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South Warwickshire Family History Society War Memorial Transcription Project
The Fallen Men of South Warwickshire - World War One
Gunner 625418 Ralph George BAKER - 309th Siege Battery, Honourable Artillery Company
Died whilst a Prisoner of War on Saturday May 18th 1918 aged 19
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Military History |
| Theatre of War | Medals | Commonwealth War Grave or Memorial |
|---|---|---|
| France and Flanders | British War & Victory Medals | Cambrai East Military Cemetery |
| Arrived in Theatre | Medal Citation (if app) | SWFHS Area Memorials |
| 26 April 1917 | ~ | Hampton-in-Arden |
| Action, Battle or Other Reason Killed | Date and Place Enlisted | Other War Memorials |
| Died of Pneumonia | 22 August 1916 in Birmingham | |
| Place of Death | Previous Regiments or Units | |
| German Military Hospital near Cambrai | Original Service # 7882 | |
Details of Service with the 309th Siege Battery (See Records Tab)
- 22 Aug 1916 - Joined the Honourable Artillery Company
- 26 April 1917 - Arrived in Le Havre, France with the original HAC Siege Battery contigent of Officers and Men
- 21 Mar 1918 - Died of Wounds (see Records Tab) however we that this is the day he was captured at Epehy.
Circumstances Leading to Death (Normally from War Diary)
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Ralph's Military Pension card & Effects Register along with an article in the Coventry Herald indicate that Ralph was taken prisoner & died of disease (pnuemonia) in a German POW Hospital in or near Cambrai. There are two separate Red Cross records for Ralph (see below) and the other suggests that he died of Pulmonary Tuberculosis. Red Cross RecordsOur thanks to Charlie at the Great War forum who managed to find two Red Cross record sets for Ralph which show:
2. Records PA 33255 / PA 35508 / PA 36332 in the name of Rudolph Georges Bacher show that he died of Pneumonia Newspaper ObitutaryDEATH OF GUNNER RALPH BAKER Mr. C Baker of Hampton in Arden has received information from the war office that his son, Gunner Ralph Baker of the Hon. Artillery Company, died of pnuemonia on May 18th 1918 whilst a prisoner of war in the hands of the Germans. His parents had received two field postcards from him, one stating that he was a prisoner of war and the next with additional information that he was wounded. No other communication was received. Ralph Baker was a very quiet and reserved youth, and it seems probable that he was wounded behind the enemy lines and afterwards succumbed to his injuries. The sympathies of the residents of Hampton in Arden will go out to Mr. and Mrs. Baker in their sad bereavement. |
| Personal & Family History |
| Birth Date/Place | Baptism Date/Place |
|---|---|
| 12 Jul 1898 at Handsworth | 11 Aug 1898 at Handsworth St. Mary |
| Parents Names | Abode |
| Charles and Amelia Baker | Nesfield, High Street, Hampton-in-Arden |
| Schools | Colleges |
| Hampton in Arden | ~ |
| Address History | Employment History |
| 1898 - 51 Cornwall Road, Handsworth | 1911 - School |
| 1901 - 51 Cornwall Road, Handsworth | |
| 1911 - Nesfield, High Street, Hampton in Arden | |
| 1916 - Nesfield, High Street, Hampton in Arden |
