Kingston upon Hull War Memorial 1914 - 1918
The story of Hull in World War 1
Over, 7,500 Hull men died in the First World War. Over 1,200 of these were sailors working with the fishing fleet, or serving with the Merchantile Marine, the Royal Navy and the Royal Navy Reserve. They carried out vital war work, bringing in supplies, transporting troops and minesweeping the seas
There were nearly another 1,500 men who were born in Hull, but who lived elsewhere. They died fighting for Australia, Canada, New Zealand and America. There are many others, who enlisted in Hull or who were associated with the City, but are not usually remembered on Hull war memorials. As Hull had four large hospitals and was the port of entry for repatriated prisoner of wars, servicemen from all over the world are buried in Hull. The Kingston Upon Hull Memorial aims to remember all those with a Hull connection who died in the First World War.
There are over a hundred families on the Hull Memorial that lost two or more of their family. Sometimes fathers, sons and brothers were lost on the same day. Some families lost three sons, other Hull families lost four sons, including all their children in the First World War. At least one in six Hull families lost a direct relative. Many others would lose close friends, work colleagues or others known to them. Each death was irreplaceable and an individual tragedy for someone.
Unfortunately, not all deaths were recorded in official casualty figures, particularly if soldiers died of sickness, accidents or were discharged home with wounds, of illness. By 1924 the Ministry of Pensions reported that there were 20,000 war wounded living in Hull. Although they survived the war, they are rarely recorded on war memorials. What follows here are snippets of some of those people who died, whose deaths were reported in the local newspapers.
William and Caroline Ryan, from 7 Albert’s Terrace, Terry Street, lost 3 sons They are commemorated on the Terry Street and Nornabell Street memorials. Private, William Ryan, was killed on the 27th October 1914, fighting with the East Yorkshires. He was 28 years old. On the 23rd April 1917, Private, Joseph Ryan, was killed with … Read more
Albert and Margaret Cockerill lost 3 sons in the war. The family worked in the Oil Mill industries around Witham and lived at 8 St Johns Place, York Street, 231 Wincolmlee and at 5 Oak Terrace, Swann Street. PRIVATE FRANK COCKERILL 12/1275. Born in 1891, Frank was the eldest of three sons to Albert and … Read more
James and Mary Toalster, from 7 Hamden Terrace, Lockwood Street, lost sons Edward, John and Thomas Toalster in the war. They are commemorated on the New George Street memorial.
Harry & Phoebe West who lived at 1 Cuthbert Avenue, Airlie Street, also lost three sons. These were soldiers, Harry West killed on 1st July 1916; Walter West, 30th October 1917 and George West, killed on 11th September 1918.
Horatio and Mary Marshall of 10 Portland Street, lost three sons in the war. Fred Marshall (25/1/1915), James Marshall (28/2/1918) and Horatio Marshall (27/5/1918). MCKEE George William McKee & his wife Sarah Harriet White, of 1 Calidare Avenue, Brighton Street, lost the following three sons. Acting Bomb, George William McKee, 755515, RFA, ‘A’ Bty, 251st … Read more
Margaret Hannah Wilson & the late James Wilson, of 115 Grafton Street, lost their three sons Herbert Wilson in 1916, Arthur Wilson in 1917 and Charles Wilson in 1919. Mark and Annie Wilson, at 13 Nellies Terrace, Gillette Street, lost three sons. Pte. George Wilson, 1/4th EYR was killed on the 14th June 1915, … Read more
John and Elizabeth Ann Glew, 18 Finsbury Street, lost two sons Arthur and George Glew in 1915 and their third son Charles Glew in 1917. They were aged 25, 29 and 18 years old respectively.
