A kingdon – campaign medals & military service

Notes: This Sailor’s Official Royal Navy number would indicate that he enlisted between 01.01.1917 & 31.12.1917 & the prefix ‘K’, that he was a Stoker; The ADM Records have his date of birth as 25.07.1899 in Plympton, Devon, so I believe that this is William John Kingdon born in Hemerdon, near Plympton St Mary, Devon in 1899; He was the son of John James Kingdon, a Clay Worker, b.1870 in Shaugh Prior, Devon, & Alice Louisa Bawden, b.1875 in Cornwood, Devon, who Married in 1898 in Plympton St Mary, Devon; In the 1901 Census William J Kingdon lives with his parents at Hanger Farm, Plympton St Mary; In the 1911 Census William Kingdon is aged 11 & living with his parents in Hemerdon, Near Plympton, Devon; I believe that he joined the Royal Navy during WW1 in 1917; I understand that he probably served for some time as he did not Marry Emma Eveline Kelley, b.1901 Cornwood, Plympton, Devon, until 1934 in Plympton; I don’t believe that they had any children? I understand that his wife Emma E Kingdon died in the Plymouth area in 1958 Aged 57; William John Kingdon may have remarried in 1961 in Plympton but this is not confirmed; He did however, live until his death in 1990 in the Portsmouth area Aged 90; Awarded the British War & the Victory Medals for his WW1 Service;

Notes: This Regimental Number indicates enlistment between 05.01.1916 & 17.02.1916; This is William Loosemore Kingdon b.08.02.1892 Bishops Nympton, son of Bank Manager William Sottridge Kingdon, b.05.05.1860 in South Molton, Devon & Emily Jane Willcocks Loosemore, from Charles in Devon, who Married on 21.03.1891 in Bishops Nympton, Devon; William L Kingdon lived with parents above the National Provincial Bank in Hartlepool in 1901 & in Norton Lodge, Norton, Stockton on Tees in the 1911 Census; William L Kingdon enlisted on 8^th December 1915 Aged 23 years & 6 months, he was a Bank Clerk; Served in England until going to France on 18.11.1916; Was a Lance Sergeant earlier on in the War & then Gazetted for Commission to 2^nd Lieutenant on 03.02.1919 to Special Reserve Officers. He was discharged in 1919; The London Gazette Supplement dated 27.07.1921 records that 2^nd Lieutenant W.L. Kingdon of the Honourable Artillery Company Resigned his Commission on 28.07.1921 but retained his rank; In 1927 he is living at #74, Johnson Road, Balsall Heath, Sparkbrook, Birmingham, Warwickshire; William Loosemore Kingdon Married Florence Mary Peppin from Dover in 1930 in Bootle; William Loosemore Kingdon died in Tavistock in 1986 Aged 94; Medals Card on file; (He was the elder Brother of Kingdon, John Sottridge: WW2 Home Guard Service, 1940 to 1945);

Notes: Also served with the Leicestershire Regiment & promoted to 2^nd Lieutenant on 30.10.1917; Served in France from 01.06.1916; Medals applied for on 23.11.1921 & sent out on 28.12.1921, Address: #4, Clinton Street, Beeston, Notts; This is William Samuel Goodwin Kingdon born 4^th Q 1894 in Shardlow, Derbyshire, son of Alfred William Kingdon, a Railway Station Master, b.1869 in Simonsbath, Exmoor & Selina Goodwin from Little Eaton, Derbyshire who married in 1894 in Shardlow; In 1901 this family lived in the Station House, Great Glenn, Leicestershire; (William’s Mother died in Market Harborough in 1906 & his Father remarried to Jemima (Minnie) Watkins, b.1882 in Augh, Pembrokeshire, in 1906); In 1911 Census & in 1914 Army records, William’s Father was Station Master at Kibworth; After discharge from the Army following WW1, William S G Kingdon Married Nancy Stroud (b.1898 in Basford, interesting fact that her Father was a General Dealer (Shop) & 3 of her siblings were born in Moscow, Russia), in 1927 in Basford, Nottinghamshire; William S. G. Kingdon died in 1942 in Basford, Nottinghamshire Aged 47, his Wife Nancy died in 1968 Aged 69 in Nottingham; Medals Card on file;

