Stockwell War Memorial

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D names

Bernard Allen Miller Dunning

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B. A. M. Dunning
Service no. 558257
Driver, Royal Engineers, Army Signal Company
Died of dystentery age 39 on 6 December 1918
Son of Mrs Julia Dunning; husband of Rosina Harriet Dunning, of 17, Somerleyton Road, Brixton, London. Born in Dorset.
Remembered at Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery, Iraq

British Army WWI Service Records 1914-1920

Bernard Dunning joined the war effort early – he attested on 5 December 1914 from the Territorials. In civilian life he was a tram conductor; he became a driver in the Army Signal Company in the Royal Engineers.

Dunning’s medical notes state that he was 5 feet 7 inches tall with a 35 inch chest, which he could expand by 2 inches. His physical development was “fair”.

Dunning survived the war, but fell very soon afterwards. He served in France, in the British Expeditionary Force, between 12 February to 7 November 1916, and had periods in England. During  this period he was admitted to hospital suffering from haemorroids, which were operated on.

Later he was deployed in the Middle East, where he was admitted to hospital on 23 August 1918 – again suffering from haemorroids –  and discharged 22 September 1918. On 10 November he was admitted to the 31st British Stationary Hospital field hospital and by 24 November he was described as “dangerously ill” with dysentery. On 6 December he died.

Dunning left a widow, Rosina Harriet Dunning, and a 12-year-old son, Herbert William.

Information from the 1911 census

Bernard Allen Miller Dunning, 31, and Rosina Harriet Dunning, 27, lived with their son at 56 Edithna Street, Stockwell. Bernard was born in Lulworth, Dorset, and worked as a tram driver for the LCC (London County Council). Rosina Harriet Dunning was born in Blackfriars. Their son Herbert William, born in Eastbourne, Sussex, was 5. Two boarders lived with the family: Henry Miles, 25 and single, worked as an estate agent; Alice Lily Murphy, 25, was a dressmaker.

Ten years previously (1901 census), Bernard was single and living in Eastbourne, where he worked as a door porter at the Grand Hotel. His father (1891 census) was a groom and general outdoor servant.

Harold Putnam Dudley

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Harold Putnam Dudley
Harold Putnam Dudley

H. P. Dudley
Service no 2460
Rifleman, London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade), “C” Coy. 1st/5th Battalion
Died age 29 on 1 July 1916
Son of James Robert and Charlotte Dudley, of 298 South Lambeth Road, London.
Remembered at Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France

Information from the 1911 Census

Harold Dudley was a commercial clerk. In 1911, aged 24 and an only child, he was living with his parents, James Robert Dudley, 53, also a commercial clerk, and Charlotte Emily Dudley, 50, at 298 South Lambeth Road. James was born in Lambeth, as was his son Harold. Charlotte was from “London” (the census is not more specific).

In addition, the family had three boarders: George Hugh Willson, 24, born in London and working as a cashier; William James Cross, 22, a journalist born in Walthamstow, Essex; and Leonard Gainey, 22, a commercial traveller, from Niversfield, Sussex. On the night of the census the household had a visitor, Lillie Willson, 48, a hotel manageress born in Burgh Heath, Surrey, and presumably the mother of boarder George Hugh Willson.

Edward Driscoll

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E. Driscoll
Service no. 216940
Gunner, Royal Field Artillery, 12th Bty. 35th Bde.
Died age 24 on 21 October 1917
Son of Michael and Ellen Driscoll, of 2 Crimsworth Road, Wandsworth Road, London.
Remembered at The Huts Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium

Information from the 1911 census

In 1911 Edward Driscoll, 18, was working as a driller (acetelyne) and living with his family in 4 rooms at 26 Madrid Place (now gone), South Lambeth. Michael Driscoll, 56, was a road sweeper for the borough council. He was born in City of London, where Ellen Driscoll, 55, was also born. The couple had had 7 children, 4 of whom survived. James Driscoll, 25, was a carman for the LRSW Railway. Both sons were born in Lambeth.

