Author name: Adrian Smith

B Company, 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment Arthur William Lewis was born in Bristol the son of Robert Lewis (a railway coach builder by trade) and Elizabeth Lewis (who died when he was about 12). He had a sister Florence who was about three years older than him. His father subsequently moved the family to Gloucester

Royal Flying Corps Frederick King Laverton was born on 30 July 1898 at Dawlish, Devon. He was educated at Brymelyn School, Weston-super-Mare and for a short time at Cheltenham College. On 10 November 1915 he was commissioned into the Gloucestershire Regiment and saw action with the 1st Battalion in the Somme battles of 1916. In

4th Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps William Alfred Lane was born in Gloucester, the son of William, sometime gardener at Dursley Rectory, and Anne Lane. William was a member of St James’ Church Lads’ Brigade and worked at R A Lister & Co. He enlisted in the 4th Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps in November

Drake Battalion, Royal Naval Division James Lane was born on 3 March 1898 at Pound Cottage, Longhope, Gloucestershire. He was one of two children, the only son of Alfred William and Mary Lane. His father, a woodsawyer, died in October 1912 aged 45 years, and some time after this James and his mother moved to

Royal Navy – HMS Viknor William King was almost 50 years old when he re-joined the Royal Navy at the start of the Great War. Born at Northfleet, Kent on 30 September 1864, his early naval career had been with the Royal Marine Artillery. Serving on board the heavy cruiser HMS Terrible he would have

1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment Lewis Richard Hopkins was born at Longborough in 1883, the son of Richard and Hannah Hopkins. Richard senior appears to have spent some of his life as a farmer, a sub-postmaster and latterly as a roadman with the local council. According to the 1911 Census the couple had ten children, of

2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards William Edgar Holmes was born on 26 June 1895 at Wood Stanway, Gloucestershire. He was the second son of Edward and Elizabeth Holmes (née Stanley), was educated at Church Stanway and became a groom on the Stanway Estate, working alongside his father who was a tree-feller. He joined the Gloucester Regiment

1/1st Battalion Herefordshire Regiment Arthur Vincent Holman was born in Prestbury in 1877, the only son of five children born to George and Amy Holman. He was a volunteer in the active service company of the old Cheltenham Rifles and volunteered to serve with 2nd (Volunteer) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, during the South African War, rising

13th (Service) (Forest of Dean) Battalion (Pioneers) Gloucestershire Regiment George Hewlett was born in 1889, the son of Samuel and Matilda Hewlett of Ruspidge, Cinderford. After leaving Double View Secondary School he joined his father and brothers working underground at the Eastern United Colliery in Ruspidge. He married Florence Simmonds in 1910 and they eventually