Leverstock Green War Memorial

The Leverstock Green War Memorial is situated on a small area of grass next to Church Road near Holy Trinity church.

It was originally positioned on the corner where Leverstock Green Road meets Bedmond Road, but it was moved to its new site on the green next to Church Road near Holy Trinity Church in 1997.

Leverstock Green lost a pair of brothers in each of the World Wars – the Biswells in the first and the Faulders in the second. By 14th October 1916, 80 men out of a population of 750 had voluntarily joined the forces, and by the time the First World War had claimed its final victim, twenty nine Leverstock Green men had died.

The name plaques

The people whose names appear on the War Memorial are:

First World War – 1914 – 1918

Thomas Alderman

Thomas was the son of David Alderman and Lucy Chalkey (nee Horwood) and he was born on 26th June 1896 in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. He was baptised with his brother, William, on 4th September 1898 at St. Nicholas, Harpenden. In 1901, Thomas, then aged 4, was living in Ayres End Lane, Wheathampstead, with his parents and siblings. At that time, Thomas’ father was a Cattleman on a farm. The 1901 census shows that Thomas had older siblings, Rosela or Rosalie (born 1889), Cecil (1891) and Lilly or Lilian (1894), and a younger brother, William (born 1898 and died 1902). The 1911 census return for Thomas and his family is badly damaged, but he appears to have been an Errand Boy for the Paper Mills – probably John Dickinson’s in Apsley. He lived in Wood Lane End, Hemel Hempstead in 1911. Thomas enlisted at Watford, and was a Lance Corporal in the 32nd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), number 11098. He was killed in action on 15th Sept 1916, and is buried at Dartmoor Cemetery, Becordel-Becourt, Somme, France, grave reference II.A.12. His name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial near St. John’s church, Boxmoor. It appears that Thomas was a Baptist by religion, because the Hemel Hempstead Gazette of 14th October 1916 reported that there had been a memorial service the previous Sunday at Marlowes Baptist Church for members of their congregation who had died in the war. It named eight soldiers “and Thomas Alderman from the church branch at Leverstock Green”. When Thomas died, his father was living at “Engleburg”, New Grant Street, St. Albans.

Harry George Biswell

Harry George Biswell was a Private in the 11th Battalion, Essex Regiment, number 15030. He was the eldest son of Henry Biswell, a brick maker, and Louisa (nee Bonnick) who were married at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green on 4th Novermber 1895. He was the brother of John who also died in this war. Harry was born in Leverstock Green on 17th November 1895 and was baptised with his brother, John, at Holy Trinity Leverstock Green on 26th September 1897. Harry had eight more younger siblings, Gertrude (born 1899), Jessie (born 1901), Alick Charles (known as Charles, born 1903), Bessie (1905), Florence May (1908), Robert Sidney (1913), Winifred Maud (1915) and Ellen Nora, who was born in 1917, after Harry and John were killed. On the 1911 census, Harry was a Groom (Domestic). He lived at “Belconey”, Leverstock Green, and he enlisted in September 1914 and first went to France on 24th August 1915. He was twice wounded, once at Loos (in four places) but by February 1916 the Hemel Hempstead Gazette reported that he had recovered. He had only returned to the front for a few weeks when he was shot by a sniper. He died of his wounds on 6th May 1916, at the age of 20. He is buried at Essex Farm Cemetery, West Vlaanderen, Ieper (Ypres), Belgium, grave reference II.M.21. His name also appears (as Harry George Biswell) on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial near St. John’s church, Boxmoor. Following his death, Harry’s mother received a letter from the Acting Adjutant which said “Your son was always a keen and good soldier and willing to help his comrades in need; his officer was proud to have him in his platoon, and he and the whole Company sadly regret his loss. You may rest assured that he did his duty both to his King and country.”

John “Jack” Biswell

John Biswell was a Private in the 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, number 10474. He was the second son of Henry Biswell, a brickmaker, and Louisa (nee Bonnick), and the brother of Harry who also died in this war. John, known as “Jack”, was born on 11th October 1896 and he was baptised with his brother, Harry, at Holy Trinity Leverstock Green on 26th September 1897. His siblings are listed above, in the entry for his brother, Harry George. They lived at “Belconey”, Leverstock Green and on the 1911 census, John is listed as a Brush Maker. Their next door neighbour was Benjamin Oakley who also died in the War. In February 1916 it was reported in the Hemel Hempstead Gazette that John had been wounded at “Hill 60”. However, John must have recovered and returned to the front because he was killed in action on 27th July 1916, at the age of 19, less than three months after the death of his brother, Harry. His burial place is unknown, but he is named on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France, pier and face 2C. The agony went on for a very long time for his friends and family, because although he died at the end of July, the Hemel Hempstead Gazette reported on 14th October 1916 that he “has been missing for some weeks”. It must have been a long time before the news they dreaded was confirmed. John’s name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial near St. John’s church, Boxmoor.

George Brown

George was born in 1877 in Redbourn, Hertfordshire, the son of James Brown, an Agricultural Labourer and Mary Ann (nee Moody) of Wood End, Redbourn. He was baptised at Redbourn on 7th January 1877. George came from a large family. His siblings were William (born about 1874), John (1875), Rose (1879), Arthur (1881) who were all baptised at Redbourn, and Mary (1883), David (1886) Lily or Lizzie (1888), Frederick (1890), Maud Amelia (1891), Helen or Ellen (1892) who were all baptised at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green. George married Elizabeth Allen at St. Lawrence, Abbots Langley on 6th Sept 1902, and they had eight children, Minnie Florence (born 1903), Henry George (1904), Dorothy Mary (1905), Arthur Ernest (1907), David William (1909), Frederick James (1910), Horace Raymond (1912) and Albert Edward (1913). At the time of the 1911 census, George was a “General Labourer in an Institution”. He enlisted in Watford as a Private in the Royal West Surrey Regiment, number 17102, but transferred to the 110th Company, Labour Corps, number 65492. George was killed in action in Flanders on 16th February 1919 at the age of 41 and is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, West Vlaanderen, Belgium. His name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial near St. John’s church, Boxmoor.

