Family History, Wheaton Chart 0300 Ernest Wheaton, Beatrice Jackson, William Henry Miller and Lily Sara Dick

1893 8 Rylston Terrace, Fulham, Middlesex (birth) 1895 23 Lizban Street, Blackheath, London (birth of Ada) 1897 25 Maple Road, Grays, Essex (birth of Minnie) 1901 1 Whitehall Road, Little Thurrock, Essex 1907 1 Whitehall Road, Little Thurrock, Grays, Essex (birth of William Alphonso and Frank) 1911 2 Whitehall Road, Little Thurrock, Essex 1916 2 Whitehall Road, Grays, Essex (death) The 9th Battalion of the Essex Regiment was the first of the Service or "Kitchener" Battalions to be especially recruited for the war and it was formed on the 26th August 1914 at Risborough Barracks, Shorncliffe. The C.O, Adjutant and several officers and N.C.Os were from the Regular Essex Regiment so a "valuable spirit was unstilled" in the men at an early stage. By the 9th September the Battalion was 2,000 strong and half of the men were then used to form the 10th Battalion although as groups of friends had enlisted together, official thinking was that they should stay together. In February 1915 the Battalion marched in stages from Shorncliffe to Aldershot via Ashford, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Redhill, Leatherhead and Woking arriving in Aldershot on the 1st May 1915. Here the Battalion spent a month completing its musketry training and left the U.K. for Boulogne on the 29th May. In June the Battalion was inducted into trench warfare in easy stages and took its first tour of front line duty on the 7th July. Ernest WHEATON survived the Battle of Loos in September 1915, and the "scrap" at the Craters of Noyelles in March 1916, but he fell on the third day of the Somme Battles. Ovillers la Boisselle is a village, just north of the Amiens to Bapaume road and to the east of Albert. It was protected by rising ground and parapets which were part of the enemy's powerful preparations. There were three Brigades in the attack and it was considered that success could only be achieved if all made progress at the same time. To "prepare" the Germans for the battle ahead their lines were bombarded for eight days before the first British advance. On the 1st July 1916 the 9th Battalion of the Essex Regiment was held in reserve at Hénencourt Wood. Meanwhile the attack had began early as the final bombardment was just before 7.30 a.m. At that time a brigade began crossing no man's land, which in places was about eight hundred yards wide, to be met by appalling gun fire. The first wave of soldiers managed to reach the German lines, but in the face of the heavy German gunfire, they were held back, and so became mixed up with several of the following waves of men. In the confusion the British soldiers were driven out of the German lines. A second brigade were caught in cross fire and had to withdraw several times. Similarly the third brigade was unable to make progress, losing many of their leading officers. A day later the 9th Battalion of the Essex Regiment moved up to the front line and although there was no attack Ovillers was still bombarded in order that the enemy would think that an advance was imminent. However, it is thought that the German forces either withdrew from their trenches, or sat safely in strong, deeply cut, dugouts. The attack toward Ovillers on the 3rd July began at 2.15 a.m. where the targets were the same as on the 1st. The digging of trenches in no man's land had been carried out in the time between the two attacks in an attempt to lessen the distance between the two armies. The 35th Brigade (of which Ernest was a part) was to the right "with the 6th R Berks. and 7th Suffolks in front and on their left was the 37 Bde. with the 6th Queen's and 6th R.W. Kents. The extreme left of the Division's line was held by the 36th Bde. who were to cover the flank with the help of a smoke discharge." The men began their advance about 3.15 a.m. (when our First World War expert thinks Ernest was probably killed). By 9 a.m. it was being reported that the attack had failed. The reasons for the failure were later given as inadequate flank protection and the lack of surprise. On the 3rd July there was 2mm of rain, the temperature was between 55 and 68 degrees, and there were thunderstorms around. This is the day on which it is estimated that a