Great Torrington Remembers
Private William Henry Baker
Gunner Henry Trott
The devastation caused to families across the nation was immeasurable. However, when brothers, or in this case step-brothers, from the same family are killed, the impact must have been so much more. William Baker and Henry Trott had the same mother, Martha Baker. Martha was born in 1859; we can find her living with her family at the age of 22 years in the 1881 census records. At this time she holds down employment as a paper box maker. Her first son, William Henry, was born in 1883 out of wedlock; no father is recorded on the baptism record and William will carry his mother’s maiden name of Baker.
However, in 1885 Martha would be wed to Henry Trott. Their immediate future is unclear as neither the newly married couple, nor William, appear in the 1891 census records. Two years earlier, in 1889, we can see that William was enrolled in the Great Torrington Council School for boys where Harry Trott is recorded under the “parent’s name” section. William’s step-brother, Henry Trott, would be born in 1895 and baptised shortly after. Both parents, Henry and Martha, are registered under their respective categories.
The 1901 census does contain details of the family’s movements. Heads of the household, Henry and Martha, now live at 30 Calf Street, Great Torrington. Henry works as a tanner, whilst Martha continues operating as a box maker. Along with Harry in the family who is now 6, there are also his older siblings, Janie, 14 and Rosy, 7. Meanwhile, William is living at a separate address as Higher Weck Farm, Great Torrington. As this point he is acting as a servant to the Pettle family and in employment as a farm labourer.
Henry would also be schooled in the town and in 1904 he was enrolled in the Great Torrington Blue Coat School. Again, his father is recorded as the parent. With the 1911 census we can see that the step-brothers are back living under the same roof at 30 Calf Street. Not at the age of 27 years, William is working as a shop assistant whilst Henry, now 16 years, is employed as a yard boy.
At the onset of war, William would be in the first cohort to sign up for the colours joining Kitchener’s Army and being aligned with the 8th Devons. At the time his residence was Great Torrington, although he enlisted in Exeter holding the service number: 10591. Sadly, William’s encounter with war would be brief. After six weeks in the service he contracted a chill, which escalated to double pneumonia. Despite care at Aldershot’s Cambridge Hospital he passed away on 12th October 1914. He was aged 32 years. The funeral was held in Great Torrington on 15th October with a large congregation. Amongst others, his step-brother Henry attended [1].
Henry’s story of war is a little trickier to tell, largely down to the lack of information available in newspaper articles at the time. We know that he had enlisted by October 1914 as he is listed in the Great Torrington Roll of Honour from the North Devon Journal [2]. We also know that he served with two separate units during his time in the forces. Firstly, original service records show that Henry was a Gunner in the Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Field Artillery with a service number: 25776. However, we later find him attached to the 265th Railway Company of the Royal Engineers. His service papers for this regiment shows that he enlisted in Cardiff. The 265th Company were raised at Longmoor in September 1917 and embarked for the Egyptian Theatre on the 14th of that month. Henry’s service number was updated to WR/286156. As mentioned earlier, little is known about the circumstances of Henry’s death. We know that he was killed in action on 2nd September 1918 in the Egyptian Theatre; his headstone can be found at the Jerusalem War Cemetery. Both the sons of Martha Baker are remembered at the Great Torrington War Memorial.
[1] Western Times. October 16th 1914. ‘Funeral of the Late Private WH Baker at Torrington’.
[2] North Devon Journal. October 8th 1914. ‘Great Torrington’s Roll of Honour’.
