Stockwell War Memorial

Friends of Stockwell War Memorial & Gardens

age 20

Arthur Ernest Homewood

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Arthur Ernest Homewood, who worked as a footman before he joined the army. Photo courtesy of Paul Wood.
Arthur Ernest Homewood in uniform, from an album created by Arthur’s niece. He served as a batman. Photo courtesy of Jo Kercher.
The inscription on Arthur Homewood’s gravestone reads ‘A loving brother, a devoted son. He loved and was loved by everyone.’ Photo courtesy of Paul Wood.

A. E. Homewood
Service no. 59585
Private, Northamptonshire Regiment, “B” Coy. 6th Battalion
Enlisted in Lambeth; lived in Lambeth
Killed in action, age 20, on 4 November 1918
CWGC: “Son of Eliza Ann Homewood, of South Lambeth, London, and the late John Homewood.”

Arthur was killed only seven days before the Armistice.

Remembered at Preux-au-Bois Communal Cemetery, Nord, FranceInformation from the 1911 censusArthur Ernest Homewood, 13, who was at school and also working as a grocer’s errand boy, lived with his widowed mother at 18 Radnor Terrace, South Lambeth (now disappeared). The family occupied 4 rooms. Eliza Ann Homewood, 53, earned her living as a charwoman in private houses. She was born in Bermondsey. Her sons were:
John Edward Homewood, 22, a warehouseman in a government office
Thomas George Homewood, 16, a messenger for the “Army & Navy Auxiliary and Co-operative Stores”
Arthur Ernest Homewood, 13
All were born in South Lambeth.

Paul Wood writes:

Arthur was my great-uncle (his brother William was my grandfather, who survived the war from 1914 through to 1918). When William went to the enlisting office he told them he was a footman and the officer in charge said he was taking him with him to France. He went the following day without basic training and served as a batman to a Captain Bird. William was from South Bermondsey also.

Joseph Edward Hobbs

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J. E. Hobbs
Service no. 970079
Gunner, Royal Field Artillery, Reinf. Base Depot
Born in London; enlisted in London
Died age 20 on 19 September 1917
CWGC: “Son of Joseph Edward and Edith Hobbs, of 62, Hargwyne Street, Stockwell, London.”
Remembered at Salonika (Lembet Road) Military Cemetery, Greece

Information from the censuses

In 1911 Joseph Edward Hobbs, 39, a fitter’s mate for an electrical light company, and his wife Edith Hobbs, 35, lived in 3 rooms at 62 Hargwyne Street, with their three sons: Fred Hobbs, 16, a messenger boy; Edward Hobbs (the J. E. Hobbs listed on the Stockwell memorial), 13; and Henry Hobbs, 11. The parents, Joseph and Edith, were both born in Paddington, Fred in St Pancras and the younger two brothers in North Kensington.

George John Hatch

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G. J. Hatch
Lieutenant, Royal Flying Corps and London Regiment, 17th Battalion
Died age 20 on 6 April 1917
CWGC: “Son of John Cosens Hatch and Maria Hatch, of “Meadlands,” Pickwick, Corsham, Wilts. Born in London.”
In 1917 the death of George John Hatch was announced on page 1078 of Flight, listed in the Roll of Honour among those “Previously missing, now reported killed”.
Remembered at Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez, Pas de Calais, France.

Information from the 1911 census

The Hatch family lived at 9 St Johns Road (now called St John’s Crescent), Brixton, where they had 11 rooms. George John Hatch’s father, John Cosens Hatch, was the manager of a vinegar brewery. We can speculate that this may have been Beaufoy’s Distillery on South Lambeth Road. John Hatch, 48 in 1911, was born in Stonehouse, Devon. His wife Maria Hatch, 49, was from Southwark. They had 4 children, all born in Lambeth:
Florence Hatch, 25
Hilda Hatch, 23
William E. Hatch, 19, a bank clerk
George John Hatch, 14
A nephew, 33-year-old George Foster, single and born in Peckham, also lived in the house, as did Violet Winter, a 21-year-old single domestic servant from Chelmsford, Essex.

Information about George Hatch from specialist watch collector Robert Stokes

Lt. George John Hatch (Nov 20, 1896 – April 6, 1917) was a WW1 Royal Flying Corps aerial reconnaissance pilot who was killed in action over Arras, France by German war ace Lieutenant Wilhelm Frankl. George’s death (and that of his observer Cpl Ernest Langridge) was part of the “Bloody April 1917” offensive along a 100-mile stretch of northern France. By the end of April, the British had lost 250 aircraft, and some 400 aircrew had become casualties.

George was born in Brixton, London in 1896; by 1911, his family moved to Stockwell. He attended City of London School, where he was a cadet in the Officers Training Corps. On Oct 1, 1914, George enlisted in the 17th (County of London) Battalion of the London Regiment (Poplar and Stepney Rifles), and was quickly promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. He was wounded in July 1915 at the Battle of Loos (Belgium).

