The Officers and Men Serving in the No. 3 (Dunster) Company of the Minehead Home Guard Battalion, World War II (with five enlarged sections of the original photograph)
Title
The Officers and Men Serving in the No. 3 (Dunster) Company of the Minehead Home Guard Battalion, World War II (with five enlarged sections of the original photograph)
Subject
Description
In 2022, workmen were renovating the interior of Ye Olde Malthouse, a residence on the southern end of Brook Street in Timberscombe, when the photograph seen here fell through the floor. It depicts several of the men from Timberscombe, Wheddon Cross, Wootton Courtenay, Carhampton, Old Cleeve and Dunster who were serving with the Home Guard during World War II. The photograph was not only framed, it was signed on the left corner by the Minehead photographer, R. Kingsley Tayler, himself a Lieutenant serving as the Home Guard's Battalion Signals Officer (1).
Ye Olde Malthouse was the longtime home of Maurice Huxtable, born in Timberscombe in 1932 and his wife, Mary Elizabeth (nee Palfrey). Mrs. Huxtable had passed away in July 2002 and Maurice died in July 2021. During the last few years of his life, Mr. Huxtable was a generous donor to the St. Petrock's History Group, sharing photographs of his village and the people he had known. The workmen who recovered this picture immediately took it to Peter Bright who lived next door to Ye Olde Malthouse, who took it around the corner to Tom Sperling, archivist of the History Group. Sperling contacted Marion (nee Huxtable) Fewlass, the daughter of Maurice Huxtable. Marion, her sister Maureen and brother, Ian, who had grown up in Ye Olde Malthouse, decided that the framed photograph would remain with the St. Petrock's History Group. Needless to say the History Group is grateful to all three siblings, Mr. Bright and also the workmen. It could have so easily been thrown away. (In 2023, as the renovations continued the name of Ye Olde Malthouse was altered to The Old Malt House.)
The officers and men in the photograph are members of the No. 3 (Dunster) Company of the Minehead Battalion, one of eight Home Guard corps formed across southwest Britain after the invasion of France by the Germans in June 1940. Nearby harbours, including Bridgwater, Watchet and Minehead, were considered vulnerable and if taken could become a springboard for inland advances. Airborne landings seemed possible on Exmoor and the Brendon Hills. In particular, invasions by both sea and air could occur at Blue Anchor and Porlock Bay. On the 14th of May 1940, Anthony Eden, the Secretary of State, appealed for volunteers. The Somerset Coast Defence Scheme deemed 11,500 officers and soldiers would be needed to protect this part of Britain, of which 6,800 would have to be Home Guard volunteers (2), men aged from 17 to 65, above or below the age of subscription or those declared ineligible for actual service.
By the end of June one and a half million men had signed up to serve in the nation's Home Guard (at first called the Local Defence Volunteers). At that time 400 men were in the No. 3 (Dunster) unit. Most continued their regular day jobs whilst they trained, drilled, guarded the coast day and night and learned the duties of being a soldier (3).
SP-335 is also an R. Kingsley Tayler photograph of a smaller group, members of the Timberscombe Platoon of the Home Guard, taken at the same location as this photograph which is on the Castle Drive at the Luttrell Castle, Dunster. The castle stables are on the right (later becoming the National Trust gift shop). Some of those Timberscombe volunteers are also in this photograph. Other residents of the village only appear with the larger group. As it is virtually impossible to pick out individuals from the upper photograph, under it are five enlarged sections, hopefully making it easier to identify a particular person. (Also if viewing on a computer, clicking any of the photographs with the browser should enlarge the image to fill the screen .) The enlargements, numbered 1 to 5, depict the men, from left to the right of Lt. Kingsley's photograph:
GROUP 1
CORPORAL ALBERT (BERT) STEVENS / TIMBERSCOMBE--starting on the bottom left corner, the first gentleman on the front row. Bert Stevens was born in 1889 at Cutcombe and in 1911 married Alice Vellacott of Wootton Courtney (4). By the time of this photograph, they lived at Knacker's Hole (later Pero Cottage) on Harwood Lane, southwest of Timberscombe, where Stevens worked as a farmer and shephard (5). An avid bellringer, Bert Stevens died in 1973 and is buried with his wife at St. Petrock's Churchyard, Timberscombe (6).
BILL BAWLER-- second man, front row. At the time of this writing , Mr. Bawler is identified but his details are not known (7).
CORPORAL JAMES JEFFERY / TIMBERSCOMBE--third man, front row, facing right. Born in 1878, James Jeffery was a bricklayer, a journeyman and a minister and preacher at Timberscombe's Methodist Chapel (8). He married Emma Williams, who operated a "Boots, Shoes and Fancy Goods Shop" at No. 2 Jubilee Terrace (later becoming No. 3). Mr. Jeffery is likely a widower in this photograph as Emma died in 1940 (9). He continued to run the shop, more as a general store renamed "Jeffery's" and served on the Board of Governors for Timberscombe School until his passing in May 1953 (10).
CORPORAL CHARLES (CHARLIE) BALDWIN / TIMBERSCOMBE--fourth man, front row, facing forward. Charlie Baldwin would be very aware of the setting of this photograph as he was the head gardener for the Luttrell family at the Luttrell Castle (11). Born in 1894 and married to Edith Baldwin, he appears to have been in Dunster on the 1921 Census and by the time of this photograph, he and his wife were leasing the house called Mayfield in Cowbridge, the hamlet just northeast of Timberscombe (12). Charlie Baldwin served as an officer for the Timberscombe Home Guard.
JOSEPH MARK (JOE) WILLIAMS / CARHAMPTON--fifth man, front row. An electrical wireman, born in 1895, Joe Williams' parents were living at Rodhuish when he was baptised at Carhampton (13). In 1929 he married Elsie Elizabeth Lockey, originally from Cirencester, Gloucestershire and at the time of this photograph, they lived at Pinhay on Main Road in Carhampton (14). Mr. Williams passed away in 1982 (15).
UNIDENTIFIED--the gentleman standing directly behind and between Mr.Baldwin and Mr. Williams.
RAYMOND SAMUEL ESCOTT / CARHAMPTON--sixth man, front row. Raymond Escott was born in Minehead in 1899 and in 1923 married Ethel Kate Parker, also born in Minehead (16). By the outbreak of war, they lived at Oak Cottage, the 16th century house on Vicarage Street in Carhampton (later divided into Oak and Kildare Cottages) from where Mr. Escott worked as a Baker's Roundsman (17)--the fellow who made the deliveries. He passed away at Taunton in 1971 (18).
JAMES CHARLES (JIM) DOWNER / CARHAMPTON--seventh man, front row. Born in 1904, Jim Downer married Beatrice Lilian Victoria Rottenburg Cooke at Carhampton in 1928 (19). At the time of this photograph they lived at 1 Council Cottage and Jim worked as a nurseryman at Fomate Farm where his father, Harry George Downer. was the foreman (20). The elder Mr. Downer, as well as George Downer, the son of Jim, also served with the Carhampton Home Guard (21). Jim Downer passed away in 1971 (22).
UNIDENTIFIED--the gentleman standing directly behind Mr. Escott and Mr. Downer.
KARL EDWIN MEDDICK / DUNSTER--eighth man, front row. Karl Meddick was born and baptised in 1911 at Dunster (23). In 1935, he married Violet Alice Davey and by 1939 they were living at 29 Conygar View, Marsh Road, with Karl working as a Builder's Carpenter (24). Mr. Meddick died at Taunton in 2003 (25).
DONALD STUART K. VAULTER / DUNSTER--ninth man, front row (on the right edge of the image). Donald Vaulter was born in 1916 to John and Mary (nee Jennings) Vaulter, who shortly afterwards farmed and owned Aville Farm, off of the Old Dunster Road (becoming the A396 in 1922), between Dunster and Timberscombe (26). Perhaps around the time of this photograph, Evelyn Joan Griffith, of Dunster, came to work as a Land Girl at Aville Farm. She and Donald were married in October 1946 and remained at Aville until their respective deaths in 2019 and 2003 (27).
THOMAS JOHN (TOM) BRYANT / DUNSTER--the man wearing spectacles directly behind Mr. Meddick and Mr. Vaulter. Tom Bryant was born in Old Cleeve in 1904 and in 1929 married Ivy R. Simons (28). By the 1939 England and Wales Register, they lived on Church Street in Dunster and Mr. Bryant worked as a Builder's Labourer. During his time in the Home Guard, Tom Bryant has been identified as a "bus conductor" (29). His aunt, Sarah Ann Bryant, passed away at Carhampton in 1954 and named him as a beneficiary and at that time his employment was specified as a "Service Vehicle Conductor" (30)". Thomas John Bryant was also buried in Carhampton at his death on the 11th of February 1984 (31).
UNIDENTIFIED--four gentlemen stand in what will be called a "third row" behind Tom Bryant and the two previously mentioned unidentified men to his left. The first two gentlemen on the left end of the third row are also unidentified.
either DUDLEY FRANK HUXTABLE / TIMBERSCOMBE or STANLEY GEORGE (STAN) LADD / DUNSTER--the third man in the third row, who can also be identified by two crossed sashes across his chest (unlike most men who only have one sash crossing from their left shoulder to their right waist). His identity is less clear as he has been identified both as Dudley Huxtable and Stan Ladd (32).
Dudley Huxtable was born in 1911, the son of Frank and Eva (nee Buttle) Huxtable of Brook Cottage on Brook Street, Timberscombe (33). In 1932 he married Grace Irene Cook, originally from Wiltshire (34). Their son, Maurice Huxtable, was born in 1932 and Dudley, Grace and Maurice moved into No. 3 Council Cottage, part of a cluster of new homes (later known as Meadow View) partially built by Frank Huxtable across the road from Brook Cottage (35). While also a carpenter, by 1939 Dudley's mother had purchased Cowbridge Mill and he was working for her as proprietor of the Cowbridge Petrol Garage, located at the mill, as well as operating petrol pumps at the motor spirit service station Eva Huxtable opened up in front of Brook Cottage (36), now renamed as Pump Cottage (and later called Tiki Cottage). If the man in this photograph is Dudley Huxtable, it was likely taken before 19 November 1942 when Dudley joined the Royal Army Ordnance Service (37). Dudley died in 1994 (38). Looking at other photographs taken in this time period, the gentleman in this photograph could be Dudley Huxtable (and perhaps that is why this framed photograph was found at Ye Olde Malthouse after the passing of his son, Maurice).
If instead, this Home Guard Volunteer is Stan Ladd, he was standing to the left of his father. The 4th man in the row is clearly Arthur Ladd (39). Stan Ladd was born in 1921 in Taunton, the son of Arthur and Ellen Ladd (40) . By the 1939 Register, Stan worked as a Farm Carter. In 1947, he married Betty Hirst in the Hudderfield District at West Riding, Yorkshire, remaining in that area until his death at South Crosland, Yorkshire in 1990 (41).
ARTHUR LADD / DUNSTER--Mr. Ladd was born at Hurley, Berkshire in 1893, the son of George and Mary Ann (nee Down) Ladd (42) . By the time Arthur was seven-years-old, the family was living on Water Street in Dunster, where George Ladd was a Plumber and Gas Fitter and Mary Ann (born in Wootton Courtenay) was a Midwife (43). Arthur became a Baker and married Ellen Maddock in the Taunton District in 1918 (44). By the 1939 Register, Arthur and Ellen Ladd and 18-year-old Stan Ladd had relocated to 35 Conygar View, Marsh Street (across the A39 on the "beach side" of Dunster). Arthur Ladd died in 1973 (45).
COLIN BISHOP WATTS / CARHAMPTON--the first man in the fourth row (his face is partially obscured by the cap of the man in front of him). Colin Watts was born in Oxfordshire in March 1911 but was in Carhampton to be baptised in May 1911 (46). He married Annie Lewis in 1936 (47) and by 1939 they were living at Thatch Cottage in Carhampton and Colin's profession was listed as a Clerks Builders Merchant. While in the Home Guard, he was described as a Stonemason (48). At the time of his death in October 1967, Colin Watts' address was Northcroft on 7 Church Close in Carhampton (49).
