SMARDEN - Kent Fallen

SMARDEN
The Great War
1914 – 1919
1

AUSTEN F
Private 27299 Frederick AUSTEN. 15 th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Formerly
(5974) Notts and Derby Regiment. Died 27 th September 1918. Born Smarden. Enlisted
Sevenoaks. Son of Samuel and Annie Austen of Vane Cottage, Smarden, Kent. Buried in the
Gouzeaucourt New British Cemetery, France. Grave reference VIII.F.3.
The Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List gives –
Vane Cottage, Smarden
Private 27299 Frederick AUSTEN. 10 th Royal Warwickshire Regiment.
Monday Bois, Egerton
Private 242483 Ernest AUSTEN. 5 th Royal West Kent Regiment.
2

BATT W
Rifleman 40555 William BATT. 2/8 th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales
Own). Died Tuesday 20 th November 1917. Son of Mrs C Batt of Buffalo Cottages, Smarden,
Kent. Buried in the Grand Ravine British Cemetery, Havrincourt, France. Grave reference B.23.
The Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List gives –
Buffalo Cottages, Smarden
Private 306900 Charles BATT. 6 th Sherwood Foresters.
Private 241900 Dan BATT. 4 th Leicestershire Regiment.
Derinf Farm, Smarden
Private 118737 Cyril Charles BATT. Machine Gun Corps.
Homewood Place, Buckman Green, Smarden
Stoker K/33862 Harold BATT. HMS Undaunted, Royal Navy.
3

Stoker 19354 Herbert BATT. HMS Edgar, Royal Navy.
The 1901 census gives –
The Little Farmhouse, Romden, Smarden
Dan BATT 40 Farmer Smarden
Alice M 34 Sutton Valence
Doris J 7 Smarden
Shirley 5 Smarden
Kate 1 Smarden
Elizabeth 72 Farmers Wife Smarden
Grace 36 Smarden
William lost his life in the Battle of Cambrai.
4

BROWN E
Second Lieutenant Edwin Charles BROWN. 7 th Battalion, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent
Regiment). Died 10 th August 1918 aged 30 years. Son of Samuel and Grace Brown of Watch
House Farm, Smarden, Kent. Formerly (1901) Pope House Farm, Smarden, Kent. Husband of
Elsie E Brown of Strood, Kent. Buried in the Pernois British Cemetery, Halloy-Les-Pernois,
France. Grave reference IV.C.4.
The 1901 census gives –
Pope House Farm, Smarden
Samuel J BROWN 50 Farmer Tenterden
Grace 49 Biddenden
Thomas 22 Biddenden
Arthur 19 Tenterden
Percy J 17 Tenterden
Jessie 14 Tenterden
Edwin C 13 Tenterden
Ruth R 8 Smarden
Annie M 6 Smarden
5

BROWN J
Joseph BROWN
The only Joseph Brown that I could find with an Ashford area connection was this man in the
Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List –
16, Christchurch Road, South Ashford
Petty Officer 221091 Joseph Matthew BROWN. Royal Naval Air Service.
BUSS P
Lieutenant Percy Charles BUSS. 5 th Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Attended 1 st
Battalion. Died Sunday 24 th June 1917 aged 26 years. Born Smarden. Son of Charles Henry and
Amy Buss of Chessenden, Smarden, Kent. Percy has no known grave. His name appears on the
Loos Memorial, France. Panel reference 15 to 19.
The Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List gives –
Chessenden, Smarden
Sergeant 115 Leslie BUSS. Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment).
The 1901 census gives -
Farmhouse, Romden Farm, Smarden
Charles BUSS 56 Farmer Smarden
Elizabeth 51 Farmers Wife Smarden
Rhoda 23 Smarden
Alice 21 Smarden
Edith H 18 Smarden
7

CARRE E.M (brother)
Lieutenant Edward Mervyn CARRE. 15 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps (RFC). Formerly 8 th
Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment Died Monday 16 th October 1916 aged 22 years. Son of
Reverend Arthur A Carre of 8, Rodney Place, Clifton, Bristol. Formerly The Rectory, Smarden,
Ashford, Kent. An address of 11, Grosvenor Road, East Grinstead, East Sussex is also recorded.
Buried in the Hebuterne Military Cemetery, France. Grave reference I.H.6.
The Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List gives –
The Rectory, Smarden
Captain Meyrick Heath CARRE. 6 th Royal West Kent Regiment.
8