total of 60,000 men lost their lives, one of them being Ernest WHEATON, so he obviously took no part in subsequent events. On the 8th July the Battalion was in action again, and advanced two hundred yards but lost their Commanding Officer, Major C I RYAN. This event was followed by a withdrawal to Albert-Bouzincourt on the 9th, and following action on the 10th, 11th, 21st, 22nd, 25th, 26th and 30th July, the Battalion were again back in Albert-Bouzincourt on the 8th August. The Battalion continued to see action in various sectors until the 22nd October. The Battle ended on the 18th November when the armies were faced by the onset of winter and exhaustion. In all the Battle of the Somme lasted 140 days and a total of 400,000 men were killed, 125,000 of them from all parts of the British Empire as well as the United Kingdom. By the time it was possible to search for the missing all traces of 72,085 men who had died in this particular sector of the battlefield were lost. Over 90% of the names on the Thiepval memorial to the missing are men who lost their lives from July to November 1916. In addition to the memorial there are three hundred French and three hundred British graves in the Anglo-French cemetery. The monument stands in 40 acres of ground, on a ridge overlooking the battlefield, and is the largest built by the War Graves Commission. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and is 150 feet high. It is mainly built of brick, but the sixteen piers on which the names are engraved are of Portland stone. "It was built between 1928 and 1932 and was unveiled by the Prince of Wales in the presence of the President of France on the 31st July 1932." Information from Forces War Records Site sent by John TERRY 15/10/2014 First Name: Ernest Initials: E Surname: WHEATON Birth Town: Fulham, Middlesex Resided Town: Grays Nationality: British Date of Death: 03/07/1916 Fate: Killed in Action Rank: Lance Corporal Service Number: 23701 Duty Location: France And Flanders Campaign Medals: Victory Medal Given the information we have available it is likely that Ernest Wheaton was entitled to the Victory medal, also called the Inter Allied Victory Medal. This medal was awarded to all who received the 1914 Star or 1914-15 Star and, with certain exceptions, to those who received the British War Medal. It was never awarded alone. These three medals were sometimes irreverently referred to as Pip, Squeak and Wilfred. Eligibility for this award consisted of having been mobilised, fighting, having served in any of the theatres of operations, or at sea, between midnight 4th/5th August, 1914, and midnight, 11th/12th November, 1918. Women who served in any of the various military organisations in a theatre of operations were also eligible. British War Medal From the information available to us, it is very possible that Ernest Wheaton was entitled to the British War Medal for service in World War One. This British Empire campaign medal was issued for services between 5th August 1914 and 11th November 1918. The medal was automatically awarded in the event of death on active service before the completion of this period. 1893 2 Lawn Place, Little Thurrock, Essex (birth) 1901 122 William Street, Grays, Thurrock, Essex. Father Alfred JACKSON (43( General Labourer born Gravesend, Kent, mother Charlotte Jackson (46) born Covent Garden, London, children Alfred (17) Dock Clerk, Charlotte (15) and Mabel (14) all three born Rotherhithe, Surrey, the following five children all born Grays, Essex, Frank (12), Stanley (11), Harold (11), Beatrice (7) and Marjorie (5) 1911 78 Cromwell Road, Grays, Thurrock, Essex. Father Alfred JACKSON (53) Joiner's Labourer born Gravesend, Kent, mother Charlotte Jackson (56) born Covent Garden, London, children Charlotte (25) Household Duties, and Mabel (24) Household Duties, both born Rotherhithe, Surrey, the following five children all born Grays, Essex, Frank (22) Professor's Assistant, Stanley (21), Clerk, Harold (19), Invoice Clerk, Beatrice (17) School and Marjorie (5) School 1916 18 Cromwell Road, Grays, Essex (marriage to Ernest WHEATON) Father Alfred JACKSON - Labourer 1916 67 Parkes Street, Grays, Essex (death of Ernest) 1918 Grays, Thurrock, Essex (marriage to William Henry MILLER) Father Alfred JACKSON - Labourer 1930 26 Bellvue Place, Southend-on-Sea, Essex. (registration of birth of son Eric by order of the Registrar General) 1939 26 Bellevue Place , Southend-on-Sea C.B., Essex. William H MILLER (born 10 September 1873) Ledger Clerk and Beatrice MILLER (born 18 June 1893) Unpaid Domestic Duties 1941 23 Ridgeway, Grays, Essex (death) 1881 Pepys Street, Harwich St Nicholas, Harwich, Essex. William L (44) Acting Examining Officer H M Customs born Colchester, Essex. All the rest of the family were born in Harwich, Essex, wife Emma (42) and children Harriet J (20?), Emma R (19) Scholar, Minnie (7) Scholar. William H (7) Scholar and George (5) Scholar. 