Lt. Hatch volunteered to join the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in October 1916, and completed his pilot training in November. On December 6, 1916, he was promoted as a Lieutenant and assigned to the 8th Squadron, headquartered in Bellevue, France. “The Squadron specialized in the Corps Reconnaissance role, carrying out contact patrols and artillery spotting in close cooperation with the army. The squadron flew in support of the Battle of the Somme in the summer of 1916 and the Battle of Arras in April–May 1917.”

George Hatch’s watch

George Hatch acquired his trench watch shortly after his promotion to the RFC; it is engraved “Lt. G. J. Hatch / RFC”. He used it continuously; the silver case is corroded and the original leather strap is well-worn. Hatch’s watch was acquired by Russ Cook (Basildon, Essex) in 2014 at a second-hand market: “I recently bought this trench watch at one such market. I am not an expert on these, but it felt right, and I was very taken with the very sad story that emerged when I read the accompanying paperwork. The box, with the watch had just been thrown in another larger box, as if it had just been discarded. On the case back is a dedication to an officer in the RFC, Lt. G. J. Hatch [Royal Flying Corps, precursor to the RAF], with a very old handwritten note giving the history of the young man, who tragically was killed in action 6/4/17….”

Inside a small (3 ½” x 1 ½” x 2”) leather-covered box, Russ found Lt Hatch’s watch, and the following hand-written note: “Lt. George John Hatch R.F.C. ~~  K in A 6/14/17 ~~ 17th County of London Battalion ~~ The London Regiment Poplar and Stepney Rifles”

The events of April 6, 1917

Lt Hatch and his observer, Cpl Ernest Langridge, were flying reconnaissance over the German lines near Arras, France in their Royal Aircraft Factory BE2e biplane (Serial # A2879) on the morning of April 6, 1917. “The BE2 was originally designed without any provision for armament.While some crews flew entirely unarmed, or perhaps carried service revolvers or automatic pistols, others armed themselves with hand-wielded rifles… this weaponry proved to be of questionable effectiveness. It was still necessary for the observer to be located over the center of gravity, in front of the pilot… In this awkward position, his view was poor, and the degree to which he could handle a camera (or, later, a gun) was hampered by the struts and wires supporting the center section of the top wing. In practice, the pilot of a B.E.2 almost always operated the camera, and the observer, when he was armed at all, had a rather poor field of fire to the rear, having, at best, to shoot back over his pilot’s head.”

Lt Wilhelm Frankl

Lt Wilhelm Frankl, commander of Jasta 4  (“Hunting Squadron”), had already shot down three British aircraft with his Albatros fighter plane during the early morning hours of  Friday, April 6, 1917. “At 09:30 Frankl was airborne again, this time to intercept a reconnaissance  plane from 8 Sqn RFC. After 25 minutes’ chase the British aircraft falls to the ground north-east of Boiry. The crew – Lt. G. J. Hatch and Cpl. E. Landridge – do not survive. It is the fourth victory scored on this day by Lt. Frankl…”

Lt. Frankl, son of a Jewish merchant, was one of Germany’s most honored Aces, with 20 confirmed kills. In 1916, he becomes the first and sole German pilot of Jewish descent to be awarded the Pour le Mérite. He was shot down and killed two days later on Easter Sunday 1917. “He was buried with due military honors at the Berlin-Charlottenburg cemetery… In the thirties, after the Nazi party gained power, Frankl’s name disappeared from the official lists of medal holders because of his Jewish nationality. Only forty years later, in 1973, was Frankl restored to the pantheon of German fighter ace.”

Lt George Hatch and Cpl. Ernest Landridge were buried at the Cabaret Rouge British Cemetery lies just south of the town of Souchez and 11.4 km. north of the center of Arras.

With grateful thanks to Robert Stokes for permission to use his research.

Alfred Grout

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A. C. Grout
Service no. 13775
Private, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 8th Battalion
Born in Lambeth; enlisted in London; lived in Stockwell
Killed in action age 20 on 25 September 1915
CWGC: “Son of Mrs C. S. Grout, of 6 Garden Row, Stockwell, London, and the late George Grout.”
Remembered at Dud Corner Cemetery, Loos, France

Information from the 1901 census

In 1901 Alfred Grout, then 6, and his siblings lived with their widowed mother at 30 White Hart Street in Kennington. The census merely gives his mother as “C. Grout” and does not state where she was born. She was 31. Her children are listed as:
Emily Grout, 10
George Grout, 8
Alfred Grout, 4
Ernest Grout, 4
All the children were born in Lambeth.