Frederick Charles Charge

Frederick Charge was a Private in the 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, number 18854. He was the son of Arthur Charge and Lavinia (nee Smith), and he lived at Pimlico, Leverstock Green. He was born on 6th November 1895 and was baptised at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green on 12th January 1896. At that time he and his family were living at Highwood Hall where his father was a Shepherd. Frederick had two half brothers, William Smith (born 1883), Lavinia’s child whom she had before her marriage, and Harold Arthur Charge (born 1890), the son of Arthur Charge and his first wife, Alice Ann Dolt, who died in 1891. Frederick also had two full siblings, Daisy (born 1893) and George Henry (born 1898). Frederick was killed in action on 12th October 1916, just under a month after the wedding of his sister, Daisy, to Frederick James Hobbs on 12th September. Frederick he is buried at Warlencourt British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, grave reference III.D.II. His name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War memorial.

Thomas Childs

Thomas was the son of Thomas Childs & Hannah (nee Kilt) of North End Farm in Hemel Hempstead, although he was born in London Colney near St Albans in about 1883. This family’s return for the 1911 census is damaged, but Thomas can clearly be seen listed as “Farmer’s Son, working on the farm.” Thomas was a Private in the 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, number 30822. He married Lizzie Pearce on 29th May 1915 at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green, and they lived at 2, Albans Cottages, Leverstock Green. He was killed in action on 1st July 1918 at the age of 34, and he is named on the Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France, panels 28 and 29. His name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial.

Alfred Chisman

Alfred was born in Highgate, Hornsey, Middlesex in 1868, the son of Thomas Chisman, a coachman, and Sarah Susannah (nee Tolfree), though some of his army papers call her Hannah. He was baptised at All Saints Church, Parish of St. Michael, Highgate on 12th Feb 1869. His brothers and sisters were Matilda, Alice, William, Robert, George, Florence Ada and Margaret, though his army “Military History Sheet” doesn’t mention William, and lists an Agnes, but not a Margaret.  On 1st February 1886, Alfred signed his attestation papers at Hounslow to join the Royal Fusiliers. He was 18 years and 9 months old. He was a Groom before that. He was measured as 5 feet 7 and nine tenths of an inch tall, 119lb in weight. He had brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion. On 6th January 1894, Alfred, then a footman, but in the Army Reserves, married Elizabeth Charlotte Rowe at St. Augustine, Paddington, and they had two children, Hilda May, born in Potters Bar in 1894 and Alfred George born in Ware in about 1897. He was discharged fully from the army after 12 years’ service on 31st January 1898, having been promoted to Corporal on 31st October 1889 and to Sergeant on 15th June 1892. He had served in Egypt and Rome. He was in the First Class Army Reserve from 1st February 1893 to 31st January 1898.  In the 1901 census Alfred was a Police Sergeant living in Duke Street, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire. In 1907, Alfred’s wife, Elizabeth, died at the age of 37, and on 21st December following year, he married Harriett Emma (nee Fisher), the widow of Charles Edmonds, at St. Mary’s, Hemel Hempstead. The 1911 census return for Alfred and his family is quite badly damaged, but he was a Porter at Hemel Hempstead Hospital, where his second wife, Harriett was the Matron. Alfred’s daughter, Hilda, was living with them at the hospital in Hillfield Road, but by that time his son, Alfred George was a 14 year old Brush Maker, boarding with a family in St Albans. Alfred (senior) served as a Sergeant with the 10th Royal Fusiliers, having been in the same regiment before the war. After war broke out he offered his services as an instructor and, according to the Hemel Hempstead Gazette, “performed splendid work in this direction and proved extremely popular with the officers and men”. He first went to France on 31st July 1915 but was injured on 31st May 1916 and was discharged from the army on 10th August the same year. He then returned to his job as “Master of the Isolation Hospital”. This was reported in the Hemel Hempstead Gazette on 26th August 1916, but he was named as H. E. Chisman. He died aged 50 at the Isolation Hospital in 1919 and was buried in the Heath Lane Cemetery, Hemel Hempstead on 31st March that year, grave reference LA/38, but there is no gravestone. His occupation is listed in the burial register as “Master of Isolation Hospital and School Attendance Officer”. He is also commemorated on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial where he is listed as C. H. Chisman. Alfred’s son, also called Alfred, lost an eye (presumably before the war) and according to the Hemel Hempstead Gazette “tried hard to get into the fighting forces and eventually succeeded in passing into the Army Service Corps in which he is doing splendid work. His is a noble example of true British grit”.

George Montague de Beger

George Montague de Beger was born in Paddington in 1885. He was the son Alice Mary Pearce who married George William De Beger in 1888, two years after George (jnr) was born. Whether he was the natural son of George William De Beger or whether he was adopted by him when George married Alice is not yet known, but George Montague’s birth was registered as George Montague PEARCE. On George’s marriage certificate, when he married Minnie Woodwards, he stated that George William De Beger was his father.  In the 1891 census he was living in Kensington with George William, a plumber, and Alice and a younger sister, Mabel. In 1907, George Montague married Mabel Spires, and they had two daughters, Mabel Irene (born 1908) and Gladys (1910), who were both baptised at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green on 21st March 1915. At the time of the 1911 census George, by then a plumber like his father, was living at 296 High Street Watford with his parents-in-law, Albert and Elizabeth Spires, his wife Mabel and their two daughters. However, George became a widower when Mabel died at just 27 years old in 1914. On Christmas Eve the same year, George married Minnie Woodwards at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green, and they lived in Leverstock Green. George enlisted in Watford and joined the Norfolk Regiment, number 12209, though he later became a Lance Corporal in the 5th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment, number 17376. He went to France on 31st May 1915 but was wounded just two and a half months later on 16th August 1915 and died at 8am the following morning (17th August 1915) at the age of 30. He is buried at Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieres Nord, France, grave reference IX.B.24. A letter written to his widow, Minnie, after George’s death by N. Cathcart, No. 1 Platoon Commander, “A” Company, 5th Northamptonshire Regiment contained the words: “He was a very good and steady worker, and was extremely popular with both officers and men.” Minnie also received a letter from F. W. Butler, the Office Commanding “A” Company, 5th Northamptonshires in which he wrote that  “(your husband)… lies in a beautiful cemetery, with many of his fellow soldiers and French Compatriots, and we were able to get a Chaplain to read over him the beautiful Burial Service of our Church.” George’s name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial. George’s wife, Minnie, was the sister of Harry Woodwards who also died in the War. She lost her husband in August 1915 and her brother less than a year later in July 1916.

