Author: ian wright

Charles Jeffrey was born in 1894 in Pillowell, the son of a collier. He worked in the mines after leaving school.

He enlisted in the 3^rd Glosters, probably after the start of the war.  The 3rd. Glosters remained in the UK throughout the war, providing drafts to other battalions. In August 1914, the Glosters left Bristol for Abbey Wood, near Woolwich. Besides training, the work of the battalion was the defence of the arsenal and to guard the huge supplies of explosives which were distributed over the Abbey Wood marshes. From September 1914 onwards, the 3rd Glosters continually supplied drafts of officers and men to the 1st Battalion and other corps, while there was always a steadily increasing flow of drafts of new officers and men for training.

In January 1915, Jeffrey deserted from Abbey Wood. It is not possible to say what motivated him, but he would have had a reason. He was listed as missing in the Police Gazette, which implies he was gone for more than 21 days. There are no enlistment and service records for him, so it is not possible to say if and when he voluntarily returned to the regiment or if he was captured and if he was punished.

However, his military pension record shows he was discharged on 22 May 1916. Pensions were only provided for those who were injured or killed fighting in the First World War. Pensions were provided for the injured soldiers themselves as well as widows and other dependents. So, it is likely he was involved in combat with another battalion abroad and was subsequently wounded.

After the war, Jeffrey returned to work at New Fancy colliery near Parkend. He married Florence Thomas in 1934 and continued to work as a collier. He died in 1971.

William John Burris was born in 1892 in St Briavels. His father, also William, worked as a wagoner with horses on a farm. On leaving school, he obtained work as a collier.

He had a minor brush with the law in 1913, at the age of 20. On 8 July 1913, he was sentenced to 14 days in prison for stealing two pieces of timber.

Burris signed up for the 3^rd South Wales Borderers Special Reserve 24th Battalion on 6 May 1914 in Newport. At the time, he claimed to be 18 years old, but his age was probably 22. He was only 5 ft 3 ins in height and weighed just 7 stone. He was sent for training to Brecon, but almost immediately ran into conflict with the military authorities.

Location	Date	Offence	Punishment	Date
Brecon	15 May	Nor complying with an order and drunk	Admonished	18 May
Brecon	2 July	Absent from parade	3 days confined to barracks	3 July
Brecon	9 July	Neglecting to obey an order	4 days confined to barracks.	9 July
Brecon	10 July	Neglecting to obey an order	7 days confined to barracks.	11 July
Brecon	11 July	Breaking out of barracks. Apprehended by civil police in Newport on 13 July. Loss of kit	96 hours detention and required to pay for the kit. Forfeit 3 days’ pay,	17 July
Brecon	18 July	Stubbornness at drill whilst under detention. Improper conduct. Threw his equipment at a wall	48 hours on a punishment diet	18 July
Brecon	26 August	Shirking his work while on fatigue	4 days confined to a cell.	28 August

Burris was mobilised on 8 August 1914. He deserted on 17 October 1914. His army records appear to end here, so it is unclear what he did next.

However, a William John Burris, the son of William Burris, a farm labourer, married Ellen Reeson on 5 November 1918 in Wimbledon. He is listed as a soldier based at Bramshott military camp in Hampshire. The couple had a daughter born in 1920. The family subsequently migrated to British Columbia in 1920, where they had five sons and where he worked as a general labourer doing odd jobs. Ellen died in 1942. Burris married again to Catherine Ritoul in 1951 and had two more sons. He died in 1962.

Follow this link for full details:

https://www.deanheritagecentre.org/event-details-registration/remembering-the-1926-miners-strike-talk-and-presentation

William Howells was born in Coleford in October 1890. On leaving school, he worked as a trammer, possibly for his father, who was a buttyman at Hopewell colliery. He joined the 2^nd Monmouth Territorials.

He signed up in Lydney with the 11th Gloucestershire Regiment on 4 August 1915 and was sent to Belhus Park, Essex. However, he was absent from 18 November 1915 until 17 December 1915, when he was apprehended and confined to a guard room. He appeared before a district court martial at Seaford on 1 January 1916 and was sentenced to six months detention for desertion while on active duty and sent to Chelmsford Barracks.

