ALDRICH

William Edward

[Listed as ALDRICK on CWGC] Private 33232, 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. Died of wounds 8th October 1918. Born and resident Denton, enlisted Norwich. Formerly 28672, Essex Regiment. Buried in NOYELLES-SUR-L'ESCAUT COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION, Nord, France. Plot II. Row C. Grave 7.

BARNES

Samuel

Preivate 25034, 9th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment. Died in Mesopotamia (Iraq) 19th June 1916. Aged 30. Born and resident Denton, enlisted Stourbridge, Worcestershire. Son of Alfred and Harriet Barnes, of Trunch Cottage, Denton, Harleston, Norfolk. Buried in BASRA WAR CEMETERY, Iraq. Plot VI. Row S. Grave 1.

BECKETT

Henry William

Private G/43999, 17th Battalion, Duke of cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment). Died 17th April 1917. Aged 26. Born Denton, enlisted Norwich, resident Harleston. Son of William and Henrietta Beckett, of Norwich Rd., Denton, Harleston, Norfolk. Native of Woodton, Bungay. Buried in COLOGNE SOUTHERN CEMETERY, Koln (Cologne), Nordrhein-Westfal, Germany. Plot X. Row F. Grave 4.

BOLLAND

John Wulstan Charles

[Listed as BOLLOND on SDGW] Second Lieutenant, 10th Battalion, Norfolk Regiment. Killed in action 9th April 1917. Buried in FAUBOURG D'AMIENS CEMETERY, ARRAS, Pas de Calais, France. Plot IV. Row A. Grave 7.

DAVISON

John

Leading Stoker K/3985, H.M.S. Princess Irene, Royal Navy. Lost with his ship 27th May 1915. Aged 26. Son of William and Eliza Davison, of Denton, Harleston, Norfolk. No known grave. Commemorated on CHATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL, Kent. Panel 11.

Note: The steamship Princess Irene was built to the order of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company for their luxurious "Triangle Route" linking Vancouver, Victoria and the American city of Seattle. The ship was completed at Dumbarton, Scotland, in 1914 but, before she was able to leave for the Pacific, was requisitioned by the Royal Navy and converted into a Minelayer. She was 5,900 tons, 395'x54'x28' launched 20 October 1914. Based at Sheerness in Kent, she was in the River Medway on 27th May 1915 when she blew up as a result of a catastrophic internal explosion. There was only one survivor.

At about 11.14 on the morning of 27th May 1915, Sheerness witnessed the destruction of the minelayer HMS Princess Irene which was on No. 28 buoy about 3 miles WSW from the town centre. The ship had been built in Scotland in the previous year to the order of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company but was requisitioned and converted for Naval use before she could sail to the Pacific. The Princess Irene had a complement of 225 officers and men, three of whom were ashore that morning as the mines were being primed on the ship's two mine decks. Also on board were a party of 80 or so Petty Officers from Chatham in addition to 76 Sheerness Dockyard workers who were completing tasks prior to the ship's planned departure to lay her mines on 29th May.

Without warning, the ship was blown to pieces and her remains, and the remains of those on board, were scattered over a wide area of the surrounding river and countryside. One of the Chatham Dockyard workers, David Wills, amazingly survived the explosion but few bodies were found. Those that were located were buried in Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham. A memorial to those lost in both this and the Bulwark disaster is situated opposite Sheerness Railway Station.

The cause of the disaster was thought to have been due to a faulty primer (pistol)although evidence at the Official Enquiry showed that the work of priming the lethal mines was being carried out a) in a hurry and b) by untrained personnel. The lower decks and keel of the Princess Irene remain more or less intact and have caused a degree of navigational problems to the large ships now using the eastern end of nearby Thamesport. At present there are no plans to raise her remains.

Source Book: Blown to Eternity - The Princess Irene story (Ferry Publications), by John Hendy.

GRIMMER

Benjamin Charles

Private 33752, 5th Battalion, Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment). Killed in action 26th June 1917. Aged 31. Born Alburgh, enlisted Norwich, resident Denton. Son of Mary Anne Grimmer, of Denton, Harleston, Norfolk, and the late Frank Grimmer. Formerly 163082, Royal Engineers. Buried in APPY VALLEY BRITISH CEMETERY, FAMPOUX, Pas de Calais, France. Plot/Row/Section B. Grave 18.

NOBBS

John

probably Private G/15170, 11th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment. Died of wounds 17th August 1917. Born Woodston, Suffolk, enlisted Norwich. Buried in OAK DUMP CEMETERY, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Plot/Row/Section I. Grave 6.

OAKLEY

Charles Edward Woodyard

Private 17688 [17588 on CWGC], 1st Battalion, Norfolk Regiment. Killed in action 4th June 1916. Born Denton, enlisted Norwich. No known grave. Commemorated on ARRAS MEMORIAL, Pas de Calais, France. Bay 3.

REVELL

John James

No further information currently available

WOOLTORTON

Ernest Robert

[Spelt WOOLTERTON on SDGW] Corporal 6792, 2nd Battalion, Norfolk Regiment. Killed in action in Mesopotamia (Iraq) 14th April 1915. Aged 27. Born Denton, enlisted Norwich. Buried in BASRA WAR CEMETERY, Iraq. Plot III. Row D. Grave 18.

SHELDRAKE

Jack Edward

Sapper 2003782, Royal Engineers. Died 11th March 1941. No known grave. Commemorated on BROOKWOOD MEMORIAL, Surrey. Panel 7. Column 1.