(likely) THOMAS EDWARD (TOM) ELFORD / TIMBERSCOMBE--second man in the fourth row. With his face also partly obscured, this gentleman is only identified as "Mr. Elford"(50) but is likely Tom Elford, born 31 December 1904 in Portsmouth, Hampshire. His family relocated to Timberscombe, living at Hole's Square (51) and in 1938, Tom Elford married Vera Lilian Travis (52). The newlyweds moved into Veradale Cottage on Duck Street (later renamed as Great House Street) where they stayed for the rest of their lives and are buried together at St. Petrock's. Mr. Elford died in 1992 (53).
(possibly) MR. CHAPMAN or WALTER SAMUEL GREGORY / TIMBERSCOMBE--third man in fourth row. This volunteer has been identified both as "Mr. Chapman" or "Walter Gregory" (54). He appears young and if he is "Mr. Chapman", a possibility is Robert Chapman, born in 1922 and who was working at Dunster Castle as a "Hall Boy"(the servant who assists the other servants) around the time of the photograph (55). Walter Gregory, also born in 1922, was the son of Herbert Gregory, a Sgt. Major of the Home Guard (56). In GROUP 4 of the enlarged excerpts of this photograph is another young man (who does look somewhat like the gentleman seen here), also identified possibly as Walter Gregory (and standing near an officer that is likely Herbert Gregory). Whoever the young man in the fourth row here is remains inconclusive.
ERNEST LAMBERT (ERNIE) RAY / TIMBERSCOMBE--fourth man in fourth row. Ernie Ray was born in 1911 at Eastbourne, Sussex and was baptised at Weston-on-Green, Oxfordshire, the son of Frederick Lambert and Edith (nee Brain) Ray (57). The family made its way to Somerset, living at Cutcombe and possibly Wheddon Cross, before purchasing The Old Mill at Timberscombe in 1925 (58). At the outbreak of the war, Ernie also enlisted with the Medical Corp, where he served until 1947 (59). He married Kathleen Mary Prole of Timberscombe in 1941 (60), both remaining at The Old Mill until their deaths, respectively in 1998 and 1994. They are buried at St. Petrock's (61).
THOMAS W. (TOM) THRUSH / CARHAMPTON--first man on the fifth row. Tom was a grocery roundsman, born in 1921 to Charles William Waters Thrush and Caroline Millie (nee Farmer) Thrush. Both son and father served with the Carhampton Home Guard (62).
EDWIN (BERT) GUNTER / CARHAMPTON--second man in the fifth row. Bert Gunter was born and baptised in Dulverton (63). In 1935 he married Minnie Irene Hawkins from Winsford (64). By the1939 Register, they lived at the Marshwood Cottages in Blue Anchor and Bert worked as a Farm Shepherd. Minnie died in 1973 at Sedgemoor where the couple had relocated and is where Bert Gunter passed away in 1990 (65).
UNIDENTIFIED-- the third gentleman in the fifth row
COLIN THOMAS POTTER / CARHAMPTON--fourth man in the fifth row. Colin Potter was born in Carhampton in 1923 and is where he worked as a baker (66). After the war, he married Frances Mary Jane Cozens (67). Sadly they had one daughter, Mary Rachel, born in 1959 but who died aged seven months. Colin died in 2007 and Frances died in 2012. They are buried together at St. John the Baptist, Carhampton, at a grave site where their daughter is depicted as an angel watching over them (68).
UNIDENTIFIED--the gentleman standing just behind the right side of Mr. Potter (and on the top right edge of the photograph) remains unidentified.
GROUP 2
(likely) BRIGADIER GENERAL FRANK STANIFORD THACKERAY-- When first formed, the Home Guard had no recognised military ranks. In November 1940, ranking came into use and listed as Commanding Officers of the No. 3 (Dunster) Company were "Major E.S. Collier" and "Brigadier Thackeray, D.S.O., M.C. "(Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross). The rank of "Brigadier" in the Home Guard signified a Zone Commander (69). In R. Kingsley Tayler's photograph, three senior officers are seated in front of all the other men (two officers are fully visible here). The gentleman seated on the left has been tentatively identified as "? Brig. Thackeray" and it seems very likely this is indeed Brigadier General Frank Staniford Thackeray, retired from the Royal Army (70). Born in Cardiff, Wales in 1880, by 1912 he serving as Lieutenant Thackeray, the year before he married Leila May Warner at South Farnborough, Surrey (71). On the 1939 England and Wales Register they were living at Ellicombe House, at Ellicombe, the hamlet between Dunster and Minehead. In this photograph, Brig. General Thackeray is likely a recent widower as Leila Thackeray died in 1941 and was buried at Grabbist Hill Cemetery in Dunster (72). In 1952, Thackeray married Barbara Gertrude Fair at Winchester, Hampshire (73). He died in 1960 and is buried with his second wife at Magdalen Cemetery in Winchester (74).
(likely) CAPTAIN REGINALD RALPH LIONEL (REG) JOHNSTON / CARHAMPTON--A "Captain" in the Home Guard was a Platoon Commander (75) and the second seated officer has been identified as Capt. Reg Johnston, who served alongside Capt. Francis G. Butterfield as 2nd in Command Officers of the No. 3 (Dunster) Company and Platoon Commanders of the Carhampton Home Guard (76). Reg Johnston was born in 1903 in Worcestershire and in 1935 married Dulcie Agnes Browning, born in Wandsworth, London (77). On the 1939 Register they were living at and farming Rowe Farm in Alcombe (in modern times Rowe Farm is actually in Ellicombe, the hamlet adjacent to Alcombe). At the time of Reg Johnston's death, his address was The Cottage in Carhampton, although he and his wife are buried at the Grabbist Hill Cemetery, nearby Rowe Farm (78).
UNIDENTIFIED--Unfortunately the very alert gentleman, the first fully seen man standing on the first row behind the seated officers, is not identified.
CORPORAL THOMAS GEORGE (TOMMY) WINTER / DUNSTER--second man on the front row, directly behind the possible Brigadier Thackeray. Tommy Winter was born December 1912 and baptised in Dunster (79). Tommy's father, Robert, died in 1931 and likely at the time of this photograph, Tommy was living with his mother, Helena and sisters, Ada and Margaret, at 2 West Cottages on West Street and was employed as a Builder's Carter (80). Tommy Winter passed away in 1992, when his address was 9 Mill Gardens, Dunster (81).
(likely) CAPTAIN FRANCIS GEORGE BUTTERFIELD / CARHAMPTON--third man on front row, standing behind Reg Johnston. Captain Butterfield has also been identified as the third seated officer (seen fully in GROUP 3), He is more likely this standing gentleman, who was also described as "gameskeeper" (82). Indeed he was --as was his father and older brother. Originally the Butterfield family was situated in Hertfordshire, where Francis was born in 1887 (83). He married Ethel Bridgment in Northamptonshire in 1920 (84) and by 1939, appropriately lived in Keeper's Cottage at New House, Carhampton, where his title was "Head Gamekeeper". Francis George Butterfield died in Exmoor in 1973 (85).
SERGEANT WILLIAM HAROLD DOWN / TIMBERSCOMBE--fourth man on front row (on the right edge of the photograph). Mr. Down was born in 1889 at Milton Abbot, Devon and by 1911 he worked as a butcher in Dunster (86). In 1916 he married Gertrude Mary Lyddon, who lived with and assisted her grandmother, Mary Lyddon, the Sub Post Mistress in Timberscombe (87). At the time of this photograph, William Harold and Gertrude Mary lived at No. 4 Council House on Bemberry Bank, on the western end of Timberscombe, where Mr. Down altered his employment to "Master Dairy Produce Salesman" (88). As "Sergeant", Mr. Down was a Section Commander in the Home Guard (89). He passed away in 1969. (90)
LIEUTENANT CORPORAL HAROLD WILLIAM LADD GILL / DUNSTER, first man on the second standing row, on the left edge of the photograph. Born in April 1914, Mr. Gill lived on Park Street in Dunster and worked as a "Garage Fitter of Heavy Vehicles" (91)--he does not look like that would be a problem. In 1938 and at Exmoor, he married Maud Tugwell, originally from Middlesex (92). Harold Gill lived until 1994, dying at Taunton Deane (93).
RONALD GEORGE (RON) MAY / DUNSTER--second man on the second standing row, immediately to the right of Mr. Gill. Ron May was born and baptised in 1903 at Wellington, Somerset (94). In 1925 he began work with the Great Western Railway, possibly living at Dunster then as the Dunster Railway Station was amalgamated with Great Western from 1874 to 1948 (95). At the time of his death in 1983, Mr. May was a neighbour to Tommy Winter, living at 5 Mill Gardens, Dunster (96).
UNIDENTIFIED-- Three young men are to the right of Mr. May, beginning with a tall gentleman immediately behind Tommy Winter. All three are not identified. There is a third row, starting with a younger man standing between and behind Harold Gill and Ron May. This younger man has two other young men to his right. None of these three are identified.
KENNETH WILLIAM (KEN) RADFORD / DUNSTER--a fourth row extends across the photograph behind the unidentified three young men. Third from the left, in the upper centre of the photograph, is one man standing slightly forward of the others in the fourth row. He has been identified as Ken Radford, born in 1924 (he looks a bit older). Mr. Radford was a farmworker (97) who lived on Marsh Street, across the A39. In 1958, Mr. Radford married Hilda J. Gilbert from Sussex and he passed away in 2002 at Chichester, Sussex (98).
(maybe) ROBERT YOUNG BARR / CARHAMPTON (or more likely) EDWIN JAMES (TED) GRIFFITH / TIMBERSCOMBE-- the second man in the fourth row, just to the left and a little bit behind Ken Radford, has been identified as being either Robert Young Barr, a farmer or Ted Griffith (99). Mr. Barr is a less likely candidate. Born in 1874, on the 1939 Register he was a "retired farmer", a single man, 65 years old and living with his sisters, 72-year-old Janet and 61-year-old Jeanie, at Townsend Farmhouse in the centre of Carhampton. He seems too old to be the man in this photograph. In 1952 Robert Young Barr was buried with his sisters at St. John the Baptist in Carhampton (100).
Ted Griffith was born and baptised at Exford in 1914, the son of Walter and Emily Griffith (101). On the 1939 Register he is listed as living at No. 2 Great House Street in Timberscombe, with his mother and sister, Ella. At the time, his profession was listed as "Gardener" but he is best remembered working as a cobbler, well into the 1960's when he continued living on his own at No. 2 --and being a regular on Saturday mornings around the corner at Lion Inn, a popular gathering time for local men who were busy during the week (102). Ted Griffith was also photographed at SP-335 with the Timberscombe Home Guard and certainly seems to be the same fellow seen here.
UNIDENTIFIED--The man standing on the left edge of the photograph, to the left of the likely Ted Griffith, is not identified. Nor are the other three men on the right end the fourth row (to the right of Ken Radford).
LIONEL JOHN BESLEY / CARHAMPTON --On the left top corner, Lionel Beasley is the first of four men in a fifth row, evenly spaced across the top of the GROUP 2 photograph. An Agricultural Labourer, born in February 1908 (103), Mr. Besley lived at 5 Council Cotts in Carhampton by the 1939 Register, having married Madeline Pike of Durleigh (near Bridgwater) two years earlier (104). At the time of his death in 1971, Lionel Besley's address was 39 Hillview Road in Carhampton (105).
UNIDENTIFIED--The second and fourth men in the fifth row are not identified.
