Uglow Family History

First World War 1914-1918

The National Archives list a medal card for 39 Uglows. My data base lists 65 male Uglows in the UK, between 15 and 35, alive in 1914. This is a 'single name' study and so I have only included Uglows but we should also remember James Henry Finn VC 1893-1917, son of Mary Baxter Uglow.

"On 9 April 1916 at Sanna-i-Yat, Mesopotamia, Private Finn was one of a small party which dug in about 300 yards from the enemy's trenches, in front of the British advanced line. He went out and bandaged a number of wounded men under heavy fire, making several journeys in order to do so. Unable to get a stretcher, he carried a badly wounded man on his back to safety. He was awarded the Victoria Cross as well as the Order Of Karageorge which is Serbia's equivalent to the Victoria Cross."

Abel - private - Devonshire Regiment - probably Abel 1892-1920, from a family of North Petherwin brothers who all went to war and survived

Alfred - private - Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and Gloucestershire Regiment - probably Alfred 1895-1945, from a family of North Petherwin brothers who all went to war and survived

Alfred George - gunner - Royal Garrison Artillery, Devon - Alfred George 1891-1969. [The RGA was part of the Royal Artillery Regiment which had three sections - Horse Artillery, Field Artillery and Garrison Artillery. The latter were the heavy guns stationed well behind the lines. My research suggests that the Devon RGA was engaged on coastal defence (obviously the dockyards) and that it did not go overseas during the war]

Alvah Henry 1891-1918 - son of Amos 1842 born in Australia. His grave is to be found in the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery in the Somme region and service record may be by searching on his name here.

Amos - private - Manchester Regiment and Royal Defence Corps - Amos 1883-1958

Donald - gunner - Royal Field Artillery - Donald Arthur 1894-1955 - shell-shocked and never recovered to live a normal life

Edward D - acting corporal - Somerset Light Infantry - probably Edward Date 1892-1970

Edwin T - corporal - Lancers - probably Edwin Thomas 1897-1973, from a family of North Petherwin brothers who all went to war and survived

Ernest James 1880 - territorials - Ernest 1880

Frank Ernest - private - Honourable Artillery Company - probably Frank Ernest 1884-1963

Frederick - private - Devonshire Regiment - possibly Frederick John 1884-1950

F. W - private - Lancashire Fusiliers - probably Frederick William 1876-1939 (although it might be his son, Frederick William1899). He enlists as a private in the Lancashire Volunteers, volunteering in May 1915. He went to France in January 1916 where he served at Richebourg-St Vaast, Neuve Chapelle, the Somme, Guillemont, Trones Wood and Arras - he was wounded at Arras, invalided home and discharged as medically unfit in 1918. He holds the General Service and Victory medals.

George Henry - private number 31432 of the 2nd battalion, Worcestershire Regiment. This is George Henry 1891-1916, enlisting in the same regiment as his older first cousin William Henry 1874. George was killed on the Somme on August 9th, 1916. He is buried at  the Millencourt Communal Cemetery extension, Somme and his name is transcribed on WIndsor War Memorial

George - private - Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry

George - private - Royal Defence Corps

George E. - private - Devonshire Regiment - probably George Ernest 1887-1960

H. G. S. - lance corporal - Military Foot Police - possibly Harold George 1885-1963

John - private - Royal Fusiliers

John - private - Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry; enlisted 14th April 1915 and discharged (sickness) 25th April 1917 - possibly John 1887

John - sergeant - Army Ordnance Corps and in the Gold Coast Regiment - probably John 1885

John H. - lance corporal - Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry - possibly John Henry 1889-1958

John J. - sergeant - Worcestershire Regiment - commissioned 16th Oct 1917 as 2nd lieutenant - joins Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry - London Gazette: Temp. 2nd Lt. J. J. Uglow relinquishes his commission on completion of service, 15 Dec. 1920, and retains the rank of 2nd Lt.- John Jolliffe 1888-1975

John R. - private - Royal Warwickshire Regiment - probably John Richard 1897-1979 and brother to George Henry, above

Leslie A. - private - Leicestershire Regiment - probably Leslie Abel 1897-1964 and first cousin to the North Petherwin brothers, Abel, Alfred, Edwin etc

Leslie E. - gunner - Royal Garrison Artillery - this must be Edmund Leslie 1880

Lionel P. - acting corporal - Army Service Corps - probably Lionel Percy 1875-1947

Neptune - private - Royal Fusiliers, Machine Gun Corps - probably Neptune 1877 born in Worcester

Nicholas Thomas T.1885 - private - Royal Army Medical Corps - an ambulance driver, he was killed on May 2nd 1915 and is buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery. He was the son of William 1851 and Ellen Terry

