Almost every settlement in England will have a war memorial dedicated to those who have lost their lives in conflicts across the globe. Nestled in the North Dorset countryside Ashmore is no different. Located 6 miles southeast of Shaftesbury Ashmore is picturesque Dorset village. These are the Men of Ashmore who lost thier lives of the First World War.
Trooper Lancelot Lucien Martin (957).
Lancelot was born in 1893 in Tarrant Keynston. Before the outbreak of war, he was a Farm Labourer and then joined the Dorset Yeomanry in Sherborne after the outbreak of hostilities. Lancelot was part of the 1/1st Dorset Yeomanry and was part of the Allied force sent to Gallipoli as part of the Dardanelles Campaign. Unfortunately, on the 21st of August 1915, Lancelot was killed in action at the age of 22. His name is inscribed on the Helles Memorial, Turkey with 20,962 other servicemen who died in the campaign and on the Ashmore War Memorial, Dorset.
Lance-Corporal James Alfred Ridout (201788).
James was born in Ashmore in 1890. Before the outbreak of war, he was a gamekeeper living at Keepers Lodge in Ashmore and joined the Dorsetshire Regiment in Shaftesbury. James was in the 6th Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment in France when on the 5th of November 1918 aged 28, he died of his wounds. His name is inscribed on the St Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen, France with 8674 others who died in the Seine-Maritime region and on the Ashmore War Memorial, Dorset.
Private Henry Bryant (201091)
Henry was born in Kilmington in 1891. Before the outbreak of war, he was a Farm Labourer and enlisted in the Dorsetshire Regiment in Shaftesbury, Dorset. Henry was assigned to the 2/4th Battalion and served in Egypt when on the 24th of November 1917, aged 26, he died. He is remembered in the Jerusalem War Cemetery along with 2439 others who died in the First World War and the Ashmore War Memorial, Dorset.
Private Herbert Bryant (15040)
Herbert lived at Halfpenny Cottage, Ashmore, when on the 16th of June 1916 he enlisted into the Dorsetshire Regiment. He was originally assigned to the 3rd Battalion before being transferred to the 7th Battalion but was discharged in January 1916 being no longer fit for war service. He never saw action overseas. He died in Ashmore on the 22nd of January 1918. Although his name is not recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, he is remembered on the Ashmore War Memorial.
Private Frank Merrifield (201098, 2866)
Frank was born in 1893; he had tried to enlist in the army but was rejected for ‘defective eyesight’. However, on the 14th of September 1914, he was allowed to join up and he joined the Dorsetshire Regiment. Frank has two Army numbers as one was for his time in the TA and the other for his time in the 2/4th Dorset’s. On the 22nd of December 1917, Frank was declared medically unfit for service. Frank was in Ashmore when on the 25th of February 1919 he died of tuberculosis. He was awarded the War Medal but not the Victory Medal and is remembered on the Ashmore War Memorial.
The information for this post was gathered from the following sources;
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://uk.forceswarrecords.com/