54th Field Company Royal Engineers, Italy 1918

This photo of a group of tanned Royal Engineers belonged to Sapper Ernest Bracewell of 2 Section, 54th Field Company RE. It shows members of the company in 1918, somewhere in northern Italy. Ernest explains on the back that he had wandered off and doesn't appear in the picture.  However he helpfully added the names (or nicknames) of quite a few of his comrades - although not the middle row for some reason. From his handwriting, the notes were probably written at the time or not long after. The note on the bottom was written in later life.

So the back row comprises (L to R) : "Marie" Studholme, Bert Charman, Jimmy Keyes, "Matey" Castleton, "Boss" Friend, Brent, Jock Webster, Atkinson, Alf Watts, and "Busty" Hill.

Then in the front row we have (L to R) : Cyril Full, "Yorkie" Harrop, "Young" Jack Cobb, "Tug" Wilson and Jack "Fruity" Newton.  Despite all the nicknames it has been possible to find out more about at least some of the men in the photo. 

Marie Studholme

I think this must be 2nd Corporal Samuel Wilson Studholme, no. 146600 from Heathwaite nr Windermere whose papers show he was a member of 54th Field Company RE. It was probably inevitable that he would be given the nickname Marie after the Bradford actress Marie Studholme who had appeared on Broadway in the 1890s. Samuel (b.1888) was a carpenter and joiner and married in November 1915 just before he joined up. He died in Westmoreland in 1971.

Jimmy Keyes

Jimmy was referred to by Ernest as "Sapper Jimmy Keyes of London Town". I haven't been able to track Jimmy down - there was Sapper James Frederick Keyes but he was killed in 1917.  He might be Driver James Keys (no. 52689) but I'm not certain that's the right man.  It may be that James was his middle name or that Jimmy was just a nickname.

Matey Castleton

WW1 medal cards include one for Sapper William Caselton (rather than Castleton), no. 18045 who had served with 54th Field Company RE since 1914. This must surely be Matey who Ernest described as a "regular soldier and fine war sapper". Matey was born in 1886 in the Bromley area in 1886 where his father, Edward, was a bricklayer. By 1911, the Caselton family had moved to Plumstead although Matey was not with them - he had joined the Royal Engineers and was stationed in South Africa with 55th Field Co.

Matey had been the section cook since 1914 but he got into trouble when he and his pal Jock (probably Jock Webster, shown in the above picture) heard that a party of Italian Pioneers stationed near 54th Field Coy in Magna Boschi (Asiago Plateau) had a supply of grappa which they were prepared to sell to the British lads. Matey and Jock paid the Italians an evening visit with the result that the whole section  of 32 men went without their breakfast the following morning and Matey lost his job.

After the war he returned to Plumstead where he lived at 91 Alabama Street (a house shared with other members of his family) until his death in 1931.

Boss Friend

Boss has one chevron on his sleeve indicating he was a 2nd corporal (RE equivalent of a lance corporal). He could be Bert Friend, no. 480570, whose medal card describes him as A/2/Cpl, or possibly George W Friend, also A/2/Cpl or Willie Friend No 84075, 2/Cpl.

Brent

Brent has two chevrons on his sleeve so he was a corporal. I wonder if this is Frederick Edmund Brent - a photo posted on Ancestry could be the same man in later life and a Frederick E Brent was in the Royal Engineers (no. 255257).  However Frederick E's medal card just gives his rank as Driver and not Corporal.

Jock Webster
No further details about Jock except that he was probably Matey Castleton's best mate in 2 Section as mentioned above.

Atkinson

Ernest's papers only referred to Atkinson or Atki and didn't give his first name.  However, the Worcestershire council website provides a helpful list of Absent Voters in 1918 including Sapper Harold Atkinson,  no. 277413, 54th Field Company, Royal Engineers.  It looks like Harold was born in Evesham, Worcestershire on 21 Jan 1890 and was living with his parents William and Maria in Nursery Road, Worcester in 1911.  His occupation is given as wood-turner.  Harold survived the war and appears to have died in Worcester in 1974.  

Alf Watts

Ernest had a note of Alf's address in Coventry (East St) which enabled him to be tracked down in parish records and censuses. Alf was Alfred Joseph Watts who was born in Coventry in 1895 to parents Harry and Elizabeth. He had an elder brother, also Harry, born in 1891. Alf's father was a cycle fitter in 1911 although Ernest mentions elsewhere that he was running the Peeping Tom pub in Coventry in 1918.  It looks like Alf married Beatrice Alice Swann after the war and died in Coventry in 1958.

Busty Hill
Busty Hill was Ernest Hill, a carpenter from Parish Land Farm, Spraxton (near Bridgwater) in Somerset. He was the son of William and Mary Ann Hill of Waterpits, Spraxton and had married Susan Pocock in the last quarter of 1917. Sadly Busty Hill did not survive the war - he died on 1 November 1918 (of Spanish flu according to Ernest Bracewell) and was buried in the military cemetery in Cremona.

Cyril Full
Cyril was Cyril Henry Victor Full, no. 168126.  He was born in 1897 in Totnes, Devon and was living with his grandparents at 1 Eiffel Place, Totnes in 1911. Cyril survived the war and married Edith Jeffery in 1923. He died in Birmingham in 1973.

Yorkie Harrop

Yorkie has an inverted chevron on his sleeve denoting a good conduct award.  He looks to be one of the older members of the group.

"Young" Jack Cobb

Ernest had written Jack Cobb's address in his notebook - the entry says "W J Cobb, Bradfield Cottages, Easthorpe, Southwell, Nottinghamshire. A search for "Jack Cobb" from Nottinghamshire drew a blank in military records, the 1911 census and birth records so it looked as though he was officially a John rather than a Jack. There is a 12 year old John Cobb in Easthorpe in 1911 who seems to fit the bill.  He was the son of George and Annie Cobb of Easthorpe and birth records for 1898 show his name was registered as John William. According to medal records, John W Cobb was a Sapper in the Royal Engineers, no. 487246 (it looks like Ernest got the initials the wrong way round in his notebook) and he was subsequently transferred to the Notts and Derby Regiment.  Jack survived the war and, as far as I can tell, died in the Newark area in 1969. 

Tug Wilson

Unfortunately Tug's surname is too common for him to be tracked down easily. I'll keep working on it.

Jack "Fruity" Newton

Ernest's papers included Jack Newton's address in 1918/19 which was 9 Mottram Road, Stalybridge.  My best guess as to Jack's identity is that he was John Newton, the elder son of Edwin and Sarah Elizabeth Newton who lived at 73 Stocks Lane, Stalybridge, about 5 minutes walk from Mottram Road, in 1911.  

Jack was born in Stalybridge in 1895 and by 1911 was an apprenticed to a tin smith.

He was back in Stalybridge by 23 January 1919 as he sent Ernest a postcard of Early Bank Wood, Stalybridge bearing that date which said he was reporting to Chatham.  It was addressed to "Sapper Well Braced" and signed "Kind regards, Chummily yours". 

Source: papers of Ernest Bracewell and information available on ancestry.co.uk, findmypast.co.uk and freebmd.org.uk.