Arthur Michael Durrant

Arthur Michael Durrant was born in 1889, and he was the only son of Arthur Durrant, the Vicar of Leverstock Green and Alice Mabel (nee Pelly). Before the war, Arthur was a practising architect with the firm of Mooresmith and Durrant of 14 Union-court, London, specialising in church building. He was the architect for St. James’ Church in Watford, and he practically rebuilt the church at Broadstairs, according to the Hemel Hempstead Gazette. Arthur enlisted in the London Fusilier Battalion shortly after the war broke out, but after the Christmas of 1914 he transferred to the Loyal North Lancashires, and he crossed the channel with them. He was later attached to the 257th Tunnelling Company of the Royal Engineers, and by the time he died he was a Captain. Arthur won the Military Cross, and the citation in the London Gazette reads: “For conspicuous gallantry and resource near Frelingheim on 23rd December 1915. When a charge placed by our miners in a German gallery had only partially exploded and warned the enemy, Second Lieutenant Durrant with two other officers succeeded in placing and firing a second charge which demolished the enemy’s gallery. He was in imminent danger throughout of the Germans exploding a mine. For several months Second Lieutenant Durrant has been carrying out dangerous work in almost constant contact with the enemy and has set a fine example of coolness and determination”. Arthur married Jemima Wilson, daughter of the late Captain Belford Randolph of the 19th Hussars, when he was home on leave in the first half of 1916, so sadly their marriage only lasted a few months.  Arthur was killed in action on 5th December 1916 and is buried at Pont-Du-Hem Military Cemetery, La Gorgue, Nord, France. His name appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial as A. M. Durrant.

Harry William Freeman

Harry was born in 1898 in Hemel Hempstead and was the son of James Thomas Freeman and Louisa (nee Hosier) of Fireman’s Cottages, Apsley Mills, Hemel Hempstead. He had a brother Arthur James, born 1900. Harry enlisted in Hertford in the Northamptonshire Regiment, number 26798, though later he was a Rifleman in the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, number 41894. Harry was killed in action on 24th March 1918 at the age of 20, and is remembered on the Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France, Panel 74 to 76. Harry was awarded the Military Medal. His name appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial as Harry William Freeman.

Frank Freeman

Frank has a different birthplace stated on all four of the censuses on which he is listed. The 1881 census says he was born in Eaton Bray in Bedfordshire, the 1891 census birthplace looks like Starvedown, Herts and the 1901 birthplace looks like Staffdown, Herts. In the 1911 census it says he was born in Leverstock Green. On the “Soldiers Died in the Great War” list, his birthplace is listed as Harpenden. I have now had contact with descendants of one of Frank’s sisters, and they have confirmed from Frank’s birth certificate that he was actually born on 14th June 1880 in Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire, so the 1881 census is correct. In 1881 Frank was living in Kensworth with his parents, William and Sarah (nee How), and his older siblings, Mary Ann (born 1877) and Herbert (about 1879). By 1891 they were living in Bushey Village, and in addition to the two siblings named on the 1881 census, Frank had five younger siblings, Alice (1881), Emma (about 1884), Frederick (1888), Ellen (1889) and Elizabeth Jane (1890). Frank also had two younger siblings, Kate (born 1893) and William Ernest (1897), who were with their parents on the 1911 census. In that census, Sarah, their mother, stated that she had had 13 children born alive, but that five had died, so there were three others who all died young. Birth certificates have now confirmed the other three to be Harry, (born 1882, died 1883), Ann (born 1885, died 1886) and another Kate (born and died 1892). Their father, William, was an agricultural Labourer. In the 1901 and 1911 censuses, Frank was a lodger with George and Isabella Thorpe in Bushey and was a Gas Factory Labourer in 1901 and a General Labourer in 1911. Frank enlisted in Watford when he was 35, and joined the Royal Fusiliers as a Private, number 31149. According to his army service records he was 5 feet 6.5 inches tall. Frank was in France from 7th May 1916. He transferred to the 101st Company, Labour Corps as number 60133 on 14th May 1917. He was injured in a gas shell attack and was reported as “dangerously ill” on 12th May 1918. He died of his wounds eleven days later on 23rd May. Frank is buried at the St. Sever Cemetery Extension in Rouen, Seine Maritime, France, grave reference Q.III.N.14. His name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial as F. Freeman. He served in the army for a total of two years and 165 days.

(Edward) George Goodenough

George was the son of Frank Joseph Goodenough, a brick maker, and Emma Elizabeth (nee Tarbox) of New Cottage, Bennetts End, Hemel Hempstead. Frank and Emma were married at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green on 14th May 1885. George was born on 19th May 1892 and was baptised at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green on 10th July 1892. He had older sisters, Catherine (born and died 1885), Ethel (born 1887) and Ada (1890), and younger siblings, Ruth (1898), James (1899) and Hulbert (1902). George was first in the Army Cyclist Corps as Private number 387. He then transferred to being a Private in the 2nd Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s), number 27458. He went to France on 24th March 1915 and was killed in action on 1st July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme. He has no known grave, but is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France, pier and face 11D. In the 1911 census, George was an envelope maker in the paper mills, at John Dickinson’s mills in Apsley, and he is named on the employees’ memorial there, though it says G.E. Goodenough – presumably the error was made because he was known as George, so they assumed that Edward was his middle name not his first name. His name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial as E.G. Goodenough.

