Remembering

2nd/4th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment Frederick William Richings was born in 1877 to Roseanna and Alfred Richings of Cirencester. He served 24 years with the Gloucestershire Regiment. He was with 1st Battalion during the Boer War and endured the Siege of Ladysmith. At the outbreak of the Great War he was posted to Bristol to train […]

3rd Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment Charles Constance Lionel Straker was born in 1890, the son of Jacob Straker of Hygrove House, Minsterworth. He joined the King’s School, Gloucester in November 1902 going on to distinguish himself as a member of the 1st XI football team – Straker is the tall boy, second from the right on

4th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment Leslie Howard Surman was born in Birmingham on 7 March 1897. He was educated at Cromwell Street PE School, Birmingham, Bishops Cleeve PE School and Cheltenham Grammar School between 1908 and 1912, after which he was employed as a clerk in the office of the Medical Officer for Health in the

1/6th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire & Derby Regiment) Bernard William Vann was born at Rushden, Northamptonshire on 9 July 1887, the fourth of a family of Jive sons born to Alfred and Hannah Vann. Both his mother and father were qualified teachers. After the death of her husband in 1906 Hannah Vann went to live

9th (Queen’s Royal) Lancers Albert (Bert) James Richards was the son of the Charfield Parish Council Chairman who was also the village postmaster. A former Dursley Territorial, he joined the 9th Lancers, who landed in France on 15 August 1914. At the end of October 1914 the 9th Lancers were located in trenches in the

1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment Slimbridge War Memorial Alfred Maurice Savage Underwood was born in Eastington to John Underwood and Rosetta Wherrett on 17 December 1883. He was the eldest of five children. Rosetta died as a result of his birth and he was brought up by his father and step-mother Lydia Kezia Wherrett, Rosetta’s younger

Household Battalion Cecil Hugh Pope was born on 30 November 1895 in Elkstone. In 1911 he was living with his parents, James Pearce (Auctioneer, Valuer and Farmer) and Clara, his two sisters, Hannah Sophia and Clara May, and his two brothers, Jack and Critch, at Coombend, Elkstone. He attended Cirencester Grammar School for six years.

1st / 12th Battalion London Regiment (The Rangers) Raymond Pockett was born in Cheltenham in 1897, the son of John Daniel and Annie Maria Pockett of 45 Burton Street. Before the war he worked as an ironmonger in Cheltenham High Street. In June 1915 he enlisted with the Gloucestershire Regiment as Private 23351 in the

Royal Engineers Sidney Pitman was born in the small village of Gotherington, just outside Bishop’s Cleeve. He enlisted in the Royal Engineers on 9 September 1915 and for a period he served with D Company,Training Depot, Royal Engineers before being sent overseas. After 12 months’ service, Sidney was invalided back to ‘Blighty’ where he was

Royal Marine Light Infantry (Portsmouth Division) Henry Walter William Turner, also known as ‘Harry’ or ‘Tiny’ was born in Wotton-under-Edge on 22 February 1895. Before joining the Royal Marines he had worked in a butcher’s shop in the town and as a carter. He enlisted into the Royal Marine Light Infantry in Bristol on 23

8th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment Frederick Henry Tudor was the son of Henry and Alice Julia Tudor, nee Ball. He was born in Slimbridge in 1892, one of seven children and twinned with his sister Sarah Elizabeth. The 1901 census records him living in Slimbridge, on Slimbridge Street (now Ryalls Lane), with his mother and six