BATH,+S.+W.



Bath, Samuel Wood, Driver, 85097, “A” Battery, 106th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery Enlisted: Derby Resided: Derby Died of wounds 5th August 1917 Aged 37 Husband of Florence Amelia Bath, of 1 Cemetery Road, Belper, Derby Buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, France, Grave Reference: IV C 52 1911 Census Born Belper, Derbyshire A cotton mill stock keeper Husband of Florence Amelia, an embroiderer, and father of Pattie and Alonzo Bath, of Chesterfield Road, Belper, Derbyshire Additional information courtesy of Ryan Dunn, Samuel's Great-Great-Grandson:

**// Samuel Wood Bath, Bombardier 85097, A Battery, 106th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery. //** //‘Driver Bath’ answered the call of Lord Kitchener in February, 1915, well prior to being called up. He had been in France for over two years at the time of his death, acting as a Driver for Major Ralph Hamilton (who later died on the 31st of March 1918 whilst a Lt. Col.)// //Samuel was wounded at Loos, in late 1915 and once more after that, but only slightly this time.// //His fatal wounds, suffered in 1917 were to his mouth and neck, he died in the 3rd Canadian Hospital Boulogne, on the evening of Sunday 5th August 1917 he was 37, older than some, but still way too young to die.// //Samuel is buried in the Boulogne Eastern Cemetery France. Grave Reference: IV C 52//

//He was the husband of Florence Amelia Bath, of 1 Cemetery Rd Belper. (they had three children the youngest being approximately two years old at the time of Samuel’s death).// //The son of Joseph Bath of 57 Penn St Belper, Samuel was formerly a jeweller who had a shop in High St Belper and later a confectionery and grocery shop at Field Head, he was also a member of the Primitive Methodist Church.// //His brother Alonzo also served on the western Front with the Motor Transport Corps.// **// Newspaper Article from the Belper News dated 10 August 1917 //** //“Another recent death from wounds among our Belper men must be added in the case of Bombardier Samuel Wood Bath son of Mr Joseph Bath 57 Penn St. Deceased will be remembered as having formerly kept the jewellers shop in High St now occupied by Mr Moxey, and later taking up the business of confectioner and grocer, Field Head. He joined Kitchener’s Army in February, 1915, and had been nearly two years in France, participating in many severe engagements. He was wounded at Loos, and again afterwards more slightly. His last wound has unfortunately, proved fatal, a bullet passing through his mouth and neck, to which he succumbed on Sunday evening, as intimated by the Military Chaplin. As a driver in the Artillery he had various adventures, having a horse shot under him on one occasion, and on another, the animal was badly wounded and had to be killed. He was promoted to Bombardier, serving under Major Hamilton. His last wound appears to have been received on the Belgian frontier. Deceased leaves three children, the youngest just over two years of age. He trained near Glasgow and in the south of England. He was a member of the Primitive Methodist body, and had been in the choir since a boy. His brother Alonso, is also in France and engaged in the Motor Transport Corps.”// Interestingly, the newspaper article refers to a ‘bullet’ whilst Maj. Hamilton refers to a pip-squeak, (a German rifle grenade) which accounted for a large number of casualties during the war. So Samuels wounds would perhaps be better described as shrapnel wounds. **// Quotes from Maj. Ralph Hamilton’s Diary. //** **// Blaupoort, 2nd August 1917 //** //“Another black day. We have been pounded by guns of all calibres from 10 o’clock this morning till now (5p.m.). My faithful Bath has been hit at last, very badly … I found that poor Bath had been hit by a fragment of a high explosive pip-squeak. It had gone in behind the right ear and at the top of his neck, cut his tongue badly and lodged in his left cheek. We got him over to the dressing-station, where fortunately we found Mortimer and another doctor doing nothing. So they set to work on him at once. He was nearly choking with the blood running down his throat but Mortimer said that would quickly stop. They can’t tell how bad he is yet; it all depends on if the wound becomes septic or not. He has a good chance of living but I am afraid he is very bad. He is a dreadful loss to me, as he has since just after Loos, and he has been a devoted slave, anticipating everything I could possibly want. Now at 5.30 p.m. the shelling has become intense, and my office has just been hit. Several more men killed and wounded. I wonder how long we shall be able to stand this sort of thing.”// //Maj. Ralph Hamilton// **// Reninghelst, 11th August 1917 //** //“Today I had the sad news that poor Bath is dead. He died… of Broncho-pneumonia, caused by the blood he had swallowed.// //It is a terrible grief to me, as he did everything for me, and had been with me night and day for two years …”// //Maj. Ralph Hamilton//

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