James Edwin Hallett

James Edwin Hallett was a Private in the 15th Battalion, Welsh Regiment, number 54957, though he had previously been in the Hertfordshire Regiment, number 4901. He was the son of James Hallett and Kate Ellen (nee Ratcliffe) of 10 Albion Street, Aylesbury, but according to the 1911 census, he was a native of Leverstock Green. However, his birth was registered in the December quarter of 1897 in Hunslet, Yorkshire (as James EDWIN Hallett), and the “Soldiers Died in the Great War” listing agrees that he was born in Hunslet. James was killed in action in the Battle of St. Julien, France on 31st July or 1st August 1918, aged 19, and he is buried at Artillery Wood Cemetery, Ieper (Ypres), Belgium, grave reference III.F.2. He was a grocer’s son, who was still at school at the time of the 1911 census when the family lived in Leverstock Green. He is remembered on the gravestone of George and Ann Hallett in the churchyard at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green, and his name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial as James EDWARD Hallett.

Fred Harrowell

Fred was born on 12th April 1894 and was baptised at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green on 13th May the same year. He was the son of Alfred Harrowell and Lizzie Alice (nee Gill) who were married at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green on 24th February 1894. His siblings were Emily Beatrice (born 1899), James (1901) and Leonard (1904). In the 1911 census, the family lived at 2, Hillside, Cotterells Hill, Hemel Hempstead. At that time Fred was a Printer in the Paper Mills. He worked for the John Dickinson company. He was born in Hemel Hempstead, but he enlisted in Hertford, and on the “Soldiers Died in the Great War” list, his residence is said to be Hertford, which I believe is an error – perhaps it just means Hertfordshire. The Hemel Hempstead Gazette reported that Fred was now serving on 16th October 1915. He was a Private in the Hertfordshire Yeomanry in the Household Cavalry and Cavalry of the Line (including the Yeomanry and the Imperial Camel Corps), number 105849. He died in Palestine on 3rd October 1918 and is buried in the Ramleh War Cemetery, Israel, grave reference C.C.16. He is remembered on the gravestone of his parents, Alfred and Lizzie Alice Harrowell at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green, and his name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial in Boxmoor as Fred Harrowell and on the employees’ memorial of John Dickinson’s paper making company as F. Harrowell.

James Knox Hart

James Knox Hart was born on 14th January 1895 and his birth was registered in the Watford registration district. He was the son of James Knox Hart and Christine Bertha (nee Lewis) of 15, Manor Street, Berkhamsted. James (jnr) was baptised at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green on 28th March 1911 when he was 16 years old. He enlisted in London as a Rifleman in the 2nd/5th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade), number 302338. James was killed in action at about 5pm on 31st October 1917 at the age of 22. He is named on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. His name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial in Boxmoor. After his death his father received a letter from Captain H. L. Wilkinson of the London Rifle Brigade which was reproduced in the Hemel Hempstead Gazette. In it he said, that James “… was a splendid fellow and died doing his duty and inspiring his comrades by his magnificent example. I knew him well and valued him as one of my best men. Had he survived I was intending to make him an N.C.O.”

Frederick Johnson

There is an F. Johnson on the memorial for the employees of John Dickinson’s Paper Mills which is in Apsley, and I suspect this is the same F. Johnson who appears on the Leverstock Green War Memorial. The John Dickinson’s memorial says that he was in the Bedfordshire Regiment. There are only four Frederick Johnsons in the Bedfordshire Regiment on the Commonwealth War Graves website and on the Soldiers Died in the Great War list. Three of them clearly have no Hertfordshire connections, but one does – Frederick Joseph Thomas Johnson, born in Little Tring, so I have deduced that this is our local man. He was born in 1895, the son of Frederick Johnson and Elizabeth Gregory. Frederick (junior) had two half sisters, Florence Elizabeth and Ethel May from his father’s first marriage to Lydia Smith who died in 1891. From the second marriage to Elizabeth there were a number of children – Daisy Annie M. (born 1893), Frederick Joseph Thomas (1895), Annie Gertrude M. (1898), Martha Rose, known as Rose (1901), William Thomas (1905) Alfred Alexander T. (1907) and Ronald Dennis B. known as Dennis (1909). At the time of the 1911 census, Frederick was living with his parents and younger siblings in Marsworth, Buckinghamshire, and is listed as a Farm Labourer. I suspect that some time between 1911 and 1915 when he died, he started working at the John Dickinson paper mill in Apsley. Frederick was a Private in the 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, number 14478. He was killed in action on 16th April 1915 and is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ieper (Ypres), panels 31 and 33. His name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial as F. Johnson.

Benjamin George Oakley

Benjamin was born in 1893 in St. Pancras, London, but his parents, Henry Oakley and Rachel (nee Bennett) were married at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green in 1874, and Benjamin’s older siblings, Joseph and Frances Kate were baptised there, too, although at the time of Frances’ baptism, their family gave their address in the parish register as Wellingore, Lincolnshire.  In the 1881 census, the birthplace of Benjamin’s older sister, Florence was also listed as Leverstock Green. In the 1901 census, Benjamin aged 8, is living with Rachel and his older brothers, Albert and Alfred in Belconey, next door to Harry and Louisa Biswell and their two sons Harry and John who also died in the war. In the 1911 census, Benjamin was 18, and living in Bennetts End with his 58 year old widowed mother, Rachel, a Monthly Nurse. He was a Labourer who worked a “thrashing machine”. In 1915, he married Helen B. Coxhill, and although their marriage was very short-lived they had a son, also called Benjamin George Oakley who was born just after Benjamin (senior) died. Benjamin was a Private in the 6th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, number 12404 and he died of his wounds on 4th December 1915. A letter sent by Corporal J. Delderfield of the 6th Bedfordshire Regiment to Benjamin’s widow after he died contains the following words: “He was always full of life and spirits.” “The morning your husband was wounded, the Germans sent nearly a hundred shells over. Most of them dropped quite close to us and I saw one drop on the barn where your husband was billeted. He was wounded down the right side. We did all we could for him and we thought he would get over it, but I am sorry to say that the news came that he had passed away, and also another chum who was wounded with him.”  ” Private Oakley always did his duty and was an honest and upright soldier.” He is buried at Humbercamps Communal Cemetery Extension, Pas de Calais, France, grave reference I.D.1. His name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial as B. Oakley.