FREDERICK JAMES (FRED) LUXTON / WHEDDON CROSS--the third man (not wearing a cap) in the fifth row. Fred Luxton was born in 1905 at Hampstead, London. His father, also Frederick James Luxton, was a Detective for the London Metropolitan Police, who had been born in Dulverton and his mother, Florence, was from Clatworthy, Somerset (106). The elder Fred Luxton died in 1932 and by 1939, the younger Fred Luxton was working as a Shepherd and Horseman at Lower House Farm in Wheddon Cross, living there with his mother, now incapacitated, and three younger sisters (107). During 1944 and in Exmoor, Luxton married Margaret E. Whitmore, an Estate Agent's Typist from Bath (108). Fred died at Taunton Deane in 1985 (109).
GROUP 3
(possibly) COLONEL E.R. CLAYTON--the man seated on the lower left corner of the photograph, the third of the three officers seated in front of the standing men. As stated in GROUP 2, it has been suggested that he is Capt. Francis G. Butterfield, who has also been identified as standing behind the three officers. Based on other photographs, the standing man appears to be Capt. Butterfield (110). Another source has this third seated officer identified as Colonel E.R. Clayton, C.M.G.,D.S.O. (Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, Distinguished Service Order), appointed the first commander of the 1st Somerset (Minehead) Battalion when formed in May 1940 (111).
SERGEANT FRANK PAGE ELTON BATES / CARHAMPTON-- the man in the first standing row, behind and just to the right of the seated officer. (The shorter man, standing on Bate's left and cropped by the left edge of the photograph, is Mr. Down, profiled in GROUP 2.) Elton Bates was born in 1899 at Allahabab, Uttar Pradesh, India and in 1922 was a Lieutenant in the Indian Army (112). In 1931 he married Peggy Doreen Phillips from Minehead (113). At the time of this photograph, they lived at Ringhouse on Park Lane, Carhampton where Sgt. Bates listed his occupation as "Nursery Glass House" and was also described as a "tomato farmer"(114). Ringhouse remained Mr. Bates address at the time of his death in 1977 (115).
SERGEANT HERBERT S. REED / DUNSTER-- Sgt. Reed is just to the right of Sgt. Bates, wearing spectacles and seemingly is the one gentleman not wearing a belt. Born in Cullompton, Devon in 1886, Reed served with the Dunster Home Guard, actually lived in Ellicombe and was the Managing Director and Paper Manufacturer at Watchet Paper Mills (116). In Devon, his father had also been a Paper Manufacturer (117). In 1949, Herbert and his wife, Eunice V. Reed sailed from Southhampton to Madeira, Portugal (118). A year later, Herbert S. Reed passed away while still living at their home in Ellicombe (119).
SERGEANT WILLIAM JAMES (JIMMY OR JIM) PARSONS / DUNSTER--the man just to the right of Sgt. Reed. Jimmy Parsons was born in Creech, St. Michael's, Cornwall in February 1903 (120). He married Ida Lilian Parsons at Wellington in 1926. Born and baptised in Milverton, Somerset, Ida had the same surname (121). They were living in Dunster at 16 Conygar View by the 1939 Register, where Jimmy Parsons was listed as "Bakers Roundsman Van Driver". During his time in the Home Guard, Mr. Parsons was also identified as a "garage worker" (122). At the time of his death in June 1989, Jimmy Parson's address was 11 Ethpark Grove, Taunton (123).
SERGEANT FREDERICK (FRED) WEBBER / CUTCOMBE--the man just to the right of Sgt. Parsons. It seems (almost) clear that this gentleman is Fred Webber, born in September 1882 and who worked as an Auxiliary Postman in Wheddon Cross and Cutcombe. He served with the Wheddon Cross Home Guard. At the time of this photograph, Mr. Webber lived at the house called Snowdon in Cutcombe, along with his sister, Edith Webber (124). It is also likely his middle initial was "D", possibly being Frederick Daniel Webber, who passed away in October 1954 when his address had become Lower House Farm, also in Cutcombe (125).
JACK JONES / DUNSTER--the tall younger looking man on the left end of the second row, standing behind and between Harold Down and Elton Bates. Jack Jones is identified as a "goods driver" and with his height is prominent in other photographs of the Dunster Home Guard. He played on a Skittles Team with Jim Parsons and Clifford Rowe (126), who are also depicted here. Unfortunately at this writing there are no personal details on Jack Jones. Being in Dunster, he could be Roydon Jones, born in West Monkton in 1910 but who lived on Park Street, Dunster from at least 1939 until his death in 1987 (127). He married Winifred D. Greedy in 1933 and worked as a Baker (128). "Roydon" could be a name where someone might prefer to be called "Jack". Jack Jones could also be a son or relation to Benjamin S. Jones, a Druggist and Chemist, his wife, Daisy, and their daughter, Phyllis, living at "Little House" on the High Street in Dunster (129)..
(possibly) MR RIDLEY--standing to the right of Jack Jones, the mustashioed gentleman has been identified as "Mr. Ridley" (130) but so far with no further details.
(likely) CLIFFORD JOHN ROWE / DUNSTER-the shorter man in the centre of the second row, just right of Mr. Ridley. This gentleman is identified (but with a question mark) as Clifford Rowe, a "Crown Estates worker" (131) . If so, he is likely Clifford John Rowe, born in 1924, living at No. 4 Conygar View on the 1939 Register with his father, also Clifford Rowe, a Builder's Labourer born in 1897 - seemingly too old to be the younger man pictured here. In 1939, Clifford John Rowe was listed as "News Agent Errand Boy"-- he was only 15 years old. Crown Estates are estates and/or lands that are the property of the current monarch and which are meant to generate income for the British government (132). There were three Crown Estates (Orchard Portman, Hestercombe and Chilworthy) in Taunton, where Clifford John Rowe moved to as an adult and where he passed away at the age of 90 in 2014 (133).
UNIDENTIFIED-to the right of Clifford Rowe is another tall man with a very young looking and shorter volunteer to his right. Between them is a man, whose face is partially obscured by Sgt. Fred Webber's cap. None of these three are identified.
KENNETH DUDLEY JOHN PARSONS / TIMBERSCOMBE--Almost on the right edge of the photograph and peering over the shoulder of the young unidentified boy is another volunteer looking even younger and shorter--and who is identified as Dudley Parsons, a bus driver born in Stogumber in 1908--making him possibly 35 years old here (134). Dudley Parsons is also pictured with the Timberscombe Home Guard at SP-335 and indeed this could be the same person, with a youthful round face that is a bit overexposed here. In 1928, Dudley Parsons was hired as a coach driver by the Wootton Courtenay Garage and two years later married Beatrice Agnes Baker of Wootton Courtenay (135). By the 1939 Register they lived at No. 2 Council House (later Meadow View) in Timberscombe, where Dudley died in September 2004, having just celebrated his 96th birthday (136).
ARTHUR JAMES WEBBER / WHEDDON CROSS--On the left edge of the photograph a previously unidentified young man is cropped, with a third row consisting of four men evenly spaced to his right. The first in the row is Arthur Webber, born at Cutcombe in 1917, the son of William and Elizabeth Ann (nee Baker) Webber (137). William Webber was a Master Tailor, living and working in 1939 at Dunkery View, next door to Exmoor House in the centre of Wheddon Cross. At that time Arthur and his older brother, Sydney John Webber, were living with their parents, listed as Farmers. Both young men served with the Wheddon Cross Home Guard (138). In 1947, Arthur Webber married Monica Mary Norah Kennelly, a nurse (139). Monica Webber died at Slade Corner, Cutcombe in 1993 (140) but her husband's death is not recorded.
CHARLES HENRY (HARRY) SIMONS / CARHAMPTON-the man to the right (and just a bit forward) of Arthur Webber. Remembered as "Harry" Simons, who worked as a shepherd, he was born as "Charles Henry" in Clatworthy, Somerset in late December 1907 (141). His father, Edwin, was a farm labourer and within a few years, the family was living and working at the Oakhampton Cottages at Wiveliscombe (142). Harry married Agnes Rosalyn Mary Parker of Carhampton in 1932 (143). By 1939 they were living at Sandhill, a house at Bilbrook which was the former manor house of Withycombe and where Harry Simons indeed worked as a shepherd (144). He passed away in 1991 and is buried with his wife at St. John the Baptist in Carhampton (145).
ERNEST CHARLES STOREY / DUNSTER-the third man in the third row (leaning a bit to his right). This gentleman has only been identified a "Mr. Storey, a railway ganger" (146) but is Ernest Charles Storey, born in Hillfarrance, Somerset in December 1912 and baptised there in January 1913. He was the son of William Storey, a lifelong railway linesman and Lucy Jane (nee Criddle) Storey (147). Ernest Charles married Muriel Balman early in 1939 (148) and they were living on Park Street, Dunster in the same year, where Mr. Storey was listed as a General Farm Labourer (149). His parents had also moved to Dunster and it appears Ernest Charles became a railway ganger, following in his father's footsteps. The elder Mr. Storey also served in the Dunster Home Guard (150) and is seen in GROUP 4. A ganger was responsible for the supervision and maintenance of a railway tracks (151), which Charles Ernest Storey would certainly have access to having relocated to Dunster. He died in 1982 (152).
UNIDENTIFIED--the fourth young man in the third row (leaning a bit toward Mr. Storey) is not identified.
KENNETH HEARD / WHEDDON CROSS--The man directly in front of the doorway, standing behind Charles Ernest Storey has been identified as Kenneth Heard , serving with the Wheddon Cross Home Guard (153). People with the surname "Heard" abound in Cutcombe and Wheddon Cross, but so far no one named "Kenneth" is obvious. At Hawkington Cottage in Cutcombe, the Labourer and Road Contractor, Thomas Heard and his wife, Lucy, had ten children, none named Kenneth and none of them known to have a child of that name --although several of the offspring have kept their names private (154). Kenneth Heard served in the Wheddon Cross Home Guard alongside a Harold Heard (155), possibly a brother. Perhaps he was the Harold Heard born in Dulverton in 1920, who did have a brother, yet who also chose to keep his identity private (156).
(likely) FRANCIS (FRANK) CHAPLIN / WHEDDON CROSS-the man standing to the right of Kenneth Heard, in front of the stone wall. Mr. Chaplin is likely Francis Chaplin, who was born 10 October 1912 and during the 1939 Register worked as a General Farm Worker for Thomas and Norah Pugsley at 5 Gammins Cottage in Cutcombe. It appears that Frank Chaplin died in1946, at the age of 33, in Exmoor, where his death certificate indicated a middle initial of "E" (157).
GROUP 4
UNIDENTIFIED-the first man in the first row has not been identified.
(possibly) CORPORAL SCUDAMORE (or likely) SERGEANT MAJOR HERBERT GREGORY / TIMBERSCOMBE--the centre man in the front row has been identified (with a question mark) as "Cpl. Scudamore" (158), with no other known details. He could also be Sergeant Major Herbert Gregory, also seen at SP-335 as an officer with the Timberscombe Home Guard. Although the gentleman pictured here is a bit overexposed, there is a strong resemblance apparent in the two photographs. Herbert Gregory was born in 1898 at Trull, near Taunton and in 1922 he married Frances Gladys Lily Ware at Taunton (159). At the time of this photograph, Gregory worked as the Head Gardener at Knowle Manor House on the northeastern edge of Timberscombe, with he and his family occupying the former gatehouse to the estate, known as South Lodge (160). Two younger men in this photograph have been identified as being Herbert Gregory's son, Walter Gregory, who worked with his father. One is the man seen here on the right end of the second row. The other possible Walter is the third man in the next to last row detailed in GROUP 1. Herbert Gregory was living in Cannington, Somerset at the time of his death in 1964 (161).
LIEUTENANT CORPORAL WILLIAM STOREY / DUNSTER--the third man standing in the front row. William Storey is the aforementioned father of Ernest Charles Storey, depicted in GROUP 3. He was born at Durston, Somerset in 1886, the son of George and Ann Maria (nee Ward) Storey (162). Railways ran through the Storey generations. In 1901, George was a ganger in Durston. When William married Lucy Jane Criddle in 1907 at Durston, on the license he was listed as a "Linesman" and by 1911, when he and his family were living in Hillfarrance, a "Platelayer". In 1939, having moved to Marsh Street in Dunster, William Story's job description was "GWR Permanent Way Maintenance Staff". "Permanent Way" was a term nationalised by Great Western Railway to promote the safety of railway tracks (163). As mentioned, Ernest Charles too became a ganger. William Storey passed away in 1962 (164).
