Private David Chandler
1883 - 1917

Evesham Cemetery contains 40 Commonwealth War Graves. Ten of these are for soldiers from the First World War. One burial is that of David Chandler, who served with the Yorkshire Regiment.

David Chandler was born in Evesham in Worcestershire about October 1883, the only son of William and Sarah Ann Chandler. His father William Chandler had married his mother Sarah Ann Holder on 3 November 1862 at St. Michael’s Bedwardine in Worcester. David had 6 sisters: Ellen (born about 1869), Fanny (born about 1871), Emily (born about 1875), Martha (born about 1879), Alice (born about 1882) and Sarah Ann (born about 1886).

**First page of David Chandler's attestation papers**

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Private David Chandler enlisted at Walsall on 22 January 1917. His age on enlistment was 35 years 4 months and by trade he was a bill poster. David joined the 5th Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment, and was attached to the Training Reserve. His regimental number was TR5/9604. David was posted to Rugeley Camp on Cannock Chase on 1 February 1917 where he contracted Cerebrospinal Fever – there was an epidemic of it there. He was admitted to the camp hospital on 10 February 1917, where he spent 5 days, but his health deteriorated rapidly and he died at the camp on 25 February 1917. {Cerebrospinal Fever is an infectious disease characterized by inflammation of the tissues that surround the brain or spinal cord; it is usually caused by a bacterial infection; symptoms include headache and stiff neck and fever and nausea.}

**World War 1 postcard of Rugeley Camp**

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{In the autumn of 1914, only months after the start of the First World War, construction of two large camps began on Cannock Chase. The camps (known as Brocton Camp and Rugeley Camp) were constructed with the permission of Lord Lichfield, on whose estate they were being built. The infrastructure for the camps, including the water supply, sewage systems and the roads all had to be created from scratch before work could begin on the huts and other structures.

During the early part of the war the camps were primarily used as transit camps to accommodate Service Battalions travelling towards the western front; following their completion, the camps settled into the mould of a training facility and there was a steady influx of battalions, including men of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade, who later made Cannock Chase their UK headquarters. Various schools of war were established, offering instruction in musketry, scouting, signalling,physical training, gas warfare and many other related subjects.

The camps, when completed, could hold up to 40,000 men at one time and probably trained upwards of 500,000 men. They had all their own amenities including a church, post offices and a bakery as well as amenity huts where the troops could by coffee and cakes, or play billiards. There was even a theatre.

A hospital serving both Brocton and Rugeley camp was established at Brindley Heath in 1916. The hospital had twelve wards with a total of one thousand beds and served the camps for the remainder of the war, as well as housing convalescing soldiers from France.

**The hospital serving Brocton and Rugeley camps that was established at Brindley Heath in 1916**

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These notes on Rugeley Camp are courtesy of the Staffordshire Past Track website page "The First World War Camps of Cannock Chase": http://www.staffspasttrack.org.uk/exhibit/chasecamps/default.htm}.

**Commemorative certificate in memory of Private David Chandler**

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Private David Chandler had married his wife Margaret Ann Cross at the Register Office in Prestwick, Manchester on 19 March 1912. She had been born Margaret Ann Barton and on 26 September 1903, at the age of 23, she had married the 23-year old plumber Arthur Cross at St. Philip’s Church, Bradford Road, in Manchester.

**Copy of the marriage certificate of Margaret Ann Barton and Arthur Cross**

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The couple had two children, Arthur Maurice Cross (born in Coventry on 25 August 1904) and Margaret Cross (born in Cardiff in Glamorgan on 11 December 1907). Arthur Cross filed for divorce from his wife in 1910 citing the relationship Margaret was having with David Chandler; the divorce was uncontested and Arthur was granted a decree nisi on 29 July 1911, the divorce becoming absolute on 3 February 1912.

**Copy of the first page of the divorce papers for Margaret Ann Cross and Arthur Cross**

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Six weeks later, David and Margaret were married. They, and Margaret’s two children, went to live at 39 Mill Street in Cannock and their daughter Catherine Alice Chandler was born in the town on 9 December 1915.

After David's death in 1917, his wife Margaret was awarded an army pension to support herself and her three children.

**Notification of the award of an army pension to Margaret Ann Chandler to support her three children**

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**The grave of Private David Chandler at Evesham Cemetery**

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Note

The material for this biography is based on the contents of the page for Evesham Cemetery on the Yorkshire Regiment - First World War Remembrance website: http://www.ww1-yorkshires.org.uk/. The page for Evesham Cemetery is http://www.ww1-yorkshires.org.uk/html-files/cemeteries/evesham-cemetery.htm. Their website acknowledged the assistance provided by Richard Roberts (<richard@nosnailshere.co.uk>) who had forwarded the photographs of David Chandler's grave and Evesham Cemetery; the photos were taken by Kate Melen.

Reference, item and source

2. World War I postcard showing Rugeley Camp © https://picclick.co.uk/Super-Ww1-Rugeley-Army-Camp-Local-Burslem-Staffordshire-382415207670.html

3. The hospital serving Brocton and Rugeley camps that was established at Brindley Heath in 1916 © Brindley Heath Parish Council website http://www.brindleyheath-pc.org.uk/parish-history/

Private David Chandler1883 - 1917

Note

Private David Chandler
1883 - 1917