Powerstock project on soldiers and sailors who died during WW1

Sadly much of what researhers Edward Marsh and Edward Parham have is conjecture.

Volunteers are undertaking research into the parish's fallen to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War 1.

There are 11 soldiers and sailors from the village on its war memorial who died in the conflict and each one has been assigned a researcher.

The intention is to produce a book, with chapters on each individual and the causes of the war, in time for Remembrance Sunday.

Sadly William's army records were burnt - 70 per cent of army records were bombed and destroyed during the World War II -but they do know he was buried in Poona in India.

They have managed to trace a living relation, Veronica Stone in Bournemouth, who lent these photographs.

William's brother Ernest, standing, also went to war with him, but survived.

Ernest Stone's son's widow is the living relative.

There was a brief mention of William's death in the Bridport News' death notices.

It says he died on October 5, 1918 at Poona, India, Sapper W Stone, aged 24 years, oldest son of Mr E.C. Stone Powerstock, and finance of Miss Emily Rendall, Symondsbury.

In the 1891 census shows his mother as Rhoda Legg and Edmond Stone as his father, both living in Nettlecombe with their families, but not yet married.

On February 23, 1892, they marry at Powerstock and William Charles Penny is born on April 3, 1894, followed by brother Ernest in 1895.

The 1901 census finds the family living in The Three Horseshoes in Powerstock.

They are guessing that as the family were farm workers they might have been staying in the pub because there was a possibility that the thatched cottages that were common at the time had burnt down.

By the 1911 census the family are back in Nettlecombe in a cottage known now as Stones Cottage and the father is a farm worker and William is listed as a domestic groom, presumably for the Mappercombe estate, which owned the cottage.

Ernest is only 15 so listed as unemployed.

Also living with the family was an Ada Legg, sister-in-law, who is keeping house as Rhoda died in 1903.

In 1912 William joins the Dorset regiment.

William was certainly in the Dorsets for the first part of the war.

He is next found in east Africa, attached to the Nairobi signals company, part of the Royal Engineers.

The signals companies were technical experts concerned with communications.

The researchers think as William was a groom and the army relied so heavily on horse transport, he was sent to Kenya.

They don't think he became a signals expert.

They were in Kenya because the Germans were being a nuisance there.

They managed to get control of three parts, among them German east Africa, formerly Tanganyika and now Tanzania.

The Germans started to set up listening posts on the frontier and British Kenya.

The signsla were there to intercept communications.

At first it was low-key and art of tactics to distract our troops to prevent them going to the western front.

It could be said to have worked with 3000 German troops harrying a 40,000-strong British army.

William must have got injured some tiome in 1918 and the assumption is he was shipped out to Bombay and then on to Poona where the 2nd Battlion of the Dorsets had a base.

The main military hospitals were in Poona.

He would have had to endure at least a week's journey at sea. It is assumed he died of his wounds.

Incidentally an Emily Rendall married in 1922 They think Ernest ended the war as a regimental Sergeant Major and although he wanted to make the army a career but was invalided out.

New story Lbchidwarmem,2 THERE are 17 men who died in the Great War and who are commemorated on the Chideock War Memorial.

Not all of them lived in Chideock as there is no war memorial in Eype or Symondsbury.

This week we are featuring Stephen John Samways who was born in Symondsbury, Dorset in 1896.

He was the son of Walter and Annie Samways. In the 1901 census he was living with his parents in Manor Cottage, North Chideock, his father's occupation being a groom presumably at the Manor House.

In the 1911 census the family were living at The Farmery, Hope Terrace in Chideock with his father's occupation being a 'carrier' transporting goods to Bridport.

At this time Stephen was serving a three-year apprenticeship as a butcher for a Mr. Hansford. Stephen enlisted on 3.9.1914 aged 18.

When he signed up is was Private 10607, "C" Coy. 5th Bn., Dorsetshire Regiment On his enlistment papers he is described as 5'61/2" with a fresh complexion, brown hair and hazel eyes. He had a sister Winifred.

He was killed in action during the assault on Turkish trenches between Aire Kayak and Susak Kuyu, Suvia on August 21st 1915, aged 19 years.

His name is commemorated on The Helles Memorial, The Dorset Regiment Gallipoli Roll of Honour and The Chideock War Memorial.

He was awarded the Victory Medal and British and Star.

It is understood that Stephen Samways was a bellringer at St Giles Church.

Stephen is commemorated in The Great War Book of Church Bellringers