Monthly Archives: October 2024

Cyril Baynton

30 Wednesday Oct 2024

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The son of Joseph and Mary Hannah Baynton, Cyril was born in Wolverhampton in 1920. In 1921 they were living at 25 Hargreaves Street in Wolverhampton, along with Cyril’s siblings Horace James, Joseph William and Ruby Amelia. By 1939 they were ;living at 18 Beach Road, Green Lanes, Bilston. Cyril was a college student at the time.

Cyril enlisted with the 70 Squadron Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as a Flight Sergeant (service number 1168793). Unfortunately he was killed in action when the Wellington bomber aircraft in which he was flying flew into a mountain near Artana during a raid on a ball bearing factory in Turin on 25 November 1943. He is buried in the Staglieno Cemetery in Genoa, Italy, and is remembered on the Roll of Honour for the Wolverhampton Municipal Secondary School and the Bilston Town Roll of Honour.

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The research for this blog post was conducted by remote virtual volunteer Doug Lewis.

William Wooldridge

28 Monday Oct 2024

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The son of Thomas and Mary Wooldridge, William was born in 1868. William’s father died in 1876, and by 1881 William was living with his widowed mother and siblings Thomas, Lizzie and Harry, at 23 Littles Lane, Wolverhampton. He was working as an iron polisher. William married Lottie Steer in 1915 in Godstone, Surrey.

William originally enlisted in 1887 in the Dragoon Guards, serving until 1895 and then being placed on the Reserves. He re-enlisted as a Private with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps (service number 15042) in 1916. His occupation was listed as Stud Groom. He served in France, but was discharged as being no longer physically fit for war service in October 1917, after suffering from neurasthenia including slurring speech, poor coordination and pupils inactive to light reflex. Although the cause of the disability was deemed to by syphilis, it was believed this had been aggravated by his being on active service. Unfortunately he died on 20 May 1919, and is buried in Blindley Heath (St John) Churchyard in Surrey.

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The research for this blog post was completed by remote virtual volunteer Jacky de Escofet.

Sydney Mark Lewis Towersey

25 Friday Oct 2024

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Sydney was born in Dudley in 1924, and at some point he was living at 48 Dudley Road in Wolverhampton. Unfortunately we have not been able to find many more details about him.

He served with the Royal Air Force but he and three other crew members were killed when their plane crashed during the Berlin Airlift on 19 September 1948 in Wunstorf in Germany. He is buried in Hanover Military Cemetery.

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The research for this post was conducted by remote virtual volunteer, Ann Eales.

Samuel George Spilsbury

23 Wednesday Oct 2024

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Samuel was born in 1877 in Lancashire, the son of Charles and Ann Spilsbury. By 20 Sep 1898, they were based in Wolverhampton, as that is where he enlisted in the South Staffordshire Regiment (number 5475). His trade was given as cabinet maker, and his address was given as 110 Cannock Road, Wolverhampton. In 1910, he married Louisa Farmer in Wrexham in Denbighshire, and the couple were living near Wrexham in 1911, with Samuel’s occupation given as a private soldier. The couple also had a son, Henry, born that year, along with two sons from Louisa’s previous marriage, Burton and John Farmer.

Samuel later served with the 1st Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers (service number 5956), but he was killed in action on 29 October 1914. He is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.

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The research for this blog post was conducted by remote virtual volunteer, Jacky de Escofet.

Arthur Ernest Rew

21 Monday Oct 2024

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Arthur was born in Glamorgan in Wales on 31 December 1920, the son of Ernest Victor and Ada Rew. By 1939, they had moved to Wolverhampton and were living at 80 Woodfield Avenue, along with Arthur’s older brother, John. Arthur was working as a wire broadcasting wireman for a company looking after electrical commercial signalling systems.

Arthur enlisted with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in the 466 Squadron as a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner (service number 1187995). He took off from RAF Leconfield in Yorkshire in a Wellington bomber, but unfortunately the aircraft was shot down in the North Sea, six miles north of Terschelling in the Netherlands, and Arthur was killed in action on 30 Jan 1943. He is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial in Surrey.