UNIDENTIFIED--forming a second row, two unidentified men stand behind and over the left shoulders of the men likely to be Herbert Gregory and William Storey.
(possibly) WALTER SAMUEL GREGORY / TIMBERSCOMBE--the third man in the second row, on the right edge of the photograph. As stated, he has been identified (but with a question mark) as the gardener son, born at Taunton in 1922, of Sergeant Major Herbert Gregory--as is the other young man in GROUP 1 (who is also been identified as "Mr. Chapman"). Whichever one Walter may be, at the time of this photograph, he still lived with his father and mother, Frances Gladys Lily (nee Ware) Gregory at South Lodge, a former gatehouse to the Knowle Estate (165). In 1947, Walter married Dora Elizabeth H. Lane at Bridgwater (166). She died in 2000 and he died in 2004 and they are buried together at the Minehead Cemetery (167).
(possibly) OSSIE GOULD-- standing behind and to the left of the first unidentified man in the second row is a younger man who almost seems to be peering over the right shoulder of the unidentified first man in the first row. He is identified as Ossie Gould but with a question mark (168). "Ossie" is likely a nickname and ""Gould" is a common name in this area of West Somerset (on a league with "Webber" and "Heard"). A couple of possibilities: he could be Thomas G. Gould, born in 1918 and living on Park Street in Dunster, working as a Provisions Merchant and Lorry Driver or Francis John Gould, a Laundry Worker born in 1920 and who lived at Hole's Square in Timberscombe (169).
REG AYRES / WHEDDON CROSS--the man standing on the same level as Ossie Gould but to the right, with his head just past the right bottom corner of the window. He is identified as being "Reg Ayres", serving with the Wheddon Cross Home Guard, where he is pictured in other photographs (170). Unfortunately at the time of this writing, there is no further information on Mr. Ayres.
UNIDENTIFIED --two gentleman stand side by side, one level above Ossie Gould (with a drain pipe between them). The man on the left is not identified.
THOMAS FRANCES PRESTON / WHEDDON CROSS--the man to the right of the drain pipe and in front of the window. Thomas Preston was born 5 May 1905 in the Williton District. On the 1939 Register, he lived at Watercombe House, off the A396 as it approaches Wheddon Cross and on the slope of Cutcombe Hill. A mistake was made on the Register where Mr. Preston's profession should be listed. "Unpaid Domestic Duties" is written there---often a description of a wife in 1939. All other residents of Watercombe House are blacked out on the Register as "officially closed". However Mr. Preston's wife may have been "Marjorie Rash" (171). Thomas F. Preston died in Exmoor in 1958 (172),
GROUP 5
CYRIL COPP / TIMBERSCOMBE--the first man on the left end of the front row. Cyril Copp was born in 1918, the son of Walter John, a tailor and Elizabeth Ann (Bessie) Copp (173). Both families had long histories in the area, the Copp family primarily in Wootton Courtenay. Bessie was born into the Stenner family that had been in Timberscombe since at least 1658 (174). As a young man, Cyril Copp had trained as a house painter but like his father became a skilled tailor and draper, working at Hobb's, a tailor's shop in Dunster (175). By the time of this photograph, Cyril still lived with his parents at No. 5 Bemberry Bank in Timberscombe (176). Like his good friend, Dudley Huxtable, Cyril Copp may have been in the Home Guard only in the earlier years of the war, as he enlisted with the Black Watch of the Royal Regiment of Scotland (177). In 1954, Cyril married Brenda M. Quartley of Totterdown Farm (178). Cyril and Brenda Copp were buried together at St. Petrock's Churchyard, respectively in 2009 and 2012 (179).
(probably) FREDERICK EDGAR (FRED) NORMAN / WHEDDON CROSS--the second man in the front row. The son of Wifred Wesley and Lilian Joan (nee Norman--it was her maiden name as well) Norman, Fred Norman was born in 1917. Likely at the time he joined the Home Guard, Fred was employed as a shepherd and ploughman at Thorne Farm in Wheddon Cross (180). He may have been married for the first time at the age of 68, in West Somerset to a Lucy Staton, possibly prompting a move as Fred Norman passed away in 2002 at Brighton, Sussex (181).
JESSE WOODBERRY / DUNSTER--the third man in the front row. Jesse Woodberry was born in 1890 at Hockworthy, Somerset, near Tiverton, Devon (182). His early years are of interest as at the age of 8 months he lived in Cruwys Morchard, Devon with an agricultural labourer, Samuel Sharland and his wife, Mary (nee Hellier) Sharland. The infant was listed as a "Boarder " (183). At nine-years-old he was a "Visitor" with the Russell family at Hockwell, Devon (184). By 1911, 19-year old Jesse Woodberry was in Dunster, living on Park Street and working as a "Journeyman Baker", a job description he maintained for decades (185). Also in 1911, Jesse married Alice Maud Mitchell, eight years his senior (186) and by 1914, it appears that Jesse Woodberry and Alice Maud Woodberry were baptised at Dunster into the Church of England (187). From the beginning of World War I, Jesse served with the British Army (188). When the next war came and as pictured here, Jesse Woodbury joined the Home Guard while still working as a"Journeyman Baker", By then, he and Alice had relocated in Dunster to St. George's Row (189). At the time of his death in August, 1982, Jesse Woodberry was living at 66 North Croft in Williton (190).
(perhaps) DICK SCUDAMORE--the fourth man in the front row, on the bottom right corner of the photograph. It has been suggested (but with a question mark) that this man might "Dick Scudamore," an "AA patrolman" (191). Unfortunately at this time there is no confirmation of this or any known further details concerning this gentleman.
UNIDENTIFIED-- in a second row, a man is standing behind and between Cyril Copp and Fred Norman. Toward the bottom right of the photograph, another man stands behind Jesse Woodberry and the man who might be "Dick Scudamore". Neither of these men are identified.
RONALD (RON) SLADER / WHEDDON CROSS--on the upper left corner of the photograph is a man standing in front of the stone wall, more directly lined up behind Mr. Copp and with the volunteer, previously identified as Walter Samuel Gregory, in front of him, more to his left. He is Ron Slader, born in 1911 at Stoodleigh, Devon (192). At the time of this photograph, he still lived and worked with his parents, Harry and Emma (nee Bryant) Slader at 1 Vicarage Garden Cottage in Cutcombe. Ron Slader listed his occupations as General Farm Labourer and Tractor Driver (193). In 1948, Mr. Slader married Freda Dyer, who had worked as a Domestic Servant in Wootton Courtenay and was the daughter of Fred and Margaret (nee Farmer) Dyer, who had previously lived at the Old Forge in Timberscombe (194). Ron Slader died in 1976 (195).
Remembered now as "Dad's Army", these men (actually with a wide differential in ages) were instrumental in the coastal and air defence of West Somerset. In December 1944, they were disbanded and able to return to their regular life (196).
Ye Olde Malthouse was the longtime home of Maurice Huxtable, born in Timberscombe in 1932 and his wife, Mary Elizabeth (nee Palfrey). Mrs. Huxtable had passed away in July 2002 and Maurice died in July 2021. During the last few years of his life, Mr. Huxtable was a generous donor to the St. Petrock's History Group, sharing photographs of his village and the people he had known. The workmen who recovered this picture immediately took it to Peter Bright who lived next door to Ye Olde Malthouse, who took it around the corner to Tom Sperling, archivist of the History Group. Sperling contacted Marion (nee Huxtable) Fewlass, the daughter of Maurice Huxtable. Marion, her sister Maureen and brother, Ian, who had grown up in Ye Olde Malthouse, decided that the framed photograph would remain with the St. Petrock's History Group. Needless to say the History Group is grateful to all three siblings, Mr. Bright and also the workmen. It could have so easily been thrown away. (In 2023, as the renovations continued the name of Ye Olde Malthouse was altered to The Old Malt House.)
The officers and men in the photograph are members of the No. 3 (Dunster) Company of the Minehead Battalion, one of eight Home Guard corps formed across southwest Britain after the invasion of France by the Germans in June 1940. Nearby harbours, including Bridgwater, Watchet and Minehead, were considered vulnerable and if taken could become a springboard for inland advances. Airborne landings seemed possible on Exmoor and the Brendon Hills. In particular, invasions by both sea and air could occur at Blue Anchor and Porlock Bay. On the 14th of May 1940, Anthony Eden, the Secretary of State, appealed for volunteers. The Somerset Coast Defence Scheme deemed 11,500 officers and soldiers would be needed to protect this part of Britain, of which 6,800 would have to be Home Guard volunteers (2), men aged from 17 to 65, above or below the age of subscription or those declared ineligible for actual service.
By the end of June one and a half million men had signed up to serve in the nation's Home Guard (at first called the Local Defence Volunteers). At that time 400 men were in the No. 3 (Dunster) unit. Most continued their regular day jobs whilst they trained, drilled, guarded the coast day and night and learned the duties of being a soldier (3).
SP-335 is also an R. Kingsley Tayler photograph of a smaller group, members of the Timberscombe Platoon of the Home Guard, taken at the same location as this photograph which is on the Castle Drive at the Luttrell Castle, Dunster. The castle stables are on the right (later becoming the National Trust gift shop). Some of those Timberscombe volunteers are also in this photograph. Other residents of the village only appear with the larger group. As it is virtually impossible to pick out individuals from the upper photograph, under it are five enlarged sections, hopefully making it easier to identify a particular person. (Also if viewing on a computer, clicking any of the photographs with the browser should enlarge the image to fill the screen .) The enlargements, numbered 1 to 5, depict the men, from left to the right of Lt. Kingsley's photograph:
GROUP 1
CORPORAL ALBERT (BERT) STEVENS / TIMBERSCOMBE--starting on the bottom left corner, the first gentleman on the front row. Bert Stevens was born in 1889 at Cutcombe and in 1911 married Alice Vellacott of Wootton Courtney (4). By the time of this photograph, they lived at Knacker's Hole (later Pero Cottage) on Harwood Lane, southwest of Timberscombe, where Stevens worked as a farmer and shephard (5). An avid bellringer, Bert Stevens died in 1973 and is buried with his wife at St. Petrock's Churchyard, Timberscombe (6).
BILL BAWLER-- second man, front row. At the time of this writing , Mr. Bawler is identified but his details are not known (7).
CORPORAL JAMES JEFFERY / TIMBERSCOMBE--third man, front row, facing right. Born in 1878, James Jeffery was a bricklayer, a journeyman and a minister and preacher at Timberscombe's Methodist Chapel (8). He married Emma Williams, who operated a "Boots, Shoes and Fancy Goods Shop" at No. 2 Jubilee Terrace (later becoming No. 3). Mr. Jeffery is likely a widower in this photograph as Emma died in 1940 (9). He continued to run the shop, more as a general store renamed "Jeffery's" and served on the Board of Governors for Timberscombe School until his passing in May 1953 (10).
CORPORAL CHARLES (CHARLIE) BALDWIN / TIMBERSCOMBE--fourth man, front row, facing forward. Charlie Baldwin would be very aware of the setting of this photograph as he was the head gardener for the Luttrell family at the Luttrell Castle (11). Born in 1894 and married to Edith Baldwin, he appears to have been in Dunster on the 1921 Census and by the time of this photograph, he and his wife were leasing the house called Mayfield in Cowbridge, the hamlet just northeast of Timberscombe (12). Charlie Baldwin served as an officer for the Timberscombe Home Guard.
JOSEPH MARK (JOE) WILLIAMS / CARHAMPTON--fifth man, front row. An electrical wireman, born in 1895, Joe Williams' parents were living at Rodhuish when he was baptised at Carhampton (13). In 1929 he married Elsie Elizabeth Lockey, originally from Cirencester, Gloucestershire and at the time of this photograph, they lived at Pinhay on Main Road in Carhampton (14). Mr. Williams passed away in 1982 (15).
