Genealogical war memorials for Bournemouth’s fallen
Battle of Sahil: November 17th, 1914
Introduction
Tales from the Front (21) tells the story of Frank Axford, a native of Victorian Bournemouth, who fought in the Great War. A professional soldier, Private Axford served with the Second Battalion, Dorset Regiment. He enlisted in 1907, later serving in India before falling during the invasion of Mesopotamia.
Tales from the Front (21): Part 1
Army life
No doubt, the recruiters painted an appealing view of army life to prospective soldiers in peacetime. Regular food and pay would have struck home for young men whose lives until then had crawled along the edge of hardship. These benefits, however, came at a price. Army discipline, continuous parades, and constant spit-and-polish stood in stark contrast to their civilian life. Some found the price too high and sought compensation: breaking out of the barracks to go drinking. Insubordination, gambling, lack of care for a rifle and other charges might appear on a man’s record. For some, it happened on occasion; for others, it became a pattern. Powerlessness and unchanging conditions would have explained some of the charges, but so could adverse relationships with NCOs. Axford had several infringements, but, to him and the Dorsets running through the date plantation, hearing the Turkish machine gun ahead, they would have meant little.
Tales from the Front (21): Part 2
Family trait
Axford’s family had often laboured under authority. His parents and grandfather had lived in Winterbourne Stoke, a village near Stonehenge, Wiltshire. Here, they laboured in the fields, subject to the whim of local farmers and the weather. Axford’s father took a well-trodden route from such restrictions by migrating to Bournemouth. His journey took time, enabling him to acquire a wife, a woman from Shapwick, a small settlement near Blandford Forum, Dorset. Five years later, they arrived in Bournemouth, where they had a daughter in 1886. Axford joined the family there after another five years. This trek changed their geography but not their economic position. Once again, they worked under authority. In fact, their position may have worsened as both Axford’s parents worked in domestic service. His father achieved temporary self-employment (cabdriver), but by 1911, had returned to service as a gardener. Two sisters became maids.
Grey eyes
The family’s economic condition meant that Axford’s siblings needed employment early in life. An elder sister and brother had secured work, she as a dressmaker, he as an errand boy. Even Axford had started work early, listed as a milkman at enlistment. The army offered an apparent escape from such servitude; his keenness added two years onto the age he quoted to the recruiters. His service record preserves aspects of his physical appearance. He stood 1.63 metres high and weighed 53 kilos. This translates to a low Body-Mass Index by today’s standards. A fresh complexion may correlate with his outdoor job as a milkman. Axford had grey eyes and fair hair. His participation in the local militia will have given him a grounding in military practices, including marksmanship. After enlistment, he remained in England. By 1911, he had travelled to India, where he lived in barracks stationed in Poona (Pune).
Tales from the Front (21): Part 3
The sad day
Early on November 15th, 1914, the 2nd Dorsets, advancing westward across the desert, came under hostile fire near an enormous date-palm plantation. The Turkish forces, entrenched, held on, but the Dorsets rushed them, forcing a retirement. As they headed north, they experienced mirages: ‘the dancing mirage plays one a hundred tricks’. Two days later, another, but larger engagement occurred, further north at Sahil. The weather had turned. Instead of running through sand, Axford and the Dorsets had to slither through glutinous mud. Further rain occurred in mid-morning. The engineers transporting the telephone cables had difficulty pushing their barrows through the mud. This battle differed in scale from the previous action. The enemy directed heavy fire at the advancing British and Indian troops. Fighting must have occurred over a wide area, for, afterwards, searches for fallen men had to look far. The records show that Axford fell in action here.
Aftermath
A little before Axford enlisted with the army, his elder brother had emigrated. He went to Canada and settled in Calgary, Alberta. He appears to have followed his father’s occupation as a driver. At first, he worked as a chauffeur, but later as a truck driver for a local brewery. Axford’s parents may have had to take lodgers after the war. His mother, by then widowed, in 1939 lived with her daughter, of similar status, and granddaughter at their 1911 address. While Axford’s family adjusted to life without him, the campaign that killed him continued to unfold. The Expeditionary Force secured the oil refinery on Abadan Island, but to strengthen their position, they advanced upstream. By early December, they had taken possession of Basra and Qurna. The latter stood at the junction of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, a strong position to control the area, including the waterways.
Takeaway
Tales from the Front (21) has explored the life and military service of Frank Axford (1891-1914). A milkman by trade, he served in India with the 2nd Dorsets. In October 1914, he sailed to Mesopotamia as part of the force to protect British oil interests. He would have fought in at least two encounters before falling free of all authority at Sahil.
‘Tales from the Front’
A collection of personal stories honouring Bournemouth’s natives who lost their lives on the battlefield and the regiments with which they served. Combining social and military history with genealogical insights, it examines their roots, families, occupations, and the sacrifices they made for their country. Set against the backdrop of regimental war diaries and enriched by contemporary media accounts, the series provides a compelling and intimate portrait of Bournemouth’s wartime heroes — a mosaic of personal bravery within the broader scope of history. Serving as a companion and continuation to Victorian Bournemouth, ‘Tales from the Front’ is part of News from the Past: History for the Rest of Us.
References
For references and engagement, please get in touch. Main primary sources: here and here (subscriptions needed). For War Diaries, go here. See also here. The featured picture shows an imagined scene.
Kitablios