William Leonard Parkins

William was born in Leverstock Green at the beginning of 1884 and was baptised on February 10th 1884 at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green. His parents were William Parkins and Ellen (nee Winch) of Westwick Row, Leverstock Green. They were married at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green on 22nd May 1880. His siblings were  Annie (born about 1880), Thomas (1885), Betsey Emily (1888). He also had half siblings, from his father’s second wife, Lydia Jane Ashwell.  His haf siblings were Frederick George (1893), Cecil Charles (1896), Walter Ashwell (1898) an Henry (1903). William Leonard Parkins married Annie in 1910, and in the 1911 census he was a Cowman on a farm. They lived in Tower Hill, Chipperfield, Kings Langley. William’s father, also William, was well known in the area as a Fishmonger. He died suddenly on 3rd November 1916 at the age of just 54. At that time the Hemel Hempstead Gazette reported that “He leaves a widow and eight children to mourn his loss. Four of his sons are serving with the Colours”. What a tragedy for the family then, when William (junior) who was a Driver in the Army Service Corps, number T4/160039, died “from disease” less than two months later on 23rd December 1916, at the age of 31. William (junior) was buried at Holy Trinity Church, Leverstock Green, south of the church, near the path, on 28th December 1916.

Victor George Thomas Perkins

Victor George Thomas Perkins was a Private in the 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, number 23762. He was born in 1897 in Richmond, Surrey, and was the eldest son of Tom and Mary Elizabeth Parkins, later of “The Three Horseshoes”, Leverstock Green. At the time of the 1911 census he was a 13 year old schoolboy, living in Leverstock Green with his parents and his younger brothers, Edmund (born about 1900), Arthur Henry (1906) and Tom (1908) and four men who were boarding with them. He died on 22nd March 1918at the Battle of St. Quentin, at the age of 20, and is named on the Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France, panels 28 and 29. His name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial in Boxmoor.

William Walter Sears

William was baptised on 4th April 1862 at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green. He was the son of William Sears and Eliza (nee Edmonds). His siblings were Annie (born about 1858), Elizabeth (1864), Sarah (1865) and Alfred(1867). William’s first wife was Emma Cull, whom he married on 28th August 1883. His second wife was Margaret (whose maiden name was also Sears) and they married at St. Paul’s church, Hemel Hempstead on 15th August 1900. William and Margaret had six children, Arthur Lionel (1904), Alfred Vincent (1906), Henry Ronald (1907), Una Margaret (1909), Gwendoline Eva (1911) and Christopher John (1913). All of these children were baptised at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green. In the 1911 census, William was a Builder and in earlier parish register entries he is described as a Joiner. William was about 52 years old when the First World War started, but the Hemel Hempstead Gazette reported on 16th October 1915 that he was serving with the Royal Engineers, as Sapper number 121303. He was wounded at Ypres and lost an eye. He died on 1st January 1918 at the age of 55, and was buried at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green on 5th January 1918. His name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial as Walter Sear.

Reginald Herbert Secretan

Reginald Herbert Secretan was born in 1895 in Ewell, Surrey, the son of Herbert Edwin Secretan and Mary (nee Richardson) later of Bennetts End, Hemel Hempstead. His father was an Underwriter at Lloyd’s. Reginald had older siblings, Humphrey Basil (born 1888), Marjorie (1890) and Esme (1892). He was educated first at Hildersham School, Broadstairs and by the time of the 1911 census he was away at school, in Sidney Boarding House, Oundle School. He tried to enlist eight times but was rejected for short sightedness. He was finally accepted and went to the front on 29th December 1914. He was a Second Lieutenant in the Hertfordshire Regiment. He died on 31st July 1917, aged 22. He is named on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ieper (Ypres), West Vlaanderen, Belgium, panels 54 and 56. After his death a tribute to him appeared in the Hemel Hempstead Gazette, and part of it reads: “After serving 18 months in France as a motor driver and despatch rider he came home in August 1916 to take up a commission. He joined his regiment at the front in January 1917. The Commanding Officer writes: ‘He was killed instantaneously on July 31st while leading his platoon against our final objective. His men tell me that nothing could have been more gallant than the way in which he led them. He was always so cheerful and ready to do everything that he was a great favourite with everyone. There was no braver boy in the whole army.'” It goes on to say… “A friend writing to his parents says, ‘I shall never forget your boy in the first days of the war dashing about the country on his motor bike entreating to be enlisted anywhere in any regiment!’ Second Lieutenant R. H. Secretan was Captain of his House, (and) his Housemaster had a “vast regard” for him. He was very keen on all games, in many of which he excelled. In his last letter home on his way back to the front he says, ‘I am awfully bucked up with life. I have been given a good job, and the men could not be better.’ One of his men said he always took any shelling like a football match. He loved his men and they loved him. ‘A splendid lot’, he called them. The Chaplain writes: ‘One of his men tells me that he rallied his men to the attack on our final objective shouting “Come on, No. 8″, and was instantly shot.’ ” Reginald’s name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial as R. H. Secretan.

