1914 -1918

AMBROSE

Leslie Goldwell

Driver 208722, 6th Field Squadron, Royal Engineers (RE). Formerly Trooper (1088) Royal West Kent Yeomanry. Died Egypt 8th November 1918 aged 26 years. Born Harrietsham. Enlisted Maidstone. Resided Harrietsham. Son of Alfred and Ellen Ambrose of Bell Farm, Harrietsham, Kent. Buried Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt. Grave reference - E. 147.

Listed on the memorial as a Trooper - Royal West Kent Yeomanry.

BRUNGER

Arthur William

Private, 8th Battalion, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). Died 26th September 1915 aged 28 years. Born Southernden, Ashford. Enlisted Maidstone. Resided Harrietsham. Son of Frederick and Harriet Brunger of East Street, Harrietsham, Kent. Commemorated on the Loos memorial, Pas de Calais, France.

The memorial appears to list an incorrect second initial.

BUCKINGHAM

Aubrey Webster

Major, 3rd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders. Attached 1st/5th Battalion. Died 17th November 1914 aged 44 years. Son of Joseph Hicks Buckingham of Lancaster Gate, London. Husband of Mabel F Buckingham, Harrietsham Manor, Maidstone, Kent. Buried Ypres Reservoir Cemetery, Belgium. Grave reference - XI. D. 33.

FERMOR

Arthur [Edmund]

Private 245399, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). Formerly Royal West Kent Yeomanry (Hussars). Died 31st August 1916. Enlisted Maidstone. Resided Maidstone. Commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France. Panel reference - Pier and Face 1A.

Listed on SDGW as Royal West Kent Hussars.

FIELD

Herbert Frank

Private L/9000, 2nd Battalion, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). Died 24th November 1914 aged 26 years. Born Tenterden. Resided Harrietsham. Son of Edgar Herbert Field of Harrietsham, Kent. Herbert has no known grave. His name appears on the Karachi 1914-1918 War Memorial, Pakistan.

MATTHEWS

B

Sergeant B MATTHEWS. Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) – No further information currently available.

Probably a man that died of wounds after being discharged from the service (one of many thousands of men who died under similar trajic circumstances)…

MILLS

Edward [Thomas]

Sergeant G/11156, 1st Battalion, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). Died 29th August 1918 aged 30 years. Enlisted Maidstone. Resided Harrietsham. Son of Mrs Mills of Teynham, Sittingbourne, Kent. Husband of Lily Laysack Tong (formerly Mills) of West Street, Harrietsham, Maidstone, Kent. Commemorated on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial, Pas de Calais, France. Panel reference -7.

Listed on the memorial wrongly as a Private soldier.

NORRIS

Walter William

Private G/497, 6th Battalion, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). Died 14th October 1915. Born Harrietsham. Enlisted Maidstone. Commemorated on the Loos Memorial, Pas de Calais, France.

PARKS

George

Private G/493, 6th Battalion, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). Died 16th November 1915 aged 23 years. Born Ulcombe. Enlisted Maidstone. Son of Frederick and Margaret Ann Parks of East Street, Harrietsham, Maidstone, Kent. Commemorated on the Loos Memorial, Pas de Calais, France.

Note similar Regimental number to Walter Norris (above) – they appear to have joined up together…

PAYNE

Harold William

Lance Corporal 19076, 18th Company, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry) (MGC). Formerly (G/490) Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). Died 21st May 1918. Born Harrietsham. Enlisted Maidstone. Resided Harrietsham. Buried Annois Communal Cemetery, Aisne, France. Grave reference - II. A. 9.

One of 61 casualties interred in the cemetery, having died at the German army field hospital located at nearby Flavy-le-Martel whilst a prisoner of war. Another man who joined up with the RWK alongside his mates, messrs Parks and Norris…

SEAL

George

Private TR10/170866, 53rd (Graduated) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment. Died 22nd October 1918. Born Hollingbourne. Enlisted Kingston, Surrey. Resided Harrietsham. Buried locally in Harrietsham (St John The Baptist) Churchyard, Harrietsham, Kent.

The 53rd Battalion was a young soldiers (reserve) training unit comprised of men between 16 and 18 years of age. After reaching 18 most were drafted off to a frontline unit.

TONG

Arthur Frederick

Lieutenant (Pilot), 217th Squadron, Royal Air Force (RAF). Died 28th September 1918 aged 20 years. Son of Arthur and Ellen Annie Tong of East Street, Harrietsham, Maidstone, Kent. Buried Croix-Rouge Military Cemetery, Quaedypre, Nord, France. Grave reference - II. C. 9.

