MONNERY Stephen Private 55915

SKR/DAT/IP/19880

MONNERY Stephen Private 55915

2000-2024

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Surname: MONNERY;

Forename(s): Stephen;

Initials: S;

Number: 55915;

Rank: Private;

Born in: Henfield;

Enlistment Date: 16-Mar-1915;

Resided in: Worthing;

Previous Number: 3327;

Previous Battalion: 8 of;

Previous Regiment: London Regt;

Date of transfer to MGC: 12-Sep-1916;

MGC Branch: Infantry;

MGC Unit: Unknown;

Date abroad: 26-Oct-1916;

Theatre of War: 1;

Discharge Date: 05-Mar-1917;

How killed: D;

Where: UK;

When killed: 26-Mar-1918;

Silver War Badge? 182856;

Other Data: Not in Soldiers Died
Silver War Badge issued 12/5/1917, No 182856. Enlisted 16/3/1915, disch (wounds) 5/3/1917
Stephen Monnery was born in May 1887, the son of John and Kate Monnery. John had been born in Henfield in 1855, the son of William and Fanny Monnery, and the family moved to Sompting some time in the late 1850's. By the time of Stephen's birth John and Kate, who was originally from Pulborough, had moved to Worthing, where John worked as a Market Garden labourer, and at the time of the 1901 Census they were living at 2 Jessamine Cottages, Thurloe Road, Broadwater. Stephen joined the Post Office as a thirteen year old telegraph messenger, and stayed with them, in a variety of jobs, until he joined the Army. On March 16th 1915 he enlisted into the 8th Battalion City of London Regiment [Post Office Rifles] as Rifleman 3327, and transferred on September 12th 1916 to the Machine Gun Corps, being posted to France on October 26th 1916. It has not been established which Machine Gun Company Stephen was part of, and further research is being undertaken, but it is thought that it was probably 140th M.G.C. who were in action at Butte de Warlencourt on November 17th 1916 - the last few days of the Battle of the Somme, and the day that he received his injuries. He suffered gun shot wounds to his head, both eyes and right arm, which resulted in him having both his eyes removed - Stephen Monnery's war was over.

On his return to England, and after a period in hospital, he went home to recuperate, but as there was no possibility of him ever being fit for service again, on March 5th 1917 he went to London to appear before a discharge board. His details on discharge were as follows, taken from his service record held at the Public Record Office in Class WO364/2530:

# Discharged: 5th March 1917
# Place of Discharge: 91 York Street, Westminster
# Age: 29years 282days
# Height: 5ft 9ins
# Chest: 34½+3ins expansion
# Complexion: Fair
# Hair: Light Brown
# Eyes: Both excised
# Occupation: Postman
# Address: 9 Victoria Terrace, Penhill Road, South Lancing
# Tattoo Marks: Right and Left Arms
# Military Character: Good

'Suffered Gun shot wounds to head, both eyes and right arm - both eyes excised.
No longer fit for Military Service'

He was transferred for rehabilitation to St. Dunstan's Home, which was then in Regent's Park in London, with an annexe in Brighton, where he was training to be a masseur - the forerunner of the modern day physiotherapist, but in March 1918 he developed meningitis, and died at St. Dunstan's on March 26th 1918. The Worthing Gazette reported on his funeral which took place four days later at Broadwater Cemetery, Worthing:

MILITARY FUNERAL
Former Postman Blinded in the War

Military honours were accorded at the funeral, at the Cemetery on Saturday, of Stephen Monnery, a former member of the Post Office staff.
The deceased, who was thirty years of age, and whose home was at Penhill-road, Lancing, was blinded in both eyes in the War. He became an inmate of St. Dunstan's Hostel at Brighton, where he was being trained for massage work, and his death occurred at that institution a few days since, from meningitis, due to a fragment of a shell which had lodged in his head.
In 1900 Monnery entered the Post Office as a telegraph messenger; in 1905 he became a postman at Lancing; three years later he was transferred to the Angmering district; and in 1915 he came back to Worthing. Then he enlisted in the Post Office Rifles and went on active service, with the result above recorded.

AT THE GRAVESIDE

Mr. G. Stacey, the local Postmaster, and several members of the staff joined the relatives at the graveside on Saturday, thus showing their regard for a conscientious and useful member of the service. The bearers and a firing party were supplied by one of the Battalions of the Coldstream Guards from Shoreham.
There were several floral tributes from, among others, his mother and father; Edie and Percy [sister and brother]; Walt and Mary [brother and sister]; Edie, Micky and Jacky; Kitty, Aunt Alice, Uncle Harry and Ally; his cousin Ted, Nance and Jessie; Sir Arthur Pearson,Bart.; his comrades at West House, St. Dunstan's Annex; the Blind Boys of Queens Road, St. Dunstan's Annex; the Boys of St. Dunstan's; the Postmaster and Staff of Worthing Post Office; Hector and Mr. Genatt; Mr. F. Bartlett and children; Mr. F. Howell; Miss Gilbert; Mr. and Miss Hobbs; Mr. and Mrs. C. Evans; and Mr. Lisher and Marjory.

Stephen Monnery is buried in a family grave in Broadwater Cemetery, joined in later years by his parents, John and Kate Monnery, in the adjoining grave are
Harry Monnery and William Monnery, who also lost their lives in the Great War are the sons of John Monnery's elder brother William, and first cousins to Stephen.;

Other Notes: MONNERY, Private, S, 55915. Machine Gun Corps (Inf). 26th March 1918. Age 30. Son of John and Kate Monnery, of 9, Victoria Terrace, Penhill Rd., South Lancing, Sussex. A9. I. 18. Worthing (Broadwater) Cemetery - Sussex, United Kingdom.;

END OF RECORD.

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