Here is his service record from the CWGC
Name: TEARLE Initials: A E Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Hertfordshire Regiment
Unit Text: 1st Bn. Date of Death: 10/05/1916 Service No: 4605
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: III. R. 8.
Cemetery: GUARDS CEMETERY, WINDY CORNER, CUINCHY
His parents were Alfred George Tearle 1872 Watford and Minnie M nee Cyster. His grandparents were Jabez 1844 Borehamwood and Susannah nee Payne.
Jabez’ parents were George 1818 of Dagnall and Annie nee Haws, who founded an Australian family. George’s parents were Able 1797 Edlesborough and Hannah nee Frost, and of course, this Able was the son of the famous Fanny 1780, possibly the daughter of Thomas 1737 Stanbridge and Susannah nee Attwell. So that makes Alfred a member of the branch Thomas 1737.
I note from the Hertford site that the 1st Bn in 19 August 1915 was transferred to 6th Brigade, 2nd Division, and on 29 June 1916 was transferred to 118th Brigade, 39th Division. Since Alfred was killed on 10 June 1916, he was never in the 39th Division. If you look up the activities of the 2nd Division, the poor chap never stood a chance of lasting the war. It looks as though he was killed between Loos and La Bassée during the battle of Loos.
died 16 Apr 1917, Mesopotamia
Here is his service record from CWGC, and Lost Generation also records him as a Bombadier.
Name: TEARLE Initials: A E Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Acting Bombardier Regiment/Service: Royal Field Artillery
Unit Text: 8th Bty. 13th Bde. Date of Death: 16/04/1917 Service No: 46587 Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: XIV. G. 8.
Cemetery: BAGHDAD (NORTH GATE) WAR CEMETERY
Rosemary Tearle of NZ found out about this chap, who I had found in “Soldiers died in the Great War” This is what she told me:
I did know about Albert Ernest, although with a slightly different place of death. Michael's Aunt Evie (Evelyn Mary West nee Tearle) sent me some family history info before she died. She had Albert Ernest "Killed in action in India 1917 - He was single". I will amend my records here accordingly.
For the records here is what I know of Albert Ernest.:
Albert Ernest Tearle, born 2 Jan 1889 at Sutton Surrey. Parents: William James 1860 and Lucy Ann nee Laine. (Tearle Grandparents, James 1834 and Sarah Ann nee Jones; great-grandparents, George 1808 and Elizabeth 1810)
Siblings: William Charles 1885, Reginald Arthur 1893 (who married Edith Maud Tanner and is in the wills section) and Grace Ellen 1900.
His brothers were butchers and his sister married a butcher, (he also had an uncle, John Thomas 1871, who was a butcher in the 1901 census) so perhaps he may have done a bit of butchering before he went to the War. William Charles also went to the War - he was a driver in the Service Corps and was mustard gassed. I don't know if Reginald Arthur was in the War.
Enlisted Kingston-Upon-Thames, died Mesopotamia 16 April, 1917. He is listed on the Sutton Memorial in Carshalton Rd, Sutton. Joseph 1737
Here is his service record from CWGC
Name: TEARLE, CHARLES Initials: C Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private Regiment/Service: The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment Unit Text: 1st/5th Bn. Date of Death: 30/11/1917 Service No: 36932
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 8.
Memorial: CAMBRAI MEMORIAL, LOUVERVAL
Charles was killed during the Battle of Cambrai, which started on 20 Nov 1917. When the Germans regrouped and attacked on 29 Nov, after initial Allied success, Charles was killed in the following 5 days of fierce action. Cambrai Memorial was established to commemorate those who have no grave.
A railway porter, he is remembered by the LNWR memorial in Euston Rd. Son of Charles 1858 Preston and Jane nee Swarbrick. Joseph 1737
Here is his service record from the CWGC
Name: TEARLE Initials: J Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Welsh Regiment
Secondary Regiment: Royal Defence Corps
Secondary Unit Text: transf. to (3711) Age: 36
Date of Death: 16/04/1918 Service No: 20724
Additional information: Husband of Alice Maria Tearle.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: A2. 12. 16.
Here is her service record from CWGC
Name: TEARLE, LOUISA Initials: L Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Stewardess Regiment/Service: Mercantile Marine
Unit Text: S.S. "Falaba," Age: 37 Date of Death: 28/03/1915
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: "C." 272. Cemetery: NEWQUAY NEW CEMETERY
Locally, this is called the Crantock Street Cemetery, Newquay, on the Cornwall coast, and it is managed by the Restormel Borough Council. In addition to her listing on CWGC, Louisa has a very short reference on the CD Soldiers Died in the Great War and you can see more of her story here, in the Lees section of the Australian Leaver family site.
