Brompton Regis, Somerset
(Previously called Kingsbrompton)
I acknowledge the previous research of Sarah Merchant of Brompton Regis, whose information has been extremely valuable in the production of this page.
PRIVATE Charles William Blackmore (1896-1917)
He was born at Brompton Regis on the 14th of August 1896 and was the son of Joshua and Margaret Blackmore of 'Steart Bridge' - Their cottage long since lost beneath the waters of Wimbleball Lake.
Charles followed in the footsteps of his father to become a carpenter but when war came he enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry as Private 32227. The circumstances of his death are currently unknown but he died at Toxteth, Liverpool, on the 27th October 1917, aged 20 years. His body was returned home and he is buried in the churchyard at St Mary's Church, Brompton Regis. |
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SERJEANT William Henry Cheek (1885-1916)
He was born at Brompton Regis in 1885 and was the son of John and Mary Cheek of Cowlins Cottage, Brompton Regis. Before the war Henry was employed as a Farm Labourer.
He served as Private 10439 in the 8th Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment before being promoted to Corporal, and later to the rank of Serjeant. He was killed in action in France on the 22nd of February 1916, aged 30 years, and buried at Dartmoor Cemetery, Becordel-Becourt, Departement de la Somme, Picardie, France. Plot I. D. 13. |
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PRIVATE George Henry Chilcott (1894-1916)
He was born at Brompton Regis in 1894 and was the eldest son of George and Catherine Chilcott of Whyne Cottage, Skilgate, (later of Northmoor Road, Dulverton). Before the war George was employed as a Farm Labourer.
He served as Private 19133 in the 9th Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. He 'died of wounds' on the 1st of April 1916 having been evacuated from the field to No. 5 Stationary Hospital at Rouen, France. He was aged 21 years, and was buried at St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, France. Plot A. 19. 11 |
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PRIVATE James Harold Colman (1889-1918)
He was born in 1889 at Kingsbrompton (later renamed as Brompton Regis) in 1894 and was the eldest son of James and Ellen Colman of Hurscombe Cottage near Ruglands Farm, Kingsbrompton where his father was employed as a Farm Labourer.
He served as Private 35826 in the 6th Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment, and was killed in action the Battle of the Lys, also known as the Fourth Battle of Ypres, on the 10th of April 1918. His body was never identified/recovered and he is commemorated at the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium. Panel 119 to 120. |
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PRIVATE John Colman (1887-1918)
He was born in 1887 at Kingsbrompton (later renamed as Brompton Regis) and was the second son of Thomas and Mary-Ann of Gutterhole Cottage, Kingsbrompton, Somerset. John's father was employed locally as a Farm Labourer. By they age of 14 John had left home, and the 1901 census showed him boarding at Fore Street, Dulverton and working in the butchery trade. By 1911 he had moved to Tiverton in Devon and was employed as an assistant butcher by James Broomfield, Butcher, of 1 Gold Street, Tiverton.
He served as Private RX4/234272 of the 33rd Remounts, Royal Army Service Corps., and saw service in Italy; where he died on the 23rd of December 1918, aged 31 years, from 'War related sickness', probably pneumonia. He was buried at Bordighera British Cemetery, Bordighera, Provincia di Imperia, Liguria, Italy. Plot III. A. 7. |
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LANCE CORPORAL Charles Abraham Farmer (1898-1917)
Incorrectly marked as the rank of Private on the Brompton Regis War Memorial
He was born in 1898 at Brompton Regis, Somerset and by 1901 he and his elder brother; Ernest, were being brought-up by his elder sister Emma, whilst living in their Uncle's household at Lower Escott Farm, Withiel Florey, nr Brompton Regis. By age 13 he was working as a Farm Labourer and residing at Higher Town, Brompton Regis.
He served as Private 15593, later promoted to Lance Corporal, in the 2nd Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. He was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of Passchendaele (also known as the 3rd Battle of Ypres) on the 31st of July 1917, aged 19 years. The British attack began at 3:50 a.m. on the 31st of July; it had been due to commence at dawn but a layer of unbroken low cloud, meant that it was still dark when the infantry advanced. It was a major engagement of the First World War, claiming the lives of around 275,000 British and Commonwealth military personnel and around 200,000 German lives. Charles' body was never identified/recovered and he is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium. Panel 21. |
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CORPORAL William John Hawkins (1894-1916)
He was born at Exford, Somerset, on the 28th of October 1894 and baptised as 'John William Hawkins'. He was the son of William Hawkins (1868-1947) and Emma Hawkins nee Bidgood (1868-1940), of Highercombe Cottages, Higher Combe, nr Dulverton, who were married in 1892. His parents later resided at Little Pixton, Skilgate, Somerset. His father was a farm labourer.
