Private Samuel Earl
8th Battalion, The Prince of Wales’s Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment)
Killed in Action
Date of Birth: Quarter 2, 1891
Place of Birth: Burton Overy, Leicestershire
Date of Death: Died 18 January 1916 aged 25
Buried: Rifle House Cemetery, Hainault, Belgium; remembered on St. James’ Memorial Window, Teignmouth, Devon
Awarded the British War medal and the Victory Medal
Private Samuel Earl age 25.
Samuel was born at Burton Overy, Leicestershire in 1891 registered in quarter 2, his parents were Samuel and Alice Maud Earl of Headington, Oxford and his father was a retired farmer.
In 1901 he was living with his family at Yelvertoft, Northamptonshire. The 1911 census showed him living with his widowed father and two younger brothers and they are boarders in Llandudno; Samuel is working as a window cleaner.
His father was living in Teignmouth at the time of his death, at 23 Coombe Vale which was also given as Samuel's residence on his army records. Official documents were sent to his father at this address including a list of his personal effects which included a French dictionary.
South Lancashire Regiment cap badge.
© IWM (INS 5768)
Samuel enlisted at Birkenhead with the Cheshire Regiment, service number 17412, on 10 October 1914.
He was posted to 8th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment, service no. 15414.
Samuel landed in France on 28 September 1915 and was killed in action on 18 January 1916.
Buried in Rifle House Cemetery, Hainault, Belgium; remembered on St. James’ Memorial Window, Teignmouth, Devon.
The 8th (Service) Battalion landed in France as part of the 75th Brigade in the 25th Division in September 1915 for service on the Western Front.
Over the next few months they experienced trench warfare.
Play the audio to hear people who were in the trenches describe what it was like to actually be there.
