Colchester's Military Heritage Please visit the following links for more information.
Introduction 1 Old Pictures 2 What buildings still exist? 3 1750 - 1860 4 1860 - 1900 5 1900 to present 6 A Museum? 7 Contact Us 8 Comments Received 9
Colchester Men at Trafalgar Colchester Men at Waterloo Colchester Men at Gallipoli Colchester Men at the Somme 1915
Colchester Men at Gallipoli In 2015 we commemorated many aspects of the centenary of the First World War. 1915 was to dispel the widely circulated view that, 'it'll all be over by Christmas.'. It wasn't. In fact, it was only a beginning, with the British Army taking thousands of casualties. Colchester was at the centre of activities associated with the recruiting, training and sending of soldiers to the 'front'.
Whilst much is written today about the western front, the battle grounds in France in Belgium, some of our boys were being sent to the Dardanelles, in what was then the Ottoman Empire (modern day Turkey). Allied with Russia, the British Army fought to open up the strategic supply route from the Mediterranean, with resulting heavy losses. At least 15 Colchester men were lost during that period in 1915, with names including: Bartholomew, Cahill, Everett, Folkard, Hamblion, Howell, Kerr, Morton, Sadler, Whall, Williams, Abbott. Flux, Shepard. The last three were with Australian regiments, but originally from Colchester. Nine were from the Essex Regiment. So many being local names today. Their ages ranged from 18 to 40.
We cannot write about all of them, but brief details of some are as follows. Claude Abbott was with the field ambulance section of the Australian Army Medical Corps and was killed by shrapnel in 'no-mans-land', having volunteered to go and help a wounded soldier. Richard and Frederick Whall, brothers, aged 18 and 22 respectively, were both killed on the same day, 6th August, together with Henry Howell, all of them from the 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment. Sergeant Samuel Bartholomew, aged 40 was buried at sea.
Perhaps the most notable casualty was the highest ranking of the dead, Captain Cecil Morton, of the Royal Marine Light Infantry, who died in hospital in Alexandria, Egypt, on 20th May 1915 from wounds received on 7th May that year and who is buried at St Leonard's Church graveyard in Lexden. Whilst he died overseas, his family were able to have his body repatriated in March 1916. As was normal in the army at that time, rank gave privilege; repatriation being something denied to the lower ranks. His son, also to become Captain Cecil Morton, was born 6 months after his father's death, is also named on the gravestone, having been killed in action in Libya in 1940.
On a happier note, in 2015 the Gurkhas had served in the British Army for 200 years. Many served at Gallipoli and achieved great success with their objectives. Nowadays, Colchester is used to seeing 'our' Gurkhas who are either currently serving with the army or have retired from the army and chosen to make Colchester their home. Added to this we also marked 200 years since the Battle of Waterloo, where at least three Colchester men are known to have fought and survived. This was indeed a significant year for Colchester's military heritage and one that was worthy of celebration.
To conclude this account we give you an address from Mustafa Kemal Atatürk who was a Turkish army officer at the time of the Gallipoli campaign, but who rose to become the first President of Turkey.
'Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours ... You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.
Rest in peace, our Colchester heroes and hats off to our Gurkhas!
Here follows information researched by Joan Soole.
MEN FROM COLCHESTER WHO WERE KIA OR WHO DIED OF WOUNDS DURING THE GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN OF 1915
NAME
NO/RANK
REGIMENT
DATE OF DEATH
OTHER INFORMATION
MORTON - CECIL EDWARD HOWARD
(SEE NOTE BELOW)
CAPTAIN
ROYAL MARINE LIGHT INFANTRY. ADJUTANT PORTSMOUTH BTN., ROYAL NAVAL DIVISION
18TH MAY 1915
AGED 29
SON OF MR C H MORTON OF HEATH LODGE, LEXDEN, COLCHESTER. REMEMBERED WITH HONOUR AT ST LEONARD'S CHURCHYARD, LEXDEN, COLCHESTER. REPATRIATED TO ENGLAND IN MARCH 1916
CAHILL - WILLIAM ROBERT
4800 CQMS "H2 COY"
IST BTN., ESSEX REGIMENT
12TH MAY 1915
AGED 35
REMEMBERED WITH HONOUR AT THE ALEXANDRIA (CHATBY) MILITARY AND WAR MEMORIAL CEMETERY. HUSBAND OF HARRIET CAHILL OF 69, NORTHGATE STREET, PARK TERRACE, COLCHESTER. ALSO SERVED IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CAMPAIGN.