He enlisted on the 1st of May 1913, giving his address as Bury Hill Cottages near Brompton Regis, and serving as PLY/16185 of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Marine Light Infantry: Plymouth Division, Royal Navy. He was killed in action in France on the 13th of November 1916, aged 22 years, and his body was never identified/recovered. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial France. Pier and Face 1 A. His name also appears on both the Brompton Regis War Memorial and the Dulverton War Memorial. |
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PRIVATE Sidney John Jennings (1888-1916)
He was born at Brompton Regis in 1888 and was the son of John and Elizabeth Jennings, of The George Inn, Brompton Regis. His parents both originated from the village of Challacombe near Simonsbath (Just over the Devon Border). His father was a Hotelier and Inn Keeper.
Sidney served as Private 19062 in the 6th Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry. He was killed in action during the Battle of Delville Wood on the Somme on the 18th of August 1916. He was 28 years of age and his body was never identified/recovered. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France. Pier and Face 2 A. |
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GUNNER John May (1896-1916)
He was born at Combe Land, Brompton Regis, on the 9th of September 1896, and was the illegitimate son of Kate May (1874-1955), who was the daughter of farm-worker George May and Bessie May nee Holloway.
In 1901, when John was aged just 3 years, his Mother left Brompton Regis in order to take-up employment as a Domestic Servant for the Ridler family in London. She left John in the care of 74-year-old Elizabeth Tout, a widow woman who resided at Renford Cottage, Brompton Regis, and whom she paid for John's care and upkeep. The 1911 census showed that John had then gone to live with his widowed Aunt; Fanny Kelly nee May, who was the Landlady of the New Inn at Brompton Regis. He served as Gunner 141778 in "B" Battery, 116th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, and was killed in action, aged 20 years, at Salonika, on the Macedonian front, Greece, on the 22nd of December 1916 whilst fighting the Bulgarian Forces. He was buried at the Doiran Military Cemetery, Doirani, Regional unit of Kilkis, Central Macedonia, Greece. Plot VI. C. 28. |
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PRIVATE Tom Rushton (1893-1915)
He was born in Richmond, Yorkshire, in 1893 and was the son of John Tom Rushton (1861-1940), and his wife Harriet. Tom had two siblings (Maggie and Annie) and in 1901 the family were residing at Skeeby Road, Richmond, where Tom's parents were in service. In the 1911 census it shows that his parents had relocated to Brownsdown, Brompton Regis, Somerset, where his father was employed as a Gardener, whilst his mother was a domestic servant. (It is for this reason that Tom's name is commemorated on the Brompton Regis War Memorial). His parents would later retire to the nearby village of Winsford, Somerset.
Meanwhile, the 1911 census shows Tom did not relocate to Somerset with his parents and was residing at Womersley Hall in the Chiltern Hills, near Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire, where he was in Domestic Service for the Dowager Countess of Rosse. When war came in 1914 he travelled to Guildford in Surrey, where he enlisted into the 6th Battalion of The Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment and served as Private G/305. He undertook training at Purfleet and Aldershot before being deployed to France at the end of May 1915. He was killed in action, aged 22 years, on the 13th of October 1915 during the Battle of Loos when his regiment attacked the Hehenzollern Redoubt, capturing 'Gun Trench' and the South West face of Hulluch Quarries. His body was never identified/recovered and he is commemorated on the Loos Memorial, Pas de Calais, France. Panel 13 to 15. |
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LANCE CORPORAL Albert Edward Sowden (1891-1915)
He was born at Brompton Regis, Somerset, in 1891 and was the son of John and Sarah Sowden of Lower Lodge, Baronsdown, Brompton Regis (later of Higher Town, Brompton Regis). Albert's father was a general labourer who worked on the Baronsdown Estate.
