Introduction
Samuel John Marsh was a farm labourer’s son from Hardington Mandeville who enlisted in the Royal Navy at nineteen. During a career spanning more than twenty years, he rose from stoker second class to stoker petty officer. His naval service established him and his family in the Plymouth area. However, in later years his marriage ended, and he eventually settled at West Coker.
Childhood
Samuel was born on 1 November 1882 at Hardington Mandeville, the eldest of eleven children of Edward Marsh and his wife, Elizabeth (née Hallett).[1] The family lived in a cottage in the High Street, and his father worked as a farm labourer.
Naval career
On 29 August 1902, Samuel enlisted in the Royal Navy for twelve years. At that time, he was five feet three and a half inches tall, with light brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. His service records mistakenly recorded his date of birth as 1 November 1883.
He entered the Navy as a stoker second class and was promoted to stoker in October 1903. He became a leading stoker on 1 August 1912 and, after passing the educational examination for stoker petty officer in November 1913, was promoted to that rating on 1 September 1914. His conduct was generally assessed favourably, and for much of his career his character was recorded as “very good”.
When the First World War broke out, he was serving on HMS Argyll. His term was extended to pension age on 29 August 1914. He was included in Hardington’s Roll of Honour of January 1915 as serving HMS Active, but he had left that ship on 30 July 1914 and was still on HMS Argyll.[2] During the war, he also served on Vivid II, Lavender, Coleen and Valiant.
Marriage and family life
In late 1905 or early 1906, Samuel married Cordelia Ackland, the daughter of an army pensioner. The couple settled in the Plymouth area. The 1911 and 1921 censuses recorded them living at 68 James Street, Devonport. They had twelve children, six of whom died in infancy, including their youngest child, Florence, who died in 1924. That same year, on 24 September, Samuel left the Navy.
Separation and later life
At some point between 1924 and 1939, Samuel and Cordelia separated, and they later divorced. On 26 September 1938, Samuel was briefly recalled for service at HMS Drake II at Devonport in his former rating of stoker petty officer. His recall may have been triggered by the Munich crisis, as he left again on 3 October 1938.
By September 1939, Samuel was living with his brother Ernest at 11 Font Hill, West Coker, where the Register described him as a general labourer. Cordelia remained in the Plymouth area, living at 20 Colebrook Road, St Budeaux, with her four surviving sons. Her two surviving daughters were both married, and she remarried in 1946.
Samuel died in 1952 at the age of sixty-nine.
Conclusion
Samuel spent most of his adult life in Devonport, where he established his naval career and family. By his later years, both his naval career and marriage had ended, leading him to return to Somerset to live with his brother and work as a general labourer.
References
[1] Civil registration birth index; 1939 Register; family reconstitution.
[2] Western Chronicle, 5 February 1915, p.6.