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
Colchester Men at Trafalgar Colchester Men at Waterloo Colchester Men at Gallipoli Colchester Men at the Somme 1916
21 Colchester Men Killed in Action at The Somme
Researched by Joan Soole THE MEN FROM COLCHESTER WHO WERE KIA ON IST JULY 1916, THE FIRST DAY ON THE SOMME.
THIS WAS THE DAY THAT THE BRITISH ARMY LOST MORE MEN IN A SINGLE DAY BEFORE OR SINCE,
NAME`
AGE/NO/RANK
REGIMENT
WHERE LIVING IN COLCHESTER, IF KNOWN
WHERE COMMEMORATED
DAY - JOHN HENRY
AGED 26
12708 PRIVATE
2ND BTN., ESSEX REGIMENT
SON OF ELIZABETH DAY OF ELMSTEAD HEATH, COLCHESTER
THIEPVALE MEMORIAL
CARDY - ARTHUR
AGED 31
8124 PRIVATE
2ND BTN., ESSEX REGIMENT
HUSBAND OF ROSETTA ELIZA CARDY OF WORMINGFORD
SERRE ROAD CEMETERY
FRENCH - WILLIAM FRANK
AGED 28
9517 PRIVATE
2ND BTN., ESSEX REGIMENT
BROTHER OF GEORGE FRENCHOF 22, PROVIDENCE PLACE, COLCHESTER
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
GANT - JOSEPH
AGED 19
10274 PRIVATE
2ND BTN., ESSEX REGIMENT
SON OF MRS JANE GANT, 23, SHEEPEN ROAD, COLCHESTER
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
SOWMAN - JAMES HENRY
AGED 29
19512 PRIVATE
2ND BTN., ESSEX REGIMENT
SON OF JAMES & MARY SOWMAN OF GROVE COTTAGE, POLSTEAD HEATH, COLCHESTER
THIEPVALE MEMORIAL
GREEN - ARTHUR
AGED 23
10728 PRIVATE
2ND BTN., BEDFORDSHIRE REGIMENT
SON OF MRS ELIZABETH CARDY OF 87, BARRACK STREET, COLCHESTER
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
TRUSSELL - ALAN LIONEL
462 RIFLEMAN
9TH BTN., LONDON REGIMENT, QUEEN VICTORIA'S RIFLES
UNKNOWN - LISTED ON ROLL OF THE FALLEN BUT NOT ON 1911 CENSUS AS LIVING IN COLCHESTER
GOMMECOURT BRITISH CEMETERY NO. 2 HEBUTERNS
FLETCHER - RALPH EDWIN
AGED 23
12705 PRIVATE
8TH BTN., SUFFOLK REGIMENT
ACCORDING TO 1911 CENSUS LIVING AT 34, BOURNE ROAD, COLCHESTER
THIEPVALE MEMORIAL
CORNWELL - HERBERT EDWIN WEBB
AGED 25
16412 L/CORPORAL
11TH BTN., SUFFOLK REGIMENT
HUSBAND OF IVY MAY CORNWELL, 24 ESSEX STREET, COLCHESTER
OVILLERS MILITARY CEMETERY
RICHARDSON - CHARLES VICTOR LESLIE
AGED 18
5509 L/SGT (PROBABLY NOT - TOO YOUNG)
8TH BTN., EAST SURREY REGIMENT
SON OF CORNELIUS & MARY RICHARDSON OF 40, NORTH HILL,COLCHESTER
THIEPVALE MEMORIAL
DOBSON - WILLIAM
AGED 19
4987 PRIVATE
8TH BTN., EAST SURREY REGIMENT
SON OF CHARLES DOBSON OF 2, BOXTED ROAD, MYLAND, COLCHESTER
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
GEORGE - CHARLES ALFRED
AGED 18
13554 PRIVATE
8TH BTN., NORFOLK REGIMENT
SON OF ALFRED AND MARIA GEORGE OF CAGE LANE, BOXTED, COLCHESTER
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
VINSON - WALTER
AGED 19 10880 PRIVATE
IST BTN., ESSEX REGIMENT
SON OF SAMUEL VINSON OF HIGH ROAD, LAYER-DE-LA-HAYE, COLCHESTER.
THIEPVALE MEMORIAL
ROSS - MICHAEL JOSEPH
AGED 19150 PRIVATE
IST BTN., ROYAL NEWFOUNDLAND REGIMENT
(THIS REGIMENT WAS VIRTUALLY WIPED OUT ON THE FIRST DAY. ALL THEIR OFFICERS WERE KILLED AND OVER 600 MEN) THE IST JULY IS MEMORIAL DAY IN NEWFOUNDLAND. ***
(AS FAR AS IS KNOWN MICHAEL ROSS IS THE ONLY MAN FROM COLCHESTER TO HAVE SERVED WITH THE ROYAL NEWFOUNDLAND REGIMENT. MICHAEL WAS BORN ON 17TH JUNE 1897 AT THE HOSPITAL FOR SOLDIERS WIVES IN COLCHESTER. HIS FATHER WAS A PRIVATE SERVING WITH THE YORK AND LANCASTER REGIMENT. HIS MOTHER'S MAIDEN NAME WAS CLARE, MICHAEL WAS ONE OF THE FIRST 500 TO VOLUNTEER.****
SON OF JAMES AND MARGARET ROSS OF PORTUGAL COVE, ST JOHN'S EAST, NEWFOUNDLAND. NATIVE OF COLCHESTER.
