To the Glory of God
and in
ever grateful memory
of the following men
who gave their lives
for Freedom and Justice
in the Great War
1914 - 1918.
A/40009 Private Sidney John Cook, 5th. Battalion, Canadian Infantry.
Born on 2nd.March 1892 at East Harling, Norfolk, the third of eleven children of Harry, foreman at Overa Farm at Eccles, and Mary Crook.
Sidney spelt his name Sydney.
On 7th. April 1910 Sydney sailed on the SS Canada from Liverpool to Portland, Maine, to take advantage of the Dominions Lands Act. He arrived on 16th. April.
His occupation was given as a farm labourer and on 26th. January 1914, he was issued 160 acres at Mancroft, Humboldt Saskatchewan in Canada.
On 21st. December 1914, Sydney enlisted at Saskatoon where it was recorded that he was 5’10” with dark hair, a fresh complexion and blue eyes. He weighed 175 lb. with a 38″ chest and a scar between his eyes.
He did his basic training with 32nd Battalion, and later sailed aboard the SS Scandinavian for Shorncliffe, Kent arriving on 27th. June 1915.
On 3rd. August 1915, he was on his way to France with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and by 14th. August he was posted to 5th. Battalion Canadian Infantry.
Sydney's service record states that attended sniper school for a week in April 1916.
War diary entries show that on 6th. June 1916 the 5th. Battalion were in position directly in front of Hill 60 when a trench mortar bombardment opened up at 09.00 hrs, lasting until 12.30 hrs, when artillery joined in until 16.30 hrs. A further bombardment occurred from 17.30 hrs. until 18.15 hrs. Trenches 40 to 43 are described as being 'practically destroyed.' Sydney was injured and was evacuated to 10 Casualty Clearing Station at Remy Sidings, Lijssenthoek, where he died, aged 24, of multiple shrapnel wounds on Wednesday 7th. June 1916. He is buried in Grave: VII. C. 5. at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
20551 Private Samuel Davison, 1st. Battalion, Essex Regiment, formally with the Norfolk Regment.
Born in East Harling in 1892.
The 1911 census records Samuel employed as a gardener and domesti and living in with his family at Railway Cottage in Eccles.
He married Beatrice Purse in October 1913, and they had a son, Ernest Leonard, born in 1914.
On 28th. July 1915 the 11,117 ton HMT Royal Edward, formally RMS Cairo, embarked 1,367, including members of the Royal Army Medical Corps at Avonmouth. The majority were reinforcements for the British 29th. Infantry Division, and were destined for Gallipoli.
Royal Edward arrived at Alexandria on 10th. August, then sailed for Moudros on the island of Lemnos, a staging point for the Dardanelles.
On the morning of Friday 13th. August 1915, Royal Edward passed the British hospital ship Soudan, heading in the opposite direction. Oberleutnant zur See Heino von Heimburg, commander of the German submarine UB-14, was off the island of Kandeloussa and saw both ships. He allowed Soudan to pass unmolested, and focused his attention on the unescorted Royal Edward some 6 nautical miles (6.8 miles - 11 km) off Kandelioussa. He launched a torpedoes from about 1 mile (1.6 km) away and hit the ship in the stern. She sank by the stern within six minutes.
Royal Edward was able to get off an SOS before losing power, and Soudan arrived on the scene at 10:00 after making a 180° turn. She rescued 440 men in six hours, and two French destroyers and some trawlers rescued another 221.
An Admiralty casualty list, published in The Times in September 1915, named 13 officers and 851 troops as missing believed drowned. It is believed the Royal Edward's death toll was actually 935 and was high because the ship had just completed a boat drill and the majority of the men were below decks re-stowing their equipment.
Samuel has no known grave and is commemorated on Panel 146 to 151 or 229 to 233 of the Helles Memorial, Eceabat İlçesi, Çanakkale, Turkey and on the Kenninghall, Norfolk Roll of Honour.
20713 Private Phill Williams, 1st. Battalion, Essex Regiment, formally with the Norfolk Regiment.
The son of William Alfred and Anna Williams of The Brickyard Cottages, Shipdham, Norfolk.
Phill died, aged 19, on Friday 13th. August 1915 in the sinking of HMT Royal Albert, described above.
He has no known grave and is commemorated on Panel 146 to 151 or 229 to 233 of the Helles Memorial, Eceabat İlçesi, Çanakkale, Turkey.
77261 Bombardier Frederick Thomas Matthews, 'K' Battery, Royal Horse Artillery.
The eldest son of Joseph Henry and Louisa Mathews.
Frederick died, aged 21, on Friday 30th. November 1917. He is buried in Grave: II. E. 7. at Ribecourt British Cemetery, Nord, France.
Frederick is remembered on his parent's headstone in St. Mary the Virgin churchyard, Eccles.
29563 Private Frederick Robert Ward, 1st. Battalion, Norfolk Regiment.
Born on 22nd. January 1886 at Wretham, Norfolk, the son of Frederick and Ann Ward, nee Saunders, of Hall Cottage, Wilby, Norfolk.
Brother of James, below.
Enlisted on 4th April 1916 where Fredericks occupation was recorded as a goods porter.
Frederick died, aged 31, on Wednesday 30th May 1917 at No. 4 General Hospital, Camiers, near Étaples of gunshot wounds to the legs received on 8th. May during the Battle of Arras. He is buried in Grave; XXV. F. 12A at Étaples Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France with the personal inscription
'REST IN THE LORD'
Frederick is remembered on his brother's headstone in St. Mary the Virgin churchyard, Eccles.
12459 Private James John Ward, 7th. Battalion, Norfolk Regiment.
Born on 30th. January 1891 at Eccles, the son of Frederick and Ann Ward, nee Saunders, of Hall Cottage, Wilby, Norfolk.
Brother of Frederick, above.
The 1911 census records James employed as a farm labourer.
Enlisted on 27th. August 1914 at Norwich, Norfolk.
On 6th. September 1915 James was hospitalised with a head wound. Between 8th. October 1915 and April 1916 he was hospitalised again with leg wounds.
On 12th. October 1916, John received shrapnel wounds to both temples while in action in the attack on Bayonet Trench and Scabbard Trench on the Somme. He was evacuated back to Britain and died, aged 25, from septic pneumonia at the Reading War Hospital, Berkshire on Monday 30th. October 1916. He is buried to the north of St. Mary the Virgin church in Eccles.
14488 Private Frederick Nunn, 9th. Battalion, Norfolk Regiment.
Born in 1896, the son of Alfred Nunn of Overa Farm, Eccles
Frederick was killed in action, aged 20, during the attack on The Quadrilateral (Ginchy) on the Somme on Friday 15th. September 1916. He was buried at map reference 57c.T.14.D.1.6. and was reburied, possibly in December 1918, in Grave: VII. G. 10. at Guillemont Road Cemertery, Guillemont, Somme, France.
Frederick is also commemorated on the Roll of Honour in the church of St. Ethelbert at Larling, Norfolk.
33021 Private Henry William Mowle, 106th. Labour Company, 36th. Labour Battalion, Royal Fusiliers.
Henry died on Sunday 20th. May 1917. He is buried in Grave:III. A. 10. at Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme, France
"Their name liveth for Evermore."