The War Memorial

His parents came to Cornwall to work in the granite quarries and Francis married Cordelia Eliza Symons, born 1886 in St Tudy.  In the 1901 census they are living at Penvorder Cottages, St Breward and have three children, Richard Francis Charles, born 1907, Cyril Symons, born 1908 and Marjory, born 1910.

Francis joined the colours at Summercourt Fair in 1914 and enlisted at Bodmin DCLI Barracks.  He was posted to India in 1916 and his battalion was used to supply reinforcements for Aden, Egypt, Palestine, Mesopotamia (Iraq) and Gallipoli.  He contracted tuberculosis and was sent back to England to the 3^rd London General Hospital near Wandsworth, London, where he died on 22 July 1916.  He left his wife (who died in 1925) and four children

His rank at the time of his death was A/Corporal but he was paid as a Lance Corporal in 1919 the sum of £3.19s.9d and a gratuity was paid to his widow, Clarissa, of £5.10s.0d.  (Although there is a marriage recorded for William in the 4th quarter of 1907 in St Austell, it does not give the name of his bride.)  He death is recorded in Zonnebeke, West Flanders.

George married in 1916.  He enlisted in the DCLI at Bodmin and embarked for India in December 1914.  He arrived in Karachi on 9 January 1915 and remained in India until his death from heatstroke in Delhi on 10 July 1918.  He was a Private.  He was buried at Delhi War Cemetery and awarded the Victory and British War Medal.

Frederick enlisted at Camelford on 16 June 1916 and joined 7^th Battalion Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry.  On 25 July 1915 he landed at Boulogne, trained as a bomb thrower, and was killed in action on 1 October 1916 on the first day of the battle of Translay on the Somme.  His rank was Private.  He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial but has no known grave.  He was awarded the Victory and British War Medals.

Private 5438162, 5th Battalion,  Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry

Wilfred Coleman, born in 1916, was the son of Frank and Bessie. He worked in the offices at De Lank Quarry. 

During WW2 he served in the  Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry.  

Wilfred was the first St Breward serviceman to be killed, dying aged 28,  on active service in France on 1st July 1944. 

He is buried at the Saint Manvieu War Cemetery, Calvados, France. 

At the beginning of August 1914 he landed in Jersey and by the end of August he was at Le Havre.  He was promoted to Lance Corporal in November 1914.  At one point he was pronounced medically unfit but returned to the front in September 1917.  He was killed in action on 4 October 1917 and his body was found in no-man’s-land in January 1918, identified by his paybook and a letter from his wife, Fanny.  He was buried at Hooge Crater Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.  He was awarded the Victory and British War Medals.

Percy, born 1895 went to the Curnow family at Hill House, Gladys, born 1899 went to the Bunt family at Whiteheads, Frederick , born 1902 went to the Pearce family, Ernest, born 1906 went to Crowle family at Row and Phyllis, born 1908 to Roberts family at Mount Pleasant.  John was pensioned from the Royal Navy as a Petty Officer Stoker after 22 years service on 18 December 1910 but was called up again when the war started as by 1914 he was on a depot ship in Devonport called Vivid II.

John drowned at the West India Docks, London on 17 December 1916.  At the time he was serving on HM Motor Lighter X64.  He was buried at East London Cemetery, Plaistow.

Frank became a granite cutter and by 1901 he and his family were living at De Lank Cottage and by 1914 they were living in Penvorder Cottages (built for the granite workers).

In July 1916 he joined the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry and was sent to France in charge of Black and Chinese troops.  He returned home in February 1919 with influenza (probably Spanish ‘flu), which developed into bronchial pneumonia and tuberculosis.  He died later that month and was buried in St Breward Churchyard.  His rank at the time of his death is given as Sergeant.

In 1913 he married Millie Alice Benstead and they lived at Clerkenwater Lodge, Bodmin.  When WW1 broke out he was serving in West Africa but was returned to St Breward in October 1916 ill with consumption.  He died at Brookside Cottage, St Breward on 22 December 1916.  The funeral was at St Breward Church on 28 December 1916 and he was buried in the churchyard.

