Roll of Honour (Plummer - Routledge)

Ernest James Plummer was born on the 28^th November 1895 in Watermillock in Cumberland. He was the first of two children born to James Plummer, a Coachman, and his wife Edith Antoinette (nee Kitchen). By March 1901, the family were living at 'The Stables', Patterdale Hall, where his father was working as a Coachman for William Hibbert Marshal. In March 1902, their second child, Wilfred Allan, was born. Sadly, around August 1909, James died whilst in Norfolk, possibly visiting his parents (he was born in Plumstead, Norfolk). This explains why, in April 1911, Edith and her youngest son Wilfred are found living near Southampton, where she is working as a Domestic Servant to a farmer and his family, while Ernest, at 15, is living with his maternal grandparents in Wimbledon, Surrey, working as an Errand Boy for a local builder.

On the 28^th of February 1912, Ernest enlisted with the Royal Navy and was rated as a 'Boy 2^nd Class'. He spent the first 18 months at HMS Impregnable, the Navy's training base in Devonport in Plymouth. On his 18^th birthday he automatically became rated as an Ordinary Seaman and subject to the Naval Discipline Act. Shortly after the outbreak of war in 1914, Ernest was promoted to Able Seaman aboard the battleship HMS Hibernia. His service records show that he served on many different ships and was promoted to Leading Seaman in November 1917. Perhaps his most notable posting was aboard the light cruiser HMS Chester, which he joined just three weeks before the Battle of Jutland. In this major sea battle, fourteen British and eleven German ships were sunk, and over 8,000 seamen killed. During an encounter with four German light cruisers, HMS Chester was heavily pounded and 29 men were killed, one of those was 16 year old Jack Cornwell, who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his dedication to duty though mortally wounded. The City of Chester raised funds to produce a bronze medallion to be presented to every member of the crew.

Ernest had enlisted for an initial period of 12 years, so remained in the Navy after the war had ended. On the 1^st of February 1920 he was promoted to Petty Officer, followed a few months later, on the 7^th of June, to Regulating Petty Office (a rank in the Royal Navy Police). On the 26^th of September 1920, Ernest married Elsie Kathleen May Burrell in Tooting, London. When the census was taken on the 19^th of June 1921, Ernest is with the Mediterranean Fleet in Malta, whilst Elsie is with her parents in Tooting. However, in July 1922, Elsie, along with their 11 month old son, Cyril Ernest Plummer, appear in the passenger list of the S.S. Merkara, travelling to Malta. A second son, Jack Francis Plummer, was born in 1928.

When the National Register was taken in September 1939, Elsie is at home alone in Surbiton with the two boys. It seems Ernest made a career in the navy. He was initially demobilised on the 7^th of October 1938 but recalled a year later to serve as a Master at Arms during WW2. He was finally released on the 13^th of October 1945. There is newspaper item in January 1943, where an Ernest James Plummer, a Master at Arms (Chief Petty Officer) in the Royal Navy is giving evidence in a murder trial.

The next 'sighting' of Ernest is him emigrating in October 1970. Ernest and Elsie, along with their son Jack Francis and his family are listed arriving in Wellington, New Zealand. We then see a New Zealand Death Registration for Ernest in 1975.

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George Readshaw was the fourth son of Paul Readshaw, a Lead Miner at the Greenside Mine, and his wife Ann (nee Oliver). Paul and Ann had moved to Glenridding from Weardale around 1880. The family were still living in Glenridding when the 1891 census was taken, so George would have certainly begun his education at Patterdale School. However, we know that George completed his studies at Benfieldside School in Consett, so the family must have moved back to County Durham sometime before 1897. On the 26^thJanuary 1901, his father Paul, who was a Shifter at the Medomsley Busty Pit, died of a heart attack whilst travelling out of the pit at the end of his shift - he was aged 56. So a couple of months later when the 1901 census was taken, we find the widowed Annie living in Park Street, Consett with six of her sons, the eldest four, including George, were working in the local coal mines. Around November 1909 his mother Annie also died, so by 1911 George is now head of the household, living with younger brothers Oliver and Paul in Leadgate, County Durham - they were all coalminers, probably also working at the nearby Busty Pit.

Towards the end of 1912 George married Esther Coombe and they had two daughters, Ellen and Edith. He had also joined the Consett Territorials and by the time war was declared was a Corporal in the local Ambulance Brigade. On the 26^th August 1914, only three weeks after war was declared, George enlisted and was assigned to the 1/6^th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI), which was part of the 50^th (Northumbrian) Division of the Territorial Force. George is known to have volunteered for overseas service.