Henry Smith

Henry was born in Hemel Hempstead – according to the 1911 census he was born in Piccott End – probably Piccotts End. As well as being on the Leverstock Green War Memorial, he is also listed on the employees’ memorial at the John Dickinson’s paper mill in Apsley, and on the Roll of Honour copied from the missing war memorial of St. Mary and St. Joseph’s Church, Boxmoor. A fellow researcher has found an informal Will for Henry Smith which has proved beyond any doubt that he was the son of Rebecca Smith, because he names “Rebecca Smith, Mother” as his legatee. Henry was baptised at St. Mary’s church, Hemel Hempstead on 1st February 1899, and his baptism record says he was born on 10th January 1899. At that time the family lived at 34 Piccotts End, and his parents are listed as Henry Smith, a Pedlar and Rebecca. In the 1901 census, Henry was 2 and was living in Apsley with his parents, Harry (again, a Pedlar) and Rebecca, and his sisters Hester (called Esther in 1891), Victoria, and his brother William. In the 1911 census, Henry was a 12 year old boy living with his mother who was a sorter in the Paper Mill, and his 15 year old brother William Henry who also worked in the Paper Mill. Their address was 41 Apsley End, Hemel Hempstead. The 1911 census says that Rebecca had had 8 children, 6 were alive in 1911 and 2 had died. Clearly, since he is on the John Dickinson memorial, Henry followed his mother and sister in working at the paper mill. The 1891 census suggests that Henry had older sisters, Fanny and Matilda and the in the 1881 census an older sister, Sarah, is listed. Henry enlisted in Watford and was first in the Royal Sussex Regiment as a Private. Later he was a Lance Corporal in the 6th Battalion, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent) Regiment, number G31387. He was killed in action on the 19th September 1918 and is remembered on the Vis-en-Artois memorial, Pas de Calais, France. He was just 19 years old.

Frederick George Taylor

Frederick was born in Hemel Hempstead in about 1884, and was the son of George Taylor, a Brickyard Labourer and Elizabeth (nee Seabrook, formerly Ginger) who married at Leverstock Green in 1881. He had half siblings, Alice Emily Ginger (born 1867), Annie Ginger (1868), Elizabeth Fanny Ginger (1870), Robert Ginger (1873), James William Ginger (1875) and Ellen Ginger (b1878). He also had an older sister, Elizabeth Kate Taylor (born 1881) and younger siblings, Walter Edward (1885), Annie (1887), Harry (1891) and Caroline (1892). Frederick married Kate Purton in 1906, and by the time of the 1911 census, they had two daughters, Gladys, aged 4, and Phyllis, aged 1. In 1913, they had a son Frederick F. Taylor, and in 1914, another daughter, Florence G. Taylor. Frederick (senior) was a Farm Labourer. He enlisted in Watford and was a Private in the 8th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, number 22080. The Hemel Hempstead Gazette reported that he was now serving on 16th October 1915. He was killed in action less than a year later on 15th September 1916, at the age of 34, and is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France, pier and face 2C. His name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial as F. Taylor.

Edwin Thorn

Edwin Thorn was born in about 1893 and was the son of Walter William Thorn, a Cattleman, and Amy (nee Shepherd). On the 1901 census they are listed as living at Little Coxpond, Leverstock Green. Edwin had six older siblings, Ellen, Herbert William, Annie, Minnie, Daisy Kate and Ernest. Sadly, their mother, Amy, died at the age of 34 in 1896 when Edwin was just 3 years old. In the 1911 census, Edwin was listed as Edward, but he can be found at Number 6 Bennetts End with his widowed father, Walter, his brother, Ernest, and his sister, Minnie. Edwin (Edward) is listed as a Gardener (Domestic). He enlisted at St. Albans as a Private in the 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, number 4/7136. Edwin won the Military Medal, and the report in the Hemel Hempstead Gazette of 30th June 1917 says: “No 7136 Private Edwin Thorn, Bedfordshire Regiment, has been awarded the Military Medal for gallantry rendered at Messines Ridge on 7th June for sticking to his post after being buried three times (and losing five of his comrades) until reinforcements were sent to relieve, being then only 20 yards from the German front line.” It says that Edwin was the third son of Mr Walter William Thorn, and we can begin to appreciate the worry that families had in those dreadful times when it says that “Mr Thorn now has four sons and five sons-in-law serving with his Majesty’s forces, seven abroad and two in England.” Edwin was killed in action on 23rd October 1918 at the age of 25 and he is buried at the Highland Cemetery, Le Cateau, Nord, France, grave reference II.B.12. Edwin’s name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial in Boxmoor.

George Albert Timson

George was born in 1887 and was baptised on 15th June 1887 at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green. He was the son of George Timson and Elizabeth (nee Stratton) who were married at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green on 21st June 1874. George (jnr) had six siblings, William Edward who was born in 1875 and died in 1878, before George was born, Thomas (born 1876), Ellen Elizabeth (1880), Ethel Jane (1883), Frank (born & died 1891) and Mabel Edith (1894).  George (senior) was a Publican who ran The Red Lion in Leverstock Green. In 1911, Elizabeth was a widow and she was still a Licensed Victualler. George (junior) was a Farm Labourer in 1911. He enlisted in Hemel Hempstead, and was a Private in the 6th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, number 32171. George was killed in action on 23rd April 1917 at the age of 19. He has no known grave but he is remembered on the Arras Memorial, Bay 5, Pas de Calais, France. His name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial in Boxmoor as G. Timson.

Walter Webb

Walter was born in Clophill, Bedfordshire at the beginning of 1881. He was one of fifteen children of Arthur John Webb a Horse keeper on a Farm and Louisa (nee Brashier) a Straw Plaiter. His siblings were Louisa (born about 1879), Nellie (1882), Emily Louisa (1885), Arthur John (1887), Ada Lily (1899), Susan (1893), George (1895), Daisy (1897), Violet (1899), Annie (1901), Charles William (1902) and three more who died. Walter was also a Horse Keeper on a Farm in 1901. He married Jane Emma Elizabeth Maynard in 1905, and he was a Papermillhand (Collection of Orders) in the 1911 census. By then, Walter and Jane had a daughter, Ethel May, aged 4, and they had had another child who had died. In about 1915, they had another daughter, Emily Louisa Webb. Ethel and Emily were both baptised at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green. Walter was a Lance Corporal in “D” Company, 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, number 20463. He was killed in action on 4th February 1917 at the age of 36. He is buried in the Ancre British Cemetery, Beaumont-Hamel, Somme, France, grave reference VIII.F.21. At the time of Walter’s death Jane was living at 11 Althorpe Street, Bedford. Walter’s name appears as W. Webb on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial in Boxmoor.

