Kingston upon Hull War Memorial 1914 - 1918
The story of Hull in World War 1
Over, 7,500 Hull men died in the First World War. Over 1,200 of these were sailors working with the fishing fleet, or serving with the Merchantile Marine, the Royal Navy and the Royal Navy Reserve. They carried out vital war work, bringing in supplies, transporting troops and minesweeping the seas
There were nearly another 1,500 men who were born in Hull, but who lived elsewhere. They died fighting for Australia, Canada, New Zealand and America. There are many others, who enlisted in Hull or who were associated with the City, but are not usually remembered on Hull war memorials. As Hull had four large hospitals and was the port of entry for repatriated prisoner of wars, servicemen from all over the world are buried in Hull. The Kingston Upon Hull Memorial aims to remember all those with a Hull connection who died in the First World War.
There are over a hundred families on the Hull Memorial that lost two or more of their family. Sometimes fathers, sons and brothers were lost on the same day. Some families lost three sons, other Hull families lost four sons, including all their children in the First World War. At least one in six Hull families lost a direct relative. Many others would lose close friends, work colleagues or others known to them. Each death was irreplaceable and an individual tragedy for someone.
Unfortunately, not all deaths were recorded in official casualty figures, particularly if soldiers died of sickness, accidents or were discharged home with wounds, of illness. By 1924 the Ministry of Pensions reported that there were 20,000 war wounded living in Hull. Although they survived the war, they are rarely recorded on war memorials. What follows here are snippets of some of those people who died, whose deaths were reported in the local newspapers.
Charles and Mary Ann Joules, of 14, Harcourt Street, Hull, lost Ernest Joules, at Ypres and Harold Joules, at sea in 1916. Their third son Sydney Joules, was killed on the 9th April 1917 also at Ypres. All their sons, died in their twenties. Mrs Joules later passed away on the 09/06/18 and Mr Joules, … Read more
George and Mary Richardson, at 10 Mary Ann Terrace, Sculcoates Lane have three sons commemorated at St Mary’s Church, Sculcoates Lane. George Richardson was killed on the 30th June 1915 serving with the Northumberland Fusiliers. Arthur Richardson, RFA, was killed on 6th July 1917 in Belgium. Elijah Richardson, 10th East Yorkshires, died on the 28th … Read more
John and Mary Blaydon, 6 Leo Terrace, Waterloo Street, Hull, lost their sons John Blaydon in April 1915, and Ernest Blaydon in June 1915. Their third son Frederick Blaydon died of wounds on the 26th January 1919, and is buried in Hull Western Cemetery.
Born Hull 1889. Son of George William Bird (1853-1929) and Sarah Kemp (1855-1935), of 22 Glasgow Street, Hull (CWGC address). Served with the 1st Northamptonshire Regiment. Killed at the Somme, on 12/09/1916, aged 28. (Note: his names is spelt “Beard” in CWGC records) He lost his eldest brother, William Bird, on 22 October 1914, aged 30, fighting … Read more
The Cograve family, at 1 Clarence Avenue, Portland Street, Hull, lost three sons in the war. These were Walter Coggrave in 1915, Frederick Coggrave, in 1916 and Alfred Coggrave in 1918.
Richard Thomas Kingdom and his wife Priscilla lived at 2 Clumber Avenue, Flinton Street, Hessle Road. Two sons Thomas Kingdom, and Wilfred Kingdom, were lost at sea in the first six months of 1915. Their third son Charles Herbert Kingdom, died in France on 22nd July 1916, serving with the 10th East Yorkshire Regiment.
John & Hannah Mercer, at 36 Shaw Street lost four sons. They were:- L/Cpl, John Mercer, 1st EYR was killed at Ypres on 9th August 1915, aged 20. L/Cpl, Alfred Shaw Mercer, 1st West Yorkshire Regiment was killed on the 27th May 1916, aged 25. Pte, George Mercer, 1/5th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers was killed on … Read more
Pte. Christopher Bell Tindall, 8th EYR was killed on 14th July 1916; Pte. Robert Tindall, 6th EYR was killed 21st August 1917 and L/Cpl. Walter Henry Tindall, 9th Yorkshire Regiment, was killed a month later on 20th September 1917. They were the three sons of William and Henrietta Tindall, 30 Bishop Lane, Hull. They have … Read more
Steward, William Oaktree, sank with the Steam ship ‘Hazlewood’ on the 19th October 1917, aged 19. His brother Frederick Oaktree, died the same day on a different Steam Ship called ‘Sten’, aged 22. They lived with their parents, Peter and Augusta Oaktree, at 3 Ryders Terrace, Strickland Street, Hessle Road.
Brothers Herbert and Arthur Wise died together on the 15th June 1915, when the Hull Steam Ship ‘Argyll’ struck a mine from the German submarine UC11 in the North Sea. They lived at 3 Ebor Avenue, Eastbourne Street, Hessle Road and died with 6 other crewmen, who all lived in Hull