The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) Communiques 1916
27 th September 1916
Lt Buckingham with Lt Clark, Capt Binning with Lt Carre, 2Lt Hudson with Lt Bradford and 2Lt
Binson with 2Lt Laird all of 15 Squadron RFC attacked infantry, horse and motor transport from
heights varying from 1,000 feet to 2,000 feet with machine gun fire.
1 st October 1916
Captain Binning and Lt CARRE, 15 Sqn RFC, drove down a hostile machine apparently out of
control.
16 th October 1916
Lieutenant M CARRE. 15 th Squadron, RFC- Lt CARRE (pilot) and Sgt F. BARTON both killed
after 12.15 hours whilst flying in a BE2d (registration 6745) South West of Thiepval on the
Somme. Shot down by the famous German Air Ace Hptm Oswold Boelcke of 2 Jasta.
This was the observer flying with Mervyn when he was killed -
Sergeant 2587 F BARTON. 15 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps (RFC). Died 16 th October 1916.
Buried Hebuterne Military Cemetery, France. Grave reference I.H.5.
9

CARRE G.T (brother)
Captain Gilbert T CARRE MC. 9 th Battalion, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment).
Formerly 6 th Battalion. Died Tuesday 20 th November 1917 aged 24 years. Son of The Reverend
Arthur A Carre of 8, Rodney Place, Clifton, Bristol. Formerly The Rectory, Smarden, Ashford,
Kent. An address of 11, Grosvenor Road, East Grinstead, East Sussex is also recorded. Buried in
the Fifteen Ravine British Cemetery, Villers-Plouich, France. Grave reference III.B.12.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission does not record Gilbert’s Military Cross on it’s Roll
of Honour. Gilbert was awarded the Miltary Cross (MC) for gallantry at Loos on 8 th October 1915.
Gilbert led a bombing party all day and collapsed through sheer exhaustion.
The Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List gives –
The Rectory, Smarden
Captain Meyrick Heath CARRE. 6 th Royal West Kent Regiment.
The Reverend Carre was the Rector of Smarden Church for many years.
10

CARRE M.T (brother)
Private 1113 Maurice Tennant CARRE. 1 st Battalion, Australian Infantry (AIF). Died Lone
Pine, Gallipoli, Turkey on Thursday 2 nd September 1915 at Gallipoli (Turkey) aged 31 years. Born
Ryde, Isle of Wight, Hampshire. Eldest son of the Reverend Arthur A Carre of 8, Rodney Place,
Clifton, Bristol. Formerly The Rectory, Smarden, Ashford, Kent. An address of 11, Grosvenor
Road, East Grinstead, East Sussex is also recorded. Buried in the Shrapnel Valley Cemetery,
Turkey. Grave reference I.E.13.
The Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List gives –
The Rectory, Smarden
Captain Meyrick Heath CARRE. 6 th Royal West Kent Regiment.
COLLISON P
Private 52967 Percy COLLISON. 26 th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers. Died Thursday 7 th June 1917.
Born Boughton Malerbie. Enlisted Canterbury. Resided Fuller Bungalow, Smarden, Kent. Percy
has no known grave. His name appears on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Leper, Belgium.
Panel reference 6 and 8.
The Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List gives –
Fuller Bungalow, Smarden
Driver Frederick COLLISON. 7 th Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery.
11

COPPINS G
Private T/240103 George COPPINS. 5 th Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Died
Monday 22 nd January 1917. Born Smarden. Enlisted Pluckley. Resided Smarden. Son of Mr E
Coppins of Smarden, Kent. George has no known grave. His name appears on the Basra
Memorial, Basra, Iraq. Panel reference 6.
The Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List gives –
Water Lane, Smarden
Private 240598 Harry COPPINS. 5 th Buffs (East Kent Regiment).
The 1901 census gives –
Bakers Bridge, Smarden
Everden COPPINS 44 Bricklayer Smarden
Alice 35 Smarden
Harry 9 Smarden
Eva 8 Smarden
Lily 6 Smarden
George 4 Smarden
Annie 2 Smarden
Bakers Bridge, Smarden
George COPPINS 36 Railway Platelayer Smarden
Ada 29 Smarden
Robert H 1 Smarden
The Hanna Defile is a narrow strip of dry land between the River Tigris and the Great Suwaikiya
Marshes. The mouth of the Hanna Lines lies upstream of the Wadi, some 8 miles towards Kut-al-
Amara. It was the rainy season days were hot, foggy and humid and nights were below freezing.
On the 20 th January the Turkish defences at Hanna came under heavy British artillery
bombardment. After the bombardment the infantry moved forward to attack. The Turks rose out of
their trenches and literally cut the attacking British infantry down. Very few British soldiers
reached their objective. On the 22 nd January a truce was arranged and both sides recovered their
killed and wounded from the battlefield. British losses in this action amounted to 2,700 men killed
or wounded.
12