Harry Woodwards

Harry was born in St. Michael’s Parish, St. Albans in 1880. He was baptised on 11th December 1880 at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green, and he was the son of James and Hannah Woodwards. His siblings were Emma (born 1867), Alfred (1868), Robert (1871), Rose (1876), Annie (1878) and Minnie (1884) In the 1911 census he was living at 2 Brunswick Crescent, New Southgate with his wife, Catherine Annie (nee Fensome), and he was an “Attendant on the Insane”. His sister  Minnie Woodwards married George De Beger who also died in this war. Harry had worked at the London County Asylum for ten years, and having previously served in the 1st Grenadier Guards, was called up for service at the beginning of the war, and spent some time in France. he is to be found as a Private with his regiment at the Victoria Barracks, Victoria Street, Windsor, Berkshire in the 1901 census. He rejoined the 1st Grenadier Guards as Private number 9003. He was taken ill whilst he was there, and was sent home to hospital. He was invalided out of the army and he went back to work at the Asylum. However, he became ill again and died on 13th July 1916 at the age of 35. His death was registered in the Barnet registration district. He was buried in the churchyard at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green on 19th July 1916, after a funeral with full Military honours. As the cortege passed the village school the children stood outside to pay their respects. Harry’s name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial as H. Woodwards.

Herbert Wombwell

Herbert was born in Thriplow, Cambridgeshire, but by the time of the 1911 census, he was a 12 year old schoolboy living with his family at Highwood Hall, near Leverstock Green. His parents were Eli, a Working Farm Foreman, and Elizabeth Sarah (formerly Briggs). He had a half brother, Henry George Briggs (born about 1888) and siblings Bertha May (1894), Walter (1897), Florence (1901), Albert Lewis (1903), Lewis Eli (1905) and Eleanor Emma (about 1910). There may well have been another child, because on the 1911 census, Herbert’s mother said she had had 8 children and they were all still alive. Henry George Briggs should not really be counted in this, as it was supposed to be the children from the current marriage, but clerical errors were made, and she may have counted Henry as the first child of the eight. Herbert was a Private in the 51st Heavy Brigade of the Machine Gun Corps (Infantry), number 133310. He died of his wounds on 21st July 1918 at the age of 19. He is buried at Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille, Pas de Calais, France, grave reference XV11.B.6. By that time, Herbert’s parents were living at Rectory Farm, Fulbourn, Cambridgeshire. His name also appears as H. Wombwell on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial in Boxmoor.

Bernard Wilfred Wright

Bernard was the son of Robert William Wright, a wheelwright, and Isabel (nee Sharp). He was born on 24th September 1895 in Watford, and in 1901 he and his family were living at 204 High Street, Watford. At that time, Bernard had two younger siblings, Hilda A. Wright and Robert W. Wright. By 1911 Bernard was living with his parents and his younger sister Hilda and younger brother William (who I suspect is the Robert W. from the previous census) in Leverstock Green. Bernard enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers in November 1915, but was later a Lieutenant in the 4th Squadron of the Royal Air Force. According to his RAF service records, he lived at 74 Beeson Street, New Cross, London, but his permanent address was  Leverstock House, Leverstock Green, Hemel Hempstead. From 1914 to 1916, he was a Bank Cashier at Barclays Bank, Hitchin, Hertfordshire. He married Elizabeth Elford in the Greenwich area in early 1918, a few months before his death, and a son, Bernard, was born posthumously also in the Greenwich area. He died on 4th May 1918 and is buried at Outtersteene Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord, France. His name also appears as B. Wright on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial in Boxmoor.

Second World War – 1939 – 1945

Henry Arthur Bagshaw

Henry was a colour Serjeant in the 5th Battalion, Beds and Herts Regiment, number 5952756. He was the son of Frank and Daisy Bagshaw and the husband of Joan Henrietta (nee Cleveland) whom he married in 1939. Henry died on 14th Feb 1942, aged 22 years, and he is remembered on the Singapore Memorial, Column 61. He is called “Harry” on the Leverstock Green War Memorial. Henry’s name also appears as H. A. Bagshaw on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial in Boxmoor. He was employed at the John Dickinson’s Paper Mills at Apsley Mills, because he is named on the employees’ memorial there.

Gordon Sampson Clear

Gordon was born in St Albans in 1912 and was educated at St. Albans School, Westminster Choir School and St Edward’s School, Oxford. He was a keen musician and at one time he was a chorister at Westminster Abbey. Before he enlisted in 1939 he worked for the Commercial Union Assurance Company. He was a Flying Officer (Observer) in 139 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, number 116769, having gained his commission in 1942. He was the son of Edwin Arnold Clear, a Goods Manager for a Railway Company, and Margaret Ethel (nee Sampson – hence Gordon’s middle name). Gordon had an older half brother, Arnold (born 1893) from his father’s brief first marriage to Ellen Collingridge who died in or after childbirth with Arnold. Gordon also had an older sister, Muriel Kathleen (born 1906) and an older brother, John Frederick, (born about 1910). Gordon married Joyce Ella Smith in 1936. They lived at 1 Westwick Close, Leverstock Green. Gordon died on 20th March 1943, aged 31. He was buried at Holy Trinity church, Leverstock Green on 25th March 1943. A note in the parish register entry for his burial says “killed in action, air operations”. He was awarded the DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross) for successfully taking Mosquitoes to attack the Molybdenum plant at Knabon in Norway on 3rd March 1943. It was an extremely difficult target hidden in a ravine, and a great deal of dangerous low level flying was needed. Gordon’s name also appears as G. S. Clear on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial in Boxmoor.

