Will' was killed in action on 11 April 1915 in an area of Wytschaete that was overlooked by Kemmel Hill. They named their trenches, "Hell's Kitchen", "Cowslip Villa" and "E6". German snipers worked this area. On the day William was killed, 4 more of 'B' Company died - including Robert Anderson (of the Horse & Jockey Yard, Gainsborough). William was 20 years old. Many of those boys were buried where they fell. Will's body lies in plot B3 at the Packhorse Farm Shrine Cemetary (Commonwealth War Graves Commission). The cemetary is 9 kilometres South-West of Ypres, Belgium, near the village of Wulverghem. The cemetery was made by the 46th (North Midland) Division who occupied this area in the early summer of 1915. It was used only from April to June 1915 and contains 59 First World War burials.
This page contains some brief details of relatives of Al Garrod, the Webmaster of this site.
Click on any picture on this page to see the complete photograph
Pte William Martin Barker 1331
Al's Great Uncle, Will' Barker was 19 when he went off to join the 1st/5th Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment. The fact that he was stone-deaf should have excused him from active service, but all his mates were joining up, and Will' didn't want to be left behind. He lived at 50 Stanley Street in Gainsborough (with his parents Horace and Annie Barker) but he travelled to Alford (Lincolnshire) to join 'B' (Louth) Company of the Territorial Force, because no-one would know him there - so they wouldn't know that he was deaf. Will' could lip read and he carefully and closely copied his friends - in this way he managed to get through his Army training without the authorities discovering his disability (or at least, if anyone did suspect that he was deaf, they kept it to themselves).
The family have always thought that Will' and his comrades were killed by German snipers when disembarking from their boat. It is impossible to say whether that was based on information given to them directly by the War Department or whether it was a guess. Will's Medal Record (obtained from the National Archives) gives 1/3/15 as his qualifying date and France as the theatre of war. This clearly states that Will' served in France and Belgium for almost six weeks before his death.
In the course of conversation one day, Al discovered that one of his friends had relatives that had fought at the Somme too - Pte Harold Lee.
Cpl Frederick Alma David Stow, TS10066
Al's Grandfather, Fred Stow, fought in France and Belgium during the First World War.
This photograph was taken on 29 April 1917 and shows Fred Stow playing football somewhere in France. Fred was enlisted into the Army Service Corps as a Driver (of horses) within the 35th Division. Fred had previously served an apprenticeship as a Farrier. After initial training without equipment or uniform, at billets close to home, the 35th Division were established at their HQ at Masham, Yorkshire by June 1915. After some further movement within England (Aug 1915, Salisbury Plain; 14 Sep 1915 - Chiseldon; 11 Oct 1915 - Cholderton) in late 1915, the division received orders to prepare to move to Egypt, but there was a greater need for men in France, and these orders were soon changed. By February 1916 the Division had all moved to France. They fought on the Western Front for the remainder of the war, notably at:
- The Battle of Albert (Somme 1916)
- The German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line
- The Second Battle of Passchendaele (Ypres)
- The First Battle of Bapaume (Somme 1918)
- The Battle of Ypres 1918
- The Battle of Courtrai
- The Battle of Tieghem (Nov 1918)
The 35th Division ceased to exist by the end of April 1919, having suffered casualties (killed, wounded and missing) of 23,915 during the war.
This photograph shows Fred recovering from wounds whilst he was staying at Ayscoughfee Hall, Spalding (Lincolnshire). The Hall was used as a convalescent hospital. Fred had been shot in the chest and leg.
Fred brought home some photographs of Arras and Albert (Somme) after the bombardment. To see the pictures please click the following link:
Fred's wife, Al's Grandmother, was Violet Stow (nee Barker). When War broke out, Violet and her friends all went to work in Marshalls, Gainsborough. This picture was taken in 1914. Over 5,000 people worked in the production of munitions in Marshalls "Britannia Iron Works" during the War years.
During WWII Al's father, Albert Garrod, served in Italy, Sicily and North Africa with the Royal Engineers, attached to the 1st Army.
The Battle of the Somme (1916)
Battle of the Hohenzollern Redoubt, 1915
Eyewitness to History - The Somme 1916