On 20 October 1914 his battalion was formed at Taunton and by 10 September 1915 landed at Le Havre.  He was killed in action on 31 July 1917 when he was struck in the heart by shrapnel from an exploding shell in France.  He was awarded the Victory and British War Medals.

He is commemorated on Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.

He enlisted at Bodmin and joined the 1st/5th Battalion Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry and his division remained in this country so James didn’t see active service overseas.  He was a Corporal at the time of his death from pneumonia on 22 March 1915, at home in 16 Pool Street, Bodmin.  A full military funeral was conducted at St Breward Church and he was buried in St Breward churchyard.

Samuel enlisted at Camelford and joined the 10th Battalion Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry which was raised on the 29 March 1915 and in June 1916 he landed at Le Havre to join the 2nd Division – a Pioneer Battalion.

Samuel was killed in action in France on 9 May 1918 by a shell and died on the way to a dressing station.  His rank at the time of his death was Private.  He was buried at Berles New Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France.  He was awarded the Victory and British War Medals.

Herbert enlisted at Bodmin and joined the 1st Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment.  In August 1914 he was sent to Belfast with the 15th Brigade and landed at Le Havre the same month.  In 1918 he was home on leave when he became engaged to a Miss Spargo.  He was killed in action on 11 August 1918 by a machine gun bullet.  His rank at the time of his death was Private.

He was buried in the Departement de la Somme, Picardie, France, in the Bouchoir New British Cemetery.  He was awarded the Victory and British War Medals.

He continued to serve in the Royal Navy until January 1927 when he resigned and was placed on the Emergency Service List.  He was now married with two young sons and the family moved to St Breward where he took over Tor Down Quarry and lived at Fellover.

Peter was recalled to the Royal Navy on 26 May 1939 as a Lieutenant Commander and in April 1941 was sent to Crete to take command of the ‘A’ lighters in the Mediterranean.  ‘A’ lighters were tank landing craft.  On 25 April he was on board ‘A’15 which was being sent to evacuate our troops from the Greek mainland.

Somewhere between their base at Suda Bay and the Greek mainland the ‘A’ 15 was sunk.  All on board died.  Peter Coats Hutton was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously.

William John Methven was killed whilst a pilot in Fighter Command, 10 Group HQ on 21 May 1941.  He was flying a Tiger Moth.  He appears to have run out of fuel in poor weather and ditched off Beachley, Monmouth, Wales.  He is buried in Fairpark Cemetery, St Columb Minor.

Frederick died, aged 25, on 3rd August 1944 while on active service in Normandy, France.

He is buried in the War Cemetery at Hottot-Les-Bagues, Calvados, France.

He was killed in action fighting Turkish troops in Aden on 7 December 1916.  His platoon sergeant wrote to his family “with assistance I got him back but, unfortunately, nothing could be done for him, as he died in a few seconds.  He was spared the agonies of a wounded man.  Private Will Pearce was buried on 8 December 1916 in a little cemetery near Maala, alongside others who have fallen during this terrible war in previous engagements.  His funeral being attended by the General, various other officers, his platoon Commander, and all the men of his company.  Will was one of the men we can ill-afford to lose – a good soldier, the best of shots and always ready and willing to do his duty when called upon.”

The children scattered, seeking shelter wherever they could, but Roland’s choice was no sanctuary for him, as he was mortally wounded by falling masonry from a direct hit on the Sunday School.

Roland died the next day at Pencalenick army field hospital in Truro, his death described as ‘Due to War Operations’.

Herbert enlisted at Camelford into the Royal Army Service Corp under Service Number 16539 and later joined the Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment.  In March 1918 he was home on leave and on the day he left for the front in France, his son, Bert was taken ill and died 14 days later.  A week later, Herbert was killed in action, 4 April 1918.  His rank at the time of his death was Lance Corporal.

Herbert is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France and he was awarded the Victory and British War Medals.

He was killed in action aged 22 in France on 18 January 1915 and is commemorated at Le Touret Memorial, Pas de Calais, France.