George Harry Glover

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G. H. Glover
Service no. 11773
Private, Border Regiment, 2nd Battalion
Died of wounds age 20 on 31 March 1915
Born in Lambeth; enlisted in London; lived in Stockwell
CWGC: “Son of George Harry and Mary Jane Glover, of Stockwell, London.”
Remembered at Wimereux Communal Cemetery, France

At six foot two, George Harry Glover was one the tallest of the men on the Stockwell War Memorial. He would have towered over most of his fellow soldiers. He was well built too, for the time. 140 pounds, with a 36 inch chest which he could expand by 2 inches. Hazel eyes, brown hair and fresh complexion, complete a picture of an attractive, fit and healthy young man. He enlisted early in the war – 4 September 1914 – at the age of 20. Before the war, Glover was a furniture salesman. He had spent 2½ years in the National Naval Cadets (Wandsworth Battalion) and was discharged in 1910.

Glover was on the home front until 16 February 1915, joining the British Expeditionary Force on 17 February. He lasted just over a month on the Western Front, and after only 210 days as a British soldier succumbed to a gunshot wound to the shoulder sustained on 15 March 1915. After transferring to a hospital in Boulogne, he was deemed on 22 March he was deemed to be “improving”, but he died on 31 March.

His effects, sent to his parents, included
2 leather purses
1 keyring
5 keys
1 chain
1 watch key – broken
I combination ?
1 cigarette case containing 7 cigarettes
1 Gospel acc St John
4 letters
6 postcards
3 photos
Other items are unreadable – the records are badly damaged.

On 3 April 1915 Glover’s mother, Mary Jane, wrote to the Officer in Charge at the Record Office in Preston from her home at 19 Hargwyne Street, Stockwell, London SW:

Sir
I beg to ask if you can give me any information as to the whereabouts of Private G. H. Glover, No 11773, A Company, 2nd Batt. Border Regt, with the Expeditionary Force…

The rest of the letter is missing, but on 11 April Mary Jane wrote again:

With reference to your letter No 19550/17 of 6th April 1915 addressed to Mr Lee I wrote on behalf of my son death. He died died of wounds 31st March. Private George Glover 11773 of the Border Regt. I beg most respectfully to ask as I am his mother would you kindly say when I can have any further news regarding his death. I am sir your Obediant Servant M. J. Glover

The letter has all the appearance of having been written through tears. Even allowing for the damage to the original document, her expressions are garbled.

The army replied on 16 April: “If you write to the Officer in Charge of the hospital where your son died giving his Regiment, full name, Regiment [sic] and date of death they may be able to give some further information.”

Her son was buried at Wimereux Communal Cemetery, Grave No 303.

Frederick Gillard

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F. Gillard
Second Lieutenant, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, 9th Battalion
Died age 20 on 24 August 1918
CWGC: “Only son of Frederick and Harriet Eliza Gillard, of 25 Studley Road, Clapham, London.”
Remembered Vis-en-Artois Memorial, France

Information from the 1911 census

The Gillard family lived at 48 Akerman Road where they occupied 5 rooms. Frederick Gillard, 41, was a lithographic printer, born in Blackfriars, London. Harriet Gillard (née Roberts), 34, was also from Blackfriars. Frederick Gillard, 12, their only son, was born in Kennington, as were their 3 daughters:
Amy Gillard, 10
Rose Gillard, 9
Florence Gillard, 7
There was a boarder, Christopher Wright, a single grocer’s assistant from Bermondsey, south-east London.

The obituary in The Times of 5 September 1918 reads:

SECOND LIEUTENANT F. GILLARD, K.O.Y.L.I. [King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry], was killed on August 23, aged 20. He was the only son of Mr. and Mrs Gillard of 25, Studley-road, Clapham. He enlisted at the age of 18 in the Inns of Court O.T.C. [Officers Training Corps], and was given a commission seven months later. He was through some heavy fighting the latter part of last year, and returned home on leave last July, but rejoined his regiment on August 10. His colonel writes:- “The battalion had made a successful attack, and we were holding a front-line position within about 40 yards of the enemy. Your boy was was in charge of a half-company, and was holding absolutely the foremost position, and holding it very stoutly, too. The enemy counter-attacked very heavily, and it was greatly owing to the fine fight put up by your son’s platoon that we were able to beat him off with heavy casualties. Unfortunately, after the counter-attack had been beaten off, your boy was reorganizing his platoon when a stray bullet struck him in the head, killing him instantly. I need hardly say that your boy was a great favourite with the platoon, and was liked by everybody, officers and men alike. He will be greatly missed, and I only hope that he was doing his duty splendidly when he was killed will prove a little consolation to you for your loss.” Lieutenant Gillard was a member of the staff of the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company (Limited).

With thanks for additional information and images to Gwynn Jenkins, who came across the portrait and the framed obituary in the attic of her house in Forthbridge Road, Clapham. Gwynn says: ‘He has pride of place in my house and am happy for him to be included in your website for more to see and understand the tragic loss of such gallant young men – he’s a daily reminder of what sacrifice really means.’