TUPPER

Harold

Second Lieutenant, 10th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers. Died 22nd July 1918 aged 26 years. Born Aylesford, Kent. Son of Thomas and Mary Elizabeth Tupper of “Bowness,” Harrietsham. Previously wounded at Bazentin-le-Petit 4th August 1916. Buried locally in Harrietsham (St John The Baptist) Churchyard), Harrietsham, Kent.

YOUNG

D H

Private 48339, 25th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment. Died 15th August 1917. Buried locally in Harrietsham (St John The Baptist) Churchyard, Harrietsham, Kent.

1939 -1945

BOTTLE

G.H

Stoker George Henry BOTTLE. Merchant Navy. SS Maid of Orleans (London). Died 28th June 1944 aged 18 years. Son of George Leonard and Elizabeth Bottle. Nephew of K Smith of Fulham, London. Commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London. Panel reference - 66.

George was one of the five who perished when the ship was sunk by a U-boat off the Normandy coast.

COOMBER

Ronald Harold

Sergeant (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) 812107, 500 Squadron, Royal Air Force (RAF). (Auxiliary Air Force). Died 10th October 1941 aged 20 years. Son of John and Edith Coomber of Harrietsham, Kent. Commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel reference - 41.

DACEY

Frank

Sergeant (Pilot) 754997, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 83 Squadron, RAF. Died 31st August 1941 aged 21 years. Son of Michael Joseph and Charlotte Florence Dacey of Godington, Kent. Brother of Alan (below). Buried Haverlee War Cemetery, Leuven, Belgium. Grave reference - Collective grave 3. F. 1-4.

Frank was the pilot of Hampden bomber AD859 OL-O on a mission from Scampton to Köln. The aircraft crashed at Munsterbilzen near Genk. The crew all perished and Sergeant’s G G Bensley, J A D Clark and H G Tonks are buried alongside their pilot.

DACEY

Alan

Sergeant 1319215 (Bomb Aimer/Co-Pilot), 99 Squadron, Royal Air Force (RAF). Died 7th September 1943 aged 21 years. Son of Michael Joseph and Charlotte Florence Dacey of Godington, Kent. Brother of Frank above. Commemorated on the Singapore Memorial. Panel reference - Column 425.

PINK

William Ernest

Cadet, Merchant Navy. SS “Wayfarer” (Liverpool). Died 19th August 1944 aged 18 years. Son of Ernest Chalcraft Pink and Daisey Pink of Harrietsham, Kent. Commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London. Panel reference - 177.

Only 10 of the 61 crew survived when William`s ship was sunk by the U-boat U862 commanded by Heinrich Timm, approximately 150 miles east of Mozambique, East Africa (Indian Ocean).

RECORD

Reginald James

Private 14586842, 5th Battalion, The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment). Died 19th May 1944 aged 19 years. Born and resided Kent. Son of Percy James Record and Daisey Rose Record. Husband of W Record of Harrietsham, Kent. Commemorated on the Cassino Memorial, Italy. Panel reference - 4.

TOWN

Ronald Thomas

Leading Stoker C/KX 87518, Royal Navy (RN). HM Submarine Umpire. Died 19th July 1941 aged 25 years. Son of Thomas and Mabel Town. Husband of Ivy Town of Charing, Kent. Commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial. Panel reference - 47, 2.

HM Submarine Umpire was accidentally sunk off the Suffolk coast after being struck by a Dutch escort trawler the Peter Hendriks which was heading south as the submarine was going in the opposite direction to join the 3rd Submarine Flotilla at Dunoon, Scotland.

WEBB

Francis Henry John

Warrant Officer Class II (SQMS) S/271852, Royal Army Service Corps (RASC). Died 16th March 1945 aged 32 years. Born Kent. Resided Dorset. Son of Lieutenant Joseph Henry Webb RN and Caroline Maud Webb. Husband of Effie Lilua Webb of Harrietsham, Kent. Buried Brussels Town Cemetery, Evere, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium. Grave reference - X. 2. 25.

MELLISH

S

S MELLISH. Home Guard – No further information currently available

Not commemorated on the war memorial is Ebenezer Mellish (Civilian). Injured at 59 West Street, Harrietsham on 14th March 1944, died later the same day at the West Kent General Hospital. Thought to have served in the Royal Artillery in the Great War.