Sergeant Major Bertram Furseman

Bertram Furseman was born in Great Torrington in 1881. He was the son of a road contractor, John Furseman, who was born in 1846 and originally from Langtree. His mother, Elizabeth (nee Hearn), born in Frithelstock in 1851, worked as a gloveress. At the time of the 1881 census they were living in Mill Street, Great Torrington, with their 5 children: William (10), Mary (8), Alice (6), John (3) and newly born Bertram. In 1887, Bertie would be enrolled into the Great Torrington Council School for boys.

The 1891 census still finds the family living in Mill Street, but the family has grown. The family structure has changed a little with older children moving out of the household and new members being born. At this time Bertie is aged 11 years and still attends school. As well as his parents, the household also consists of his brother Charles (21), who’s employed as a ‘general labourer’, his older sisters, Mary and Alice (18 and 16), who are in the gloving industry, his younger brother, Arthur (9) and younger sister, Florence (1). The household is completed by his grandmother, Eliza Hearn (72) who is ‘living on her own means’.

Locating Bertie at the start of the century hasn’t proven to be easy. His family are still resident at 93 Mill Street with little change. However, a later newspaper article, dated September 1917, that states that he had been in the army for 18 years [1]. So, it would make sense to assume that he was away on service at the start of his military career. Bertie’s role in the military took him to the Royal Field Artillery, where he was stationed with the 34th Brigade Ammunition Column. He held the service number 1276. He had enlisted in Devonport.

In 1910, Bertie married, Jessica Stella Walsh, who was born in Crewe, but lived locally with her grandparents in 1 Castle Street. She worked as a ‘silk glove maker’. They had a daughter together who was also named Jessica. Jessica Jane Olivia was born on 10th September 1911 and baptised on the 26th. Bertie’s whereabouts for 1911 shows him living at Bordon in Hampshire. As this is a garrison town, it would confirm my earlier thoughts that he is away with the forces. The exact address is at the Louisberg Barracks of the Royal Field Artillery with the 136th Battery. He is aged 30 years at this point.

His exact whereabouts at the beginning of the Great War is difficult to pin down. A newspaper article from 1915 reports that his father has received a letter of congratulation for having five sons and a son-in-law in the armed service. Three of these are in France: Charles in the Royal Engineers, John in the Pioneers and Bertram in the Royal Field Artillery. Stanley is in India with the 6th Devons, whilst Arthur has joined the Army Service Corps. Fred Bangham, who is his son-in-law is in the navy [2]. You can read more about Fred on his own Great Torrington Remembers page.

Bertie, who had risen to the rank of Sergeant-Major, was killed in action on September 16th 1917. Unfortunately, at this stage I have not been able to locate his exact whereabouts or the operation he was involved in. We do know that he had been in the army for 18 years and was aged 36 at the time of his death. It is also reported that he would have shortly received a commission. In the letter to his wife, his Captain notes that he was a “splendid fellow and much beloved by those associated with him in the Army.”

He was survived by his wife and daughter. His wife would not marry again. At the time of his death they family were resident at 18 Castle Street. By 1939 they can be found living in Barnstaple at ‘The Croft’ in Clinton Road. His wife would pass away in Barnstaple in 1983 whilst his daughter, who had been living in Teignbridge, died in 1996.

Sergeant- Major Furseman’s grave can be found at the Canada Farm Cemetery in West-Vlaanderen, Belguim where it lies amongst 909 gravestones. His grave is marked with the words “Thy Will Be Done”; words chosen by his wife.

I have been able to locate the Furseman family who still live in the North Devon area. They were able to provide me with the two photos of Bertram. The top photo was taken at the start of his military career, whilst the bottom photo was taken some years later.