Comments on: The Seabrook brothers: all three killed at Passchendaele http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2007/11/13/the-seabrook-brothers-all-three-killed-at-passchendaele/ Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:28:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Jo-Anne Border http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2007/11/13/the-seabrook-brothers-all-three-killed-at-passchendaele/#comment-2053 Jo-Anne Border Tue, 11 Nov 2008 03:11:11 +0000 http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2007/11/13/the-seabrook-brothers-all-three-killed-at-passchendaele/#comment-2053 After reading the article in the Daily telegraph today, I was surprised to find that only 5 sets of brothers were killed in World War 1. Our family lost 2 brothers, John Reginald Storer, who is remembered at Villers Breonneux and William Edgar Storer, who is buried at Bancourt British Cemetery near Albert. William was apparently killed in the last battle of the war onthe 5th of October 1918. In 2003, I took my mother to find the grave of my Great Uncles and her Uncles. I think we would have been the only visitors to Williams grave from the family. My mothers brother Harry, had the medals and was able to see the photographs of the grave before he passed away a couple of years ago. After reading the article in the Daily telegraph today, I was surprised to find that only 5 sets of brothers were killed in World War 1.
Our family lost 2 brothers, John Reginald Storer, who is remembered at Villers Breonneux and William Edgar Storer, who is buried at Bancourt British Cemetery near Albert. William was apparently killed in the last battle of the war onthe 5th of October 1918.

In 2003, I took my mother to find the grave of my Great Uncles and her Uncles. I think we would have been the only visitors to Williams grave from the family. My mothers brother Harry, had the medals and was able to see the photographs of the grave before he passed away a couple of years ago.

]]> By: Craig Tibbitts http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2007/11/13/the-seabrook-brothers-all-three-killed-at-passchendaele/#comment-1788 Craig Tibbitts Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:22:33 +0000 http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2007/11/13/the-seabrook-brothers-all-three-killed-at-passchendaele/#comment-1788 I've just discovered that one of the <strong>five Beechey brothers</strong> killed in the war was serving with the Australians. This was <a href="http://www.awm.gov.au/roh/person.asp?p=145-3415" rel="nofollow">Lance Corporal Harold Reeve Beechey</a>, who was killed in action whilst serving with the 48th Infantry Battalion at Bullecourt on 10 April 1917. Craig Tibbitts I’ve just discovered that one of the five Beechey brothers killed in the war was serving with the Australians. This was Lance Corporal Harold Reeve Beechey, who was killed in action whilst serving with the 48th Infantry Battalion at Bullecourt on 10 April 1917.

Craig Tibbitts

]]> By: Bill Field http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2007/11/13/the-seabrook-brothers-all-three-killed-at-passchendaele/#comment-1787 Bill Field Fri, 30 May 2008 05:33:33 +0000 http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2007/11/13/the-seabrook-brothers-all-three-killed-at-passchendaele/#comment-1787 <p>One can but speculate on the cataclysmic reaction to the parents of these three young men killed in the war. During a visit to my uncle's grave at the Tyne-cot cemetery a few years ago I learned of an even more horrific story of an event during the battle of Vimy Ridge, a Canadian mother Mrs Williams, lost her seven sons. When one looks back at the unimaginable horror that soldiers of every nation faced during that dreadful war it is quite remarkable that any of them survived with their sanity intact. The only marks left on earth by my uncle are his medals,memorial plaque, his enlistment photo and a handful of letters which have been treasured thru the years...his last letter written three weeks before he was killed at Passchendaele on the eve of his 22nd birthday....some present eh?</p> <strong>Editor's response:</strong> Thanks for this Bill, indeed another heavy price to pay. I did a bit of quick checking but couldn't find anything about a Canadian family named Williams who lost seven sons. I did however find out a little about the Wood family from Canada who lost five sons. There has apparently been confusion over the years as to whether they lost five, seven or eight sons to the war. From what I could figure out, they lost five <em>during </em>the war, but a further two were seriously wounded and may well have died after the war of those wounds. The mother's name was Charlotte Wood and the boys lost were a mixture of sons and stepsons. I found <a href="http://www.hellfire-corner.demon.co.uk/ceris.htm" rel="nofollow">this article online</a> about their sacrifice. I will contact my colleague at the Canadian War Museum and see if he knows any more. I also stumbled across another that lost five sons, the Beechey family from Lincolnshire in the UK. There's a <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1533310/Brothers-in-sacrifice-family-who-lost-five-sons-to-horrors-of-war.html" rel="nofollow">short article on them here</a>. I bet the more you looked, the more cases like these you'd probably find. Perhaps in the east where the scale of losses were staggering (and the recordkeeping poor), you'd probably hear stories of some Russian, Turkish or east European family that lost even more than five or seven to the war. Regards, Craig Tibbitts Curator Official Records Research Centre Australian War Memorial One can but speculate on the cataclysmic reaction to the parents of these three young men killed in the war. During a visit to my uncle’s grave at the Tyne-cot cemetery a few years ago I learned of an even more horrific story of an event during the battle of Vimy Ridge, a Canadian mother Mrs Williams, lost her seven sons. When one looks back at the unimaginable horror that soldiers of every nation faced during that dreadful war it is quite remarkable that any of them survived with their sanity intact. The only marks left on earth by my uncle are his medals,memorial plaque, his enlistment photo and a handful of letters which have been treasured thru the years…his last letter written three weeks before he was killed at Passchendaele on the eve of his 22nd birthday….some present eh?