John and Sophia Lane, of 3 Morrills Buildings, Villa Place, Hessle Road, lost their sons Norman Lane, in 1917 aged 21, James Lane, in 1918, aged 19, and Harold Lane, in 1919, aged 25 years old. LAUGHTON Brothers Fred, Frank and Samuel Laughton were all killed in the war. They were the three sons of … Read more
Charles and Mary Ann Joules, of 14, Harcourt Street, Hull, lost Ernest Joules, at Ypres and Harold Joules, at sea in 1916. Their third son Sydney Joules, was killed on the 9th April 1917 also at Ypres. All their sons, died in their twenties. Mrs Joules later passed away on the 09/06/18 and Mr Joules, … Read more
George and Mary Richardson, at 10 Mary Ann Terrace, Sculcoates Lane have three sons commemorated at St Mary’s Church, Sculcoates Lane. George Richardson was killed on the 30th June 1915 serving with the Northumberland Fusiliers. Arthur Richardson, RFA, was killed on 6th July 1917 in Belgium. Elijah Richardson, 10th East Yorkshires, died on the 28th … Read more
John and Mary Blaydon, 6 Leo Terrace, Waterloo Street, Hull, lost their sons John Blaydon in April 1915, and Ernest Blaydon in June 1915. Their third son Frederick Blaydon died of wounds on the 26th January 1919, and is buried in Hull Western Cemetery.
Born Hull 1889. Son of George William Bird (1853-1929) and Sarah Kemp (1855-1935), of 22 Glasgow Street, Hull (CWGC address). Served with the 1st Northamptonshire Regiment. Killed at the Somme, on 12/09/1916, aged 28. (Note: his names is spelt “Beard” in CWGC records) He lost his eldest brother, William Bird, on 22 October 1914, aged 30, fighting … Read more
The Cograve family, at 1 Clarence Avenue, Portland Street, Hull, lost three sons in the war. These were Walter Coggrave in 1915, Frederick Coggrave, in 1916 and Alfred Coggrave in 1918.
Richard Thomas Kingdom and his wife Priscilla lived at 2 Clumber Avenue, Flinton Street, Hessle Road. Two sons Thomas Kingdom, and Wilfred Kingdom, were lost at sea in the first six months of 1915. Their third son Charles Herbert Kingdom, died in France on 22nd July 1916, serving with the 10th East Yorkshire Regiment.
John & Hannah Mercer, at 36 Shaw Street lost four sons. They were:- L/Cpl, John Mercer, 1st EYR was killed at Ypres on 9th August 1915, aged 20. L/Cpl, Alfred Shaw Mercer, 1st West Yorkshire Regiment was killed on the 27th May 1916, aged 25. Pte, George Mercer, 1/5th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers was killed on … Read more
Pte. Christopher Bell Tindall, 8th EYR was killed on 14th July 1916; Pte. Robert Tindall, 6th EYR was killed 21st August 1917 and L/Cpl. Walter Henry Tindall, 9th Yorkshire Regiment, was killed a month later on 20th September 1917. They were the three sons of William and Henrietta Tindall, 30 Bishop Lane, Hull. They have … Read more
Steward, William Oaktree, sank with the Steam ship ‘Hazlewood’ on the 19th October 1917, aged 19. His brother Frederick Oaktree, died the same day on a different Steam Ship called ‘Sten’, aged 22. They lived with their parents, Peter and Augusta Oaktree, at 3 Ryders Terrace, Strickland Street, Hessle Road.
