Arthur Robert Wilkes Rollason

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Arthur Rollason, Dudley, France, George Rollason, Penn, Silver War Badge, South Staffordshire Regiment, Upper Penn

The brother of George, Arthur was also born in Dudley, but on 4 May 1893. By the 1911 census, he was a travelling silversmith.

Unlike for his brother, Arthur’s military records have survived (in the name of “Arthur Wilkes Rollason”), although he gives his place of birth as Upper Penn. He enlisted in the South Staffordshire Regiment (number 2816 and later 240514) on 4 September 1914, by which date he gave his trade as “engineer”. He first served in France from 5 March 1915, and served throughout the majority of the war. He was wounded, and was discharged on 18 February 1918 as being “no longer physically fit for War Service. He received the Silver War Badge (number 333596)on 19 February 1918 (although he is recorded as “Arthur William Rollason”).

He married Norah S. Bates in Wolverhampton in 1923, but the couple do not appear to have had any children. Arthur died in Dudley in 1975.

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Albert Jones

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Albert Jones, Bilston, Bilston United Football Club, Birmingham Football Club, Express & Star, France, Royal Field Artillery, Steelhouse Lane

Albert was born in Bilston in about 1891, the son of Elijah and Emma Jones. By 1911, he was living with his widowed mother at 131 Steelhouse Lane, along with his four brothers William Charles, Frederick, Harold and John. He was working as a blacksmith’s striker for an iron gate and fencing manufacturer. He played as a goalkeeper both for Bilston United Football Club, and later for Birmingham Football Club. He also spent a period serving with the Royal Field Artillery Territorial Force (number 1351), attaining the rank of sergeant. He retired.

He rejoined as a driver in the ammunition column when war broke out. Although he was promoted to corporal while in training, when he went to France he was restored to his old rank of sergeant. On 1 January 1916, he was “mentioned in despatches”, and this was announced in the Express & Star on 6 January 1916.

Albert appears to have survived the war, but I have not been able to confirm further details about his life.

 

Wilfrid/Wilfred Cyril Hampson

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Bermuda, Dudley, Express & Star, France, Gloucestershire Regiment, Jamaica, London and North Western Railway, Prole Street, Royal Army Medical Corps, Sedgeley, Smestow Street, Springfields, Wilfred Hampson

Wilfred (known as Cyril) was born in Sedgley, Dudley, on 21 January 1890, the son of Henry and Mary Hampson. By 1901 they were living at 19 Prole Street, Wolverhampton, along with his siblings John, Dorothy, Gertrude and Nellie. On 16 September 1903, Cyril became a Carboy in the Carriage Department of the London and North Western Railway, based at Wolverhampton Station. On 3 July 1905, he became a Junior Porter.

He resigned on 22 October 1908, and joined the Royal Army Medical Corps (number 2147). He was based in Bermuda and Jamaica in 1911. When the First World War broke out, he started serving in France. On 1 January 1916 and again on 11 November 1916 he was “mentioned in despatches”. The first instance of this was announced in the Express & Star on 6 January 1916, by which date his home address was given as 8 Smestow Street, Springfields, Wolverhampton. He later became a Lieutenant in the Gloucestershire Regiment. He appears to have survived the war, but I have been able to confirm further details about his life.

Updates

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Albert Lloyd, Bilston, Church Street, Cleveland Ironworks, Coven Street, Frank Clinton, Hallets Row, Harper's Brewery, Harry Poulson, Heath Town, Lever Bros, Midland Counties Express, Port Sunlight, Samuel Evans, Somerset, William Westwood

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  Frank Clinton

  There is a photograph of Frank Clinton in the article on him in the Midland Counties Express of 11 December 1915. This also includes his home address as 25 Coven Street, Wolverhampton.

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  Samuel Evans

  There is a different photograph of Samuel Evans in the Midland Counties Express of 11 December 1915. It also includes the additional detail that he was wounded in the attack on the Hohenzollern Redoubt. His mother’s address was given as 9 Church Street, Heath Town, and before he enlisted in the army Samuel had been a fireman at the Cleveland Ironworks.

