Soldiers, Sailors and Marines

Biographies of soldiers killed as a result of the First World War on the website is available everyone. If you might be able to help add to these stories, or contribute more we would be very keen to hear from you.

Napoleonic Wars

George Lewis Browne
*1784-1856*
*Royal Navy, Barrister, Magistrate*

The Great Indian Rebellion 1857

Those commemorated in the cemetery who fought and died

Lieutenant William Tate Groom
1st Madras Fusiliers
1831-1857

Victorian Soldiers

Samuel Badger
1798-1871
Grenadier Guardsman

James Hurford
*1822-1898*
*Royal Marine*

Robert Valentine Sear
1847-1909
Somerset Light Infantry

John Fraser Vans Agnew
*1858-1919*
*Major, Royal Artillery*

Augustus Marinus Thomas Newswag
*1866-1900*
*Royal Marine and Policeman*

Victorian Mariners

John Sharman Laver
*1852-1933*
*Royal Navy Mariner*

William Storey
c.1868-1888
Royal Navy Mariner

The Second Boer War 1899-1902

Edwin Murrant, who died in 1864 and is buried in Anglican Section C of the cemetery, was father to the notorious Harry 'Breaker' Harbord Morant (1864-1902). Harry's biography can be read here. A Bridgwater perspective can be read here. And an Australian one here.

Lieutenant Harry 'Breaker' Harbord Morant
Bushveldt Carbineers
1864-1902
(See Above)

The Great War 1914-1918

To commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, the Friends have painstakingly researched all 53 servicemen either buried or remembered in the Wembdon Road Cemetery. Short biographies can be found below by just clicking on a name, each entry also displays an image of the headstone. Should you have other details, corrections or anecdotes of these heroes, especially a photograph of the serviceman or medals he was awarded we would be delighted to record them here for posterity. We have compiled and expanded all of these stories, along with several others in a new book: Bridgwater and the First World War: Stories from the Wembdon Road Cemetery (2019), which can be purchased here.

Also look at our Events page where you can follow a walking tour of the War Graves which was undertaken by our Chairman in the Spring of 2014

'They went with songs to the battle, they were young, straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted; They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them'
Robert Laurence Binyon 1869-1943

For more resources on Bridgwater and the First World War, see:

The Blake Museum's collection of materials

Andy Slocombe's memorial and newspaper transcriptions and wider research