Editor’s response: Thanks for this Bill, indeed another heavy price to pay. I did a bit of quick checking but couldn’t find anything about a Canadian family named Williams who lost seven sons. I did however find out a little about the Wood family from Canada who lost five sons. There has apparently been confusion over the years as to whether they lost five, seven or eight sons to the war. From what I could figure out, they lost five during the war, but a further two were seriously wounded and may well have died after the war of those wounds. The mother’s name was Charlotte Wood and the boys lost were a mixture of sons and stepsons. I found this article online about their sacrifice. I will contact my colleague at the Canadian War Museum and see if he knows any more.

I also stumbled across another that lost five sons, the Beechey family from Lincolnshire in the UK. There’s a short article on them here. I bet the more you looked, the more cases like these you’d probably find. Perhaps in the east where the scale of losses were staggering (and the recordkeeping poor), you’d probably hear stories of some Russian, Turkish or east European family that lost even more than five or seven to the war.

Regards,

Craig Tibbitts
Curator Official Records
Research Centre
Australian War Memorial

]]> By: Doug Carruthers http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2007/11/13/the-seabrook-brothers-all-three-killed-at-passchendaele/#comment-1786 Doug Carruthers Wed, 28 May 2008 10:23:57 +0000 http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2007/11/13/the-seabrook-brothers-all-three-killed-at-passchendaele/#comment-1786 Further to my earlier post... results of google search on Choat Brothers PDF] BIBLIOGRAPHY Records held by the Australian War Memorial AWM 8 ...File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat Choat, WP: ‘A Bold Bid for Freedom: War Prisoners’ Experiences’ (no details, ... Kerr, Greg: ‘Lost Anzacs: The Story of Two Brothers’ (OUP, Melbourne, 1997) ... www.library.unsw.edu.au/~thesis/adt-ADFA/uploads/approved/adt-ADFA20051115.094949/public/13bibliography.pdf - Similar pages Further to my earlier post… results of google search on Choat Brothers

PDF] BIBLIOGRAPHY Records held by the Australian War Memorial AWM 8 …File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
Choat, WP: ‘A Bold Bid for Freedom: War Prisoners’ Experiences’ (no details, … Kerr, Greg: ‘Lost Anzacs: The Story of Two Brothers’ (OUP, Melbourne, 1997) …
http://www.library.unsw.edu.au/~thesis/adt-ADFA/uploads/approved/adt-ADFA20051115.094949/public/13bibliography.pdf - Similar pages

]]> By: Doug Carruthers http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2007/11/13/the-seabrook-brothers-all-three-killed-at-passchendaele/#comment-1785 Doug Carruthers Wed, 28 May 2008 05:36:23 +0000 http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2007/11/13/the-seabrook-brothers-all-three-killed-at-passchendaele/#comment-1785 <p>Choat Brothers. 32nd Batalion A company.</p> <p>Raymond Choat aged 24, Wesley Choat MM aged 20 and Archibald Choat aged 18 from S. Aust, Were three brothers who enlisted on the same day in 1915, regimental numbers 66,67 and 68.<br /> <a href="http://www.awm.gov.au/roh/person.asp?p=145-9639" rel="nofollow">Raymond</a> and <a href="http://www.awm.gov.au/roh/person.asp?p=145-9636" rel="nofollow">Archibald</a> were KIA on the 20/7/1916 at Fromelles<br /> and Wesley was taken POW on the same day. Wesley later escaped and walked out through Holland (Red Cross Archives. Aust War Mem Site) and returned to Aust in 1918.</p> <strong>Editor's response:</strong> Many thanks Doug. Do you know of any photos of Raymond and Wesley. If so, please <a href="http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2008/04/14/roll-of-honour-photographs/" rel="nofollow">contact the Memorial's Photographs Section</a> as they're always looking for photos of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Craig Tibbitts Choat Brothers. 32nd Batalion A company.

Raymond Choat aged 24, Wesley Choat MM aged 20 and Archibald Choat aged 18 from S. Aust, Were three brothers who enlisted on the same day in 1915, regimental numbers 66,67 and 68.
Raymond and Archibald were KIA on the 20/7/1916 at Fromelles
and Wesley was taken POW on the same day. Wesley later escaped and walked out through Holland (Red Cross Archives. Aust War Mem Site) and returned to Aust in 1918.

Editor’s response: Many thanks Doug. Do you know of any photos of Raymond and Wesley. If so, please contact the Memorial’s Photographs Section as they’re always looking for photos of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Craig Tibbitts

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