Notes: This is William Stephen Kingdon born 15.02.1900 in Blackheath, Lewisham, the son of Zachary Harris Kingdon, a Civil Service Electrical Engineer b.1857 in Exeter & Florence Kate Brindley from Sheffield, Yorkshire who married on 24.07.1890 in Greenwich; In 1901 William S Kingdon lived with his parents at #6, Belmont Hill in Lee, Lewisham, London; In the 1911 Census William Stephen Kingdon is aged 11, still at school & living with his parents at #5, Grimstone Villas, Plymouth; I believe that William Stephen Kingdon Married Winifred Mary Bealey in 1925 in Exeter; William Stephen Kingdon had also become an Engineer by the time of his Father’s death in 1935 in Exeter; (He is the Brother of Kingdon, John Francis: Royal Army Medical Corps No: 434077 Rank: Private 1914-1920 WO 372/11 who served in WW1); (He is also the Brother of Kingdon, Roger: Royal Engineers Rank: Lieutenant 1914-1920 WO 372/11 who served in WW1); (He is also the Brother of George Bodley Kingdon who served in the Royal Navy & the Royal Air Force from 1929 to 1940); (This family originates from the Thorverton Branch of Kingdons);

Notes: This soldier’s Essex Regiment number of #253060 could well indicate service with the 5^th (Territorial Force) Battalion, The Essex Regiment, when the Territorial Force was re-numbered in 1917 (eg. #251905 originally joined on 21.09.1916)? William T Kingdon also served with the Hertfordshire Regiment, part of the Bedfordshire Regiment, with the number #269426, all units formed by this regiment were of the Territorial Force & this number was allocated to the 1^st Battalion The Hertfordshire Regiment in the 1917 Territorial Force re-numbering system; This soldier also served with the Royal Engineers as #359251 & the Waterways & Railways Section of the Royal Engineers as #WR/284592; After some further research has revealed his WW1 Short Service Records under the wrong name (King), I therefore now believe that this is William Thomas Kingdon, born 1878 in Stratton, Cornwall; He was the son of Thomas Kingdon, a Miner & a Police Constable & later an Insurance Agent who was baptised in Linkinhorne, Cornwall on 15.03.1845, & his 2^nd wife , (1^st wife died 1874), Eliza Hicks b.1850 in Linkinhorne who Married in Linkinhorne, Cornwall on 30.12.1875, he was recorded as a Policeman; In the 1881 Census William T Kingdon is living with his parents in North Hill, Cornwall, his father is recorded as an Insurance Agent; In the 1891 Census Wm. T. Kingdon lives with his parents in Barn Street Liskeard, Cornwall, his Father is a Storekeeper; In the 1901 Census William T Kingdon is a Storeman & living with his parents in Pond Bridge Hill, Liskeard, his Father is a Coal Storekeeper; William Thomas Kingdon Married Lily May Stanton, born in 1875 in St Cleer, Cornwall, in Liskeard on 04.11.1907; William Thos Kingdon enlisted from the Army Reserve for WW1 Short Service on 22.09.1916, he was living at #24, Trevena, Liskard at the time & was a Store Keeper; I understand that he was originally attested on 11.12.1915 & sent to the Army Reserve on 12.12.1915; He appears to have been mobilised on 22.09.1916 & served with the Hertfordshire Regiment, the Essex Regiment, the Royal Engineers Foreway Company & the Royal Engineers Waterways & Railways until being discharged to the Reserve on the 15.02.1919; I believe that he did serve in France at some time; Medals Card on file for the Victory & British War Medals; I researched no further;

Notes: According to a Kingdon family bible this is William Thomas Kingdon born 22.04.1880 in Twitchen, Devon, the son of Thomas Kingdon b.1853 Bishops Nympton, Devon & Elizabeth Baker from Twitchen who Married on 11.06.1878 in Bishops Nympton; In 1881 William Thomas lives with his parents in Twitchen, Devon; In 1891 Census he lives with his parents at Kingscombe Cottage, West Anstey, Devon; I have not found him in the 1901 Census so assume that he was serving with the Devonshire Regiment? The Family Bible has William Thomas Kingdon serving as #3785 with the 9^th Service Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment; He has recorded that he was at Bulford Camp, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire with 378, 9^th Devon Regiment in 1901; However, I find this difficult to understand as the 9^th Battalion Devonshires were not formed until 15.09.1914? His regimental number & unit were therefore probably Territorial Force? On the last page of his Bible he has recorded that he was a Lance Corporal serving in Jersey in the Channel Islands; William Thomas Kingdon Married Bessie Gibbs from Halberton in Meshaw in 1906; In 1911 Census William Thomas Kingdon is a Horseman on a Farm in Witheridge, Devon, living at Bradford Moor Cottages; I believe that William Thomas Kingdon Died on 13.02.1962 in Exminster Hospital Aged 81; There is no Medals card for this soldier so I presume that he did not serve in WW1; (He is the Brother of Kingdon, Arthur: Dorsetshire Regiment No: 14190 Rank: Private 1914-1920 WO 372/11);