He was transferred to the Machine Gun Regiment on 10 August 1916.  He deserted again and made his way home. He was officially declared a deserter on 28 August 1916.

He was arrested after being found sleeping rough in the woods near Coleford on 11 October 1916.[1] He was handed over to the military and appeared before a district court martial at Chelmsford on 23 October 1916. He was convicted of desertion and losing by neglect his clothing, equipment and regimental necessities. He was sentenced to one year’s detention and put under stoppages of pay.

However, he was released on 3 March 1917 and sent to the front in France. He was wounded in the thigh on 8 April 1917 and was in hospital up to 15 April 1917. He was sent home in a hospital ship on 26 April 1917.

He deserted again on 7 August 1917 until he gave himself up in Coleford on 1 April 1919. He was handed over to a military escort on 8 April 1919 and held in a guard room until 1 May 1919. He faced a court-martial on 1 May 1919 and was tried for “deserting his majesty’s service”. He pleaded not guilty but was found guilty as charged and sentenced:

to be imprisoned with hard labour for one year and to be discharged with ignominy from his majesty’s service.

He was sent to Lincoln prison.  He was discharged on 21 October 1919. He returned to the Forest to live with his family and started work at Princess Royal colliery as a trammer. He remained single and lived with his mother after his father died in 1941. He died in January 1953.

[1] Dean Forest Mercury 20 October 1916.

This story was originally covered in much more detail by Roger Deeks in the New Regard.

Roger Deeks, Private Reginald Thomas Packer, Grenadier Guards, and the Memorial, New Regard, Journal of the Forst of Dean History Society, No. 25, pp. 15-20.

Reginald Packer was born in Southrop, Gloucestershire, in July 1895, the son of a policeman called William Packer. The family moved to Cinderford, where William Packer was appointed Police Inspector in January 1909. The family worshipped at St. Stephen’s Church, Cinderford, where Reginald sang in the choir.

Reginald Packer was a strong young man and over six feet tall. In August 1911, this enabled him to leave his job as a brewer’s clerk and enlist in one of the elite army regiments, the Grenadier Guards. At the time of his enlistment, he was only 16 years and one month old. However, his physique enabled him to falsely claim that he was 18 years of age, which was a requirement for enlistment at the time. He served his time at the Grenadier Guards barracks in Warley, London, until the outbreak of war in August 1914.

His service records show that on Saturday 26 September 1914, he became absent without leave from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards while they were still stationed in England. He returned to Cinderford walking with a limp, using a stick with bandages on his head. He claimed he had been wounded at the Battle of Aisne and attended a church service at St Stephens on Sunday 27 September. He reported to the Dean Forest Mercury that he had left England for France on 15 September and had been involved in several desperate battles.  He said he was:

keen to be back again with his mates doing what he can in the struggle in which they are so nobly doing their duty.

However, he was arrested and by 15 October 1914 was held in confinement awaiting trial. On 27 October, he was convicted of desertion by a district court martial and sentenced to 42 days’ detention in a military prison with all former service forfeited. This meant he would lose his pension rights for his service up to that point and have a seriously blemished record.

The authorities were keen to keep his desertion a secret as they wanted to use the example of his ‘heroism’ as a propaganda tool in the local press to illustrate the bravery of the British forces in France and to encourage recruitment and support for the war effort. Also, the authorities might have been keen to avoid embarrassing Inspector William Packer, who was a highly respected member of the Forest establishment.

Meanwhile, on 7 October, Packer’s battalion had been sent to France and was involved in heavy fighting. The army was in desperate need of trained soldiers and so on 9 November, after serving only part of his sentence, he was sent to rejoin his battalion. He was immediately involved in fierce fighting around the town of Fromelles and was killed on 20 December 1914 at just 19 years of age. A letter was sent to the family by one of Reginald’s comrades, William Blake, which said:

You have the satisfaction of knowing that Reg was every inch a British soldier, well liked by his comrades, and a credit to the Regiment.

