Casualties from the World Wars
This page within the people section of the website contains lists those who had connections or a link to the local area and who died in the two World Wars, but whose names are not recorded on the Stansted War Memorial.
Note: Individual synopses are not available for most of these entries as they can be found in the Kent Transcription Project report which is available via a link at the bottom of the page.
World War I Casualties
Bennett, William Wilfred
Private William Bennett,1st Battalion, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) was born in Stansted but it is likely he lived in Ash cum Ridley before moving to Meopham, as he is commemorated on both civic War Memorials. He died on 4 th April 1915 aged 26 and is buried Tuileries British Cemetery, Zillebeke, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
Capon, Archibald Victor
Private Archibald Capon, 1st Battalion, The Queens (Royal West Surrey Regiment). Born in Stansted and baptised at St Mary’s, he lived his early life at Court Lodge Cottages before moving to Dorking. He died aged only 17 on 15th July 1916 and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France and on the Dorking, Surrey civic war memorial.
Fremlin, Albion Thomas
Private Albion Fremlin,1st Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Albion lived with his parents at Parsons (now Parsonage) Farm, Stansted, until he was eleven when the family moved to Ash. Killed on 23rd April 1917, aged 37, he is buried in the Arras Road Cemetery, Roclincourt, Pas de Calais, France, and is commemorated on the headstone of his parents’ grave at St. Martin’s Churchyard, Ryarsh, Kent.
Gutsell, Edward Thomas
Private Edward Thomas Gutsell, 6th (Service) Battalion, Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment. He died on Tuesday 17 July 1917 aged 21. Commemorated on the Arras Memorial, Faubourg-d’Amiens Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. Son of Thomas and Minnie Gutsell, of Moreflints, Court Lodge, Stansted, Kent.
Wood, George Alfred
Private George Alfred Wood, 10th (Service) Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) died on Saturday 12 August 1916 aged 19 and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France. Although born in Stansted, by the age of four, the Wood family had moved to Fawkham.
Young, Thomas Robert
Sapper Thomas Robert Young, 26th Field Company, Royal Engineers. Born in the Anchor & Hope Public House in Ash, Robert died on 1st November 1914, aged 28. He is commemorated on the Menin Gate, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, and on the Burham and Longfield civic war memorials.
World War II Casualties
Capon, Willie
Willie Capon was born in Stansted and spent at least the first eleven years of his life at Kingsdown Road (Stansted Lane) before moving with his family to Balham. By 1939 he and his wife had moved to Beckenham, which is where he was injured in an air raid on 5th June 1943. He was admitted to Beckenham Hospital and died there six days later. He rests in Beckenham Cemetery and is commemorated on the Beckenham civic war memorial, and on the Second World War Civilian War Dead Roll of Honour, in Westminster Abbey, London.
Francis, Colin
On 30th August 1940, an RAF Hurricane smashed into the ground at Coldharbour, killing its pilot who was on his first operational flight. Colin’s remains lay buried in his aircraft for 41 years. The following link provides a synopsis of the events that took place overhead that day and the subsequent recovery of the wreckage and its pilot.
James, Elsie Violetta
Twice widowed Elsie James was born in Birmingham and following the death of her second husband in 1942, was living at Haven Manor, Haven Hill, Ash cum Ridley. On 11th October 1944 this building was obliterated by one of the last V1’s to fall in the UK, and Elsie died as a result. She is laid to rest in Watling Street Cemetery Dartford and is commemorated in the Second World War Civilian War Dead Roll of Honour in Westminster Abbey.
The Kent War Memorial Transcription Project (KTP) is Kent’s most comprehensive online civic war memorials commemoration website covering all Kent boroughs, districts and parishes and including South East London boroughs that were still part of Kent in the 1920s. Personnel from the Kent War Memorials Transcription Project assisted in researching information on the casualties above. Their report is available by selecting the link below.