Notes: This is William Frederick Robert Kyngdon born in 1881 in St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia, the son of Frederick Henry Kyngdon b.1852 Exeter & his 1^st wife Amy J. Berry, who Married in 1879 in New South Wales, Australia; In 1911 Census he was Boarding as a young Lieutenant in the Royal Garrison Artillery at #93, Jermyn Street, St James Square, London; William F. R. Kyngdon was a long time serving Commanding officer of ’D’ Battalion, The Tank Corps during WW1 but he had also served as a 27 year old Lieutenant attached to the Gold Coast Regiment & a Major with the Royal Garrison Artillery; He first served in France on 21.08.1914; William Frederick Robert Kyngdon Married Gertrude Wemyss Anderson in 1928 in Dorking, Surrey; William Frederick Robert Kyngdon died on 26.10.1961 in Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland; Medals Card on File; I believe that he was also awarded the DSO; (He was a Grandson of Surgeon Dr. Boughton Kyngdon of Bodmin, Cornwall); Needs in depth further research;

Notes: The UK Passenger Arrivals Records indicate a Lieutenant W F R Kingdon arriving in Liverpool on 23.07.1902 on board the ‘SS Karnia’ sailing from Sierra Leone; I also found a Lieutenant W F R Kingdon sailing from England to Sierra Leone 25.06.1906, on board the ‘Accra’ alongwith 58 Other Ranks, but some of this information has been crossed out? The same pattern is recorded on a Lieutenant W F R Kyngdon sailing from London to Sierra Leone on 07.08.1907 on board the ‘SS Falaba’; There is however, another ship’s passenger record for a Lieutenant W F R Kingdon sailing onboard the ‘Elmina’ from Liverpool to Sierra Leone on 14.08.1912; I understand that William Frederick Robert Kyngdon Married Gertrude Anderson; I cannot locate this soldier in any other records except that he may well be the same Lieutenant Colonel W F R Kingdon who was the ‘D’ Battalion commander of the Tank Regiment in 1917 in WW1? Family Line is the Holsworthy Kingdon Branch – New Zealand & Australia, see ‘Kingdon Book - A second Look 1974’ who adopted the surname Kyngdon spelling ca.1851 upon arrival in New Zealand; Needs in depth further research;

Notes: The Devon: Exeter Militia List for 1803 has reference to a Zachary Kingdon, Lacemaker who served in the Militia; This is probably Zachariah Kingdon who Died in 1829, Exeter St David, his Probate identifies him as a ‘late lace & fringe maker’;

Notes: This is Zealey William Kingdon born 27.01.1887 in Shoreditch, Baptised on 02.03.1887 in Hoxton, St John the Baptist, Hackney; He is the son of James Kingdon, a Tailor b.1846 in North Molton, Devon & Sophia Lightfoot from Peckham who Married in Clerkenwell on 15.10.1876; In the 1891 Census Zealey Kingdon is living with his parents at #38, Bevenden Street, Shoreditch & he is also still there in 1901 but working as an Errand Boy in the Port; Zealey William Kingdon enlisted in the Royal Marines on 14.06.1904 at the age of 17, later serving in WW1; This Soldier’s WW1 Medals were forwarded to him whilst serving on ‘HMS Ajax’; He was Discharged to a Pension; In 1922 & 1933 Zealey William Kingdon is recorded on the Electoral Rolls for Hoxton with his Mother Sophia, Brother George & sister Sarah Ann at #38, Bevenden Street in Hoxton; In 1939 Zealey William Kingdon is recorded as living in #76, Aske House, Shoreditch with his Brother George Howardson James Kingdon & Sister Sarah Ann Kingdon; In 1957 Zealey William Kingdon lives at #48, Aske House, Academy Buildings in Ashford Street, with his Brother George & his sister Sarah, none of them seem to have married; I believe that Zealey William Kingdon Died in Shoreditch in 1957 Aged 70; Awarded 1914-15 Star, Victory & British War Medals; ADM 171/147 records the issue of his Royal Navy Long Service & Good Conduct Medal on 14.02.1936 & ADM 171/160 records issue of the Royal fleet Reserve Long Service Medal on 03.02.1936; (Brother of Kingdon, George: London Regiment No: 800308 Rank: Private 1914-1920 WO 372/11);