Reginald Packer’s death was first reported in the Dean Forest Mercury on 8 January 1915 and further reported the following week under the headline ‘Roll for Heroes’. The story reminded the readers of his return to Cinderford in September 1914 with wounds to his head and leg, and his quick return to France to fight alongside his fellow soldiers.

Reginald Packer is buried at Ration Farm Cemetery, La Chapelle Armentieres. It is possible that only his family members and the military authorities knew of the true story of his desertion. Reginald Packers’ younger brother, Ernest, was killed in France on 3 July 1916. They are both commemorated on the Cinderford Town War memorial and on a memorial at their school, Double View, in Cinderford. In addition, the wrought iron gates at St Stephens church, Cinderford, commemorate the death of a single soldier, Reginald Packer, killed in action on 20 December 1914. There is no known explanation for his return to Cinderford and his elaborate deception.

 

Horace Tom Beard was the son of Alice Beard and was born in Mitcheldean in May 1890, where Alice‘s parents lived. At the time, Alice was working as a parlour maid in a hotel in Newnham. Alice married Charles Hooper in 1892. Charles worked as a postman in Newnham.

After leaving School, Horace served an apprenticeship as a blacksmith and joined the 4^th Glosters Militia. He applied to join the professional army or navy but was rejected because of his stammering. He obtained work as a seaman and claims he was shipwrecked on several occasions. He joined the Worcestershire Regiment on 5 September 1914 and was sent for training at Worcester.

On 3 May 1915, Horace married Emma George in Newnham. On 15 May 1915, the following report appeared in the Gloucester Journal, where Horace is described as a soldier in the Gloucestershire Regiment. 

At the Police Station, Thursday before Mr. Spencer Shelley, Horace T. Beard, of Church Road, Newnham, was charged with being an absentee without leave from the Gloucestershire Regiment and was remanded to await an escort.

There can be little doubt that these two events are connected. There is no record available about his punishment.

Horace was then sent to join the British Expeditionary Force in France on 9 December 1915 and joined the 57th Field Ambulance. He was immediately thrust into action on the front line, where he was a victim of an exploding shell, which rendered him unconscious. His speech became worse, and then he lost it completely.

He remained in France until 21 February 1916. and returned home on 22 February 1916 because of gastritis. A Medical Report on 17 May 1916 provided the following statement:

Unconscious from a shell exploding. Speech became affected, eventually losing it completely. Worries a great deal. Voice is still bad.  A fortnight ago, he suddenly lost it completely for 6 days for no obvious reason. The patient has been shipwrecked four times. On every occasion, he lost his voice. Memory for past events is unreliable.

On 2 June 1916, Horace was discharged from the army because he was no longer “physically fit for service”. The reason given was neurasthenia and shell shock.

Medical Reports

Bristol 13 November 1916

Complains of a pain in the head and giddiness. Has lost his voice. Talks in a whispering manner. Stutters a great deal. Generally, in a weak condition. 50%

Newport, 23 July 1917.

As before 40%

Gloucester 15 June 1918

Much the same condition. 40%

Gloucester 24 August 1920

Complains of a choking feeling in his throat.  Can only tolerate bread and milk.   Cannot speak above a whisper. Pharyngitis present. Presence of internal tensions of cords. Larynx otherwise normal. Condition functional 40%

Gloucester 29 September 1920

Speech difficulty – husky voice. Hesitancy in speech. Difficulty with food. Vomits various times after food. Weakness in arm. Very slight tremor in hands and eyelids.  No muscle wastage in arm. Some loss of sensation.  Abnormal Larynx as before. Strength improved (functional). 30%

Some comments in these transcriptions of medical reports have not been included because the words are difficult to decipher.

After the war, Horace and Emma moved to Stroud.  Emma died on 18 November 1919. Soon after Emma’s death, Horace married Ada Fry. Horace obtained work in various roles as a driver, doorman, caretaker and builder’s labourer. Horace Beard died in November 1957.

 

In 1914, Martin Brady was living in Coleford, where he worked as a cook. He signed on with RGA on 21 November 1914 in Bristol.

