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This is one of the earliest graves in the old military burial area at Earlham Cemetery in Norwich. This story particularly interested me as the funeral was so well covered in the local press that it gave me quite a picture of what the burial must have been like.

It’s not clear whether it’s David McSweeny or David McSweeney, I suspect it’s the latter, although the grave uses the former spelling. He was born in around 1839 and he joined the military in 1858, serving in the 7th Queen’s Own Hussars and he had reached the rank of Paymaster Sergeant.

It is the death of David that received much local press attention, including the inquest and the burial of his body. On the evening of 24 June 1875, he was in a rowing boat with his friend David Couper and they were nearby to St. Anne’s Staithe in Norwich (pretty much opposite the Queen of Iceni, nearby to the new St. Anne’s housing development) when a steamer hit them. David’s body was pulled out of the water a few minutes later, but he was already dead, aged just 36.

A coroner’s court took place in July 1875 at the Cinder Oven pub on King Street, in Norwich (a building now demolished, but it once jutted on to the city wall near to the Carrow Bridge boom tower). The Deputy Coroner heard evidence from numerous witnesses, but there was confusion as to how David had fallen into the water and died. Captain Thompson from the army said “it seemed rather odd that no-one appeared to see the deceased get into the water”.

One of the witnesses was WR L’Estrange, a brewer at the Bullards brewery, who said that there was no need for David to have jumped into the water as he would have been safe given the low speed of the steamer. When asked, he put his decision to jump as being “out of terror”. Captain Thompson confirmed that David hadn’t drunk alcohol for 15 years as he was tee-total, so a poor decision due to drink was ruled out, and he also confirmed that David was able to swim. The whole thing was a bit of a mystery and a verdict of accidental drowning was given.

David wasn’t married, but the non-commissioned officers clubbed together to pay for a headstone for him, a rather lovely gesture. And this is how the Norfolk News reported David’s funeral:

“On Monday afternoon, the remains of the Sergeant were interred at the Norwich Cemetery. The firing party was followed by the body of the deceased borne on a gun-carriage, the coffin being covered by a velvet pall upheld at the sides by six Sergeants of the regiment. Next came deceased’s charger, followed by the men of the troop. The military procession was succeeded by three mourning-coaches containing the relatives and friends of the deceased, who was unmarried. The bands of the regiment played a dead march, and several thousand persons assembled to watch the mournful procession on its route to the place of burial”.

The thought of that number of people watching and paying their respects is quite a picture to build up in the mind. The backdrop to this though is that the military were held in high repute by most locals and the period when David died was one where there were relatively few British military deaths. Over 10,000 had lost their lives in the Indian Rebellion in the 1850s, but the next major loss of life wasn’t until the late 1870s with the Second Anglo-Afghan War and the Anglo-Zulu War.

This does all mean that although David died relatively young at 36, his death was at least marked with respect and dignity.

This is the grave of Walter Peter Smith, located in the old war graves area of Earlham Cemetery. Unfortunately, there’s not much of a story here, other than some sympathy to anyone called Smith who is trying to research their family history.

I do know that Walter was born in the third quarter of 1893 and he married Rachel Bailey on 9 May 1915 in St. Augustine’s Church in Norwich. And I know that on 31 March 1915, he joined the 5th battalion of the Coldstream Guards with service number 15935. Walter died on either the 10 February or the 11 February 1916 (different dates for this, but I assume it’s the latter since that’s what is on his grave) at the age of 23.

His grave, which predated the CWGC stones, was erected by his wife, at that point living in New Catton. The reason for such a short story here is that Walter’s war records haven’t survived (other than for a single page from the Coldstream Guards records) and there are three Walter Smiths in Norwich at that time and it’s not clear to me which is which. Which is moderately annoying, but a usual challenge for those with this surname. Anyway, maybe I’ll work out more one day…..

This is the grave of Frank Samuel Tann, located in the older military burials area of Earlham Cemetery. These graves offer some very different sorts of military stories to those who died in the First World War, and there was no conscription in the nineteenth century so everyone in the army is there by some form of choice.

Frank was born in 1875, the son of Ransome Bransby Tann and Hannah Tann (nee Sayer), who had married at St. Peter Hungate Church in Norwich on 6 April 1874. The couple lived at Philadelphia Lane in Norwich, a street which is still there, but the Victorian housing has all long since gone.

For reasons that I don’t understand, Frank was living with his grandparents (on his mother’s side) at the 1881 census, Henry Sayer and Hannah Sayer. Henry worked as a shoemaker and the family lived at Gildengate Street in Norwich. He was still living with them at the time of the 1891 census, although they had by now moved to Middle Street and Frank was also working as a shoemaker, like his grandfather.

