SOUTH ROAD

 

30 South Road

CORNFORD Herbert Reginald

Rank : Private
Regiment : 2nd Battalion Honourable Artillery Company
Service number : 10464
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 28th October 1917 aged 35
Buried : Perth Cemetery (China Wall), Belgium, Grave IV. L. 13.
Relatives : Son of James Edward and Elizabeth Sophia Cornford of Stourbridge; husband of Emily H. Cornford, 30 South Rd., Stourbridge, Worcestershire
Memorial : Stourbridge War Memorial
Also appears on : Stourbridge Hanbury Hill Baptist Church. Stourbridge King Edward VI Grammar School WW1 Memorial.
Credits : Researched by The Black Country Society.  Researched and transcribed by Sandra Taylor.

Details:
 

Herbert Cornford was the son of James and Elizabeth Cornford of 30 South Road, Stourbridge.  He attended Stourbridge Grammar School from 1890 to 1898.  He was also a member of the Baptist congregation at Hanbury Hill, where he was a Deacon and Sunday School teacher, and where he was regarded as an ‘ardent Free Church worker’. He was also a zealous speaker for Liberalism and a strong supporter of the campaign to gain a Borough Charter for Stourbridge.  

He enlisted in the Honourable Artillery Company in February 1917 and was posted to the 2nd Battalion.  They were engaged in the Third Battle of Ypres and by late October were on the Menin Road in the fierce battle for Passchendaele.  He was killed by a shell on the 28th October 1917.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 28 South Road

WOODALL William Bernard

Rank : Private
Regiment : 15th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Service number : 35760
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 27th September 1918 aged 20
Buried : Gouzeaucourt New British Cemetery, France, Grave VII. E. 2.
Relatives : Son of William Bridge Woodall and Mary Adelaide Woodall, 28 South Rd., Stourbridge
Memorial : Stourbridge War Memorial
Also appears on : Stourbridge Our Lady and All Saints Roman Catholic Church with the additional information: 15th R. War'cks 27 Sept. 1918
Credits : Researched by The Black Country Society.

Details:
 

William Woodall originally served in the Warwickshire Yeomanry, but by 1918 he had been transferred to the 15th Battalion of the Warwicks. This battalion in the 5th Division had been sent to Italy to assist the Italian army against the Austrians after their successes of 1917.

In April 1918 the Division returned to the Western Front to serve in the Advance to Victory. Their task in September was the breaking of the Hindenburg Line.

On the 27th September the Warwicks attacked at Gouzeaucort, and cleared the high ground which lay before the immensely strong German defences. In the next two days the British forces captured the Hindenburg Line in this sector taking large numbers of prisoners.

 Private William Woodall was killed during the first phase on the 27th September.

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108 South Road  

HOLLINGTON George Edward

Rank : Private
Regiment : 2nd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment
Service number : 36653
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 2nd August 1917 aged 28
Buried : Brandhoek New Military Cemetery, Belgium, Grave II. G. 7.
Relatives : Son of Sarah J. Hollington, of Stourbridge; husband of Edith Maud Hollington, 108 South Rd., Stourbridge, Worcestershire
Memorial : Stourbridge War Memorial
Credits : Researched by The Black Country Society. Cathedral roll of honour books researched by Sandra Taylor.

Details:
 

George Hollington lived at 108 South Road, Stourbridge, and was married with one child.

Before the war he worked at Newnam’s Lye Brewery.  

He volunteered for the Worcester Territorials, but was later transferred to the 2nd Berkshires, probably after returning to front line duty after injury.  

This battalion was in the 8th Division which served with some success in the later stages of the Somme in 1916 and which followed up the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line in March and April 1917.  In July they were moved to Flanders and attacked across the Bellewaerde Lake and the Westhoek Ridge on the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres.  

Private George Hollington was seriously wounded in the action.  He was taken to a Casualty Clearing Station but died on the 2nd August. 

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9 South Road  

NICHOLLS, William

Private

Service Number 7218

 

Died 25/09/1915

Aged 21

 

1st Bn.

North Staffordshire Regiment

 

Son of George Nicholls, of Kinver, Stourbridge; husband of Mary Ann Taylor (formerly Nicholls), of 9, South Rd., Stourbridge, Worcs

 

 

 

 

 

124 South Road 

BOXLEY Walter

Rank : Sergeant
Regiment : 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 13887
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 5th July 1917 aged 24
Buried : Belgian Battery Corner Cemetery, Belgium, Grave No I. D. 15.
Relatives : Son of Mr and Mrs W.A. Boxley, 124 South Road, Stourbridge
Memorial : Stourbridge War Memorial
Also appears on : Stourbridge Hill Street Council School [now in Greenfield Primary School]
Credits : Researched by The Black Country Society.