UNIDENTIFIED--the gentleman standing directly behind and between Mr.Baldwin and Mr. Williams.
RAYMOND SAMUEL ESCOTT / CARHAMPTON--sixth man, front row. Raymond Escott was born in Minehead in 1899 and in 1923 married Ethel Kate Parker, also born in Minehead (16). By the outbreak of war, they lived at Oak Cottage, the 16th century house on Vicarage Street in Carhampton (later divided into Oak and Kildare Cottages) from where Mr. Escott worked as a Baker's Roundsman (17)--the fellow who made the deliveries. He passed away at Taunton in 1971 (18).
JAMES CHARLES (JIM) DOWNER / CARHAMPTON--seventh man, front row. Born in 1904, Jim Downer married Beatrice Lilian Victoria Rottenburg Cooke at Carhampton in 1928 (19). At the time of this photograph they lived at 1 Council Cottage and Jim worked as a nurseryman at Fomate Farm where his father, Harry George Downer. was the foreman (20). The elder Mr. Downer, as well as George Downer, the son of Jim, also served with the Carhampton Home Guard (21). Jim Downer passed away in 1971 (22).
UNIDENTIFIED--the gentleman standing directly behind Mr. Escott and Mr. Downer.
KARL EDWIN MEDDICK / DUNSTER--eighth man, front row. Karl Meddick was born and baptised in 1911 at Dunster (23). In 1935, he married Violet Alice Davey and by 1939 they were living at 29 Conygar View, Marsh Road, with Karl working as a Builder's Carpenter (24). Mr. Meddick died at Taunton in 2003 (25).
DONALD STUART K. VAULTER / DUNSTER--ninth man, front row (on the right edge of the image). Donald Vaulter was born in 1916 to John and Mary (nee Jennings) Vaulter, who shortly afterwards farmed and owned Aville Farm, off of the Old Dunster Road (becoming the A396 in 1922), between Dunster and Timberscombe (26). Perhaps around the time of this photograph, Evelyn Joan Griffith, of Dunster, came to work as a Land Girl at Aville Farm. She and Donald were married in October 1946 and remained at Aville until their respective deaths in 2019 and 2003 (27).
THOMAS JOHN (TOM) BRYANT / DUNSTER--the man wearing spectacles directly behind Mr. Meddick and Mr. Vaulter. Tom Bryant was born in Old Cleeve in 1904 and in 1929 married Ivy R. Simons (28). By the 1939 England and Wales Register, they lived on Church Street in Dunster and Mr. Bryant worked as a Builder's Labourer. During his time in the Home Guard, Tom Bryant has been identified as a "bus conductor" (29). His aunt, Sarah Ann Bryant, passed away at Carhampton in 1954 and named him as a beneficiary and at that time his employment was specified as a "Service Vehicle Conductor" (30)". Thomas John Bryant was also buried in Carhampton at his death on the 11th of February 1984 (31).
UNIDENTIFIED--four gentlemen stand in what will be called a "third row" behind Tom Bryant and the two previously mentioned unidentified men to his left. The first two gentlemen on the left end of the third row are also unidentified.
either DUDLEY FRANK HUXTABLE / TIMBERSCOMBE or STANLEY GEORGE (STAN) LADD / DUNSTER--the third man in the third row, who can also be identified by two crossed sashes across his chest (unlike most men who only have one sash crossing from their left shoulder to their right waist). His identity is less clear as he has been identified both as Dudley Huxtable and Stan Ladd (32).
Dudley Huxtable was born in 1911, the son of Frank and Eva (nee Buttle) Huxtable of Brook Cottage on Brook Street, Timberscombe (33). In 1932 he married Grace Irene Cook, originally from Wiltshire (34). Their son, Maurice Huxtable, was born in 1932 and Dudley, Grace and Maurice moved into No. 3 Council Cottage, part of a cluster of new homes (later known as Meadow View) partially built by Frank Huxtable across the road from Brook Cottage (35). While also a carpenter, by 1939 Dudley's mother had purchased Cowbridge Mill and he was working for her as proprietor of the Cowbridge Petrol Garage, located at the mill, as well as operating petrol pumps at the motor spirit service station Eva Huxtable opened up in front of Brook Cottage (36), now renamed as Pump Cottage (and later called Tiki Cottage). If the man in this photograph is Dudley Huxtable, it was likely taken before 19 November 1942 when Dudley joined the Royal Army Ordnance Service (37). Dudley died in 1994 (38). Looking at other photographs taken in this time period, the gentleman in this photograph could be Dudley Huxtable (and perhaps that is why this framed photograph was found at Ye Olde Malthouse after the passing of his son, Maurice).
If instead, this Home Guard Volunteer is Stan Ladd, he was standing to the left of his father. The 4th man in the row is clearly Arthur Ladd (39). Stan Ladd was born in 1921 in Taunton, the son of Arthur and Ellen Ladd (40) . By the 1939 Register, Stan worked as a Farm Carter. In 1947, he married Betty Hirst in the Hudderfield District at West Riding, Yorkshire, remaining in that area until his death at South Crosland, Yorkshire in 1990 (41).
ARTHUR LADD / DUNSTER--Mr. Ladd was born at Hurley, Berkshire in 1893, the son of George and Mary Ann (nee Down) Ladd (42) . By the time Arthur was seven-years-old, the family was living on Water Street in Dunster, where George Ladd was a Plumber and Gas Fitter and Mary Ann (born in Wootton Courtenay) was a Midwife (43). Arthur became a Baker and married Ellen Maddock in the Taunton District in 1918 (44). By the 1939 Register, Arthur and Ellen Ladd and 18-year-old Stan Ladd had relocated to 35 Conygar View, Marsh Street (across the A39 on the "beach side" of Dunster). Arthur Ladd died in 1973 (45).
COLIN BISHOP WATTS / CARHAMPTON--the first man in the fourth row (his face is partially obscured by the cap of the man in front of him). Colin Watts was born in Oxfordshire in March 1911 but was in Carhampton to be baptised in May 1911 (46). He married Annie Lewis in 1936 (47) and by 1939 they were living at Thatch Cottage in Carhampton and Colin's profession was listed as a Clerks Builders Merchant. While in the Home Guard, he was described as a Stonemason (48). At the time of his death in October 1967, Colin Watts' address was Northcroft on 7 Church Close in Carhampton (49).
(likely) THOMAS EDWARD (TOM) ELFORD / TIMBERSCOMBE--second man in the fourth row. With his face also partly obscured, this gentleman is only identified as "Mr. Elford"(50) but is likely Tom Elford, born 31 December 1904 in Portsmouth, Hampshire. His family relocated to Timberscombe, living at Hole's Square (51) and in 1938, Tom Elford married Vera Lilian Travis (52). The newlyweds moved into Veradale Cottage on Duck Street (later renamed as Great House Street) where they stayed for the rest of their lives and are buried together at St. Petrock's. Mr. Elford died in 1992 (53).
(possibly) MR. CHAPMAN or WALTER SAMUEL GREGORY / TIMBERSCOMBE--third man in fourth row. This volunteer has been identified both as "Mr. Chapman" or "Walter Gregory" (54). He appears young and if he is "Mr. Chapman", a possibility is Robert Chapman, born in 1922 and who was working at Dunster Castle as a "Hall Boy"(the servant who assists the other servants) around the time of the photograph (55). Walter Gregory, also born in 1922, was the son of Herbert Gregory, a Sgt. Major of the Home Guard (56). In GROUP 4 of the enlarged excerpts of this photograph is another young man (who does look somewhat like the gentleman seen here), also identified possibly as Walter Gregory (and standing near an officer that is likely Herbert Gregory). Whoever the young man in the fourth row here is remains inconclusive.
ERNEST LAMBERT (ERNIE) RAY / TIMBERSCOMBE--fourth man in fourth row. Ernie Ray was born in 1911 at Eastbourne, Sussex and was baptised at Weston-on-Green, Oxfordshire, the son of Frederick Lambert and Edith (nee Brain) Ray (57). The family made its way to Somerset, living at Cutcombe and possibly Wheddon Cross, before purchasing The Old Mill at Timberscombe in 1925 (58). At the outbreak of the war, Ernie also enlisted with the Medical Corp, where he served until 1947 (59). He married Kathleen Mary Prole of Timberscombe in 1941 (60), both remaining at The Old Mill until their deaths, respectively in 1998 and 1994. They are buried at St. Petrock's (61).
THOMAS W. (TOM) THRUSH / CARHAMPTON--first man on the fifth row. Tom was a grocery roundsman, born in 1921 to Charles William Waters Thrush and Caroline Millie (nee Farmer) Thrush. Both son and father served with the Carhampton Home Guard (62).
EDWIN (BERT) GUNTER / CARHAMPTON--second man in the fifth row. Bert Gunter was born and baptised in Dulverton (63). In 1935 he married Minnie Irene Hawkins from Winsford (64). By the1939 Register, they lived at the Marshwood Cottages in Blue Anchor and Bert worked as a Farm Shepherd. Minnie died in 1973 at Sedgemoor where the couple had relocated and is where Bert Gunter passed away in 1990 (65).
UNIDENTIFIED-- the third gentleman in the fifth row
COLIN THOMAS POTTER / CARHAMPTON--fourth man in the fifth row. Colin Potter was born in Carhampton in 1923 and is where he worked as a baker (66). After the war, he married Frances Mary Jane Cozens (67). Sadly they had one daughter, Mary Rachel, born in 1959 but who died aged seven months. Colin died in 2007 and Frances died in 2012. They are buried together at St. John the Baptist, Carhampton, at a grave site where their daughter is depicted as an angel watching over them (68).
UNIDENTIFIED--the gentleman standing just behind the right side of Mr. Potter (and on the top right edge of the photograph) remains unidentified.
GROUP 2
(likely) BRIGADIER GENERAL FRANK STANIFORD THACKERAY-- When first formed, the Home Guard had no recognised military ranks. In November 1940, ranking came into use and listed as Commanding Officers of the No. 3 (Dunster) Company were "Major E.S. Collier" and "Brigadier Thackeray, D.S.O., M.C. "(Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross). The rank of "Brigadier" in the Home Guard signified a Zone Commander (69). In R. Kingsley Tayler's photograph, three senior officers are seated in front of all the other men (two officers are fully visible here). The gentleman seated on the left has been tentatively identified as "? Brig. Thackeray" and it seems very likely this is indeed Brigadier General Frank Staniford Thackeray, retired from the Royal Army (70). Born in Cardiff, Wales in 1880, by 1912 he serving as Lieutenant Thackeray, the year before he married Leila May Warner at South Farnborough, Surrey (71). On the 1939 England and Wales Register they were living at Ellicombe House, at Ellicombe, the hamlet between Dunster and Minehead. In this photograph, Brig. General Thackeray is likely a recent widower as Leila Thackeray died in 1941 and was buried at Grabbist Hill Cemetery in Dunster (72). In 1952, Thackeray married Barbara Gertrude Fair at Winchester, Hampshire (73). He died in 1960 and is buried with his second wife at Magdalen Cemetery in Winchester (74).
(likely) CAPTAIN REGINALD RALPH LIONEL (REG) JOHNSTON / CARHAMPTON--A "Captain" in the Home Guard was a Platoon Commander (75) and the second seated officer has been identified as Capt. Reg Johnston, who served alongside Capt. Francis G. Butterfield as 2nd in Command Officers of the No. 3 (Dunster) Company and Platoon Commanders of the Carhampton Home Guard (76). Reg Johnston was born in 1903 in Worcestershire and in 1935 married Dulcie Agnes Browning, born in Wandsworth, London (77). On the 1939 Register they were living at and farming Rowe Farm in Alcombe (in modern times Rowe Farm is actually in Ellicombe, the hamlet adjacent to Alcombe). At the time of Reg Johnston's death, his address was The Cottage in Carhampton, although he and his wife are buried at the Grabbist Hill Cemetery, nearby Rowe Farm (78).