He deserted from Plymouth on 28 January 1915 and was listed as a deserter in the Police Gazette on 16 February 1915. A court of enquiry was held on 26 February 1915 to discuss his case and to make a list of his belongings.

There is no reference to a Martin Brady being born in Gloucestershire or in online records that follow his desertion. He has a surname that is common in Ireland, so it is possible he escaped to Ireland, where he would find it much easier to avoid detection by the authorities.

The surname Brady primarily originates from Ireland, derived from the Gaelic Ó Brádaigh or Mac Brádaigh, translating to “descendant of” or “son of” Brádach

 

William Lewis was born in Minchinhampton in 1886, the son of an agricultural labourer. He married Rosina Gardiner in July 1911. Rosina already had a daughter, Winifred, from a previous relationship. The family then moved to the Forest so William could get better-paid work in the mines. At some stage, after this Wiliam joined the military. 

In May 1918, Rosina Lewis from Ruardean Hill was sent to prison for seven days for aiding her husband, William, a sapper in the Royal Engineers, to desert. This was not the first time William had deserted while on home leave; on three occasions in the past, he had to be fetched by a military escort. He was due back in France in February, but did not arrive and had apparently disappeared. Eventually, a thorough search was made of his house and William was found sewn up inside the mattress cover on which his mother and four children were lying. He was arrested and returned to the trenches.^[1] Rosina struggled to cope and was forced to enter the workhouse with her four children for a short period in the Autumn of 1918.

The Lewis family survived the war but not the poverty of post war Britain. William returned to work as a labourer at Foxes Bridge colliery near Cinderford, and by 1921, the family included six children. Labourers in Forest collieries were very badly paid compared to some of the more skilled workers who were on piece rates or were craftsmen and so the family struggled to feed their children.

In 1921, the response from the government and the owners to a depression in the coal trade was to allow ruthless competition to take its toll. They argued they had no alternative but to resolve the economic crisis in the coal industry by radically reducing labour costs, translated into wage cuts of up to 50 per cent. The miners refused to go to work under these new terms and downed tools. As a result, on 31 March 1921, one million British miners, including many war veterans, were locked out of their pits; this included over 6,000 miners from the Forest of Dean. After three months, the miners returned to work defeated and had to accept the severe wage cuts, while others became unemployed. 

In July 1921, William was caught stealing four cabbages from Westbury Court Gardens valued at one shilling.  Soon after, William and Rosina were brought to court, charged with neglecting their children, despite the court acknowledging they were well nourished. The parents were both sentenced to two months in prison and the children were taken into care. In addition, William was fined 20s for the theft of the cabbages.[2]

Rosina’s fourteen-year-old daughter Winifred died in 1922. Rosina died in 1927, aged just forty.

[1] Gloucester Journal 25 May 1918.

[2] Gloucester Citizen 30 July 1921.

 

Oliver Brown was born in Cinderford in July 1890, the son of George and Mary Brown. He worked as a labourer and a miner in several collieries in the East Dean area. He volunteered in March 1915, but in September 1915, he deserted and disappeared. He somehow managed to survive clandestinely for over a year. He turned up later in Colchester, enlisted under the name of Travers and was killed in action in April 1917.

Any soldier serving under a fictitious name was committing an offence called fraudulent enlistment. This includes men who lie on their attestation forms about having previously been in the armed forces. However, only about 2000 men faced a tribunal for fraudulent enlistment.

In its project Alias, the Western Front Association has studied the existing pension records cards for World War One soldiers and discovered that about 10 000 soldiers killed in the war had pension cards which revealed they were serving under a name other than their own. Sometimes the records reveal that these men had a history of using several names and had enlisted in several different regiments.

This is only the tip of the iceberg, as the pension records only list casualties who had dependents who were able to claim a pension. The unknown figure, which includes those men serving under a name other than their own who survived the war and those who were killed during the war without dependents, must be very much higher than this.

Men had a range of reasons for enlisting under a false name. Deserters, for example, might rejoin in a different regiment to escape difficult circumstances such as conflict with officers, bullying, or dissatisfaction with where they were deployed. Some may have left temporarily due to personal or family issues and then enlisted elsewhere to avoid punishment for desertion, or because they found life on the run unsustainable. In other cases, individuals moved between branches of service, such as from the army to the navy, or vice versa.