1891 Silas Villas, Vicarage Road, Low Leyton, West Ham, Essex. William (54) Officer Customs, wife Emma (52), Harriet J (30) Dressmaker, Emma E (29) Edith (23) Dressmaker, Minnie (21) Draper's Assistant, William H (17) Clerk C.C. and George C (15) Clerk. Also granddaughter Emma A RADLEY (3) born London, A Visitor was Florence DAY (21) 1901 30 Gladstone Avenue, East Ham, Essex William H (27) Commercial Clerk born Harwich, Essex, wife Liley S (27) born Leyton, Essex 1911 The Avenue, Higham Park, Chingford, Essex William Henry (37) Commercial Traveller, Preserves and Confectionery, born Harwich, Essex, wife Lily Sara (36) born Leyton E, Essex and daughter Phyllis May (9) Scholar born East Ham, Essex. A Visitor was May DICK (30) single 1918 Southend-in-Sea, Essex (marriage) 1939 26 Belle? Vare? Place, Southend on Sea, Essex. William H MILLER born 10th September 1913 Ledger Clerk, Beatrice MILLER born 18th July 1893 Unpaid Domestic Duties. Notes for William Henry MILLER: We were given not information about William Henry MILLER other than he had been married before. We have not looked for more details until now (January 2015). The only lead we have is that on the certificate for his married to Beatrice WHEATON née JACKSON his father was shown as William Louis MILLER. Given that information a search was made for a William Henry/William H with father William Louis/ William L. Such information was found and all the details entered for William Henry MILLER have been done so on the basis that we found the right census information. Details are therefore not proven and further research should be undertaken before accepting the information entered here. 1901 30 Gladstone Avenue, East Ham, Essex. William H (27) Commercial Clerk born Harwich, Essex, wife Liley S (27) born Leyton, Essex 1911 The Avenue, Higham Park, Chingford, Essex. William Henry (37) Commercial Traveller, Preserves and Confectionery, born Harwich, Essex, wife Lily Sara (36) born Leyton E, Essex and daughter Phyllis May (9) Scholar born East Ham, Essex. A Visitor was May DICK (30) single 1911 18 Cromwell Road, Grays, Essex (birth) 1918 Park Street, Grays, Essex 1930 26 Bellvue Place, Southend, Essex (first marriage) 1931 167 Eastern Esplanade, Southend, Essex (birth of Valerie Daphne) 1933 71 Sandringham Road, Southend, Essex (birth of Peter Ernest) 1936 166/167 Eastern Esplanade, Southend, Essex (birth of Dennis Ian) 1940 Nelson Road, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex 1940 Stonecot Hill, Morden, Surrey 50 Palmer Avenue, North Cheam Surrey 1951 13 Bhylls Crescent, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire (second marriage) The Swan Hotel, Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire 115 Stubby Lane, Wednesfield, Staffordshire 1977 20 Banksia Court, Elizabeth Park, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia 1985 F.11/4 Breamore Street, Elizabeth North, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia (death of wife) 1991 Trevu Nursing Home, 70 East Terrace, Gawler East, South Australia, Australia (death) Birth registered 1st January 1930 “on authority of Registrar General”. 1911 The Avenue, Higham Park, Chingford, Essex. William Henry (37) Commercial Traveller, Preserves and Confectionery, born Harwich, Essex, wife Lily Sara (36) born Leyton E, Essex and daughter Phyllis May (9) Scholar born East Ham, Essex. A Visitor was Mary DICK (30) single Information for Arthur Albert CHILLICOTT 1936 Mayville, Rochester Drive, Southend on Sea, Essex (address given at administration)

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This is a Chart for Ernest Wheaton, Beatrice Jackson, William Henry Miller and Lily Sara Dick