This is a sad story; Louisa married Henry James Tearle in Lambeth, London in 1902 and they had five children, of whom I can find only three; Gertrude Louisa 1906, Donald Stanley 1910 and Ivor - for whom I have no birth date. Firstly their father was killed in Lagos, Nigeria in 1914 while working for the Elder Dempster Steamship Line. I have no information on the circumstances of Henry’s death. Sue Albrecht of NZ says that Henry was himself in an orphanage from the age of 10 and his sister, Fanny 1868, lived with her grandparents Joseph and Martha Hart from at least 1881, as shown in the 1881 and later Northampton censuses. Henry James was the son of James 1835 LB and Mary Emma nee Hart. His grandparents were John Tearle 1780 Northall and Sarah nee Claridge, so he is a member of the Theatrical Tearles family, which includes Sir Godfrey Tearle.
Louisa also worked for the Elder Dempster Steamship Line and in 1915, while she was a stewardess on the merchant ship Falaba, she was killed at sea, with 103 others, when the ship was sunk by a torpedo from a German submarine.
The Leaver site says: “The ship was torpedoed with the loss of 104 lives. March 28th FALABA. Steam Liner. 38 miles W. of Smalls enroute from Liverpool to Sierra Leone. Torpedoed by Baron Von Forstner's U.28. Grave ref. C 272.”
Louisa’s younger sister Margaret married a John Hastings and when they went to Australia, they took Donald Stanley Tearle with them. Donald signed up with the ANZACs for WW2 and was a prisoner of war in Changi. Ivor stayed in England and died at 16yrs. Bill Babbington of Aus tells the full story of this family in the Leaver family site.
I have added Margaret and John Hastings to the Tree because of their familial relationship in the story of Donald.
They are on the branch William 1749.
I first saw this chap on the Luton War Memorial outside the town hall, close to the Arndale Centre, and I immediately bought some flowers and left them for him. His name was Ronald William and he was the only son of a famous Luton Methodist lay preacher, William Underwood Tearle 1864 of Luton and Mary nee Bird. There is a little more about his family elsewhere on this site. He is listed as Ronald by the National Archives WW1 Campaign Medals. Here is his record from the CWGC
Name: TEARLE
Initials: R W
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Gunner
Regiment/Service: Royal Field Artillery
Unit Text: "C" Bty. 95th Bde.
Date of Death: 04/10/1917
Service No: 141935
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: X. A. 18.
Cemetery: THE HUTS CEMETERY
Names on WW1 memorial, Town Hall, Luton
Here is his service record from the CWGC
Name: TEARLE Initials: S
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private Regiment/Service:
Army Service Corps Unit Text: 17th Field Bakery
Age: 26 Date of Death: 13/08/1917
Service No: S4/090768
Additional information: Son of William Tearle, of 2A, Portland Rd., Luton.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: A. 61.
Cemetery: ALEXANDRIA (HADRA) WAR MEMORIAL CEMETERY
Very close to the University of Alexandria.
He enlisted for the RASC in Rothwell, Northants, not far from Hinkley, where he was living at the time, but I know nothing of the circumstances of his death. CWGC says that most of the burials were of casualties who died in the Alexandria hospitals from action in Egypt and Palestine. I found that two old boys of the Edward Alleyn Club died in the same month and are buried in the same cemetery as Sidney, so I wondered what was happening
War memorial in All Saints, Hertford
The second soldier is Leslie James of St Albans
FastFind
According to Lost Generation, there are some comments about Ronald in the THE LUTON NEWS AND BEDFORDSHIRE ADVERTISER, 14 DEC 1922
He is on the branch of Joseph 1737
Here is a copy of his medals card - you can see he has earned the British Medal, the Victory Medal and the Star.
in Egypt at the time. According to the CWGC, two troopships were torpedoed in Alexandria Harbour in Dec of 1917, so clearly the action was ongoing.
Wikipedia summed it up thus:
The Sinai and Palestine Campaign during the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I was a series of battles which took place on the Sinai Peninsula, Palestine, and Syria between January 28, 1915 and October 28, 1918. British, Indian, Australian, and New Zealand forces opposed the German and Turkish forces.
This area was known as the Middle Eastern Theatre of war, and Sidney has followed John Henry T 1887 Hatfield into it - not necessarily knowingly. But it is probable, that, like John, Sidney fought alongside the ANZACS
Without a detailed dairy account of the activities of the 17th Field Bakery, we won’t know where Sidney was when he was killed or wounded. If wounded, he would have been transported to one of the Alexandria hospitals.
Sidney’sparents were William 1869 of Eaton Bray and Ellen nee Rollings. His g-parents were William 1830 of Eaton Bray and Ann nee Rogers. This means he is descended from Thomas 1763 and Mary nee Gurney and that places him squarely on the branch of John 1741.
WW1 Mercantile Marine Memorial, Tower Hill, London
Louisa Tearle (S Gearle) and the crew of the Falaba
The crew of the Falaba
The rest of the crew of the Falaba
I was of the understanding that there was a memorial to Louisa and the crew of the Falaba in London, and I found it on the Merchant Navy Memorial in Tower Hill Gardens, Tower Hill, London.