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  Albert Lloyd

  Albert Lloyd was featured in the Midland Counties Express on 9 October 1915. This gave his widow’s address as Hallet’s Row, Wolverhampton.

 

 

 

• The granddaughter of Harry Frederick Poulson has got in touch, and provided the following additional information:
  • He was born in Wolverhampton on 15 Oct 1893.
  • He married Helena Margaret Daniels (1898-1987) on 19 Dec 1919 in Wolverhampton.
  • They had the following children: Richard Harcourt Poulson (1921-1942), Frederick Roger Poulson (1922-2012), Audrey Margaret Poulson (1927- living).
  • After the war, he joined Lever Bros, working at Port Sunlight.
  • He became a Director of Unilever in 1937, and retired in 1958.
  • He died on 2 Mar 1986 at Taunton, Somerset.
• William Westwood’s photograph appeared in the Midland Counties Express on 28 August 1915. He joined the Army in January 1915, and had previously worked at Harper’s Brewery in Bilston.

 

Ernest Leonard B. King

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All Saints Road, Dudley Road, Dudley Street, France, Leonard King, Midland Counties Express, South Staffordshire Regiment

Ernest, known as Leonard, was born in Wolverhampton in 1898, the son of Percy James and Emily King. In 1901, they were living at 95 All Saints Road, Wolverhampton, along with Leonard’s siblings Elizabeth, Albert, Ethel and Harrold. By 1911, the family were at 361 Dudley Road, and Leonard had an additional sister, Dorothy.

Leonard enlisted in the 2nd Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment (number 16291), first serving in France from 16 March 1915. He died on wounds on 15 August 1915 in “No 6 Ambulance”. This was announced in the Midland Counties Express on 4 September 1915, by which date his parents were living at 20A Dudley Street. He is remembered at the Bethune Town Cemetery in France.

Bertie Sutton

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Balkans, Bertie Sutton, Fisher Street, Gallipoli, Midland Counties Express, Raglan Street, South Staffordshire Regiment, St Chad and St Mark's Church, St Mark's Boys' Brigade, Sunbeam, Turkey

Bertie was born in Wolverhampton in 1895, the son of George and Emma Sutton. The family were living at 26 Raglan Street, Wolverhampton in 1901, with Bertie and his parents, as well as his sister, Ethel. By 1911, they were at 50 Fisher Street, Wolverhampton, and Bertie had gained three brothers – George, Fred and William. He was a member of the St Mark’s Boys’ Bridge, and once he left school he worked at Sunbeamland.

Bertie enlisted in the 7th Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment (number 9896). He served in the Balkans from 21 July 1915, but was killed in action at Gallipoli on 22 August 1915. He is remembered on the Helles memorial in Turkey, as well as on the memorial of St Chad and St Mark’s Church. He was featured in the Midland Counties Express on 16 October 1915.

George Albert Rollason

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Baggeridge Colliery, Balkans, Dudley, Gallipoli, George Rollason, Midland Counties Express, Penn, Penn Common, South Staffordshire Regiment, St Bartholomew's Church, Turkey

George was born in Netherton, in Dudley, in 1891, the son of Robert and Eliza or Elizabeth Rollason. By 1911, the family had moved to Penn Common, Penn, Wolverhampton. George was living there with his parents and siblings Ethel, Bertha, John, Dora, Arthur and Mabel. By this date, George was an electrician working at Baggeridge Colliery.

In October 1914, he resigned this position and joined the 7th Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment (service number 15148). He served in the Balkans from 21 July 1915, but was killed in action at Gallipoli on 9 September 1915. He is remembered at the Helles Memorial in Turkey, as well as on the Dudley Town war memorial, and that for St Bartholomew’s Church in Penn. An article about his death appeared in the Midland Counties Express on 16 October 1915, which also mentioned that his brother, Arthur, was serving in France with the 1st/6th South Staffordshire Regiment.