BARTHOLOMEW - SAMUEL
SGT.,
25TH BTN., ESSEX REGIMENT
19TH SEPTEMBER 1915
AGED 40
REMEMBERED WITH HONOUR ON THE HELLES MEMORIAL. HUSBAND OF MRS M.C. BARTHOLOMEW OF 65, BARRACK STREET, COLCHESTER. SON OF MR. W. BARTHOLOMEW OF 13, GREENS YARD, NORTH HILL, COLCHESTER. BURIED AT SEA.
SADLER - STANLEY ALFRED
345 PRIVATE
5TH BTN., ESSEX REGIMENT
14TH AUGUST 1915
AGED 19
REMEMBERED WITH HONOUR ON THE HELLES MEMORIAL. SON OF MR & MRS SADLER OF 12, ST HELEN'S LANE, COLCHESTER
FOLKARD - WILLIAM FREDERICK
9429 L/CPL
IST BTN., ESSEX REGIMENT
2ND MAY 1915
AGED 26
REMEMBERED WITH HONOUR ON THE HELLES MEMORIAL. SON OF MATILDA SHAND (FORMERLY FOLKARD) OF 1A, WINNOCK ROAD, COLCHESTER AND THE LATE SAMUEL FOLKARD
KERR - WILLIAM
10981 BATTERY SERGEANT MAJOR
460TH BTY., ROYAL FIELD ARTILLIERY
12TH JULY 1915
AGED 32
REMEMBERED WITH HONOUR AT PINK FARM CEMETERY, HELLES, TURKEY. HUSBAND OF LILIAN KATE KERR OF EARL COWPER HOUSE, IPSWICH ROAD, COLCHESTER.
HAMBLION - WALTER CHARLES
1816 PRIVATE
5TH BTN., ESSEX REGIMENT
8TH SEPTEMBER 1915
AGED 18
REMEMBERED WITH HONOUR ON THE HELLES MEMORIAL. SON OF CAROLINE HAMBLION OF 57, MALDON ROAD. COLCHESTER AND THE LATE JEREMIAH HAMBLION.
EVERETT - REUBEN WALTER
9199 PRIVATE
IST BTN., ROYAL MUNSTER FUSILIERS
IST MAY 1915
AGED 24
REMEMERED WITH HONOUR ON THE HELLES MEMORIAL. SON OF HANNAH EVERETT OF 10, KENDALL TERRACE, MILITARY ROAD, COLHESTER AND THE LATE GEORGE EVERETT.
WHALL - FREDERICK THOMAS
9504 PRIVATE
IST BTN., ESSEX REGIMENT
6TH AUGUST 1915
AGED 22
REMEMBERED WITH HONOUR ON THE HELLES MEMORIAL. THESE WERE BROTHERS, SONS OF MR & MRS WHALL OF 47, WINNOCK ROAD, COLCHESTER. BOTH WERE KIA ON THE SAME DAY WHILST SERVING IN THE SAME BATTALION AND IN THE SAME REGIMENT
WHALL - RICHARD JAMES
10874 PRIVATE
IST BTN., ESSEX REGIMENT
6TH AUGUST 1915
AGED 18
ditto
WILLIAMS - WALTER
*****
9278 L/CPL
IST BTN., ESSEX REGIMENT
2ND JUNE 1915
AGED 25
REMEMBERED WITH HONOUR ON THE HELLES MEMORIAL. SON OF MR & MRS G WILLIAMS OF 102, BERGHOLT ROAD, COLCHESTER.
HOWELL - HENRY
8447 PRIVATE
IST BTN., ESSEX REGIMENT
6TH AUGUST 1915
AGED 27
REMEMBERED WITH HONOUR ON THE HELLES MEMORIAL, SON OF MRS S. A. EVANS OF 66, HYTHE HILL, COLCHESTER AND THE LATE H. J. HOWELL.
SHEPARD - ALEC JOHN
**
1613 PRIVATE
5TH BTN., AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY A.I.F.
17TH NOVEMBER 1915
AGED 19
REMEMBERED WITH HONOUR AT SHELL GREEN CEMETERY, GALLIPOLI. SON OF CHARLES & ELIZABETH SHEPARD OF MURCHISON, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA. BORN IN COLCHESTER.