CUTHBERT A.G.L
Private G/51366 Arthur George L. CUTHBERT. 17 th Battalion, London Regiment. Formerly
(3449) Royal Fusiliers. Died 28 th April 1917. Born Smarden. Son of H and A Cuthbert of Marden,
Kent. Husband of Sophia Emma Cuthbert of 13, South View Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Arthur
has no known grave. His name appears on the Arras Memorial, Arras, France. Panel reference
Bay 3.
FRENCH N
Sapper 143718 Noel FRENCH. 20 th Army Troops Company, Royal Engineers (RE). Died
Wednesday 8 th August 1917 aged 24 years. Born Southwark, London. Enlisted Sheldwich,
Faversham. Resided Smarden. Son of Noel and Florence F. French of Bouverie Chambers,
Bouverie Road, Folkestone, Kent. Buried in the Bleuet Farm Cemetery, Leper, Belgium. Grave
reference I.E.29.
13

LUKEHURST J.H
Private (Signaler) 911586 John Herbert LUKEHURST. 266 th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
(RFA). Died Tuesday 10 th December 1918 aged 26 years. Son of James Lukehurst and Lillian
Maskell (Formerly Lukehurst) of Cage Lane, Smarden, Kent. Buried in the Alexandria (Hadra)
War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt. Grave reference H.5.
The Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List gives –
Cage Lane, Smarden
Private 202517 (Signalman) John LUKEHURST. 4 th Royal West Kent Regiment.
The 1901 census gives –
14, Cage Lane, Smarden
James LUKEHURST 59 Labourer Ashford
Lillian 34 Smarden
John H 9 Smarden
Dorothy 4 Smarden
PAINTON-JONES T.E
Captain Thomas Edward PAINTON-JONES. 6 th Battalion (City of London Rifles), London
Regiment. Died 15 th September 1916. Thomas has no known grave. His name appears on the
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France. Panel reference 9D.
Soldiers Died Great War lists this man as Thomas Edward Painton JONES (no double barrel
surname).
On the 12 th September 1916 the London Rifles were in Black Wood. On the 14 th September the
battalion moved forward to Bazentin-le-Grande and from there assembled in Worcester Trench.
The day that Thomas was killed the battalion made an attack on High Wood. The battalion
sustained very heavy casualties during this advance in which Cough Drop was captured and
consolidated. The next day Drop Alley was also taken.
14

RIPLEY P
Private G/92545 Percy RIPLEY. 7 th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment. Died Sunday 26 th May
1918 aged 37 years. Enlisted Hastings. Resided Battle. Son of James and Laura Ripley of
Smarden, Kent. Buried in the Wanquetin Communal Cemetery Extension, France. Grave
reference II.A.3.
The Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List gives –
High Street, Smarden
Private M2/200044 Arthur RIPLEY. Mechanical Transport, Army Service Corps.
Private G/92545 Percy RIPLEY. 7 th Middlesex Reiment.
Private 239816 William RIPLEY. 496 th Agricultural Company, Labour Corps.
The 1901 census gives –
23, Water Lane, Smarden
Albert G RIPLEY 37 Labourer Eastry, Kent
Mary A 34 Smarden
William 13 Smarden
Daisy M 11 Smarden
Adolfus 1 Smarden
E……. 10 Smarden
15

SMITH F.F
Private G/42786 Frederick (Fred) Frank SMITH. 16 th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment.
Formerly (G/21753) East Surrey Regiment. Died 1 st December 1917 aged 22 years. Born
Smarden. Enlisted Canterbury. Resided Smarden. Son of William Alfred and Mary Ann Smith of
North Street, Biddenden, Kent. Frederick has no known grave. His name appears on the Cambrai
Memorial, France. Panel reference 9.
The Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List gives –
Water Lane, Smarden
Lance Corporal 8832 Sidney George SMITH. The Buffs (East Kent Regiment).
UNDERDOWN H.H
Private G/10475 Harry Hubert UNDERDOWN. 1 st Battalion, Queen’s (Royal West Surrey
Regiment). Died Wednesday 21 st February 1917 aged 21 years. Born Smarden. Son of Edwin
and Olive Underdown of Hodge Farm, Smarden, Kent. Buried in the Etaples Military Cemetery,
France. Grave reference XXI.H.8A.
Harry was sent home from the front in December 1916 suffering from trench exposure and severe
shell shock. He returned to his battalion in early February 1917 and lost his life shortly afterwards.
His body was buried in Etaples on the 23 rd February 1917.
The Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List gives –
Hodge Farm, Smarden
Private L/11651 George James UNDERDOWN. 1 st City of London.
Maltmans Hill, Smarden
Private (Signalman) 202545 Percy George UNDERDOWN. 4 th Royal West Kent Regiment.
The 1901 census gives –
Hodge Farm, Smarden
Edwin UNDERDOWN 44 Farmer Smarden
16