UNIDENTIFIED--Unfortunately the very alert gentleman, the first fully seen man standing on the first row behind the seated officers, is not identified.
CORPORAL THOMAS GEORGE (TOMMY) WINTER / DUNSTER--second man on the front row, directly behind the possible Brigadier Thackeray. Tommy Winter was born December 1912 and baptised in Dunster (79). Tommy's father, Robert, died in 1931 and likely at the time of this photograph, Tommy was living with his mother, Helena and sisters, Ada and Margaret, at 2 West Cottages on West Street and was employed as a Builder's Carter (80). Tommy Winter passed away in 1992, when his address was 9 Mill Gardens, Dunster (81).
(likely) CAPTAIN FRANCIS GEORGE BUTTERFIELD / CARHAMPTON--third man on front row, standing behind Reg Johnston. Captain Butterfield has also been identified as the third seated officer (seen fully in GROUP 3), He is more likely this standing gentleman, who was also described as "gameskeeper" (82). Indeed he was --as was his father and older brother. Originally the Butterfield family was situated in Hertfordshire, where Francis was born in 1887 (83). He married Ethel Bridgment in Northamptonshire in 1920 (84) and by 1939, appropriately lived in Keeper's Cottage at New House, Carhampton, where his title was "Head Gamekeeper". Francis George Butterfield died in Exmoor in 1973 (85).
SERGEANT WILLIAM HAROLD DOWN / TIMBERSCOMBE--fourth man on front row (on the right edge of the photograph). Mr. Down was born in 1889 at Milton Abbot, Devon and by 1911 he worked as a butcher in Dunster (86). In 1916 he married Gertrude Mary Lyddon, who lived with and assisted her grandmother, Mary Lyddon, the Sub Post Mistress in Timberscombe (87). At the time of this photograph, William Harold and Gertrude Mary lived at No. 4 Council House on Bemberry Bank, on the western end of Timberscombe, where Mr. Down altered his employment to "Master Dairy Produce Salesman" (88). As "Sergeant", Mr. Down was a Section Commander in the Home Guard (89). He passed away in 1969. (90)
LIEUTENANT CORPORAL HAROLD WILLIAM LADD GILL / DUNSTER, first man on the second standing row, on the left edge of the photograph. Born in April 1914, Mr. Gill lived on Park Street in Dunster and worked as a "Garage Fitter of Heavy Vehicles" (91)--he does not look like that would be a problem. In 1938 and at Exmoor, he married Maud Tugwell, originally from Middlesex (92). Harold Gill lived until 1994, dying at Taunton Deane (93).
RONALD GEORGE (RON) MAY / DUNSTER--second man on the second standing row, immediately to the right of Mr. Gill. Ron May was born and baptised in 1903 at Wellington, Somerset (94). In 1925 he began work with the Great Western Railway, possibly living at Dunster then as the Dunster Railway Station was amalgamated with Great Western from 1874 to 1948 (95). At the time of his death in 1983, Mr. May was a neighbour to Tommy Winter, living at 5 Mill Gardens, Dunster (96).
UNIDENTIFIED-- Three young men are to the right of Mr. May, beginning with a tall gentleman immediately behind Tommy Winter. All three are not identified. There is a third row, starting with a younger man standing between and behind Harold Gill and Ron May. This younger man has two other young men to his right. None of these three are identified.
KENNETH WILLIAM (KEN) RADFORD / DUNSTER--a fourth row extends across the photograph behind the unidentified three young men. Third from the left, in the upper centre of the photograph, is one man standing slightly forward of the others in the fourth row. He has been identified as Ken Radford, born in 1924 (he looks a bit older). Mr. Radford was a farmworker (97) who lived on Marsh Street, across the A39. In 1958, Mr. Radford married Hilda J. Gilbert from Sussex and he passed away in 2002 at Chichester, Sussex (98).
(maybe) ROBERT YOUNG BARR / CARHAMPTON (or more likely) EDWIN JAMES (TED) GRIFFITH / TIMBERSCOMBE-- the second man in the fourth row, just to the left and a little bit behind Ken Radford, has been identified as being either Robert Young Barr, a farmer or Ted Griffith (99). Mr. Barr is a less likely candidate. Born in 1874, on the 1939 Register he was a "retired farmer", a single man, 65 years old and living with his sisters, 72-year-old Janet and 61-year-old Jeanie, at Townsend Farmhouse in the centre of Carhampton. He seems too old to be the man in this photograph. In 1952 Robert Young Barr was buried with his sisters at St. John the Baptist in Carhampton (100).
Ted Griffith was born and baptised at Exford in 1914, the son of Walter and Emily Griffith (101). On the 1939 Register he is listed as living at No. 2 Great House Street in Timberscombe, with his mother and sister, Ella. At the time, his profession was listed as "Gardener" but he is best remembered working as a cobbler, well into the 1960's when he continued living on his own at No. 2 --and being a regular on Saturday mornings around the corner at Lion Inn, a popular gathering time for local men who were busy during the week (102). Ted Griffith was also photographed at SP-335 with the Timberscombe Home Guard and certainly seems to be the same fellow seen here.
UNIDENTIFIED--The man standing on the left edge of the photograph, to the left of the likely Ted Griffith, is not identified. Nor are the other three men on the right end the fourth row (to the right of Ken Radford).
LIONEL JOHN BESLEY / CARHAMPTON --On the left top corner, Lionel Beasley is the first of four men in a fifth row, evenly spaced across the top of the GROUP 2 photograph. An Agricultural Labourer, born in February 1908 (103), Mr. Besley lived at 5 Council Cotts in Carhampton by the 1939 Register, having married Madeline Pike of Durleigh (near Bridgwater) two years earlier (104). At the time of his death in 1971, Lionel Besley's address was 39 Hillview Road in Carhampton (105).
UNIDENTIFIED--The second and fourth men in the fifth row are not identified.
FREDERICK JAMES (FRED) LUXTON / WHEDDON CROSS--the third man (not wearing a cap) in the fifth row. Fred Luxton was born in 1905 at Hampstead, London. His father, also Frederick James Luxton, was a Detective for the London Metropolitan Police, who had been born in Dulverton and his mother, Florence, was from Clatworthy, Somerset (106). The elder Fred Luxton died in 1932 and by 1939, the younger Fred Luxton was working as a Shepherd and Horseman at Lower House Farm in Wheddon Cross, living there with his mother, now incapacitated, and three younger sisters (107). During 1944 and in Exmoor, Luxton married Margaret E. Whitmore, an Estate Agent's Typist from Bath (108). Fred died at Taunton Deane in 1985 (109).
GROUP 3
(possibly) COLONEL E.R. CLAYTON--the man seated on the lower left corner of the photograph, the third of the three officers seated in front of the standing men. As stated in GROUP 2, it has been suggested that he is Capt. Francis G. Butterfield, who has also been identified as standing behind the three officers. Based on other photographs, the standing man appears to be Capt. Butterfield (110). Another source has this third seated officer identified as Colonel E.R. Clayton, C.M.G.,D.S.O. (Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, Distinguished Service Order), appointed the first commander of the 1st Somerset (Minehead) Battalion when formed in May 1940 (111).
SERGEANT FRANK PAGE ELTON BATES / CARHAMPTON-- the man in the first standing row, behind and just to the right of the seated officer. (The shorter man, standing on Bate's left and cropped by the left edge of the photograph, is Mr. Down, profiled in GROUP 2.) Elton Bates was born in 1899 at Allahabab, Uttar Pradesh, India and in 1922 was a Lieutenant in the Indian Army (112). In 1931 he married Peggy Doreen Phillips from Minehead (113). At the time of this photograph, they lived at Ringhouse on Park Lane, Carhampton where Sgt. Bates listed his occupation as "Nursery Glass House" and was also described as a "tomato farmer"(114). Ringhouse remained Mr. Bates address at the time of his death in 1977 (115).
SERGEANT HERBERT S. REED / DUNSTER-- Sgt. Reed is just to the right of Sgt. Bates, wearing spectacles and seemingly is the one gentleman not wearing a belt. Born in Cullompton, Devon in 1886, Reed served with the Dunster Home Guard, actually lived in Ellicombe and was the Managing Director and Paper Manufacturer at Watchet Paper Mills (116). In Devon, his father had also been a Paper Manufacturer (117). In 1949, Herbert and his wife, Eunice V. Reed sailed from Southhampton to Madeira, Portugal (118). A year later, Herbert S. Reed passed away while still living at their home in Ellicombe (119).
SERGEANT WILLIAM JAMES (JIMMY OR JIM) PARSONS / DUNSTER--the man just to the right of Sgt. Reed. Jimmy Parsons was born in Creech, St. Michael's, Cornwall in February 1903 (120). He married Ida Lilian Parsons at Wellington in 1926. Born and baptised in Milverton, Somerset, Ida had the same surname (121). They were living in Dunster at 16 Conygar View by the 1939 Register, where Jimmy Parsons was listed as "Bakers Roundsman Van Driver". During his time in the Home Guard, Mr. Parsons was also identified as a "garage worker" (122). At the time of his death in June 1989, Jimmy Parson's address was 11 Ethpark Grove, Taunton (123).
SERGEANT FREDERICK (FRED) WEBBER / CUTCOMBE--the man just to the right of Sgt. Parsons. It seems (almost) clear that this gentleman is Fred Webber, born in September 1882 and who worked as an Auxiliary Postman in Wheddon Cross and Cutcombe. He served with the Wheddon Cross Home Guard. At the time of this photograph, Mr. Webber lived at the house called Snowdon in Cutcombe, along with his sister, Edith Webber (124). It is also likely his middle initial was "D", possibly being Frederick Daniel Webber, who passed away in October 1954 when his address had become Lower House Farm, also in Cutcombe (125).
JACK JONES / DUNSTER--the tall younger looking man on the left end of the second row, standing behind and between Harold Down and Elton Bates. Jack Jones is identified as a "goods driver" and with his height is prominent in other photographs of the Dunster Home Guard. He played on a Skittles Team with Jim Parsons and Clifford Rowe (126), who are also depicted here. Unfortunately at this writing there are no personal details on Jack Jones. Being in Dunster, he could be Roydon Jones, born in West Monkton in 1910 but who lived on Park Street, Dunster from at least 1939 until his death in 1987 (127). He married Winifred D. Greedy in 1933 and worked as a Baker (128). "Roydon" could be a name where someone might prefer to be called "Jack". Jack Jones could also be a son or relation to Benjamin S. Jones, a Druggist and Chemist, his wife, Daisy, and their daughter, Phyllis, living at "Little House" on the High Street in Dunster (129)..
(possibly) MR RIDLEY--standing to the right of Jack Jones, the mustashioed gentleman has been identified as "Mr. Ridley" (130) but so far with no further details.
(likely) CLIFFORD JOHN ROWE / DUNSTER-the shorter man in the centre of the second row, just right of Mr. Ridley. This gentleman is identified (but with a question mark) as Clifford Rowe, a "Crown Estates worker" (131) . If so, he is likely Clifford John Rowe, born in 1924, living at No. 4 Conygar View on the 1939 Register with his father, also Clifford Rowe, a Builder's Labourer born in 1897 - seemingly too old to be the younger man pictured here. In 1939, Clifford John Rowe was listed as "News Agent Errand Boy"-- he was only 15 years old. Crown Estates are estates and/or lands that are the property of the current monarch and which are meant to generate income for the British government (132). There were three Crown Estates (Orchard Portman, Hestercombe and Chilworthy) in Taunton, where Clifford John Rowe moved to as an adult and where he passed away at the age of 90 in 2014 (133).
UNIDENTIFIED-to the right of Clifford Rowe is another tall man with a very young looking and shorter volunteer to his right. Between them is a man, whose face is partially obscured by Sgt. Fred Webber's cap. None of these three are identified.
