C A Colmer

Arthur Cecil Colmer

Born in 1893 in London.  Killed in Action 1 July 1916 in France

2nd Lieutenant Royal Field Artillery "A" Battery, 96th Brigade

Buried at Dartmoor Cemetery Becordel-Becourt

Arthur was the son of Arthur May Colmer and Anna Letitia Pateson.  Arthur and Anna married on 9 January 1892 in Great Queen Street Chapel.  Arthur's father was recorded as Oliver Colmer, a draper, whilst Anna's father, Reuben, was a toy importer.  The bridegroom, a native of Liskeard, listed his profession as "warehouseman", though he would go on to be a draper like his father.

The Colmers moved back to Liskeard sometime around 1895 and Arthur Snr set up shop as a tailor and outfitter on Pike Street.  By 1911, at the age of 43, Arthur had retired and was living in Looe. 18 year old Cecil (it's possible that the family called him Cecil rather than Arthur, so that's how I'm referring to him here) had followed his father into the drapery trade and was a tailor cutter working on his own account.  The family was completed by 16 year old Dorothy and Anna's sister Elizabeth who, like their father, was a toy importer.

Between 1911 and 1914 Cecil moved to Newquay and lived at "Hannafore" on Headland Road.

Cecil joined up fairly quickly on the outbreak of war.  He was posted to the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry and his medal card notes that he entered the theatre of war on 14 November 1914 (thus earning him a 1914 Star).  From the Cornwalls he moved to the Royal Engineers as a corporal, then went to the Royal Horse Artillery & Field Artillery as a Second Lieutenant on 10 September 1915.

Cecil was killed on the first day of the Battle of Albert, which formed part of the Battle of the Somme.  His battery would have been part of the bombardment of enemy lines on the days leading up to 1 July, the hope being that the shelling would leave the way clear for the infantry to advance unchallenged.  In the event this didn't happen.  The Germans were in their bunkers and emerged with their machine guns to pick off the British as they advanced.  More than 57,000 men fell, either wounded or killed, on that first day, 23 year old Cecil among them.

Cecil's sister, Dorothy, was the executrix of his will, in which he left £258 9s 3d.  Arthur and Anna retired to Bournemouth. Dorothy married, had four children and passed away just short of her 100th birthday in 1993.

R C Rowett

Richard Cardell Rowett
Born 1900 in Portugal  Killed in Action 23 August 1918
Pte 85297 1/4 Battalion Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) (Previous DCLI)
Buried Bucquoy Road Cemetery, Ficheux

Richard was the son of Charles Rowett and Florence Annie Pengilly.  Charles and Florence married at Redruth in 1893.  Charles was a mine engineer whose work took him abroad to Portugal and South America.  Several of the couple's children, including Richard, were born in Portugal.  Florence must have made friends in Portugal as she continued to travel back to the country after her husband's death.  The Rowetts had seven children, five of whom survived infancy:

Florence Kathleen (1895 - 1964)  Florence was left in Cornwall with her maternal grandparents in 1901 while the rest of the family were in Portugal.  Her grandfather Charles Pengilly was an arsenic manufacturer and preacher. 

Charles Edward (1899 - ?)

Richard Cardell

John Ernest (1901- 1972)

James Stanley (1903 - ?)

The three youngest boys were all born in Portugal.  In 1911 Florence and the five children were living in Scorrier.  Charles shows up on immigration records as arriving back in the UK from South America in late 1914.  He died soon after, aged 44, on 1 March 1915 . His probate records give his address as 1, Colchester Villas, Newquay and his occupation as mine engineer.  Florence was left £200.  She later moved to 43 St John's Road.

Richard joined the DCLI at Truro.  He was posted to the 1/4th (City of London) Battalion (Royal Fusiliers). The 1/4th were part of 56th (London) Division and Richard would have joined them at the Third Battle of Albert between 21 and 23 August 1918 (a phase of the Second Battles of the Somme).  The 1st DCLI were also at the Battle and the Regiment history notes that Friday, 23 August was an exceedingly hot day.  It was also exactly four years since the British first met the Germans at the Battle of Mons. 

The British offensives in the summer of 1918 marked the beginning of the end for the Germans.  Sadly, there were still many casualties, including Richard, in the final months of the war.  Richard is buried at the Bucquoy Road Cemetery.

Monument to the Royal Fusiliers in WW1 at Holborn in London

Wikimedia - Public Domain

A Trebilcock

Awbery Trebilcock
Born 1896 St Columb Minor, Newquay , Cornwall  Killed in Action 1 July 1916
Pte 12500 9th (Service) Battalion, Devonshire Regiment
Enlisted Bodmin

Awbery was the eldest child of Kate Trebilcock and the brother of Edna Grace Trebilcock.  His father was quite probably Richard Trebilcock, a mariner, but I have not been able to prove this definitively.  I believe that Kate's maiden name was Manley, but again, am unable to positively prove this.  

Kate and Awbery were on their own at the time of the 1901 Census. I have found a Richard Trebilcock of Newquay aboard a vessel in Bristol; this may be Awbery's father.  Neither parent appears on the 1911 Census, although Kate certainly did not die until 1929.  Perhaps they were both on board a ship at the time.  