Brothers Herbert and Arthur Wise died together on the 15th June 1915, when the Hull Steam Ship ‘Argyll’ struck a mine from the German submarine UC11 in the North Sea. They lived at 3 Ebor Avenue, Eastbourne Street, Hessle Road and died with 6 other crewmen, who all lived in Hull
John Cunningham, VC (28 June 1897 – 21 February 1941) was a recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Cunningham was 19 years old, and a Private in the 12th (Service) Battalion, (the … Read more
We tend to approach war memorials with pathos and a narrative about the futility of war, but the generation that built them were actually proud of them. People wanted to show the pride of sacrifice. They even experienced joy that their fathers, husbands and sons, had stepped up to the plate in the time of need. War … Read more
Hull officially lost 7,000 men in the First World War. Another 14,000 were wounded, of which 7,000 were maimed. The Hull casualty rate was officially 30% of those who served, that is 21,000 men killed or wounded, from a total of 70,000 men recruited. These were the figures reported by Hull Lord Mayor in 1919. … Read more
Background When war began in 1914, there was already much anti German feeling in Britain. This Anglo German enmity, probably started 50 years before, when Britain supported Denmark, against the German reunification of Schleswig–Holstein in 1863. Britain had also sold weapons to France against Germany, during the Franco Prussian war in 1870. There was an … Read more
During the First World War, Hull was a much smaller and densely populated City, than it is today. Most people lived in the City Centre or were crammed around the fish docks of Hessle Road and the warehouses of Wincolmlee. In 1914, Hull’s population was around 300,000 people, a much larger number than now. North … Read more
Hull Royal Infirmary Naval Hospital The first hospital organised by Lady Nunburnholme (Lady Marjorie Wynn-Carrington), was the Naval Hospital at Hull’s Western General Hospital (now called the Hull Royal Infirmary). It was located at Argyle Street, Hull, next to today’s Hull Royal Infirmary. Originally opened in 1914, to help Hull’s poor and sick people from … Read more
The Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) was a voluntary organisation, providing field nursing services, mainly in hospitals to Britain and various other countries in the British Empire. The organisation was founded in 1909, with the help of the Red Cross and Order of St John. By the summer of 1914 there were over 2,500 Voluntary Aid Detachments … Read more
In 1914, there were some 120 separate, railway companies in Britain. The North Eastern Railway (NER) in Hull, saw about a third of its staff enlist, with 18,339 railwaymen or 34% of the workforce, released for military service. Of these, 2,236 of these men died during the war, and 300 received military decorations. With the … Read more
Unique to Hull was the creation of a voluntary Special Constabulary. Comprised of mature men over military age and drawn from all classes of Society, it raised over 3,000 Special Constables during the First World War and released large numbers of men for active service. Under the Command of Captain George Morley, the Chief Constable … Read more
Apart from Official recruitment, Hull and East Yorkshire also formed an unofficial home defence force, consisting of men too old, or ineligible to enlist. This force had its origins in the formation of ‘rifle clubs’ by members of Hull Golf Club, who pressed for official recognition. On 20th December 1914, Lord Nunburnholme at a meeting … Read more
Due to its coastal location many men joined the Navy in its many forms. As a City with long standing maritime history, Hull men served throughout the world in the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Naval Reserve, Merchant Service and the Hull Fishing Feet. 14,000 merchant seamen were to die in the war, over a thousand … Read more
The First World War was an artillery war. The Royal Artillery like their motto “Ubique” served everywhere and suffered nearly 50,000 casualties in the First World war. The Regiment used an immense range of weapons and has its own unique War Memorial at Hyde Park Corner in London. The Heavy Guns of the Royal Garrison … Read more
Hull was unusual in that it recruited an entire (Hull) Brigade in the 31st Army Division. This included five ‘Hull Pals’ battalions which were five Infantry Regiments, three Heavy Artillery Batteries and a Divisional Ammunition Column. After a short spell in Egypt, the Hull Pals, served on the Western Front from 1916 until the end … Read more
Hull has historically enjoyed successful trade links with most of the ports of Northern Europe, from Antwerp in the west, to St. Petersburg in the east, Le Havre in the south and to Trondheim in the north. Between 1836-1914, 2.2 million people, mostly from Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Russia and Sweden, passed through Hull, on … Read more