KENNETH DUDLEY JOHN PARSONS / TIMBERSCOMBE--Almost on the right edge of the photograph and peering over the shoulder of the young unidentified boy is another volunteer looking even younger and shorter--and who is identified as Dudley Parsons, a bus driver born in Stogumber in 1908--making him possibly 35 years old here (134). Dudley Parsons is also pictured with the Timberscombe Home Guard at SP-335 and indeed this could be the same person, with a youthful round face that is a bit overexposed here. In 1928, Dudley Parsons was hired as a coach driver by the Wootton Courtenay Garage and two years later married Beatrice Agnes Baker of Wootton Courtenay (135). By the 1939 Register they lived at No. 2 Council House (later Meadow View) in Timberscombe, where Dudley died in September 2004, having just celebrated his 96th birthday (136).
ARTHUR JAMES WEBBER / WHEDDON CROSS--On the left edge of the photograph a previously unidentified young man is cropped, with a third row consisting of four men evenly spaced to his right. The first in the row is Arthur Webber, born at Cutcombe in 1917, the son of William and Elizabeth Ann (nee Baker) Webber (137). William Webber was a Master Tailor, living and working in 1939 at Dunkery View, next door to Exmoor House in the centre of Wheddon Cross. At that time Arthur and his older brother, Sydney John Webber, were living with their parents, listed as Farmers. Both young men served with the Wheddon Cross Home Guard (138). In 1947, Arthur Webber married Monica Mary Norah Kennelly, a nurse (139). Monica Webber died at Slade Corner, Cutcombe in 1993 (140) but her husband's death is not recorded.
CHARLES HENRY (HARRY) SIMONS / CARHAMPTON-the man to the right (and just a bit forward) of Arthur Webber. Remembered as "Harry" Simons, who worked as a shepherd, he was born as "Charles Henry" in Clatworthy, Somerset in late December 1907 (141). His father, Edwin, was a farm labourer and within a few years, the family was living and working at the Oakhampton Cottages at Wiveliscombe (142). Harry married Agnes Rosalyn Mary Parker of Carhampton in 1932 (143). By 1939 they were living at Sandhill, a house at Bilbrook which was the former manor house of Withycombe and where Harry Simons indeed worked as a shepherd (144). He passed away in 1991 and is buried with his wife at St. John the Baptist in Carhampton (145).
ERNEST CHARLES STOREY / DUNSTER-the third man in the third row (leaning a bit to his right). This gentleman has only been identified a "Mr. Storey, a railway ganger" (146) but is Ernest Charles Storey, born in Hillfarrance, Somerset in December 1912 and baptised there in January 1913. He was the son of William Storey, a lifelong railway linesman and Lucy Jane (nee Criddle) Storey (147). Ernest Charles married Muriel Balman early in 1939 (148) and they were living on Park Street, Dunster in the same year, where Mr. Storey was listed as a General Farm Labourer (149). His parents had also moved to Dunster and it appears Ernest Charles became a railway ganger, following in his father's footsteps. The elder Mr. Storey also served in the Dunster Home Guard (150) and is seen in GROUP 4. A ganger was responsible for the supervision and maintenance of a railway tracks (151), which Charles Ernest Storey would certainly have access to having relocated to Dunster. He died in 1982 (152).
UNIDENTIFIED--the fourth young man in the third row (leaning a bit toward Mr. Storey) is not identified.
KENNETH HEARD / WHEDDON CROSS--The man directly in front of the doorway, standing behind Charles Ernest Storey has been identified as Kenneth Heard , serving with the Wheddon Cross Home Guard (153). People with the surname "Heard" abound in Cutcombe and Wheddon Cross, but so far no one named "Kenneth" is obvious. At Hawkington Cottage in Cutcombe, the Labourer and Road Contractor, Thomas Heard and his wife, Lucy, had ten children, none named Kenneth and none of them known to have a child of that name --although several of the offspring have kept their names private (154). Kenneth Heard served in the Wheddon Cross Home Guard alongside a Harold Heard (155), possibly a brother. Perhaps he was the Harold Heard born in Dulverton in 1920, who did have a brother, yet who also chose to keep his identity private (156).
(likely) FRANCIS (FRANK) CHAPLIN / WHEDDON CROSS-the man standing to the right of Kenneth Heard, in front of the stone wall. Mr. Chaplin is likely Francis Chaplin, who was born 10 October 1912 and during the 1939 Register worked as a General Farm Worker for Thomas and Norah Pugsley at 5 Gammins Cottage in Cutcombe. It appears that Frank Chaplin died in1946, at the age of 33, in Exmoor, where his death certificate indicated a middle initial of "E" (157).
GROUP 4
UNIDENTIFIED-the first man in the first row has not been identified.
(possibly) CORPORAL SCUDAMORE (or likely) SERGEANT MAJOR HERBERT GREGORY / TIMBERSCOMBE--the centre man in the front row has been identified (with a question mark) as "Cpl. Scudamore" (158), with no other known details. He could also be Sergeant Major Herbert Gregory, also seen at SP-335 as an officer with the Timberscombe Home Guard. Although the gentleman pictured here is a bit overexposed, there is a strong resemblance apparent in the two photographs. Herbert Gregory was born in 1898 at Trull, near Taunton and in 1922 he married Frances Gladys Lily Ware at Taunton (159). At the time of this photograph, Gregory worked as the Head Gardener at Knowle Manor House on the northeastern edge of Timberscombe, with he and his family occupying the former gatehouse to the estate, known as South Lodge (160). Two younger men in this photograph have been identified as being Herbert Gregory's son, Walter Gregory, who worked with his father. One is the man seen here on the right end of the second row. The other possible Walter is the third man in the next to last row detailed in GROUP 1. Herbert Gregory was living in Cannington, Somerset at the time of his death in 1964 (161).
LIEUTENANT CORPORAL WILLIAM STOREY / DUNSTER--the third man standing in the front row. William Storey is the aforementioned father of Ernest Charles Storey, depicted in GROUP 3. He was born at Durston, Somerset in 1886, the son of George and Ann Maria (nee Ward) Storey (162). Railways ran through the Storey generations. In 1901, George was a ganger in Durston. When William married Lucy Jane Criddle in 1907 at Durston, on the license he was listed as a "Linesman" and by 1911, when he and his family were living in Hillfarrance, a "Platelayer". In 1939, having moved to Marsh Street in Dunster, William Story's job description was "GWR Permanent Way Maintenance Staff". "Permanent Way" was a term nationalised by Great Western Railway to promote the safety of railway tracks (163). As mentioned, Ernest Charles too became a ganger. William Storey passed away in 1962 (164).
UNIDENTIFIED--forming a second row, two unidentified men stand behind and over the left shoulders of the men likely to be Herbert Gregory and William Storey.
(possibly) WALTER SAMUEL GREGORY / TIMBERSCOMBE--the third man in the second row, on the right edge of the photograph. As stated, he has been identified (but with a question mark) as the gardener son, born at Taunton in 1922, of Sergeant Major Herbert Gregory--as is the other young man in GROUP 1 (who is also been identified as "Mr. Chapman"). Whichever one Walter may be, at the time of this photograph, he still lived with his father and mother, Frances Gladys Lily (nee Ware) Gregory at South Lodge, a former gatehouse to the Knowle Estate (165). In 1947, Walter married Dora Elizabeth H. Lane at Bridgwater (166). She died in 2000 and he died in 2004 and they are buried together at the Minehead Cemetery (167).
(possibly) OSSIE GOULD-- standing behind and to the left of the first unidentified man in the second row is a younger man who almost seems to be peering over the right shoulder of the unidentified first man in the first row. He is identified as Ossie Gould but with a question mark (168). "Ossie" is likely a nickname and ""Gould" is a common name in this area of West Somerset (on a league with "Webber" and "Heard"). A couple of possibilities: he could be Thomas G. Gould, born in 1918 and living on Park Street in Dunster, working as a Provisions Merchant and Lorry Driver or Francis John Gould, a Laundry Worker born in 1920 and who lived at Hole's Square in Timberscombe (169).
REG AYRES / WHEDDON CROSS--the man standing on the same level as Ossie Gould but to the right, with his head just past the right bottom corner of the window. He is identified as being "Reg Ayres", serving with the Wheddon Cross Home Guard, where he is pictured in other photographs (170). Unfortunately at the time of this writing, there is no further information on Mr. Ayres.
UNIDENTIFIED --two gentleman stand side by side, one level above Ossie Gould (with a drain pipe between them). The man on the left is not identified.
THOMAS FRANCES PRESTON / WHEDDON CROSS--the man to the right of the drain pipe and in front of the window. Thomas Preston was born 5 May 1905 in the Williton District. On the 1939 Register, he lived at Watercombe House, off the A396 as it approaches Wheddon Cross and on the slope of Cutcombe Hill. A mistake was made on the Register where Mr. Preston's profession should be listed. "Unpaid Domestic Duties" is written there---often a description of a wife in 1939. All other residents of Watercombe House are blacked out on the Register as "officially closed". However Mr. Preston's wife may have been "Marjorie Rash" (171). Thomas F. Preston died in Exmoor in 1958 (172),
GROUP 5
CYRIL COPP / TIMBERSCOMBE--the first man on the left end of the front row. Cyril Copp was born in 1918, the son of Walter John, a tailor and Elizabeth Ann (Bessie) Copp (173). Both families had long histories in the area, the Copp family primarily in Wootton Courtenay. Bessie was born into the Stenner family that had been in Timberscombe since at least 1658 (174). As a young man, Cyril Copp had trained as a house painter but like his father became a skilled tailor and draper, working at Hobb's, a tailor's shop in Dunster (175). By the time of this photograph, Cyril still lived with his parents at No. 5 Bemberry Bank in Timberscombe (176). Like his good friend, Dudley Huxtable, Cyril Copp may have been in the Home Guard only in the earlier years of the war, as he enlisted with the Black Watch of the Royal Regiment of Scotland (177). In 1954, Cyril married Brenda M. Quartley of Totterdown Farm (178). Cyril and Brenda Copp were buried together at St. Petrock's Churchyard, respectively in 2009 and 2012 (179).
(probably) FREDERICK EDGAR (FRED) NORMAN / WHEDDON CROSS--the second man in the front row. The son of Wifred Wesley and Lilian Joan (nee Norman--it was her maiden name as well) Norman, Fred Norman was born in 1917. Likely at the time he joined the Home Guard, Fred was employed as a shepherd and ploughman at Thorne Farm in Wheddon Cross (180). He may have been married for the first time at the age of 68, in West Somerset to a Lucy Staton, possibly prompting a move as Fred Norman passed away in 2002 at Brighton, Sussex (181).
JESSE WOODBERRY / DUNSTER--the third man in the front row. Jesse Woodberry was born in 1890 at Hockworthy, Somerset, near Tiverton, Devon (182). His early years are of interest as at the age of 8 months he lived in Cruwys Morchard, Devon with an agricultural labourer, Samuel Sharland and his wife, Mary (nee Hellier) Sharland. The infant was listed as a "Boarder " (183). At nine-years-old he was a "Visitor" with the Russell family at Hockwell, Devon (184). By 1911, 19-year old Jesse Woodberry was in Dunster, living on Park Street and working as a "Journeyman Baker", a job description he maintained for decades (185). Also in 1911, Jesse married Alice Maud Mitchell, eight years his senior (186) and by 1914, it appears that Jesse Woodberry and Alice Maud Woodberry were baptised at Dunster into the Church of England (187). From the beginning of World War I, Jesse served with the British Army (188). When the next war came and as pictured here, Jesse Woodbury joined the Home Guard while still working as a"Journeyman Baker", By then, he and Alice had relocated in Dunster to St. George's Row (189). At the time of his death in August, 1982, Jesse Woodberry was living at 66 North Croft in Williton (190).
(perhaps) DICK SCUDAMORE--the fourth man in the front row, on the bottom right corner of the photograph. It has been suggested (but with a question mark) that this man might "Dick Scudamore," an "AA patrolman" (191). Unfortunately at this time there is no confirmation of this or any known further details concerning this gentleman.
