Henry Richard Budden served with the 3^rd Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment and was attached to 2^nd Battalion the Lincolnshire Regiment when he was killed in action on 25 September 1915.

He is buried in the White City Bois-Grenier Cemetery, near Armentieres, France.

His age and service number are not recorded, but from the 1901 Census, I have discovered that he was 20 at the time of his death and was the son of Henry John and Jane Budden who farmed at Coombe Keynes.

Arthur Budden, whose second name I believe was Cecil, although it is difficult to read on the 1901 Census, was brother to Henry.

The unusual title on the memorial lists him as 4^th Officer R.I.M.  I have been unable to identify this title or find any details of his death on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission list.  However, Dr. Alistair Massie at The National Army Museum was able to identify the unit as the Royal Indian Marine, which later became the Royal Indian Navy.  During WW1, this small fleet saw service in the Indian Ocean, carrying out minesweeping, troop carrying and patrol duties around East Africa, Aden, Iraq and Egypt.

I also asked a full time researcher to look for details at the British Library, who hold all records for the R.I.M.  Despite searching for several weeks, he was unable to find any mention of 4^th Off. A.C.  Budden.

If anyone can add to the above information, please contact me so I can update this.

Laurence John Westmacott was an Able Seaman serving in the Royal Navy’s Royal Fleet Reserve.

He was lost at sea when his Motor Torpedo Boat HMTB 13 was in collision with another ship in the North Sea.

He died on 27 January 1916 aged 32 and his loss is recorded on the Plymouth Naval Memorial.  He was the husband of Elizabeth Westmacott.

 Albert James Slack was serving in the Royal Navy when, at the age of 27 years, his ship HMS Begonia sank off Casablanca after hitting the German U-boat U151 on 6 October 1917.

He was the husband of Martha Slack and his name is recorded on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

Arthur was a Driver serving with the Army Service Corp, later Royal Army Service Corps (RASC).

He died on 23 July 1918 aged 24 years and is buried in Blandford Cemetery, Dorset. 

The 1901 Census shows Jane Cobb as his widowed mother.

The 1911 Census shows Arthur at home in Coombe Keynes as a farm labourer, and his mother, Jane.

 His Army Service Record, which I found in 2013, shows that he joined the Army Service Corps on 25 September 1914.

His service can be traced through this to 16 March 1917, when he was discharged on medical grounds, due to a serious heart condition.

 William Henry Sturmey was serving with 1/4^th Dorsetshire Regiment, 4^th Company.

He died on 28 September 1917 aged 22 and was later buried in the Baghdad North Gate Cemetery.

He was the son of Thomas and Mary Sturmey, who I think were living at Park Lodge East Lulworth

This has been the most difficult name to try to identify.

I have, so far, been unable to find any details.  At first, I thought he may have been with Somerset Light Infantry but The Light Infantry Museum at Taunton has no record of a W Fuggle.

There are 12 Fuggles listed with Commonwealth War Graves Commission but there are no matches.

I wrote to the National Army Museum in Chelsea to see if there was another regiment that would use the initials SLI.  Although these could relate to either the Staffordshire or Shropshire Light Infantry, Dr Alistair Massie identified a W Fuggle who served with the Somerset Light Infantry.

He was able to confirm that no W Fuggle died during WW1 serving with either the Somerset, Staffs or Shropshire Light Infantry, and suggested that his death may have been erroneously reported at the time.  This is supported by information in the National Army Museum WW1 campaign medal roll, which shows Walter Ernest Fuggle serving with 1^st Somerset Light Infantry, and his army service number as 8668.

Based on this information the Regimental Museum in Taunton, was able to identify Fuggle by his number. The only problem was that his initial was shown as “F” but they must be one and the same because of the service number.

His date of embarkation for France is given as 11 November 1914, and the reason for him becoming non-effective is simply given as ‘To Eng.’. This could mean England, but there is no date and there are no other details recorded.

At the beginning of researching this name, I first looked at the 1881 census, which was interesting because it was difficult to find the name Fuggle outside the county of Kent.

I was unable to find the name on the 1901 census for Coombe Keynes, although the writing is very bad.

I am grateful to Dr Alistair Massie of the National Army Museum and Lieut Col M J R Mouth (Rtd) of The Rifles Taunton Office for their help in trying to solve this mystery.

In 1908, Walter joined the Somerset Light Infantry and is shown on the 1911 Cencus as in Barracks in Dorchester.

I was able to view his service record, which shows that he was Medically Discharged with a pension on 25 May 1916.

At some time Walter had married, but I have been unable to trace the marriage certificate, as on his death certificate on 13 January 1918, this is witnessed by his wife L.M. Fuggle , living at Coombe Keynes.

The cause of death is given as Tuberculosis, which may have been the reason for his medical discharge.

Further investigation in 2013 revealed that Walter Ernest Fuggle was born in India in 1889, suggesting that his father was a serving soldier at the time.

Having found his death certificate in 2013, witnessed by his wife, L.M.Fuggle, further investigation would suggest that he married Louise May Burt, who was born at Corfe Castle in 1892.

The 1911 census shows her as a domestic cook in Swanage, possibly in a hotel, as Walters job when he signed up for the army, shows him working in a hotel as a Carman.

Maybe that’s where they met.

Geoffrey James Drew was serving with the Wiltshire Regiment attached to the Royal West African Frontier Force (Gold Coast Regiment). While training African troops in jungle fighting he contracted Black water fever prior to boarding a troop ship for the Burma front.

He was put ashore in Durban where he died on 24 August 1943 aged 23.

He was buried in the Durban Stellawood Cemetery, which at that time, was the resting place for those who died in one of several Military Hospitals in the Durban area.

He was the son of John and Esther Drew.

 David Arthur Drew, RAFVR, was brother to Geoffrey and second son of John and Esther Drew.

He was flying with 64 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, which at that time were flying the long-range escort fighter, the North American Mustang MkIII.

He died on 21 March 1945, aged 22, while 64 Sqd were escorting Mosquitoes to attack the Gestapo HQ (Shell House) in Copenhagen at the request of the Danish Resistance.

It can be assumed that David was shot down over Denmark as he is buried in the Copenhagen Cemetery.

Our grateful thanks to Michael Drew, brother of the two Drews commemorated above, who updated this information.