Genealogical war memorials of Bournemouth’s fallen
Shaiba: April 14th, 1915
Introduction
Tales from the Front (30) recounts the life of Charles Baverstock, a native of Victorian Bournemouth, who fought in World War I. Baverstock served with the Second Battalion, Dorset Regiment. Posted to India in 1909, he joined the expedition sent from India to protect British oil supplies in Lower Mesopotamia. Several Bournemouth natives fell in this campaign, including Lance-Corporal Baverstock at the decisive battle of Shaiba.
Tales from the Front (30): a-rovin’ life for me
Travel for employment became a Baverstock tradition. His grandfather, a labourer’s son, born in Pimperne, a village near Blandford, worked in domestic service, often driving coaches for the privileged. At one point, he took a job far away in Horsmenden, Kent. Baverstock’s father soon left a bakery for life at sea, joining the Royal Navy. By 1888, he had arrived in the Bournemouth area, Baverstock born that year. Before long, however, he took the family first to Salcombe, Devon, and then to Ballyhaskin in Ireland, where he kept the lighthouse, perhaps that at nearby Donaghadee (1901). Within a decade, however, he had returned to Bournemouth, but Baverstock did not accompany the family, for he had joined the army and gone to India. His restless grandparents had continued their transient life. They too lived in the Bournemouth area, where they worked as caretakers, before completing a circular journey back to Blandford.
Tales from the Front (30): a Kitson lamp
Baverstock may have worked with his father in the lighthouse. His army service record refers to skill with a Kitson lamp. A recent invention, the technology enabled lighthouses to increase the brightness of their lights. Whilst serving in India, he deployed his knowledge of the technology. He had enlisted with the Dorsetshire Regiment at the age of 19 (1908), having already served with the reserve. He came to India, serving with the second battalion. After five years, he received a promotion to Lance Corporal. He appears to have taken to army life, receiving more general recognition. Having already received a high character for his time in the reserve, he accrued additional praise in the regular army. His service record described him as ‘honest, sober, intelligent, and hardworking’. He had taken courses, one on transport, another on supply. Thus, he arrived in Mesopotamia well qualified in matters of military logistics.
Tales from the Front (30): Mesopotamia and Iraq – la meme chose
The occupation and administration of Basra and its surrounding region during the Iraq War resembled events from almost a century prior. In February 1915, following the capture of Basra, British and Indian forces undertook counterinsurgency efforts, conducting raids in nearby villages, detaining influential individuals, confiscating weapons, and making thorough searches of properties. In 2003, the British Army adopted comparable tactics. The Official History from March 1915 noted that sunlight, dust, and mirage conditions impeded visibility, while heavy rainfall resulted in widespread flooding, complicating logistics. At Shaiba, Baverstock and his team relied on supplies transported from Basra via canoe convoys. Seasonal rains in March 2003 once again produced flooding and muddy terrain akin to those faced by the Indian Expeditionary Force in Lower Mesopotamia. For weapons and logistical tools, the two campaigns bore little resemblance to each other. Despite this, however, operational challenges in the region exhibited remarkable consistency.
Tales from the Front (30): Shaiba, April 14th, 1915
During the battle, Baverstock and his colleagues may have adopted the British Army’s standard of delivering 15 rounds a minute at rapid fire. Afterwards, however, a report came in from his battalion complaining about their Lee Enfield rifles. After 30 rounds of rapid firing (i.e. two minutes’ use), the rifles had jammed. Suspicion fell on the manufacturer (an Indian company) and on grit sticking to the cartridges. According to the report, jamming had happened in India before. Whatever the reason, this report implies that Baverstock’s rifle could have become jammed, leaving him defenceless, and thereby contributing to his death. Later in the battle, the Dorsets attacked with their bayonets. During the same fight, an officer commanding Indian troops observed odd behaviour. Exhausted by manoeuvres, the men napped for 15 minutes, while their neighbour fired at a slow rate. Although not standard rapid fire, the rifles would not have jammed.
Tales from the Front (30): Aftermath
Before enlistment in the Royal Navy, Baverstock’s brother, Reginald, had worked as a tram conductor. He survived the war and found work as a general labourer. His sister, Daisy, continued the family practice of working in service. Later, she married a policeman, a foreman’s son. They moved to Whitchurch, Hampshire. Baverstock’s parents lived into the 1930s.
For the rest of the month and during May, a day’s routine for the IEF consisted of parades, inspections, swimming, and road repair. As the number suffering from sunstroke (and fever) rose towards 200, the army discontinued parades held during the hottest parts of the day. Reinforcements arrived. Several men received medals. By the end of May, the army looked north, towards Amara, a town further up the Tigris. They embarked on the RS Mejidieh, a steamer commanded by Charles Cowley. Later, while attempting to relieve Kut, Cowley perished, afterwards winning the Victoria Cross.
Takeaway
Tales from the Front (30) has explored the background, life, and military career of Charles Baverstock (1888-1915). A native of Bournemouth, he joined the Second Battalion, Dorset Regiment. At first, he served in India, later moving to Mesopotamia with the Indian Expeditionary Force ‘D’. He fell at the Battle of Shaiba, his rifle perhaps jamming after delivering rapid fire.
‘Tales from the Front’
A collection of personal stories honouring the natives of Victorian Bournemouth who gave their lives on the battlefield and the regiments with which they served. Blending social and military history with genealogical insight, it explores their roots, families, occupations, and the ultimate sacrifices they made for their country.
The posts weave genealogical data together with eyewitness accounts found in war diaries, contemporary press coverage, and official military histories. The series offers a powerful and intimate portrait of Bournemouth’s wartime heroes offset with live accounts of battlefield action.
Serving as a companion and continuation of Victorian Bournemouth, Tales from the Front forms 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—genealogical information based on available sources.
Kitablios