Our Boys in the 9th Essex

With the First World War just one month old the Essex Chronicle newspaper on Friday 4^th September 1914 reported that “on Monday afternoon (31^st August 1914) there were enthusiastic scenes at Braintree railway station as 90 recruits from Felsted and Rayne, recruited at meetings on Sunday, left for Chelmsford to enlist in Kitchener’s Army. Mostly from workers just finished harvest they had decided to join the Essex Regiment.”

Many of these men joined the 9^th Battalion the Essex Regiment which was part of Kitchener’s new army. The battalion formed at Warley Barracks in Brentwood, Essex during August 1914, and was attached to the 35^th Brigade in the 12^th (Eastern) Division. The Battalion soon moved to Shorncliffe in Kent to complete training. In March 1915 the Battalion was moved to Aldershot, where the photograph above was taken for the Queen's Parade in May 1915 just before moving to Codford Saint Mary, near Warminster in Wiltshire in preparation for embarkation.

We certainly know that included amongst the enthusiastic young men reported in the newspaper are listed here amongst all those we know served with the 9^th Essex:

Name	9^th Essex Rank/Number	Details	End of war
Frank Robin ARDLEY	Private 12211 Enlisted 31/08/14	Born Felsted 1893	Invalided out of the army 03/06/16
Arthur BAKER	Private 12280 enlisted 1914	Born Felsted 1891	Promoted to sergeant with 11^th Essex. Discharged 29/03/19
Edward BAMBRIDGE	Private 3/2466 Attested 30/08/14		Invalided from Army 20/02/18. Died 05/04/18
George BARNARD	Serjeant 12263	Born 1893 Great Bardfield.	Killed in Action 11/08/16 Awarded Military Medal in Sept 1916
Samuel Joseph BULLOCK	Private 12223 Enlisted 31/08/14	Born Lexden 1897. Servant at Felsted School	Unknown
Bertie CHAMPNESS	Private 12206 Enlisted 31/08/14	Born Bishops Stortford 1891. Servant at Felsted School	Discharged from army because of sickness 28/05/16.
Alfred Arthur GENTRY	Private 12262	Born 1889	Transferred to Machine Gun Corps. Killed in Action 30/11/17
Walter Henry GIBLIN	Private Soldier 12256	Born Roxwell 1896.	Later Private 23197.
Edward Elmer HANCE	Private 12356	Born 1896	Killed in Action 03/07/16
George John HANCE	Private 3/2272 Enlisted 30/05/15	Born 1888	Killed in Action 13/07/15
Arthur HASLEN	Private 12135	Born Gt. Leighs 1893	Wounded August 1916, transferred to Suffolk Regiment. Died of wounds 12/04/18
Stanley HENDERSON	2^nd Lieut.	Member of staff at Felsted School	Wounded at Hulluch 18/10/15, and Somme Aug16. Became Capt in RAF
Albert JARVIS	Private 12291	Born 1892	Wounded at Battle of Somme 3^rd and 8^th July 1916. Transferred to Labour Corps
Cedric Batson JOYNER	Captain	Member of Staff at Felsted School	Incapacitated by accident 31/12/14. Served at Ministry of Reconstruction. Awarded MBE
Albert Howard KETLEY	Private 12222 Enlisted 31/08/14	Born Felsted 1893	Wounded 29/10/15 Discharged October 1916
Wilfred William LIVERMORE	Private 12200	Born Felsted 1897	Transferred to Machine Gun Corps. Awarded Military Medal. Taken prisoner and died of wounds 24/05/18
Richard Maurice LODGE	Private 12063	Servant at Felsted School	Wounded Sept 1915. Transferred to Army Service Corps and then served as a Corporal with RAF
James MARSHALL	Private 12274	Born Gt Leighs 1892	Killed in Action 12/10/15
Ernest William MEAD	Private 12149	Born Croxley Green, Ricksmanworth, 1893.	Wounded Aug 1916. Awarded Military Medal. Transferred to Royal Scots Regt as Lance Corporal.
Charles ‘Walter’ MIXTURE	Private 12267	Born 1897	Wounded 8^th October 1915. Discharged 05/03/19
Frank PERRY	Private 12142 Enlisted August 1914	Born Little Dunmow 1892	Wounded July 1916. Discharged 21/02/19. Died 1927.
William Edgar PERRYMAN	Possibly - Private 12404	Born Felsted 1896	Wounded October 1915
Fred RADLEY	Private 12275		Wounded October 1918. Discharged 22/02/19
Peter RADLEY	Private 12272		Wounded August 1914. Discharged 12/03/19
Thomas ‘William’ RADLEY	Private 12245		Discharged 25/02/19
Walter SCOTT	Private 12208	Born Copford 1895. Servant at Felsted School	Transferred to 1^st/7^th Battalion. Killed in Action 19/09/17
Douglas Claude J. SHELDRAKE	Lance Corporal 12207	Born Dunmow Registration District 2nd quarter of 1897. Servant at Felsted School	Wounded 04/10/15. Discharged 08/09/16
Arthur ‘Sydney’ STEWARD	Private 12201	Born Felsted 1897 Servant at Felsted School	Transferred to Border Regiment. Killed in Action 02/12/17.
Charles Joseph SWALLOW	Private 12273 Transferred by draft to 9^th on 17/06/15	Born 1893 Occupation: Carpenter	Suffered from Shell Shock. Became Sapper 245087 with Royal Engineers. Discharged 15/03/1919.
Arthur John TAYLOR	Sergeant 10651	Servant at Felsted School	Awarded Military Medal, Discharged 16/03/19
James TYRELL	Private 12215	Born Bocking 1895	Killed in action 12/10/15
Henry Leonard WATTS	2^nd Lieutenant	Master at Felsted School	Promoted to Captain. Killed in action 20/10/15
Leonard Hugh WOODLEY	Lance Corporal 12225 Enlisted 31/08/14	Chauffer, with Hicks Garage	Wounded 17/06/15 Transferred to Machine Gun Corps promoted to Warrant Officer. Demobilized 15/06/19 Awarded Croix de Guerre