At the age of 19 years (and 9 months), the excitement of working as a shoemaker (specifically he was working as a clicker in the shoe trade) in Norwich had perhaps worn off. He had been serving in the Norfolk Artillery Militia and decided that he would sign up for the army, agreeing to serve for at least 12 years. He attested for military service on 29 August 1894 (and he was given the service number 4058) and his medical revealed that he was 5’7″ in height, weighed 9.5 stone, had brown hair and was a member of the Church of England.

Frank’s war records remain, so it’s possible to say where he was stationed, although not unfortunately the exact area of any particular country. He was at his home base with the 1st Norfolk Regiment, which was at the Britannia Barracks in Norwich which had been constructed between 1885 and 1887, from 29 August 1894 until 9 November 1894. He then went to India from 10 November 1897 until 25 February 1904, before returning home between 26 February 1904 and 14 January 1905. His final overseas posting was in South Africa from 15 January 1905 until 16 February 1907, then coming back to the Britannia Barracks. I do wonder what these soldiers thought about these places they were sent, it must have felt very exotic.

His military records also give details of his promotions, he started as a private in the army, then was promoted to a lance corporal on 27 April 1896, although returned to being a private on 10 November 1896. He was made a lance corporal again on 11 September 1897, then a corporal on 18 September 1899, a lance sergeant on 1 December 1901 and then a sergeant on 6 July 1903. He served in the army for a total of 15 years and 134 days, as he died in Norwich on 9 January 1910 at the age of just 35, the cause of death being given as a malignant tumour.

On 14 September 1908, Frank had married Ellen Ethel in Brentwood and they lived at 2 King Street in Norwich. The witnesses at their wedding were Frederick Marshall and Alfred Hyatt, with Ellen Ethel later working as a nurse and she lived until 1956.

Frank was buried at the military section of cemetery and the authorities must have thought that they would have enough space for many more decades, unaware of what was ahead just a few years later with the First World War. His gravestone is a good quality one, although some of the lettering is coming off, something which the CWGC repair for the graves in their care. A life sadly cut short far too early and I do wonder what Frank thought about his over seven years in India.

This is the grave of Daniel George Hatton, located in the old military cemetery at Earlham Cemetery. He is remembered by a gravestone which was placed here by his family, pre-dating those that were provided by the CWGC. Daniel was born in 1894, the son of Daniel and Emma Hatton. Daniel (the older) had been born on 10 January 1872 and Emma on 21 May 1875, with Daniel working as a shoe finisher.

At the 1901 census, the family were living at 11 Greyhound Opening in Heigham, a property which has since been demolished. There was Daniel, his parents, and his new-born little brother, John William Hatton. By the time of the 1911 census, Daniel was using his middle name of George, with the family living at 29 Greyhound Opening, another property since demolished. Daniel George’s uncle was also with the family at the time of the census, another John Hatton. The younger Daniel was working as a boot maker and the older Daniel as a boot finisher. As an aside on this, it can only be wondered what people like Daniel would have done as a job in today’s economy, the choice of options that they had back in the early twentieth century was far more limited and many in Norwich worked in the shoe industry.

At some point after 1911, the family moved to nearby 53 Midland Street, yet another property since demolished. Daniel’s war records seem to have been lost, but he joined the 4th Norfolk Regiment in 1914 (with service number 3659), although I don’t know if he saw any service overseas.

Daniel died on 17 June 1915, at the age of just 21 after he was killed whilst travelling from London Liverpool Street to Norwich by train. The inquest found that “death was due to injuries to the head from a blow described as a terrific nature. The line had been examined, but no marks found on the bridges or signalposts.” The coroner said that this was “a mystery”, but noted that his service colleagues he was travelling with were entirely free of blame. After having to endure the inquest in Bishop’s Stortford to their son’s death, the family paid for his nice gravestone and I can sort of picture them standing there saying their final goodbyes.

Daniel’s parents were still living at 53 Midland Street at the time of the 1939 register, so they saw the start of the Second World War and perhaps wondered whether they lost their son in vain. Emma died on 1941 and I can’t find when Daniel senior died. As for John William Hatton, Daniel’s little brother, he was living with his wife Gracie at 5 Lound Road at the time of the 1939 register, dying in 1989. It must have been difficult for John, he lived for 74 years without his younger brother, having lost him when he was aged just 14.

There’s something sad about all war deaths, but for Daniel (or George, his 1911 census and one of his service records call him that) the three houses he lived in have been demolished, his war records are seemingly lost in the fire and the coroner never worked out how he died.