When George joined them at the end of August 1914, the 1/6^th Battalion were based at Ravensworth Park but had moved to Newcastle by October. Early in April, having spent six months training, the 1/6^th Battalion were in billets at Gateshead, awaiting orders to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France. The orders arrived and on the 19^thApril the Battalion, left Newcastle by train for Folkestone. They arrived the same day and immediately embarked for Boulogne, arriving about midnight. The following day the Battalion travelled by train from Pont de Briques Station to Cassel, Nord (about 50 miles) before marching to their billets at Hardifort, arriving at 5am on the 21^st April. On the 23^rd April orders were received to march at very short notice to Steenvoorde, from there they went by buses to Vlamertinghe to join with forces fighting on the 'Ypres Salient' in Flanders. It was now evident that the lessons which the Battalion had learnt during its long period of training were very soon to be put into practice. Sunday, the 25th April, was the first day spent by the Battalion in the trenches and the next day took part in an action in which 42 men of the Battalion died -just seven days after leaving Newcastle.

During the next 8 weeks George would have taken part in several actions, experienced heavy shelling and gas attacks.The battalion was finally relieved on the 18th of June but they didn't get much rest; two days later they were marching south to Danoutre and on the same evening were back in the trenches. A few weeks later on the 16th July, the Battalion marched further south to Houplines close to Armentières in France. The sector proved to be very quiet and the trenches exceptionally good. Even so, they did come under shell fire and it was during one of these attacks that George was wounded. He was taken to the No.8 Casualty Clearing Station at Bailleul, but sadly died the following day the 21^st September 1915. George is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord, France.

For Research Documents and a more detailed biography, see his War Memorial Page Click Here

Oliver Readshaw was the fifth son of Paul Readshaw, a Lead Miner at the Greenside Mine, and his wife Ann (nee Oliver) and was baptised at St Patrick's Church on the 18^th October 1885. Paul and Ann had moved to Glenridding from Weardale around 1880. The family were still living in Glenridding when the 1891 census was taken, so Oliver would have certainly begun his education at Patterdale School but would have completed his studies at Benfieldside School in Consett, when the family moved back to County Durham sometime before 1897. On the 26^thJanuary 1901, his father Paul, who was a Shifter at the Medomsley Busty Pit, died of a heart attack whilst travelling out of the pit at the end of his shift - he was aged 56. So a couple of months later when the 1901 census was taken, we find the widowed Annie living in Park Street, Consett with six of her sons, the eldest four, including Oliver, were working in the local coal mines. Around November 1909 his mother Annie also died, so by 1911 he is found living with his brothers George and Paul in Leadgate, County Durham - they were all coalminers, probably also working at the nearby Busty Pit.

Just a few weeks after war was declared, Oliver enlisted at Barnard Castle and was assigned to the 14^th (Service) Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI). During the third week of September 1914, 1110 men travelled south to temporary billets in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. By the 3^rd of October the Battalion had moved to nearby Halton Park where they linked up with the 15^th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry. The battalion trained during the following weeks in weather that was described as "wretched". At this time uniforms were in such short supply that many of the men were still in civilian clothing. At the beginning of December 1914 the battalion moved to High Wycombe into billets that were described as an immense improvement. Marching back to Halton Park in April 1915 the Battalion found a big improvement in the accommodation they had left in December. Training continued amongst the Chiltern Hills until 21^stJuly when they marched to Witley Camp in Surrey, a distance of 75 miles which was covered in 5 days. The Battalion continued to train hard in hot and dusty weather in the weeks before embarkation.

After training for almost 12 months in the South of England the 14^th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, now part of the 64^th Brigade of the 21^st Division, embarked at Folkestone on the 11^th September 1915. They landed in France, at Boulogne, the next morning and immediately entrained for the Saint Omer district, where most of the new divisions were prepared for services in the line. The 14^th Battalion's first experience of total war took place within two weeks, when, on the 25^th September 1915, they were moved up into reserve trenches on the Loos battlefield and up to the front line the next day. The Battle of Loos lasted until the 18^th October and casualties where heavy, with both sides using poison gas. The 14^th Battalion casualties alone during this period were horrific with over 270 listed as killed, wounded or 'missing'. They were relieved before the end of September and we can find no evidence of any further front line action for the 14th Bn. up to the date on which Oliver is reported to have died - it could be that he was wounded around the 26^th/27^th September and died from those wounds on the 23^rd October 1915. The photograph of Oliver above is taken from a local (North-East) newspaper article reporting his death, unfortunately very little text was visible; if that article can be found we may learn more about the circumstances of Oliver's death.

For Research Documents and a more detailed biography, see his War Memorial Page Click Here

John Henry Roberts was the eldest son of Isaac and Mary Eleanor Roberts. Isaac was born in Holywell in Wales but had moved, around 1892, from the Lead Mines at Brynford in Flintshire to Glenridding where he worked as a Lead Miner at the Greenside Mine. On the 19^th of May 1894, Isaac married Mary Eleanor Pattinson at St Patrick's Church, she was the daughter of Matthew Pattinson a Stone Mason. The couple lived with Mary's parents at Pendragon Castle in Glenridding until the late 1890's when they moved to Low Rake nearby. John's siblings were; James Wilson (1895), Rose Anna (1897) and Isaac Ellis (1902). When 1911 Census was taken, both John and his younger brother James were working as Lead Ore Washers at Greenside. However, at some point during the next few years the family moved to the North East to work in the Coal Mines of County Durham. The Roberts family settled in Crawcrook, Ryton-on-Tyne, Co Durham, to work at one of the three mines operated by the Stella Coal Company in the Ryton area (Stargate, Towneley 'Emma' or the smallest, coincidentally, called 'Greenside'). John worked at the 'Emma' Colliery.

Fortunately, John's Service Record has survived and shows that he enlisted with the 9^th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry on the 8^th of April 1914 and was assigned to 'D' Company. This was a territorial force but on the 5^th August 1914, the day after Britain declared war on Germany, he was embodied into the regular army. He would have done his initial training in Gateshead before embarking for Boulogne in France on the 19^th of April 1915. On the 14^th May 1915, the Battalion joined the 151^st Brigade, part of the 50^th (Northumbrian) Division who were fighting around Ypres. Within days, John was at the front and during the Battle of Bellewaarde (24^th – 25^th May), the Germans released a gas attack along a 7km front. John suffered from this gas attack and was evacuated to the No. 4 Stationary Hospital in St Omer. John was in hospital for almost two months before he was able to rejoin his unit in the field on the 20^th July. At some point (the date is not readable in his service record), John was posted to the 50^th Division Headquarters and given the duty of Batman to the Deputy Assistant Director of Ordnance. He remained in this post until the end of the war and was able to get two weeks home leave in mid September 1918, most likely to attend the funeral of his father Isaac who died around that time.

He arrived back in England on the 28^th of December 1918 and 'disembodied' from the Army on the 3^rd of February 1919. He returned to the family home at 5 Chamberlain Street, Crawcrook, Ryton-on-Tyne, Co Durham. When the census was taken in June 1921, John, still single, was living with an Uncle in Ryton and had resumed work at the Emma Colliery, working as a Stoneman. Around May 1927, John married Margaret E Guy in Gateshead, Durham and they had a Daughter Annie Thompson Roberts on the 3^rd of February 1928. In September 1939, the three of them were living at 12, North Beech Grove in Ryton and John was still working as a Coal Hewer.

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James Wilson Roberts was the second son of Isaac and Mary Eleanor Roberts. Isaac was born in Holywell in Wales but had moved, around 1892, from the Lead Mines at Brynford in Flintshire to Glenridding where he worked as a Lead Miner at the Greenside Mine. On the 19^th of May 1894, Isaac married Mary Eleanor Pattinson at St Patrick's Church, she was the daughter of Matthew Pattinson a Stone Mason. The couple lived with Mary's parents at Pendragon Castle in Glenridding until the late 1890's when they moved to Low Rake nearby. James's siblings were; John Henry (1894), Rose Anna (1897) and Isaac Ellis (1902). When 1911 Census was taken, both James and his elder brother John were working as Lead Ore Washers at Greenside. However, at some point during the next few years the family moved to the North East to work in the Coal Mines of County Durham. The Roberts family settled in Crawcrook, Ryton-on-Tyne, Co Durham, to work at one of the three mines operated by the Stella Coal Company in the Ryton area (Stargate, Towneley 'Emma' or the smallest, coincidentally, called 'Greenside').

James's detailed service records have not survived so we cannot be certain when he enlisted or where he served. His medal records however do provide some clues. When war was declared in August 1914, James was almost 19 years old and still single, so a prime candidate for recruitment. His medal roll shows that the first regiment he joined was the 1/4^th (Territorial) Battalion of the East Yorkshires, who recruited in Hull; however this Battalion were sent to France in April 1915, so if James had been with them, he would have qualified for the 1915 Star Medal. Another fact to consider is that his service number with them of 205422 is in the new series that was introduced when the Territorials were renumbered at the start of 1917. This at least tells us that he was with the 1/4^th Bn. EYR at that time. So, he may well have enlisted in the EYR at the start of the war but was held in reserve (perhaps because coal mining was important to the war effort). When he was eventually mobilised, he was re-assigned to the 10^th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry (it's the DLI uniform he is wearing in the photograph above, almost certainly taken in England before he left). During 1917, the 10^th DLI took part in the Battles of Arras, Scarpe, Menin Road and Paschendaele.

Albert Watson was born on the 19^th of September 1881 in Patterdale, the illegitimate son of Mary Watson. On the 15^thFebruary 1883, Mary married Moses Rothery, a Husbandman residing at the Township in Patterdale, with whom she had four more children before Moses died on the 26^th of January 1891 at the age of 32. We can't be sure that Moses was Albert's father, as both his birth registration and baptism did not name the father. Nevertheless Albert used the surname of Rothery for the rest of his life. He attended Patterdale School and then trained as an apprentice plumber before departing in 1907 to join the Shanghai Water Works Company in China.

On the outbreak of war he returned home and joined the 10th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment in December 1914. He was promoted to Lance Corporal and then joined the Machine Gun Corps. On the 20^th of March 1915, Albert married Mary Hannah Wills in London. After being promoted to Sergeant, he was awarded the Military Medal for his actions at the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. He was recommended for a commission and entered Officer Cadet School in July 1917, being commissioned into the Tank Corps in December 1917. In August 1918 he won the Military Cross. His citation reads:

On 8^th August, 1918, during operations east of Amiens, in spite of a thick mist, by personally guiding his Tank, he maintained his direction and proved of great assistance to the infantry. He also, when other Tanks were out of action, went forward alone and tackled and destroyed machine-gun posts. This took place when he could see other Tanks around him destroyed by shell fire. Throughout the operations he showed himself to be full of determination, courage and initiative.

On the 28^th December 1918 the Cumberland & Westmorland Herald noted that he was the first “old boy” of Patterdale School to win the Military medal and only one to win the Military Cross.

After the war Albert, along with his wife Mary Hannah, returned to China and his job at the Shanghai Water Works. A son, Raymond Henry Rothery was born there. Albert retired in 1934 and for a time lived in the village of Sturry near Canterbury in Kent, before returning to Carlisle in Cumbria, where he remained until his death in 1952 aged 71.

He is commemorated on the Glenridding Village Hall Roll of Honour. Curiously, his name has a cross against it, which usually signified the person had died in the war, even though Albert survived. His son Raymond lived in Carlisle.

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John Routledge was the second youngest of 7 children born to Thomas Routledge and his wife Jane (nee Clapham). Looking at the birthplaces of their children it seems they had moved about quite a bit, living for short periods in various parts of Yorkshire, Westmorland and Cumberland but around the late 1890’s they finally settled at Noran Bank Farm in Patterdale, where Thomas farmed as well as making boots and shoes. It is believed that John attended Patterdale School and later, at the age of 20, he is shown in the 1911 census to be working as ‘Boots’ at one of the local hotels (probably at the prestigious Gelderd’s Family Hotel – now the Patterdale Hotel).

On the 11^th October 1915, a few months after his younger brother Albert had enlisted, John went to Keswick to join up. He must have learned to drive before this as he stated his occupation as ‘Petrol Motor Driver’, a skill that, not surprisingly, got him into the 596^th Mechanised Transport Company of the Army Service Corps as a Driver. Within a month he was on a ship bound for Alexandria in Egypt and the HQ of the British Expeditionary Force (Mediterranean). He was soon posted to Mesopotamia, arriving there just before Christmas 1915. The force fighting in Mesopotamia was principally one of the Indian Army, with only one solely British formation, the 13^th (Western) Division, however the Indian formations also contained some British units. Conditions in Mesopotamia almost defy description, with extremes of temperature (50^oC was common), arid desert, regular flooding, flies, mosquitoes and other vermin all led to appalling levels of sickness and death through disease. John was in Mesopotamia until, in mid September 1916, he was posted to India for a couple of months (his service records do not show whereabouts in India he was stationed) but returned to Mesopotamia around November 1916 and stayed there until he died in December 1918.

We do not know what type of vehicle John would have driven. Most probably a truck of the type shown in this picture, perhaps an ambulance or if he was lucky an senior officer's staff car.

In October 1918 his parents had received an official telegram letting them know that John was seriously ill with pneumonia. They heard nothing more until they received another telegram which informed them that John had died on the 3^rd December 1918 in a hospital in Basra. Mesopotamia (Basra is now in modern day Iraq). His service records note that he died of Septicaemia.

For Research Documents and a more detailed biography, see his War Memorial Page Click Here