FLUX - JACK
*****
521 TROOPER
10TH AUSTRALIAN LIGHT HORSE
7TH AUGUST 1915
AGED 22
REMEMBERED WITH HONOUR AT LONE PINE MEMORIAL. SON OF MR & MRS JAMES FLUX OF 16, MEYRICK CRESCENT, COLCHESTER. BORN IN COLCHESTER AND OLD BOY OF COLCHESTER ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL.
ABBOTT - CLAUDE WALTER
****
PRIVATE 13
IST FIELD AMBULANCE AUSTRALIAN ARMY MEDICAL CORPS
29TH MAY 1915
AGED 24
REMEMBERED WITH HONOUR AT BEACH CEMETERY, ANZAC. SON OF MR & MRS W ABBOTT OF THE HOLLIES, ARDLEIGH, COLCHESTER, NAME ON WAR MEMORIAL AT ST MARY'S CHURCH, ARDLEIGH. BORN IN COLCHESTER.
*** CAPTAIN MORTON ROYAL MARINE LIGHT INFANTRY (SERVING WITH THE ROYAL NAVAL DIVISION). I CAME ACROSS CAPTAIN MORTON IN PETER POTTER'S BOOK "THE REAL LEXDEN HEROES". IN THE BOOK IT STATES THAT CAPTAIN MORTON DIED IN THE DEACONNESS HOSPITAL IN ALEXANDRIA ON MAY 20TH 1915 FROM WOUNDS RECEIVED ON MAY 7TH AT THE DARDENELLES. I LOOKED UP CAPTAIN MORTON ON THE CWGC WEB AND HE IS LISTED AS BEING BURIED IN ST LEONARD'S CHURCHYARD, LEXDEN, COLCHESTER. THERE IS A GRAVE THERE WITH HIS NAME ON IT. THE CHURCHWARDEN, WHO CHECKED THIS OUT FOR ME, DID NOT BELIVE THAT ANYONE WAS BROUGHT BACK FROM GALLIPOLI TO COLCHESTER, EVEN TO THE HOSPITAL, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN JUST TOO FAR. BUT, CHRISTINE POTTER, WIFE OF PETER POTTER WHO WROTE THE BOOK, HAS LOOKED UP THE BURIAL REGISTERS AND CAPTAIN MORTON WAS REPATRIATED FROM ALEXANDRIA BY HIS FAMILY, APPARENTLY THEY WERE A VERY WELL KNOWN AND QUITE A WEALTHY FAMILY. ACCORDING TO THE BURIAL REGISTERS HE WAS BURIED IN ST LEONARD'S CHURCHYARD. LEXDEN ON MARCH 7TH 1916. HIS SON, CAPTAIN CECIL MORTON, WHO WAS BORN 6 MONTHS AFTER HIS FATHER'S DEATH, IS ALSO NAMED ON THE GRAVE. HE WAS KIA DURING WW2 ON 26TH NOVEMBER 1940 WHILST SERVING WITH THE ROYAL WEST KENTS "THE BUFFS". HE IS BURIED IN LIBYA.HAVE RECEIVED THE SERVICE RECORDS OF ALEX SHEPARD, CLAUDE ABBOTT AND JACK FLUX FROM THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES IN CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA.
*** I HAVE APPLIED FOR THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE OF ALEX JOHN SHEPARD, THIS WILL GIVE ME THE ADDRESS OF WHERE HE WAS BORN IN COLCHESTER.
****CLAUDE ABBOTT WAS BORN AT 24, ST MARY'S ROAD, COLCHESTER IN 1891. HE MOVED WITH HIS FAMILY TO ARDLEIGH IN 1897 WHERE HIS FATHER OPENED A BUTCHERS SHOP. HE WAS KILLED IN "NO MANS LAND" BY SHRAPNEL AFTER VOLUNTEERING TO GO OUT AND HELP A WOUNDED COMRADE. INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY ARDLEIGH HISTORIAN JILL HAMBLIN
***** JACK FLUX IS LISTED ON THE 1911 CENSUS AS BEING A FARM STUDENT AT HANNAMS HALL, WEELEY, ESSEX. HIS FATHER WAS AN ARMY WASHING CONTRACTOR LIVING AT 16, MEYRICK CRESCENT, COLCHESTER. THE HOUSE IS STILL THERE. ALSO SERVED 4 YEARS WITH THE ESSEX YEOMANRY.
***** FORMER PUPIL AT NORTH COUNTY SCHOOL (NOW PRIMARY SCHOOL)
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15th March 2015
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