Albert served as 10585 Private, then Lance Corporal, of the 5th Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry. His Regiment were deployed to France, landing at Boulogne on the 25th of May 1915, and subsequently sent to the Ypres salient, Belgium. He was killed in action at Hooge, Ypres, Belgium, on the 25th of September 1915, aged 24 years. His body was never identified/recovered and he is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Panel 47. |
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LIEUTENANT Fenwick Charles Stevens (1895-1918)
He was born on the 23rd of February 1895 at Lyncombe Farm, Brompton Regis, Somerset and was the son of Henry Stevens (1858-1933) and Elizabeth Stevens nee Greenslade (1860-1942). His father was a farmer.
Before the war he had already joined the West Somerset Yeomanry, a Territorial Force, where he had gained the rank of Serjeant (Service No. 509). At the start of WW1 he applied for a commission and was gazetted as a Lieutenant in the 2nd/5th Battalion of the King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment. He died of wounds on the battlefield near Arras, France on the 7th of September 1918, aged 23 years. He was buried at Bac-Du-Sud British Cemetery, Bailleulval, France. Plot V. A. 34. |
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PRIVATE Job Tapp (1897-1917)
He was born on the 13th of February 1897 at Kings Brompton, Somerset,(Today renamed as Brompton Regis) and was the eldest son, and one of eight children, of William Job Tapp and his wife; Harriet, of Venn Cottage, Kings Brompton. His father was a Farm Carter and General Labourer.
He was a resident at Williton when he enlisted and served as Private 2198 (later 200580) in the 1st/4th Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. The 4th Battalion were based in India for the early part of WW1 until arriving at Basra in Mesopotamia (Iraq) on the 2nd of March 1916 to fight the Ottoman Turks. In February 1917 they were moved to Amara. He was killed in action, aged 20 years, on the 14th of July 1917, and was buried at the Amara War Cemetery, Iraq. Plot XIII. J. 8. In addition to the Brompton Regis War Memorial, his name is also on the Williton War Memorial. |
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PRIVATE David Henry Wensley (1893-1916)
He was born at Dulverton in 1893 and was the second son of Charles and Emily Wensley of the Pixton Park Estate, Dulverton, Somerset. David's parents were in the employment of the Earl of Carnarvon; his father as a gardener and his mother as a domestic servant at Pixton Park House. At the time of the 1911 census David was residing at Woolcotts Farm, Brompton Regis, where he was employed as a Farm Labourer.
During WW1 he served as Private 21490 in the 3rd Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment, who were deployed to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force in 1914. He 'died of wounds' on the 17th of October 1916 received at the Battle of Ancre Heights, The Somme, France. He was aged 23 years and was buried at the Contay British Cemetery, Contay, France. Plot IV. C. 1. His next of kin was named as his parents, who by 1916 were residing at Hanislade, Oakford Bridge, nr. Bampton, Devon. |
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LANCE SERJEANT Tom Williams (1879-1918)
Rank shown as Serjeant on the Brompton Regis War Memorial
He was born at Barbers Cottage, Upton, Somerset, in 1879 and was the third son of John and Ann Williams. His father was an agricultural labourer. The 1891 census shows that by the age of 12 Tom had already left home and was residing, and in the employ, of Thomas Haywood of Harwood, Upton, as a 'Farm Servant'. In 1911 he married Rosa Edith Takle nee Sowden, a widow woman residing at Higher Town, Kingsbrompton (Brompton Regis), who was a mother to four young children.
During WW1 he served as 16702 Private, Lance Corporal, Corporal, and eventually Lance Serjeant in the 1st Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry. He was killed in action, aged 39 years, on the 26th of April 1918 whilst defending the Hinges Ridge during the Battle of Lys. He was buried at Le Vertannoy British Cemetery, Hinges, Pas de Calais, France. Plot A.22 |
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CORPORAL Walter Charles Williams (1897-1916)
He was born at Upton, Somerset, in 1896 and was the son of Charles Henry Williams (1861-1929), and his wife: Elizabeth (d.1906) of 'The Croft', Upton. His father was a Stone Mason. Following the death of his first wife in 1906 Walter's father remarried in 1910 to Emma Farmer (1873-1947). Emma was a 38 year old single woman who had been bringing-up her two younger brothers (Ernest and Charles Farmer) whilst residing in their Uncle's household at Lower Escott Farm, Withiel Florey, nr Brompton Regis. By 1911 the conjoined family were residing at Higher Town, Brompton Regis and Walter was employed as a farm labourer.