Frank Edward Coker

Frank was born in Flaunden in 1913 and was the only son of Edward Coker, a Wood Labourer, and Sarah Jane (nee Clark). He had older sisters, Bessie Frances (born 1908), Hilda M. (1911) and younger sisters Margaretta (born 1917) and Sheila M. (1919). Frank married Rosie Frances Atkins of Pimlico in 1934 and they had one daughter, Edna. They lived at 6 Wooden Row, Pimlico. Frank joined the army in 1940 and was first in the Royal Artillery. He then became a Private in the Royal Berkshire Regiment, (Princess Charlotte of Wales’) number 1688595. He was taken ill with appendicitis on the last day of his leave and was rushed to West Herts Hospital where he died on 14th April 1945 at the age of 31. Frank was buried at Holy Trinity church, Leverstock Green on 18th April 1945. Four members of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers were his coffin bearers. His name does not appear on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial in Boxmoor.

Arthur George Frank Collins

Arthur was born in St. Michael’s parish, St. Albans and he was the only son of Arthur Collins and Emma (nee Bosley) of 3, White Horse Cottages. He moved to Leverstock Green in about 1935. He was a builder’s labourer in Guildford for a while, but he joined the army, signing up for a period of twelve years three months before the war broke out, and he began his service with the Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert’s) and was attached to the Regiment’s General Signal headquarters. He served in France for quite some time, but was evacuated with the other British Forces in 1940. Following the evacuation, he spent several weeks in a military hospital and was later drafted into the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, where he was a Private and despatch rider in the 1st Bucks Battalion, number 5674015. Arthur was killed on active service on 24th Aug 1940, aged 24. He died as a result of a collision with a motor lorry at Culmstock, Devon. Arthur is buried in Exeter Higher Cemetery, Section 2K, Grave number 60 after a full military funeral on 27th August.  His coffin was draped with the Union Jack and his helmet was placed on top. The coffin was carried by six members of his platoon and the Commanding Officer and the Adjutant of the Battalion and members of his platoon were present at the funeral. An inquest was held at Exeter and the verdict was “accidental death”. The lorry driver was not blamed. Arthur was a well-known and popular young man, and he was Leverstock Green’s first casualty of the Second World War. His name also appears as “A. G. F. Collins” on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial in Boxmoor.

Frederick Cother

Frederick was a Private in the Parachute Regiment A.A.C., number 5989780. He was the son of Edwin Cother and Alice Jane (nee Stock). Frederick died on 26th Feb 1943, at the age of 20. He is remembered on the Medjez-el-Bab Memorial in Tunisia, face 35. His name also appears as F. Cother on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial in Boxmoor. He may be named on the employees’ war memorial at the John Dickinson paper mill in Apsley, but it may not be the same F. Cother, as the Dickinson memorial gives his regiment as the 1st Herts Regiment. However, there was only one Frederick Cother born in this area at that time (Frederick Cother, born Watford registration district in 1922), so it could be that he changed regiments or that there is an error on the Dickinson’s memorial.

Archie Edward Faulder

Archie was a Guardsman in the 3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards, number 2622719. He was one of two sons of Percy Faulder and Lily (nee Vickers) who died in this war. He had four older siblings, George William (see below), Olive L. (born 1916), twins Grace and Winifred (born 1918) and a younger brother, Leslie A. (born 1928). The Commonwealth War Graves website wrongly lists his father’s name as Archie rather than Percy. Archie married Alice Callan in 1941. He died on 10th June 1944 and is buried in the Bolsena War Cemetery, Italy, grave reference III.B.22. His name also appears as A. E. Faulder on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial in Boxmoor.

George William Faulder

George was the other son of Percy and Lily Faulder who died in this war. His siblings are listed above in the entry for his brother, Archie. He was a Private in the 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment, number 4863016. He married Phyllis Batchelor in 1937. George died on 12th Feb 1942, aged 23. He is remembered on the Singapore Memorial, Column 65. His name also appears as G. W. Faulder on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial in Boxmoor.

John Edward Newland

John, known as “Jack”, was a Corporal in the 1st Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment, number 5957889. He was born in 1911, the youngest son of Samuel Newland, a Caretaker and Honor Mary (whose maiden name was also Newland) of 12 Curtis Road, Leverstock Green. He had two older brothers, Eric Samuel (born 1898) and Charles Anthony W. (born 1904). Jack enlisted in July 1940, but before that he worked in the Card Department of John Dickinson & Co Ltd, where he was a member of their silver band. He was also a first aider with the Civil Defence and had been a member of Holy Trinity Church, Leverstock Green for many years. He died on 4th Sept 1944, aged 32, and is buried at Lessines New Communal Cemetery, Hainault, Belgium, Plot A, Grave 8. His name also appears as J. E. Newland on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial in Boxmoor and on the John Dickinson paper mills employees’ memorial.

James Sydney Rogers

James was born in 1926. He was the son of Walter Charles Rogers and Emily Beatrice Harrowell who were married at Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green on 7th March 1925. His mother was the sister of Fred Harrowell, who died in the First World War. James died on 6th April 1947, at the age of 21, according to his gravestone, as a result of an illness contracted during the War. He is buried in Holy Trinity churchyard, Leverstock Green, north of the church, with his father who died at the age of just 37 in 1935. James is not named on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial in Boxmoor.

I am continuing to research these people, so please visit this page again. In the meantime, if you can add any information, please leave comments on this page. Thank-you.

More information can be found on Barbara Chapman’s very comprehensive website, The Leverstock Green Chronicle, not just about the soldiers who died, but of many more who fought and returned home safely.

Sources of information for this page include:

• The Commonwealth War Graves website
• Soldiers Died in the Great War on Ancestry.com
• Army Service Records for World War 1 on Ancestry.com
• General Register Office birth, marriage and death records on Ancestry.com, Find My Past and FreeBMD
• Census records on Ancestry.com and Find My Past
• The Hemel Hempstead Gazette on microfilm
• Parish Registers of Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green
• Parish Registers of St. Mary, Hemel Hempstead
• Parish Registers of St. Paul, Hemel Hempstead
• Parish Registers of St. Mary, Apsley End
• Parish Registers of St. Michael, St. Albans
• Parish Registers of St. Mary, Redbourn
• Visits to the cemeteries in England and France

This map shows the location of the war memorial: