A footballer, a doctor and a knight in shining armour: Merton remembers those who fell at the Battle of the Somme

The Battle of the Somme began on July 1, 1916, as the British and the French forces fought to drive back the German army in northern France.

The first day of fighting became the bloodiest day in the history of the British army, with 19,240 British soldiers killed in 24-hours.

Among them were Private Howard Frank Newham, 25, of High Street, Wimbledon, and Private Eric Seymour Jackson, 19, of Panmuir Road, Raynes Park.

The war memorial in Wimbledon Village

By the end of the campaign, on November 19, 1916, over a million men had died on both sides, and the British army had managed to advance just seven miles.

Heritage Officer at Merton Council, Sarah Gould, is the project officer behind ‘Carved in Stone’ which aims to shine a light on the history of the people of Merton during the First World War.

Ms Gould said: “People need to be made more aware of the life stories of the names listed on the memorials around the borough, and ensure they are preserved and conserved for generations to come.

“It’s one thing to have someone rightly commemorated on a war memorial, but if you can get to piece their life together –  to know where they were born, where they went to a school, what they looked like and really who they were as a person – then they stop just being a name carved in stone.

“That’s what we wanted, so people of all generations can remember these people and the huge sacrifices that they made.”

One of these people was Private Alfred Edward Everest, who lived in Sydney Road, Raynes Park and died on the first day of the battle. The son of a brick-maker, Private Everest married Helen Barge – the daughter of a scaffolder – at All Saints Church in Wimbledon in 1911, when he was 19-years-old.

Three years later he joined the 8th Battalion East Surrey Regiment, who were one of the first to go over the top at the Battle of the Somme. The regiment achieved immortal fame when they dribbled four footballs across No Man’s Land as they charged at the German trenches at Montauban but suffered huge losses, including the death of 24-year-old Private Everest.

Another Merton resident, Captain Thomas Lewis Ingram, was a doctor serving in the Royal Army Medical Corps who died during the Somme while trying to help the wounded.

Captain Thomas Lewis Ingram

During his service he was awarded the Military Cross for “conspicuous devotion to duty and energy at Hooge” and the Distinguished Service Order for his actions during the battle of Morteldge, where he was commended for his “conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He collected and attended to the wounded under very heavy fire and set a splendid example.

“Since the commencement of the war he has been conspicuous on all occasions for his personal bravery.”

Captain Ingram was 41-years-old when he was killed while searching for the wounded on September 16, 1916. Following his death, his colonel wrote: “He was loved by every man in the regiment.”

Before the war, Captain Ingram lived with his wife, Lilian Loveday Emily Ingram, and two children at Queen’s Cottage, Alexandra Court, Wimbledon, while his father (also Thomas Lewis Ingram) lived in The Priory, Wimbledon Common.

Captain Frederic William Cheere Stileman lived in Landsdowne Road, Wimbledon, before the outbreak of the First World War. He served as Captain in the 8th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment, and fought in the Somme region throughout 1916.

Captain Frederic William Cheere Stileman

Captain Cheere Stileman was part of the successful capture of La Boisselle on July 4, 1916, but was reported missing soon afterwards. His parents made every attempt to discover the fate of their son, but were eventually told that he had been killed by a shell on July 23, 1916, although his body was never recovered. He was 29-years-old.

Another Merton resident, Second Lieutenant Francis Patrick O’Brien, was born in Dover in 1894, but had moved to Wimbledon Village with his family by 1911. Educated at Wimbledon College, he signed up for military service on September 3, 1914, and fought on the Western Front as part of the 10th Battalion East Surrey Regiment.

He was killed during fighting in Guillemont on August 16, 1916, at the age of just 22. Although his body was never found, a report by his commanding officer described the circumstances around his tragic death during an attack on a German trench:

“Second Lieutenant O’Brien was in charge at the time and as we advanced towards the enemy’s trench I was on his immediate left; but as we got nearer Lieutenant O’Brien increased his pace and got 15 yards in front of me.

“The next thing I remember of him was that he stood on the enemy’s parapet and almost immediately I noticed him fall on his right side as if he had been shot and then slide into the enemy trench.

“As he disappeared I saw a German run at him with uplifted weapon (like a pick-axe) and hit him on the head.”

Finally, Lieutenant Reginald John Allen Palmer was just 20-years-old when he was wounded during battle on July 15, 1916, dying a week later from his injuries.

The only son of the Reverend Edward John Palmer, Lieutenant Palmer was born and baptised in Wimbledon.

He has been immortalised in stained glass at Emmanuel Church, Wimbledon, where he is shown as a medieval knight with the inscription: “Fortitude. Be though faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life.

"In loving memory of Reginald John Allen Palmer, Lieutenant 1st Wiltshire Regiment. Born at Wimbledon March 9th 1896, died at Amiens of wounds received in the Battle of the Somme, July 22nd 1916."

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Carved in Stone will be holding a free screening of The Battle of the Somme tonight at 7pm at Raynes Park Library.