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The research for this blog post was conducted by remote virtual volunteer, Doug Lewis.

Sam Farmer Evans

10 Thursday Oct 2024

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The son of Richard and Annie Evans, Sam was born in Wolverhampton in 1877. He was baptised in St Mark’s Church on 13 April 1879. In 1881, they were living at 21 Clarence Street along with Sam’s siblings Annie E., Richard, Thomas H. and Charlotte E. The family moved to Leicester, where Sam was working as an errand boy in 1891 and a shoe clicker in 1901. Sam married Florence Dickman in Leicester on 26 December 1903.

Sam enlisted with the 17th (County of London) Battalion in the London Regiment as a Rifleman (service number 570730), serving under the “Farmer” name. Unfortunately he died on 30 November 1917, and he is buried at the Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery, Manancourt in France.

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The research for this blog post was completed by remote virtual volunteer Jacky de Escofet.

Jack Norman David

08 Tuesday Oct 2024

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Jack was born in Wolverhampton on 26 November 1923, the son of Frederick Stanley and Florence May David. In 1939, they were living at 29 West Street, Wolverhampton, along with Jack’s siblings Ida M. and HIlda E.

Jack enlisted into the 460 (R.A.A.F.) Squadron of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as a Sergeant (Flight Engineer) (service number 1583729). On 19 March 1945 he took off in a Lancaster bomber from RAF Binbrook in Lincolnshire. On its return from a raid on Hanau, the aircraft flew into high ground in bad visibility while attempting an approach, and crashed, killing all on board. He is buried in St Mary’s churchyard, Bushbury.

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The research for this blog post was conducted by remote virtual volunteer Doug Lewis.

Samuel Wainwright Chattin

04 Friday Oct 2024

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Smauel was born on 12 November 1887 in Kings Norton, the son of William Henry and Fanny Chattin. In 1891 they were living in King Street, Bilston, along with Samuel’s siblings William H., Sarah J., Joseph, Florence A., Elizabeth, Frank, Edith and Albert E. They were at the same address in 1901, by which date Samuel was working as an office errand boy.

Samuel enlisted with the Gloucestershire Regiment (number 2600), and later served with the Machine Gun Corps (36884), and was awarded the 1914-15 Star. He survived the war, but was listed on the Bilston Church Roll of Honour among local men who served. He married Alice M. Angerson in 1921 and moved to Bristol. The couple had four children – Janet A. (1924 in Keynsham), Jeffrey W. (1926 in Keynsham), Christine S. (1933 in Wolverhampton) and Joseph M. (1935 in Bilston). By 1939 he was back in Bilston, at Frenchay, Elm Avenue, working as a general draper. Later on in life he moved to Bridport in Dorset, where he died in 1972.

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The research for this blog post was conducted by remote virtual volunteer Jacky de Escofet.

Sidney Bayliss

02 Wednesday Oct 2024

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Sidney was born on 19 October 1913, the son of Ernest and Alize Bayliss. In 1921 they were living at 25, Franchise Street, Wolverhampton along with Sidney’s siblings Ernest, Florence, Hellene, Alice Maud and Nellie. Sidney’s father was a foreman enameller at J. J. Gibbons Ltd. Sidney married Eva Ziegler, originally from Souderton, Pennsylvania, in America in 1942. It is recorded that Eva arrived in Southampton on 12th May 1947 aboard the Cunard White Star’s ship Aquitania on the way to 103 Hughes Avenue, Wolverhampton.

Sidney enlisted with the Royal Navy and served on the HM Submarine Regent as a Petty Officer (service number D/JX 133751). On 11 April 1943, H.M. Regent sailed to patrol the southern Adriatic, and was lost with all on board at some point in April. The loss was discovered when the submarine failed to return to its base in Beirut, Lebanon, to re-fuel and take on supplies by 1 May 1943. It is believed that on 18 April H.M. Regent struck a mine north of Barletta, after attacking an Italian convoy. He is remembered on the Plymouth Naval Memorial.

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The research for this blog post was conducted by remote virtual volunteer, Doug Lewis.

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