Olive 48 Smarden
Cecilia 14 Smarden
Beatrice 11 Smarden
George 10 Smarden
Ada 8 Smarden
Harry 5 Smarden
From January to March 1917 the battalion remained comparatively inactive in the Clery Sector.
By the end of March it was in billets at Corbie. It is thought that Henry was wounded on The
Somme in France in late 1916 and then recovered to a Base hospital at Etaples. In December
1916 the battalion was in the frontline at Rancourt and St Pierre Vaast Wood.
17

LOST MEN
DUNK E. E (brother)
Private 92381 Ernest Edwin DUNK. 10 th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby
Regiment). Formerly (T3/024113 Royal Army Service Corps (RASC). Died Monday 22 nd April
1918. Born Smarden. Enlisted Faversham. Son of David and Eva Dunk of Selling, Faversham,
Kent. Buried in the Varennes Military Cemetery, France. Grave reference I.K.17.
Ernest’s name appears on the Selling War Memorial near Faversham.
DUNK P.J (brother)
Private L/10109 Percy James DUNK. 1 st Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Died 18 th
October 1914. Born Smarden. Enlisted Canterbury. Resided Selling near Faversham. Son of
David and Eva Dunk of Selling, Faversham, Kent. Percy has no known grave. His name appears
on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium. Panel reference Panel 2.
Percy’s name appears on the Selling war memorial near Faversham.
On the 18 th October 1914 the 16 th and 18 th Brigades advanced on the enemy to ascertain their
exact positions and strength. The 1 st Buffs part of 16 th Brigade were sent to Bridoux to cover the
right flank. The Buffs attacked from Grand Flamengrie Farm with orders to seize the line of the
Hameau de Bas- La Vallee Road. The battalion took the village of Radinghem and beyond it the
Chateau de Flandres.
18

GOODWIN E
Private G/9372 Ernest Eli GOODWIN. 6 th Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Died
Saturday 7 th October 1916. Born Ashford. Enlisted Ashford. Resided Headcorn. Formerly (1901)
42 Brickyard Cottages, Pluckley, Kent. Ernest has no known grave. His name appears on the
Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Grave reference 5D.
The 1901 census gives –
42, Brickyard Cottages, Pluckley
Eli GOODWIN 50 Railway Platelayer Smarden
Mary A 48 Smarden
William 23 Smarden
James 18 Agricultural Labourer Pluckley
Herbert 15 Smarden
Ernest E 13 Smarden
Gabriel 10 Pluckley
Percy 7 Pluckley
Amy 5 Pluckley
On the 7 th October the 6 th battalion was in action fighting in the Battles of The Transloy Ridges.
On the 1 st October the battalion was at Lonqueval in the morning. Later in the day it went into
reserve trenches at Guedecourt. The battalion went forward under extremely heavy machine gun
fire. About 350 men were killed, missing or wounded. Ernest was one of those killed.
HENNIKER E.E
Private G/24433 Ernest Edward HENNIKER. 9 th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment. Died
Thursday 21 st February 1918. Born Smarden. Enlisted Tonbridge. Son of Edward and Jane
Henniker of The Hurst, West Peckham, Maidstone, Kent. Buried in the Tincourt New British
Cemetery, France. Grave reference IV.F.12.
19

