Stockwell War Memorial

Friends of Stockwell War Memorial & Gardens

age 22

Francis John Kellow

by

F. J. Kellow
Service no. 381862
Private, The King’s (Liverpool Regiment), 1st/6th Battalion, formerly 3120, London Rifle Brigade
Born in Stockwell; enlisted in London; lived in Stockwell
Died of wounds age 22 on 8 September 1918
CWGC: “Son of John George Kellow, of 14, Lingham Street, Stockwell, London.”
Remembered at Pernes British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France

National Roll of the Great War 1914-1918

KELLOW, F. J., Private, King’s (Liverpool Regt.)
He volunteered in November 1915, and until January 1918, when he was drafted to France, was engaged on duties of an important nature with his unit. Whilst overseas, he fought in the second Battle of the Somme, the Aisne, and the Marne, and on September 8th, 1918 he gave his life for the freedom of England at the fourth Battle of Ypres. He was entitled to the General Service and Victory Medals.
“Thinking that remembrance, though unspoken, may reach him where he sleeps.”
14, Lingham Street, Clapham Road, S.W.9.

Information from the censuses

In 1911 14-year-old Francis John Kellow was living in a 3-roomed flat over the family shop at 12 Lingham Street, Stockwell. His father, John George Kellow, 43, was a shoemaker from Torquay, Devon; his mother, Emily Kellow, 42, was from Brixton. There were 2 siblings (only 3 of his parents’ 6 children survived):
Reginald Kellow, then 12;
Mabel Kellow, then 8.
Archibald William Chappell Kellow, 27, John’s brother, also lived with them.

In 1901 the family was living at 102 Landor Road.

A. A. Ellis

by

A. A. Ellis
Service no. 201091
Driver, Royal Field Artillery, “C” By. 76th Bde.
Died age 22 on 27 July 1917
Son of John and Emily Ellis, of Clapham, London; husband of Annie May Ellis, of 25 Haines Street, Battersea, London.
Remembered at Mendinghem Military Cemetery, Poperinge, Belgium

Frederick Eales Johnson

by

photo of frederick eales-johnson
Frederick Eales-Johnson. Photo by kind permission of Anne Hughes.

F. Eales-Johnson
Service no. 950162
Gunner, Royal Artillery, “A” Bty. 235th Bde.
Died age 22 on 17 June 1917
Son of Fredrick (sic) and Mary Eales-Johnson (née Marshall), of 37 Portland Place North, Clapham Road, London. Born Lambeth, London.
Remembered at Reninghelst New Military Cemetery, Poperinge, Belgium

Information from the 1911 census

Frederick Johnson was a 43-year-old printer born in Lambeth. He and his wife Mary Johnson, 38, who was from Bermondsey, lived at 7 Wyvil Street. They had 10 children, all surviving to this date, with 9 appearing on the census:
Florence Johnson, 18, a bookfolder
Frederick Johnson, 16, a junior clerk and student
Elsie Johnson, 13
George Johnson, 12
Albert Johnson, 9
Dorothy Johnson, 8
Henry Johnson, 4
Mary Johnson, 3
Alice Johnson, 9 months
All were born in Southwark.

Henry Richard Dooley

by

H. R. Dooley
Service no. 701393
Private, London Regiment, 1st/23rd Battalion
Died age 22 on 16 September 1916
Son of Richard and Mary Dooley, of 4 Smedley Street, Larkhall Lane, Clapham, London.
Remembered at Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France

British Army WWI Service Records 1914-1920

Henry Richard Dooley joined the Territorial Force on 25 May 1915 at Clapham Junction. He described himself as a plumber’s mate. The Army described him as 20 years old, 6 feet and a half-inch tall, weighing 164 pounds (11½ stone) with a 36 inch chest, which he could expand by 2½ inches. His physical development was judged to be “good”. The Army must have been very happy to receive into its ranks such a strapping young man.

The Army perhaps was not so pleased when Dooley started to go sick and then to challenge the authority of his superior officers. After a period at Home (in England) that ended on 26 October, he was shipped to France. On the 5 February 1916 he reported with “pyrexia” (this means that he was running a fever) and lumbago (pain of the lower back). Just 2 days later he was complaining of something “N.Y.D.” (not yet diagnosed), and on 24 February he had myalgia (muscle pain), after which he was sent back to his unit. The record states that on 27 February he was sent to “join the Base Depot (T.B.)”. It is unclear whether this means that Dooley was suffering from tuberculosis. Whatever, the situation, he rejoined his unit on 15 April and by 25 June he was in trouble for using “improper language to an N.C.O. [non-commissioned officer]”. The punishment is recorded but is difficult to read (the record has suffered water damage).

Not long afterwards, on 2 August Dooley was again in trouble, this time more seriously. He was tried by F.G.C.M. (Field General Court Martial) on 2 counts: using insubordinate language to his superior officer and disobeying an order given by his superior officer. He was found guilty and sentenced to a year’s hard labour which was almost immediately commuted to 3 months. The Army, after all, needed all available men at the front. He did not complete his sentence. On 16 September he was missing , “death being presumed”. He had served a total of 1 year and 115 days.

Information from the 1911 census

Henry Richard Dooley’s parents were from Ireland. Richard Dooley, 64, was a pensioner; Mary Dooley, 57, was probably a charwoman (her occupation has been scrubbed out, possibly because wives’ occupations were not counted). Joe Dooley, 19, a grocer’s boy, was born in England, as was Henry Dooley, then 17 and working as a plumber’s assistant. The family lived in 3 rooms at 153 Larkhall Lane, SW4. Richard Dooley signed his name with a cross (mark), indicating that he was probably illiterate.