This view of the WW1 memorial building (left) has the Tower of London to my right, just across the road. Louisa’s memorial is on the far end, at the top of all the names. You can see from the two pictures to the right, that the list of crew members begins at the bottom of one panel and continues at the top of the next panel.
It is indeed a shame that her name is recorded incorrectly, but no doubt it was taken from a hand-written crew list.
The Euston Station War Memorial.
Around the base of the monument there are four over-sized bronzes of military men; a sailor, an infantryman, an airman and a gunner.
I understood that there was a list of about 3500 names of railway employees killed in WW1 associated with this memorial, and I spent a day around the station trying to find it. Eventually, I discovered that the names had been collated and printed in a book, a copy of which was given to the family of every casualty. It would be interesting to know who of Charles’ family the book was given to, and whether it still exists. I would love to see it.
Suffice it to say, that the Euston memorial will have to speak for Charles, and now that we know at least some of his story, and the history of his family, we can be assured that we will not forget him, and that we will always remember the sacrifice he made for his country and his family.
On 19 Apr 1916 he transferred to the 24th Protection Coy of the Royal Defence Corps. He was living at 3 Hazelhurst Rd, Llandaff North, West Cardiff. If he was a rugby man, he could have walked to Cardiff Arms Park. He was described as a Shopkeeper, 5ft 7in tall, blue eyes, fair hair.
In a medical report dated 22 Mar 1917, he was said to have been on leave in Preston from Fairweather Hopsital, Cardiff when he contracted diarrhoea. He was operated on in Worley Hopsital on 26 Feb 1916. He was certified “No longer physically fit for War Service” on 16 Apr 1917, and died on the very same day just one year later. He was 56. On 17 Apr 1918, his widow was awarded a pension of 15/- a week.
I had wondered for a very long time who this was, but Lost Generation told me he was James and I had a James 1862 of Preston married to an Alice M... Was the CWGC wrong about his age? Ancestry gave me the medical records for a soldier whose military service began in 1880 and this lead me to be increasingly certain we had this chap already on the Tree. His parents were Thomas 1836 of Leighton Buzzard and Emma nee Ayres who moved up to Preston around the time Thomas’ brother Joseph 1838 LB did, closely followed by their father, Joseph 1803 Tebworth. Young James had brothers George 1868 Preston, and Robert 1871 Preston, both of whom died in 1873. Their father Thomas died in 1871, close to the birth of his youngest son, and their mother Emma died in 1879. In the space of eight years, James had become an orphan, with no family at all. At 18yrs he joined the Loyal North Lancashire Regt, renewing several times. I can’t find any record of his serving anywhere overseas except for one year and 196 days on Gibraltar, in 1884. At this time he gave his next of kin as Sarah and Robert Gaunt of Preston. I have looked for a Sarah Tearle in Preston, but I can’t find one, so it is likely they were his foster parents. Around 1891 (I can’t find the marriage certificate) James married Alice Maria Edwards of Sipton, Staffs. In the 1891 census of Burnley, Lancs, they were newly married and living in 28 Aqueduct St, James describing himself as a Herbalist’s Assistant. Between 1892 and 1899 they registered four children in Colne, Lancs; Emmeline 1892, Alice 1894, Reginald 1896 and Minnie Louisa 1898. In the 1901 Colne census we can see James, Alice and their children living in 70 Market St, which is also the business address. James is a Herbalist (Shopkeeper) and the census enumerator categorises him as a SubMed.
WW1 started in June 1914 and James signed his attestation form, for 1 years service, in Cardiff on 16 Nov 1914. He said he was aged 45, but you can see that CWGC has this transfer at age 36. He transferred from the Loyal North Lancashire Regt to No 4 Supernumerary Co, 5th Battn Welch Regt, presumably because he was still a reservist, but now living in Cardiff. I have attached the two documents crucial to establishing who he was and to show his original attestation to the army in 1880 and again in Cardiff in 1914. You can see his Loyal North Lancashire number (20724) in the lower document. It’s difficult to read because it’s scribbled out, but subsequent documents clarify it.
St Mary Whitchurch, Cardiff
I wonder sometimes if James knew Charles 1894 Preston, above? It’s possible that in being an orphan he didn’t, but they are closely related, and in the same Lancashire regiment. James did receive a medal, but the record is unclear as to
St Mary Whitchurch from Penlline Rd
which one.
I have no clue as to why James should move all the way from Colne, Lancs to Cardiff, but his wife’s name might be Welsh and perhaps she felt the need to go to her family.
As with all the Preston Tearles, he is on the branch Joseph 1737.
James’ Commonwealth War Graves headstone in St Mary Whitchurch
Post-script; the children of James and Alice
Emmeline 1892.
The fact that James was in Preston when he fell ill means to me that he still kept in touch with his family. The trip to Preston from Cardiff is a major undertaking and indicates the depth of the relationship he still enjoyed with his far-off family.