KEELEY T.H
Private 18160 Thomas Henry KEELEY. 9 th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. Died 7 July
1916. Born Smarden. Thomas has no known grave. His name appears on the Thiepval Memorial,
Somme, France. Reference: Pier and Face 10 B 11 B and 12 B.
On 1 July 1916, supported by a French attack to the south, thirteen divisions of Commonwealth
forces launched an offensive on a line from north of Gommecourt to Maricourt. Despite a
preliminary bombardment lasting seven days, the German defences were barely touched and the
attack met unexpectedly fierce resistance. Losses were catastrophic and with only minimal
advances on the southern flank, the initial attack was a failure. In the following weeks, huge
resources of manpower and equipment were deployed in an attempt to exploit the modest
successes of the first day. However, the German Army resisted tenaciously and repeated attacks
and counter attacks meant a major battle for every village, copse and farmhouse gained. At the
end of September, Thiepval was finally captured. The village had been an original objective of 1
July. Attacks north and east continued throughout October and into November in increasingly
difficult weather conditions. The Battle of the Somme finally ended on 18 November with the
onset of winter. In the spring of 1917, the German forces fell back to their newly prepared
defences, the Hindenburg Line, and there were no further significant engagements in the Somme
sector until the Germans mounted their major offensive in March 1918. The Thiepval Memorial,
the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and
men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20
March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July
and November 1916. The memorial also serves as an Anglo-French Battle Memorial in
recognition of the joint nature of the 1916 offensive and a small cemetery containing equal
numbers of Commonwealth and French graves lies at the foot of the memorial. The memorial,
designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, was built between 1928 and 1932 and unveiled by the Prince of
Wales, in the presence of the President of France, on 31 July 1932. The dead of other
Commonwealth countries who died on the Somme and have no known graves are
commemorated on national memorials elsewhere.
20

KESBY P.A.S (brother)
Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) 7824 Percy Albert Stephen KESBY. 1 st Battalion,
Lancashire Fusiliers. Died 25 th October 1916 aged 36 years. Born Folkestone. Enlisted
Chatham. Youngest son of Sergeant J.A Kesby of Bell Farm, Smarden, Ashford, Kent. Brother of
Captain T Kesby (below). Husband of Maud G Kesby of 85, Ordnance Street, Chatham, Kent.
Buried in the Bulls Road Cemetery, Flers, The Somme, France. Grave reference I.C.13.
Percy served for 8 years in the Lancashire Fusiliers before the war broke out. He was recalled to
England from India where his battalion was stationed. Percy was sent to Gallipoli, Turkey where
he saw considerable action. At the time he was killed he was the most senior man (NCO) in the
whole battalion. He left a widow and 2 children.
On the 10 th October 1916 the 1 st Lancashire Fusiliers were at Dernancourt. On the 13 th October it
was at Mametz Wood holding frontline trenches. On the 19 th it was holding Switch Trench at
Flers. The day that Percy died it was at Delville (Devil) Wood. The battalion was in Bernafay
Wood on the 27 th September 1916.
KESBY T (brother)
Captain Thomas Herbert KESBY. 170 th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps (MGC). Formerly The
Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Died 15 th September 1916. Son of Sergeant J.A Kesby of Bell
Farm, Smarden, Ashford, Kent. Brother of Percy (Above). Husband of Mrs Kesby of 128, Emmet
Road, Inchimore, Dublin, Ireland. Buried in the London Cemetery and Extension, Longueval,
France. Grave reference 11.G.16.
21

WOOD E.C
Lance Corporal G/20566 Ernest Charles WOOD. 9 th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment. Died
Friday 3 rd August 1917 aged 23 years. Born Smarden. Enlisted Chelsea, London. Son of James
and Elizabeth Rebecca Wood of Forge Hill, Pluckley, Kent. Ernest has no known grave. His name
appears on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Leper, Belgium. Panel reference 20.
The Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List gives –
The Forge House, Pluckley
Sapper 185773 Harold Henry WOOD. 495 th Field Company, Royal Engineers.
Corporal SE/5648 James William WOOD. Army Veterinary Corps.
WOOD J.W
Shoeing Smith Corporal SE/5648 James William WOOD. 11 th Section, Army Veterinary
Corps (AVC). Died Saturday 28 th September 1918 age 32 years. Born Smarden. Enlisted
Faversham. Son of Mr and Mrs James Wood of The Forge House, Pluckley, Ashford, Kent.
Husband of Alice Mary Wood of 19 Victoria Avenue, Northdown, Margate, Kent. Buried in the
Bralo British Cemetery, Greece. Grave reference 29.
James died in Salonika, Greece of influenza during the 1918 flu epidemic.
The Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List gives –
The Forge House, Pluckley
Sapper 185773 Harold Henry WOOD. 495 th Field Company, Royal Engineers.
Corporal SE/5648 James William WOOD. Army Veterinary Corps.
22