Awbery enlisted with the Devonshire Regiment in Bodmin.  The 9th Battalion were formed in 1914 and attached to 20th (Light) Division.  Awbery was with the Battalion when they first landed in France on 27 July 1915.  Shortly thereafter they were attached to 20th Brigade with 7th Division.  Awbery and his comrades would have seen action at the Battle of Loos in 1915.  Their next major offensive would have been at the Battle of Albert, the first phase of the Battle of the Somme.

On 1 July 1916 20th Brigade's objective was to form a defensive flank to cover the advance of 91st Brigade around Fricourt and Mametz.  The 9th Devons were at the centre of 20th Brigade, and their objective was to move across the south slope of Rose Valley, south west of Mametz, on to Orchard Trench.  The British believed that any German dugouts which survived the preliminary artillery barrage would be neutralised between the advancing 9th Devons and 2nd Gordon Highlanders. However, on the 9th Devon's right flank a machine gun, located near the Shrine, had survived and its crew were waiting for the British.  As thousands of troops advanced towards them the enemy crew waited until the British were 800 yards away and opened up, mowing down the first wave.  Only a handful survived to reach the German front line, just a 100 yards in front of them. The left flank of the Devons were more fortunate, being concealed from the machine gun at the Shrine.  They were able to take Danube Trench with few casualties.  By 6 pm the Brigade had reached its objective.

Several days after the battle the British sent out a party to recover the fallen of both the 9th and 8th Devons.  160 bodies were taken to their old front line and buried together.  It is likely that Awbery Trebilcock was one of them.  Above their grave a wooden cross was erected with the following words:

"The Devonshires held this trench

The Devonshires hold it still."

D H O'Flaherty

Douglas Hill O'Flaherty

Born 9 May 1880, Belfast    Killed in Action 1 July 1916 at Thiepval

Captain, 15 Battalion Royal Irish Rifles

Douglas was the eldest child of Francis Hale O'Flaherty, a linen merchant, and his wife Harriet Isabella Felton.  Francis and Harriet had married in Belfast the year before Douglas' birth.  They had two more children, Wilfred in 1882 and Norah in 1884.  

Douglas was sent to an English public school, Bedford County School, in Ampthill Road, Kempston.  Apparently the School had a fine sporting reputation, being especially proud of its cricket team.  Perhaps this rubbed off on Douglas because as an adult he remained a keen cricketer, playing for the North of  Ireland Cricket Club.  

Although the School closed in 1916 it had a war memorial tablet on which Douglas' name appears.  When the building was demolished in 1964 the memorial was transferred to Elstow Abbey, where it remains today.

The 1901 Census shows Douglas back in Belfast with his parents and siblings.  He and his brother are apprenticed, whilst younger sister Norah is still at school.  As far as I can tell, Francis O'Flaherty died later that year.  By 1911, the only member of the family left in Belfast is Douglas; he is living as a boarder in University Street and working as a Stocks Cashier.  The following year, on 4 June 1912,  he married Beatrice Ewing (shown as "Erving" in some records).  This was possibly Beatrice's second marriage and she may have had a daughter from her first marriage, also named Beatrice.

Prior to the outbreak of war, Douglas had joined the Ulster Volunteer Force and became a company commander. When war broke out the Ulster Division was formed and it would seem that Douglas applied for a commission at this time.  By February he was promoted to Captain.  His brother Wilfred was in the Royal Irish Fusiliers.  

In July 1915 the Division moved to Seaford, in Sussex where they were inspected first by Lord Kitchener and later by the King.  In October they moved to France, where Douglas' 107th Brigade where attached to 4th Division and engaged in further training.  The Brigade returned to 36th (Ulster) Division in February 1916 and took over a section of the front line, extending south from the River Ancre.  

On 1st July 1916 Douglas was to see action in the opening phase of the Battle of the Somme, at the Battle of Albert. At 8.15am the action began for Douglas.  His battalion reported heavy casualties but were able to capture a section of the German line.  They were desperate for reinforcements, but none were available.  One desperate company sent 14 runners back, only one of whom got through.  The German barrage lasted for five hours and gradually chipped away at the Battalion.  Several officers were wounded or killed, including Douglas.  According to a witness he was hit by a shell fragment and was killed instantly.  318 of his comrades in the battalion died on that day.

Douglas is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, as well as the Belfast War Memorial, the Belfast Institute Memorial (from whose website I found Douglas' photograph and the war diary extracts) and the Bedford County School memorial.  But why the Newquay War Memorial?

Douglas' connection to Newquay perplexed me for some time.  At first I imagined that his wife or mother must have been born in the town, but I quickly ruled that out.  Eventually I found a 1940 probate record for his sister, Norah O'Flaherty.  Although she died in the Wirral, it mentioned that she had recently lived in Tintagel, so I guessed that she was the connection.  However, I couldn't find any record of her, despite searching the 1911 Census and some street directories.  Eventually, I found both Norah and her mother in Newquay in 1911.  Their entry had been mistranscribed as "O'Flakerty".  So, Harriet and Norah were living at Trenninick, Newquay, in 1911 and possibly for some time afterwards, hence Douglas' name on the memorial.  Harriet died in the Wirral in 1943.