Norman C. - private - Devonshire Regiment - probably Norman Charles 1893-1976, brother of Alfred George above

Samuel - gunner - Royal Field Artillery -probably Samuel 1888-1965, from a family of North Petherwin brothers who all went to war and survived

Stafford - private - King's Royal Rifle Corps - probably Stafford J 1884

Stanley Thomas - Stanley 1889 was a driver in the Royal Engineers Field Company in World War I. He was mobilised in August 1914, and went to Western Front where he was involved in retreat from Mons, the battles of the Marne, Aisne and Armentieres. In 1915 he went to the Dardanelles and was present at the landing at Suvla Bay. After the Gallipoli evacuation, he went to Egypt for some time. In 1917, he was sent to Palestrine and was involved in the advance with Allenby. Demobilised in June 19191, he holds the Mons Star, the General Service and Victory medals.

Willard A. - private - London Regiment - Willard Alec 1891-1915 born in Bow. He was a linguist as well as a metallurgical chemist in Duisberg, Germany. In 1914 he enlisted in the London Regiment and became a lance corporal. He was killed in 1915 on the 26th May - his name is inscribed on the Le Touret Memorial, Pas de Calais

William - private - Devonshire Regiment

William - corporal - Lancashire Fusiliers, 17th battalion, he was killed on the Somme on 21st August 1917. He is buried in Villers-Faucon, Somme. This is William Henry B 1878. From Scotland, his wife was Letitia Uglow, of "Coralbank," Wyndham Rd., Ardbee, Rothesay - she later emigrates to California.

William - private - Machine Gun Corps

William E. T. - William Ernest Taylor 1898-1915 He enlisted as a rifleman, in the London Regiment (Queen Victoria's Rifles). He was killed at the First Battle of Ypres in 1914 aged just 17. This was near Wulverghem [The Times 1/1/1915]. His name is inscribed on the Menin Gate Memorial in Belgium. His time on the Western Front was short:

After arriving at Harvre on 5 November the Battalion spent the bulk of their first month in training, initially in Aroques and later Bailleul. The QVRs were assigned to the 13th Infantry Brigade, 5th Division, who eased the Territorial Regiment into the war. On 29 November 1914 at Neuve Eglise, the QVRs encountered “particularly trying conditions for a first experience of the trenches”. During this first experience of line holding, the QVRs were stationed alongside the Yorkshires, who were full of praise for the London Territorials. They emerged from their initial ‘baptism of fire’ largely unscathed. But on 1 January 1915 the Battalion experienced its first major loss of life in trenches at Wulverghem, with forty-two casualties including eleven fatalities. (Extracted from James Matthews BA dissertation at Birmingham University: Study of the Queen Victoria's Rifles)

William H. - colour sergeant - Worcestershire Regiment. This is probably William Henry 1874 - one reason is that his younger first cousin, George Henry 1891-1916, [see above] is in the same regiment

William John - this is William John 1882. He enlists in 1915 as a private , ending in the York and Lancaster Regiment

William T. - private - Royal Flying Corps - probably William Taylor 1879-1966

William 1889 - this is probably Walter 1890. born in Poplar, enlisted in London. He was a sergeant in the 3rd battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment, service number 008607. My research [@/www.1914-1918.net/glos.htm] suggests that this was a reserve battalion. In August 1914, they were in Bristol. A depot/training unit, it remained in UK throughout the war. They moved on mobilisation to Abbey Wood (Woolwich) and on to Gravesend in May 1915. Whether William went to the Western Front is unknown but he died on 30th October 1915 and there is a plaque in Gravesend Cemetery [Screen Wall 4972].Earlier in 1915, he married Edith P. Swaffield and they lived at 14, Palace Rd., Bowes Park, London. Edith did not remarry and dies in 1963 in Wood Green, London

Second World War 1939-1945

Alfred Matthew 1902 - seaman's medal

Harry 1906 - seaman's medal

James Alfred 1905 - seaman's medal

Les [Thomas Leslie] 1920 - Leslie joined the Welch Regiment in 1939, later being transferred to the Durham Light Infantry. He was posted overseas for most of the war, receiving the Africa Star, having spent time in the desert campaigns. He also received the Italy Star, having been on the Sicily landings, and the 1939-1945 Star and Medal.

He landed on D-Day on Gold Beach, and was later posted missing in action, to be found wounded. He did not receive the France Star as he was shipped home after 13 days and you had to be there fourteen days to qualify. Les was patched up and sent back tp Palestine.

He often told a story about being on parade when he first enlisted and being asked what his name was by the CSM. "Uglow, Sergeant". The reply was "Oh, you glow do you lad? Well you'll go out like a ruddy light when I've finished with you!"

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