Details:
 

Walter Boxley was born at Lye but later lived at 124 South Road, Stourbridge.  He attended Hill St. Council School and was a member of the New Road United Methodists.  He worked for Messrs. Eveson and later at Mark and Moody’s printing works as a packer.  

Walter was one of the first volunteers to enlist in the Worcesters after the outbreak of war in 1914 and joined the 9th (Service) Battalion.  He served at Gallipoli and was present at the evacuation.  He then went to Mesopotamia and, after contracting dysentery, recovered in India.  

On return to Britain he was drafted as a sergeant to the 1st Battalion.  He was a most popular man and was known as ‘the smiling sergeant’ because of his constant cheerfulness.

By 1917 this battalion had experienced all the main battles of the Western Front and was preparing for the Third Battle of Ypres.  They moved in June to Flanders and took over the line at ‘Hell-fire Corner’ on the Menin Road.  While moving back into reserve on the 5th July very severe shelling caused 40 casualties.  

Sergeant Walter Boxley was one of those killed and is buried in Belgian Battery Cemetery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

144 South Road

TOMPKINS Edward

Rank : Private
Regiment : 11th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Service number : 8734
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : Killed in action on 12th July 1916
Buried : Bapaume Post Military Cemetery, Albert, France, Grave I. E. 5.
Birthplace : St Thomas, Stourbridge, Worcestershire, resident Stourbridge, enlisted Worcester
Memorial : Stourbridge War Memorial
Also appears on : Old Swinford St Mary's Church. Stourbridge St Thomas's Church.
Credits : Researched by The Black Country Society. Cathedral roll of honour books researched by Sandra Taylor.

Details:
 

Edward Tompkins was one of four brothers who enlisted for war service.

He lived at 144 South Road and worked as a bricklayer before volunteering for the Worcesters.

Later, probably after injuries, he was transferred to the 11th (Service) Battalion of the Warwicks in the 37th Division. They crossed to France in July 1915 and were sent to the quiet sector of the Somme. 

Casualties were enormous and the 37th Division was ordered to take over for the next phase of the attack. La Boisselle was taken and they went on to the village of Pozieres. They had to endure heavy shelling and German counter attacks, one of which was repelled at the point of the bayonet.

In this confused situation casualties were inevitably heavy. Sixty four men of the Warwicks were killed and 262 wounded before the battalion was withdrawn.

Those killed included Private Edward Tompkins, who died on the 12th July as a result of shell-fire. He left behind a widow and six children. His brother, George, was also killed on active service at Gallipoli in 1915.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11 South Road

TOMPKINS George

Rank : Private George TOMKINS
Regiment : 4th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 20077
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : Killed in action on 27th August 1915
Buried : Azmak Cemetery, Suvla, Turkey, Grave II. A. 18.
Birthplace : Born and enlisted Stourbridge, Worcestershire
Memorial : Stourbridge War Memorial
Also appears on : Old Swinford St Mary's Church
Credits : Researched by The Black Country Society.

Details:
 

George Tompkins lived at 11 South Road, Stourbridge, with his parents and attended Enville St. School. He worked for Mr W. Young, a builder of South Road, and was one of four brothers who enlisted for war service.

He joined the Worcesters in December 1914 and was posted to the 4th Battalion in the Spring of 1915. The 4th was a regular battalion which had been in India in 1914 and was sent, early in 1915, to take part in the attack on Gallipoli.

The landings, at Cape Helles on April 25th, were difficult but not costly for the Worcesters. However, they were in the front line three days later at Krithia, where they suffered heavily.

A second landing took place at Suvla Bay some miles to the north on 6th August, and the 4th were asked to attack again at Krithia in order to offer a diversion. However, while the Suvla Bay landings were virtually unopposed, the Turkish resistance at Krithia was so determined that the battalion lost half its complement in casualties.

The remnants were shipped round to Suvla Bay and were soon in the front line near Chocolate Hill.

On the 27th August an advance was made, but Private George Tompkins in W Company was among the casualties.

His eldest brother, Edward, was killed on the Somme on 12th July 1916