UNIDENTIFIED-- in a second row, a man is standing behind and between Cyril Copp and Fred Norman. Toward the bottom right of the photograph, another man stands behind Jesse Woodberry and the man who might be "Dick Scudamore". Neither of these men are identified.
RONALD (RON) SLADER / WHEDDON CROSS--on the upper left corner of the photograph is a man standing in front of the stone wall, more directly lined up behind Mr. Copp and with the volunteer, previously identified as Walter Samuel Gregory, in front of him, more to his left. He is Ron Slader, born in 1911 at Stoodleigh, Devon (192). At the time of this photograph, he still lived and worked with his parents, Harry and Emma (nee Bryant) Slader at 1 Vicarage Garden Cottage in Cutcombe. Ron Slader listed his occupations as General Farm Labourer and Tractor Driver (193). In 1948, Mr. Slader married Freda Dyer, who had worked as a Domestic Servant in Wootton Courtenay and was the daughter of Fred and Margaret (nee Farmer) Dyer, who had previously lived at the Old Forge in Timberscombe (194). Ron Slader died in 1976 (195).
Remembered now as "Dad's Army", these men (actually with a wide differential in ages) were instrumental in the coastal and air defence of West Somerset. In December 1944, they were disbanded and able to return to their regular life (196).
Creator
R. Kingsley Tayler
Source
Date
2022
Contributor
Format
Language
English
Identifier
a photograph of the officers and men of the No. 3 (Dunster) Battalion of the Home Guard, taken by R. Kingsley Taylor at the Castle Drive, Luttrell Castle, Dunster, c. 1942
Acquisition Date
2022
Acquisition Method
Gift
Category
PEOPLE: Organisations / the Home Guard volunteers of Dunster, Carhampton, Timberscombe, Old Cleeve, Wheddon Cross and Cutcombe
PEOPLE: Named
PEOPLE: Named
Condition
Good
Condition Notes
entered by Tom Sperling
Condition Date
2023
Dimension Type
W X L
Dimension Units
cm
Dimension Value
12 X 29.5
12 X 25
20.5 X 21,5
18.5 X 25
18.5 X 20.5
17.5 X 21
12 X 25
20.5 X 21,5
18.5 X 25
18.5 X 20.5
17.5 X 21
Institution Name
St. Petrock's History Group
Notes
(1) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call", by Jeffrey Wilson, Millstream Books, 18 The Tyning, Bath, 2004 (2) "The HISTORY of DUNSTER BEACH" by Bernard Concannon, first published by Monkspath Books, 1995, second edition, 2015, printed, designed and bound by Hulbert & Woodall Print Limited, Unit 16, Templars Way Industrial Estate, Marlborough Road, Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire (3) "The HISTORY of DUNSTER BEACH", military.wiki/Home Guard_United_Kingdom and Imperial War Museum, iwm.org.uk / history/ the-real-dads-army (4) 1939 England and Wales Register and England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 (5) 1911 England Census and 1939 England and Wales Register (6) as recalled in 2022 by Jennifer (Jenny) Hansford of Dorchester who grew up as Jennifer Bond in Timberscombe and was a bellringer with Mr. Stevens in the 1950s (7) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call" (8) 1939 England and Wales Register and "J.P. Martin, Father of Uncle, A Master of the Great English Nonsense Tradition", by Stella Martin Currey, published by Matador, an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd., 1916 (9) FindMyPast.com, England & Wales Death Index, 1837-2006 (10) Timberscombe School MINUTES BOOK, 3 April 1932-2 April 1974 and England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (11) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call" (12) 1939 England and Wales Register (13) England and Wales, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914 (14) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 and 1939 England and Wales Register (15) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (16) England and Wales, Church of England, Baptisms, 1813-1914 and England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (17) 1939 England and Wales Register and Historic England.org.uk. (18) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (19) 1939 England and Wales Register and England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (20) 1939 England and Wales Register (21) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call" (22) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 and "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call' (23) Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914 (24) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 and 1939 England and Wales Register (25) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (26) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007, 1911 England Census and sabre-roads.org.uk (27) as recalled by Joan Vaulter in conversations with Marion Jeffrey in August and October 1917 and England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Indexes, 1916-2007 (28) 1911 Census and England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (29) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call" (30) England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 (31) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (32) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call" (33) Timberscombe School ADMISSION REGISTER,1897-1944 , No. 345 (34) Wiltshire, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1916 and England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (35) as recalled in 2020 by Archie Dyer, a longtime resident at Meadow View (36) TimberscombeVillage.com / History of Timberscombe / Other Historic Structures / History of Cowbridge Mill, written by Lesley Webb and as recalled in 2019 and 2020 by Marion (nee Huxtable) Fewlass, the grand-daughter of Dudley Huxtable and the current owner, with her husband, Roger Fewlass, of Tiki Cottage, previously Pump Cottage (37) "SOLDIER'S SERVICE and PAY BOOK", issued to Dudley Frank Huxtable, Army No. 14349266, November 21st, 1942, donated in 2021 by Marion Fewlass (38) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (39) based on other photographs of the Dunster Home Guard at "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call", page 156 (40) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 (41) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 and England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 (42) 1901 England Census (43) 1911 England Census (44) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (45) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (46) 1911 England Census and Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914 (47) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (48) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-Call" (49) England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 (50) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call" (51) 1911 England Census (52) England and Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (53) 1939 England and Wales Register and England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) 1858-1995 (54) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call" (55) 1939 England and Wales Register (56) 1939 England and Wales Register (57) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 and Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914 (58) 1921 England Census, "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call" and "History of the Old Mill, Timberscombe, Somerset", from conveyances and documents donated in 2019 by Marion and Richard Jeffrey, current owners of the Old Mill" (59) "AWAY & HOME-WORLD WAR II, Somerset and Essex, 1939-1945" by Pat Herniman, published by Papermill Books, Little Baddow, in association with The Little Baddow History Centre, 2016 (60) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (61) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (62) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call" and FindMyPast.com, Results of England and Wales Records, 1837-2006 (63) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 and Somerset England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914 (64) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 and Somerset England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914 (65) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Indexes, 1916-2007 (66) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 (67) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (68) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (69) homeguard.org.uk and "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call" (70)"The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-call" and Geneanet Community Tree, Ancestry.com (71) 1911 England Census, 1939 England and Wales Register, British Army Records and Lists, 1882-1962 and Surrey, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937 (72) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave, 1300s-Current (73) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (74) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300's-Current (75) homeguard.org.uk (76) in "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-call", Johnston is identified as the man seated in the centre but with a question mark proceeding his name (77) 1939 England and Wales Register and England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (78) England & Wales, National Probate Calendar, 1865-1995 and UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (79) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 and UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (80) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 and 1939 England and Wales Register (81) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (82) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call" (83) 1901 England Census, 1911 England Census and 1939 England and Wales Register (84) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (85) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (86) 1891,1901 and 1911 England Censuses (87) 1911 England Census (88) 1939 England and Wales Register (89) homeguard.org.uk (90) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (91) 1939 England and Wales Register (92) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (93) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (94) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 and Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914 (95) UK, Railway Employment Records, 1833-1956 and Dunster Railway Station, en. wikipedia.org (96) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (97) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call" (98) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005, 1939 England and Wales Register and England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (99) "The Timberscombe Home Guard, a Pictorial Row-call" (100) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (101) Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1913-1914 (102) as recalled in 2019 by Maurice Huxtable and David Rowe, both born in Timberscombe, respectively in 1932 and 1947 (103) 1939 England and Wales Register (104) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 and 1911 England Census (105) England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) 1858-1995 (106) 1939 England and Wales Register and 1881 England Census (107) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 and 1939 England and Wales Register (108) England and Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 and 1939 England and Wales Register (109) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (110) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-call", page 155 (111) allacronyms.com and "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-call" (112) Johnson Family Tree, tree Search, Peggy Johnson, Ancestry.com, 1939 England and Wales Register and UK, British Army Records and Lists, 1882-1962 (113) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (114) 1939 England and Wales Register and "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-call (115) England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) 1858-1995 (116) England & Wales, Civil Registration, Birth Index, 1837-1915, "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-call and 1939 England and Wales Register (117) 1891 England Census (118) UK and Ireland Outbound Passengers Lists, 1890-1960 (119) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (120) 1939 England and Wales Register and 1911 England Census (121) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 and 1911 England Census (122) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-call" (123) England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1865-1995 (124) 1939 England and Wales Register and "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-call" (125) England & Wales, Civil Registration, 1916-2007 and England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills & Administrations) 1858-1995 (126) Jack Jones is pictured in "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-call" in photographs dated 1943 by the West Somerset Rural Life Museum collection (on page 155) and on the Skittles Team, from the Charles Parsons collection (page 156) (127) 1911 England Census and 1939 England and Wales Register (128) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 and 1939 England and Wales Register (129) 1939 England and Wales Register (130) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-call" (131) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-call" (132) thecrownestate.co.uk (133) The Crown Estate, gov.uk and England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (134) Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914 (135) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call" and England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (136) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (137) 1939 England and Wales Register (138) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call" (139) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 and 1939 England and Wales Register (140) England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) 1858-1995 (141) Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914 (142) 1911 England Census (143) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (144) 1939 England and Wales Register, en. wikipedia.org>withycombe and 1901 and 1911 England Censuses (145) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (146) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-call" (147) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 and Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914 (148) England & Wales, Civil Registration, Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (149) 1939 England and Wales Register (150) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-call (151) en. wikipedia.org>ganger and doot.spud.co.uk (152) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (153) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-call" (154) 1939 England and Wales Register (155) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-call", page 159 (156) 1939 England and Wales Register (157) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (158) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-call" (159) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 and England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (160) 1939 England and Wales Register (161) England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) 1858-1995 (162) 1911 England Census (163) api/parliament/VIC/historic-great-western-company-permanent-way-staff (164) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (165) 1939 England and Wales Register (166) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (167) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (168) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-call" (169) 1939 England and Wales Register (170) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Row-Call", where Reg Ayres is seen in two photographs of the Wheddon Cross Home Guard, the upper one being from the collection of Mrs. Eileen Webber (171) Ancestry.com/ Thomas F. Preston in the 1939 England and Wales Register (172) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (173) 1911 England Census (174) "Timberscombe Parish Record", transcribed by S. L. Stoate, Harry Galloway Publishing, 1995 (175) 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881 , 1891, 1901 and 1911 England Censuses and as recalled in 2020 by Joyce Smith of Ford Cottage, remembering Cyril Copp working in the window at Hobb's (176) 1939 England Census (177) A photograph of Mr. Copp as a member of the Black Watch is at the West Somerset Rural Life Museum and a copy of the photograph is also in the St. Petrock's History Group archive, donated in 2019 by Timberscombe School and is visible at SP-293 (178) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 and "AWAY & HOME-WORLD WAR II, Somerset and Essex, 1939-1945", page 17 (179) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (180) 1911 England Census and 1939 England and Wales Register (181) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 and England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (182) 1939 England and Wales Register (183) 1891 England Census (184) 1901 England Census (185) 1911 England Census and 1939 England and Wales Register (186) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (187) Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914 (188) UK, British Army, World War I Medal Rolls and Index Cards, 1914-1920 (189) 1939 England and Wales Register (190) England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) 1858-1995 (191) "The Somerset Home Guard, A Pictorial Roll-call" (192) 1911 England Census (193) 1939 England and Wales Register (194) 1939 England and Wales Register (195) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (196) The HISTORY of DUNSTER BEACH"
Storage Location
St. Petrock's History Group Archive
Storage Date
2023
Storage Notes
St. Petrock's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
Item Reference
SP-336
Technique
Copy and copies of five enlarged sections of the original photograph
Citation
R. Kingsley Tayler, “The Officers and Men Serving in the No. 3 (Dunster) Company of the Minehead Home Guard Battalion, World War II (with five enlarged sections of the original photograph),” St. Petrock's History Group, accessed May 2, 2024, https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/items/show/3602.
Comments