The First World War was the first truly global conflict. Between 1914 and 1918, more than 100 countries from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australasia, and Europe were part of the conflict in some form. The British Army alone consisted of troops from six different continents: Europe, North America, South America, Australasia, Asia and Africa. The … Read more
The East Yorkshire Regiment was the local army regiment, which many Hull men joined and died. The origins of the East Yorkshire Regiment (The Duke of York’s Own), can be traced back to 1685. During the Great War 1914-1918, The Regiment raised a total of 35 Battalion and fought in the major theatres of war; … Read more
At the outbreak of the war in August 1914, the British regular army was a small professional force. It consisted of 247,432 regular troops organised into 10 regiments of Guards, 157 infantry battalions, 31 cavalry regiments, artillery and other support arms. Almost half of the regular army (74 of the 157 infantry battalions and 12 of … Read more
In November 2012, the Western Front Association acquired some 6.5 million Pension Record Index Cards and Ledgers. These help cross check information and can potentially provide unique information, such as an individuals unit, next of kin, wounds and injuries received (or disabling ailments), recovery from wounds and injuries in the post war years and pension … Read more
Searching soldier’s records to positively identify a serviceman, their unit and where they lived is also difficult. Over 60% of the National Archives were destroyed in the 1940 London Blitz. This included the War Records of five million British men and women that served in the World War One.There is another set of records called … Read more
Unlike many cities, Hull does not have a public memorial which lists all the names of the fallen in the First World War. Hull has a Cenotaph at Paragon Square, but this does not list any individual names. The ‘Golden Book’ of Remembrance commissioned after the war and kept at the Holy Trinity Church, in … Read more
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The Hull Corporation recorded that 7,000 men died in the war and 14,000 were wounded, of which 7,000 were maimed. There were over a hundred Hull families that lost two or more from the same family. At least ten Hull families lost three sons and four Hull families, lost four sons. Many more returned injured … Read more
At least eight Hull men died on the 11th November 1918, the last day of the First World War.
The first Hull man killed in the War, was Private, Frederick George Mileham, 18th Queen Mary’s Own Hussars. He died on the 24th August 1914. He was a regular soldier, who before the war had served in Egypt and India. He was 35 years old and the fourth son of George and Mary Ann Mileham … Read more
There were also many young men killed in the armed forces. Probably one of the youngest was Private, Harry Jipson, 1351, 12th East Yorkshires, killed in action at Loos on the 24th August 1916. He was only 16 years old, and lived at 73 Regent Street. The Hull WW1 Memorial contains the names of a … Read more
Many Hull Mariners and experienced Skippers were lost during the First World war. The oldest may have been Joseph William Atkinson, Chief of the Steamship ‘Tummell’ (Hull). He was lost at sea on the 24th February 1916, aged 64 years. The youngest to die in the war were often in the same ship crews. For … Read more
Private, George Jacklin, 7th EYR, enlisted in 1916. He had only been in France for three weeks before he was killed on the 5th November 1916. He left his widow Sarah (Farnill) at 24 Glasgow Street, her parents at 82 Glasgow Street, and his Mother and family at 96 Egton Street. The loss of one … Read more
Alice Maud Brown married Stephen Johnson on the 31st January 1916 at St Mathews Church, Anlaby Road. Her husband was killed soon after serving with the East Yorkshires, on the 10th September 1916. His name is remembered by her on the memorial inside the church.
Fanny Weymss of 78 English Street, lost her husband and two sons within 18 months. Her son Georg was killed serving with the East Yorkshire Regiment on the 4th August 1916. Her second son Leonard Wemyss was killed with the Yorkshire Regiment on the 9th April 1917. To compound her misery, her husband William was … Read more
Arthur Edwin Foster lost two sons in the war. These were Arthur Foster, 10th West Yorkshire Regiment killed on 14th April 1917 aged 27 years. His younger son George, 2/8th Sherwood Forresters was killed on the 17th April 1917 aged 24 years. Arthur Edwin having seen both sons killed was to die himself on the … Read more
Alfred Whittingdon Ounsworth, Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry died on the 7th May 1917. His brother Frank Ounsworth, was killed 13 days later on the 20th May 1917. They were sons of John and Margaret Ounsworth, 85 Hodgson Street, HULL.
George Broadley was killed on the 23rd April 1915. His brother Thomas Broadley was killed three days later on the 26th April 1915. They had joined the East Yorkshire together and are buried together at Ypres. They were the sons of James and Catherine Broadley, 62 Clarendon Street, Hull.