Project Alias

Project Alias has produced some quite revealing findings about soldiers who served under names other than their own, and it shows this was both more common and more complex than previously understood.

1) The scale of alias use was much larger than expected

Before the project, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission had identified about 3,500 soldiers who served under an alias.

• Project Alias expanded this to nearly 10,000 individuals
• That’s roughly a 300% increase in known cases

This demonstrates that serving under a different name was not rare—it was a significant phenomenon in the First World War.

2) Many soldiers effectively had “dual identities” in records

The research found that:

• Soldiers often had two parallel sets of records—one under their real name and one under the alias
• In some cases, records were split across systems, meaning no single search would reveal the full service history

Project Alias addressed this by linking both identities so researchers can now find all records regardless of which name is used.

3) Not all “different names” were true aliases

A key finding is that multiple names don’t always mean deliberate deception. The project identified several categories:

• Genuine aliases (intentional false names used at enlistment)
• Spelling variations or clerical errors (e.g. “McKay” vs “Mackie”)
• Administrative corrections (names altered later by officials)
• Ambiguous cases where it’s unclear if it’s an alias or an error

So, the raw numbers include a mix of true aliases and record inconsistencies.

4) Evidence of alias use is often embedded in official records

Project Alias confirmed that:

• Pension records frequently include both real and alias names
• Some explicitly state “alias” or “served as”
• Others only hint at it (e.g. crossed-out names, “see also” references)

This means many aliases were known to authorities at the time, but not systematically indexed.

5) Some individuals used more than one alias

While less common, the project found cases of:

• Soldiers with multiple alias names
• Complex identity trails across several documents

This further complicates tracing individuals without cross-referenced data.

6) The findings highlight unresolved historical questions

Although Project Alias identified the names, it also raised new questions:

• Why did so many men enlist under false names?
• How many cases remain undetected (e.g. if the alias was never recorded)?

The Western Front Association itself notes that the motivations behind alias use are still an area for further research.

Project Alias shows that serving under a different name in WWI was:

• Widespread (far beyond earlier estimates)
• Often traceable but poorly indexed
• Not always intentional—sometimes administrative or accidental

 

Some volunteers had second thoughts almost immediately after signing on. This was the case for Herbert Moyes and William Watkins, who worked as farm labourers in Awre. Moyes worked at Aram’s farm near Newnham and Watkins at Box farm, near Awre

The two men enlisted in the army at Gloucester on 31 August 1914 and were then sent to a camp at Salisbury Plain. However, after several days, they decided to leave and walked back to their homes in Awre. A couple of days later, a local policeman spotted Moyes and enquired if he had enlisted. Moyes replied that he had left the army and admitted having deserted, adding that after several days on Salisbury Plain, they “had had enough of it”. He then made several complaints about their treatment by the military authorities. The policeman then came across Watkins, who made a statement similar to Moyes. ^[1]

The men were remanded pending the arrival of a military escort to take them back to Salisbury. It is unclear what happened to Moyes, but Watkins was discharged from the military on 7 October 1914 based on a recommendation that he was “unlikely of becoming an efficient soldier”.^[2]

In 1921, Watkins was still living in Awre and working as a Carter for a local farmer.[3]

The action of Moyes and Watkins was not unusual in the Autumn of 1914. Training conditions during the winter of 1914–15 were extremely poor. Recruitment had far outpaced the military’s ability to properly house, equip, and supply the new soldiers, forcing many to live in tents. Food was inadequate, uniforms were lacking, and proper weapons were scarce. Constant wet weather turned camps into muddy, unsanitary environments, leading to outbreaks of disease such as measles and viral meningitis. Over 100,000 men became ill enough to require hospital treatment in Britain that winter, and more than 700 died. This harsh reality was far removed from what many had expected, prompting some recruits to abandon their posts and return home.

 

[1] Gloucester Journal, 12 September 1914.

[2] World War One Records for William Watkins in Ancestry.

[3] 1921 Census