George Daniel Talbot Drewery

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G. D. T. Drewery
Service no. L/5032
Officer’s Steward 2nd Class, Royal Navy, H.M.S. “Partridge”
Died age 21 on 12 December 1917
Son of George Talbot Drewery and Louisa Emma Drewery, of 25 Lansdowne Road
Remembered at Portsmouth Naval Memorial

The Partridge was sunk by four German destroyers in the North Sea while escorting a convoy. 74 men were lost. See naval-history.net for a list of casualties.

Information from the 1911 Census

In 1911 George Drewery, then a 15-year-old office boy, was living with his aunt Mary Ann Elizabeth White, 53, and uncle Robert White, 53, and their family at 62 Landor Road. Robert White was a housepainter born in Hackney. His wife was born in Lambeth. Their children, George Drewery’s cousins, all born in Clapham, were
Sydney Cope White, 26, a “warehouseman in ribbons”
Louis Sherley White, 25, a dental mechanic
Ella Annie White, 22, a fancy goods designer
Blanche Ethel White, 20, a shorthand typist

Robert Doyle

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R. Doyle
Service no. 8024
Private, Lincolnshire Regiment, 2nd Bn.
Died aged 21 on 23 October 1916
Son of Deborah Doyle, of 24, Courland Grove, Clapham, London.
Remembered at Bancourt British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France

Robert’s Service records are extremely fragmentary. They show that he signed up on 13 August 1914, embarked for France on 26 March 1915, was in the field from 6 November, was attached to 179th tunnelling company in April 1916, and was disciplined for refusing to obey an order.  His effects and medals were sent to his mother at 17 Ely Place, Dorset Road. 

The 179th Tunnelling Company was responsible for digging a mine that was detonated on 1 July, the first day of the Somme Offensive, which lasted until November. It formed what is now known as the Lochnagar Crater. It is likely that Doyle was of short stature.

Information from the censuses

In 1901 the Doyle family lived at 25 Stewarts Lane West, Battersea. Lawrence G. Doyle, 28, was a general labourer born in Pimlico. Deborah Doyle, 29, was born in Lambeth. Robert Doyle, 7, and Margaret Doyle, 2, were born in Lambeth. Deborah Doyle, 6 months, was born in Battersea.

In 1911 the family lived at 105 Hartington Road, SW8. The census form shows that Lawrence was now a house painter and builder. (He gives his name as Laurence, and as the form was completed by the householder himself, this is presumably the correct spelling. However, other names are mispelled (“Lambert” for Lambeth, “Deborh” for Deborah and so on), so his general grasp of spelling was probably not strong.) The children in the house were
Margaret Doyle, 12
“Deborh” Doyle, 10
Kateleen Doyle, 7
Magderleen Doyle, 5
Victoria Aderlade Doyle, 2
(The latter 3 were born in Pimlico)
Robert does not appear on the 1911 census for this address.

Alfred Colin Dopson

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A. C. Dopson
Service no. P/200377
Rifleman, Rifle Brigade, 10th Battalion
Died aged about 20 on 23 September 1917
Remembered at Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium

Information from the censuses

In 1901 Alfred Dopson, aged 4, was living at 34 Kenchester Street with his parents, George Dopson, 37, a railway porter born in Newbury, Berkshire, and Elizabeth Dopson, 36, from Shipnal, Shropshire. Alfred’s siblings on the census were
Edward G. Dopson, 5
Emily Violet Dopson, 3
Edith M. Dopson, 10 months
All the children were born in Kennington.
Elizabeth A. Rogers, 40, a widowed monthly nurse born in Cape of Good Hope, boarded with the family.

In 1911 the Dopson family lived at 33 Ely Place, Stockwell, occupying 4 rooms. Edward,16, was now a printing trade apprentice, as was Alfred, 15. Emily was 13. Since the 1901 census, Alexander, 9, and Alice, 6, had been born. The Dopsons claimed that they had had 5 children all of whom survived. However, no mention is made of Edith, 10 months in 1901, who would have brought the number to 6.