AUCHONVILLERS MILITARY CEMETERY, SOMME. FRANCE
MARTIN W E
AGED 25
PRIVATE G/16342
10TH BTN., QUEEN'S OWN ROYAL WEST KENTS.(KNOWN AS "THE BUFFS"
SON OF WILLIAM AND EMILY MARTIN, OF FLAT 5, 123, VICTORIA ROAD, WESTMINSTER. LONDON. BORN IN COLCHESTER
TANCREZ FARM CEMETERY
HORWOOD - RONALD BENTALL
AGED 22
2ND LIEUTENANT
3RD BTN., ATTD IST BTN., ESSEX REGIMENT . (WAS ALSO(WOUNDED AT GALLIPOLI)
SON OF HENRY & CAROLINE HORWOOD OF LEIGHTON HOUSE, VICTORIA ROAD, COLCHESTER. (FORMER PUPIL OF COLCHESTER ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL)
THIEPVALE MEMORIAL
CHESHIRE - ROBERT WILLIAM
AGED 27 2ND LIEUTENANT
IST BTN., ESSEX REGIMENT
SON OF WILLIAM AND EMMA CHESHIRE OF 1, MEYRICK CRESCENT, COLCHESTER (FORMER PUPIL OF COLCHESTER ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL)
THIEPVALE MEMORIAL
WELLS - THOMAS MAURICE WILLIAM
2ND LIEUTENANT
2ND BTN., SOUTH WALES BORDERERS
UNKNOWN - LISTED ON THE ROLL OF THE FALLEN FROM COLCHESTER
THIEPVALE MEMORIAL
EVERITT -JOHN PAXMAN
AGED 19 2ND LIEUTENANT
15TH BTN., WEST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT (PRINCE OF WALES'S OWN)
SON OF CHARLES & ELIZABETH EVERITT OF 12, INGLIS ROAD, COLCHESTER.
(THERE IS A MEMORIAL PLAQUE TO HIM AT ST LEONARD'S CHURCH AT THE HYTHE) THIEPVALE MEMORIAL
KERNAGHAN GRAHAM HEMERY
AGED 22
LIEUTENANT
8TH BTN KING' OWN YORKSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY
SON OF THE LATE THOMAS AND MRS ALEXANDRA KERNAGHAN OF 19, PORTMAN
SQUARE,LONDON. ACCORDING TO THE 1911 CENUS THEN LIVING AT 20 THE AVENUE, LEXDEN, COLCHESTER, BORN IN COLCHESTER
SERRE ROAD CEMETERY
NO TWO THE SOMME
PROWSE - CHARLES BERTIE DSO
COMMANDER 11TH INFANTRY BRIGADE
BRIGADIER GENERAL. THE MOST SENIOR OFFICER TO BE KILLED ON THAT DAY
IST BTN., SOMERSET LIGHT INFANTRY
WHILST STATIONED IN COLCHESTER HE LIVED AT THE MINORIES AND, ACCORDING TO TOM FORD, RODE HIS HORSE TO WORK AT THE GARRISON EACH DAY.
HE IS ON THE ROLL OF THE FALLEN IN THE TOWN HALL. *****
LOUVEN MILE CEMETERY
*** BY A VERY STRANGE CO-INCIDENCE WHEN THE NEWFOUNDLAND REGIMENT WENT OVER AT 8.45 ON MORNING OF THE IST JULY 1916 THEY WERE ACCOMPANIED BY THE IST BATTALION OF THE ESSEX REGIMENT.
***** HIS BROTHER WAS CAPTAIN CYRIL IRBY PROWSE RN WHO WAS KIA WHILST CAPTAIN OF HMS QUEEN MARY WHICH BLEW UP AT THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND IN MAY 1916. THE PROWSE FAMILY ARE ALLEDGELY DESCENDED FROM EUDO DAPIFER, THE MAN WHO BUILT ST JOHN'S ABBEY IN COLCHESTER.
**** PRIVATE ROSS ALSO SERVED IN THE GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN
THE CWGC AND VETERANS AFFAIRS OF CANADA HAVE HELPED ME WITH THIS RESEARCH
THOSE LISTED ON THE ROLLS OF THE FALLEN FROM COLCHESTER PRIVATE A CARDYPRIVATE W F FRENCH
PRIVATE J GANT
PRIVATE A GREEN
PRIVATE W E MARTIN
RIFLEMAN A L TRUSSELL - NO TRACE ON 1901 OR 1911 CENSUS FOR COLCHESTER
PRIVATE R E FLETCHER
LANCE SGT., C V L RICHARDSON
PRIVATE W DOBSON
2/LT., R B HORWOOD
2/LT., R W CHESHIRE
2/LT., T M W WELLS - NO TRACE ON 1901 OR 1911 CENSUS FOR COLCHESTER
LT., G H KERNAGHAN
BRIGADIER-GENERAL C B PROWSE
NOT LISTED ON THE ROLLS OF THE FALLEN FROM COLCHESTER PRIVATE J H DAYPRIVATE J H SOWMAN
L/CPL., H E CORNWELL
PRIVATE C A GEORGE
PRIVATE W VINSON - ON LAYER DE LA HAYE WAR MEMORIAL
PRIVATE M J ROSS
2/LT., J P EVERITT
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15th March 2015
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