Henry Cheesman (1892-1918)

Post date: Feb 28, 2018 5:28:55 PM

These photos are courtesy of John Gilham's blog Wateringbury Remembered.

Henry was born in Warlingham, Surrey, in 1892 and in the 1901 census the family was living in Hastings, where his father William's is described as a "Railway and Insurance Agent".

He married Gladys Martin in Wateringbury Church on 15th September 1915 (one of just 8 marriages that year) and their daughter Joan was baptised in Wateringbury Church on 18th June 1916.

He is listed on the vicar's list of parishioners serving in January 1917 where he is shown as having been wounded but having recovered.

Henry served in the 8th Battalion Black Watch (Royal Highlanders), service number S/10950. He died on 26th April 1918 and is one of 806 casualties buried at Haringh (Bandaghem) Military Cemetery, Belgium (10 miles west of Ypres, close to the border with France.

His battalion's war diary is available at the National archives (reference WO 95/1766/3). It shows they were in France when the German Spring offensive hit in March but by the time of Henry's death they were fighting in Belgium near Ypres and were relieved from the front line just on the day of Henry's death.

His army pension record is available and this shows that his widow Gladys, then living at Southview Cottage, Wateringbury was awarded a total pension of 20s. 5d. (presumably per week) of which 6s 8d. was for his daughter and was to stop in 1932 when she was 16.