William Henry or Harry Chatwin

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Border Regiment, France, Lancashire, Manchester Regiment, Vicarage Road, William Chatwin

William was born in Wolverhampton in 1891, the son of Fielding and Mary Ann Chatwin. In 1911, he was living with his parents at 26 Vicarage Road, Wolverhampton, along with William’s sisters Ethel Edison, Phoebe Ann and Lily May Chatwin. William was a coach trimmer. On 24 January 1916, he married Lily Martha Cockwell at Stretford, St Matthew, Lancashire.

William enlisted initially in the Manchester Regiment (number 31186) and then in the 2nd Battalion of the Border Regiment (number 27340). He was killed in action in France on 26 October 1917. He is remembered at the Tyne Cot Memorial.

William Edward Wright

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Faulkland Street, Machine Gun Corps, Queen Street Congregational Church, South Staffordshire Regiment, William Wright

Volunteer Susan Martin has contributed information for this blog post.

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William Edward Wright was born in 1895 in Wolverhampton. He was the son of William Edward Wright and Emily (nee Ward). On both the 1901 and 1911 censuses, the family was living at 10 Court, Faulkland Street. He had an older sister Ellen (in 1911 a presser, brass foundry, disengaged) and younger siblings Harry, Martha, Joe and Alfred. His mother had also had two still-born children. Father William was in 1911 a maltster with a brewery. William Edward himself worked as an upholsterer for a furniture manufacturer.

William attended classes run by the Queen Street Congregational Church with other boys from Faulkland Street. He is not mentioned on the Church’s roll of honour for those serving 1914 – 1915 and his medal card shows he did not join the British Expeditionary Force before 1916. He enlisted in Wolverhampton. He served first in the South Staffordshire Regiment (number 20270) and then in the 75th Machine Gun Corps (number 15639). He was killed in action 9th June 1917. His soldier’s effects of £7 11s 10d were sent to his mother

On the 1919 roll of honour printed in the Queen Street Congregational Church Manual he is recorded as WE Wright and on its memorial as William Wright. He is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Panel 56.

Albert Fieldhouse

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Albert Fieldhouse, Battle of Krithia, Dudley, Gallipoli, Gough Street, Greece, India, Oxford Street, Queen Street Congregational Church, Walsall Road, Worcestershire Regiment

This posting has been contributed by Queen Street project volunteer, Susan Martin.

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Albert Fieldhouse was born 1888 in Wolverhampton. He was registered as “Birt” and seems to have been called “Bert”. His father William was a brass polisher and his mother was Annie (nee Perks). He was the eldest of 10 children, 8 of whom were alive in 1911. After him came William 1890, Clara 1891-1900, Amy May 1894, John 1895, Alice 1897, Maud 1899-1900, Florence 1901, Minnie 1904 and Lilly . The family seemed to move frequently – in 1891 48 Oxford Street, 1901 45 Walsall Road and 11 Gough Street in 1911.

By the 1911 census Bert (known as Albert in army records) had joined the 4th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment. He enlisted in Dudley. In 1909 the Battalion had moved to Bareilly, India and in the November took part in the great Durbar in Delhi. The spring of 1914 saw the battalion moved to Burma via Calcutta and then sea. Apparently their quarters here at Meiktila and Thayetmyo were very pleasant. Recalled to take part in the war the battalion landed on 1/2/1915 at Avonmouth but their stay was short as on 27/3/1915 it embarked for the journey to Gallipoli. The Battalion landed there in difficult conditions on 25/4/1915 and by the end of April had become involved in the Battle of Krithia. They were part of a forward push on the 6th May in which about 100 men were killed or wounded. Bert was one of them.

Bert is buried in the Redoubt Cemetery, Helles and is probably the Albert Fieldhouse remembered on the Roll of Honour of the Queen Street Congregational Church. His father was sent Albert’s effects £11 4s 6d and later a £5 war gratuity.