam Thompson, the 21 year old children’s nurse.  The household also had a cook named Lottie Redman and a parlourmaid called Martha Gregg.

Nash Court

Ten years later, there are still only two children to Harold and Mary – Humphrey and Godfrey Egremont Boulderson Barkworth who is three years younger than his brother.  Harold, born in Beverley, is now retired and pension from the army and living with his family at Nash Court, Marnhull, Dorset- a rather nice looking country residence.

Humphrey via Hazelwood School War Memorial

Humphrey attended Hazelwood School, leaving in 1905 for Wellington College.  He left in 1909 for Sandhurst Military College and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 25th Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers.  Being promoted to Lieutenant in August of 1914. Humphrey’s entry in the Sandhurst Register is available to download from the Sandhurst Collection for a small charge.

When war was declared Humphrey was in India with his regiment.  After sailing from Karachi to Plymouth he was the following month in France.  During February of 1915 Humphrey and many others from his regiment suffered from frostbite.  He was returned to England was hospitalised.   He was shortly back in France, and it was while stationed near Kemmel that he was wounded in the chest while lying in one of the front trenches. After being evacuated to Boulogne he was again sent back to England.

Northumberland Fusiliers

Humphrey was soon back in the thick of war again and on the 1st of July 1916 his battalion as part of the 103rd Brigade was near La Boiselle.  At 7.30 in the morning a British mine exploded telling the allies that the advance was to start.  And start it certainly did.  Humphrey and his men advanced slightly behind the main advance due to the congestion of such large numbers moving forward.  Humphrey’s men for some time during their advance were sheltered by a higher ground.  As they started to move towards the enemy they became visible to the German machine gunners and riflemen. The Northumberland Fusiliers were mown down as the machinegun worked from left to right over and over again.  Humphrey was wounded but would not allow himself to be attended to until his men had had their wounds attended to and dressed.  He was eventually carried to 92nd Field Ambulance where he died two days later.

During that fateful day, the 1st of July 1916, the 25th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers sent into battle 20 officers and 730 other ranks.  By the end of that day 16 officers and 610 other ranks were either killed, wounded or missing.

Warloy-Baillon Communal Cemetery Extension via CWGC

Humphrey rests in Warloy-Baillon Communal Cemetery Extension Plot I Row B Grave 8 along with over 120 other casualties of war.

Humphrey’s brother, Godfrey Egremont Boulderson Barkworth, also served in WW1, serving in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.  He survived the war and in 1922 was granted the Freedom of the City of London and was a member of the Guild of Grocers.  He moved to Kenya and died in 1955