In WW1 Walter enlisted into the Army at Exeter to become Private 317056 (later Corporal) in the 1st Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. He was killed in action, aged 20 years, on the 25th of September 1916 on the first day of the Battle of Morval, France. His body was never identified/recovered and he is commemorated on both the Thiepval Memorial, France Pier and Face 1 C, and on the Brompton Regis War Memorial, Somerset. At the time of Walter's death his father and step-mother had relocated from Brompton Regis and were residing nearby at South View, Winsford, Somerset. They are both buried at Winsford Churchyard. Walter's step-uncle; Charles Abraham Farmer (1898-1917) is also commemorated on the Brompton Regis War Memorial. He was killed in action at the Battle of Passchendaele whilst serving with the 2nd Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. |
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PRIVATE Wilfred John Baker (1885-1915)
Missing from the Brompton Regis War Memorial
He was born at Stagshead Farm, Nr Brompton Regis, Somerset, in 1885 and was the son of John Baker (d. 11th Aug. 1893) and Elizabeth Baker. Wilfred's father was a Farm Labourer and had been born at Brompton Regis, whilst his mother was a native of Bishops Nympton, Devon. The couple had at least eight children. Wilfred attended school in Exton, Somerset but by 1901, aged 17, he had left the family home in Brompton Regis, probably to work on a local farm, but he does not appear in the census taken that year. His widowed mother and seven of her children do appear in the census and were still residing at Stagshead Farm. 10 years later in the 1911 census and little appeared to have changed for his mother's circumstances. However, Wilfred had relocated to Pontypridd in Wales, where he had become a coal miner.
On the 11th of April 1912, presumably in search of a better quality of life, Wilfred emigrated from the UK to Australia. At age 26 he sailed from London to Sydney aboard the P&O ship; SS Ballarat. In Australia he settled in the town of Flinders; a seaside town on the Mornington Peninsula of Melbourne, in the State of Victoria, where he worked as an Orchardist for fruit trees. In March 1915 he enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force at Melbourne to become Private 1161 in the 23rd Battalion of the Australian Infantry. His Battalion were sent to Egypt to fight the Ottoman Turks and he embarked on the 8th of May 1915 sailing in HMAT Euripides (His Majesty's Australian Transport Ship), for Alexandria, Egypt. He died from illness (Diphtheria) at Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt, on the 20th of September 1915, aged 31 years. and was buried at the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, Row D, Grave 106. His headstone inscription reads: "Day by day the voice said come enter thine eternal home at rest". His. name is also commemorated on the Australian War Memorial at Canberra, Australia. Wilfred's mother eventually left Brompton Regis and retired at 2 Station Cottages, in the nearby village of Brushford, Somerset. |
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HOME GUARD 1940-1944 (Previously called the Local Defence Volunteers)
PRIVATE Hubert William Davey (1900-1970)
He was born in 1900 and was the son of Albert James Davey (1863-1920) and Ellen Davey nee Pring (1867-1949). His father was the Farmer of Shircombe Farm, Brompton Regis. He was the brother of Amy Irene Davey (1904-1991).
In 1947 he married Lily Davey nee Coleman (1900-1973). He died, aged 70 years, and was buried at The Blessed Virgin Mary Churchyard, Brompton Regis. |
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PRIVATE William Henry George Williams (1922-2001)
He was born on the 3rd of February 1922 and was the son of George Herbert Williams (1888-1959) and Mabel Williams (1886-1973). His father was the Farmer of Lower Woolcotts Farm, Brompton Regis - Which was a roll he took-over following his father's death.
He died on the 7th of January 2001, aged 78 years, and was buried at The Blessed Virgin Mary Churchyard, Brompton Regis. |
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PRIVATE Edward Gilbert 'Ted' Davey (1921-2008)
PRIVATE Thomas Salter (1887-1959)
PRIVATE Henry Evett (1894-1969)
LANCE CORPORAL George Norman Heywood (1917-1947)
He was born at Brompton Regis on the 3rd of February 1917, and was the son of Harris Edwin Heywood (1875-1957) and Hannah Martha Heywood nee Pring (1880-1962), who had married in 1904.
He died on the 22nd of May 1947, aged 30 years, and was buried at The Blessed Virgin Mary Churchyard, Brompton Regis. |
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