Private Ernest Albert Palmer
| Date of Birth | c. 1880 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 37 |
| Date of Death | 9 April 1918 |
| Service Number | 27355 |
| Military Service | 6th Battalion, Somerset Light infantry |
| Merton Address | 4 Cranmer Villas, Mitcham |
| Local Memorial | Mitcham War Memorial |
Additional Information
Ernest was born in 1880 in Battersea. His father Henry was the City Editor of the ‘Groceries and Oil Trade Review’ and so the family were well off enough to employ a servant. Together with Ernest’s mother Aliceson, and his siblings the family were residing at 17 Stormont Road, Battersea at the time of the 1881 Census. Theirs was a large family with 9 children – Henry aged 16, Alice 15, William 14, Walter 12, Edward 10, Edmund 8, George 6, and Herbert aged 4. Ernest was aged 7 months at the time.
Ten years later the 1891 census records the family still living at Stormont Road, and Ernest was at school. By 1901 the family had moved to 40 Beulah Road, Thornton Heath. Henry was still in the same profession, and Ernest, now 20 was working as a Mercantile Clerk. Unfortunately, Ernest’s mother Aliceson had died in 1900 as well as his elder brother Henry in 1892.
Ernest married Ethel Evelyn Elphick on 25 September 1907 at the Parish Church in Beddington. His brother Edmund acted as a witness, and his profession was recorded as a Commercial Clerk.
In 1915, Ernest volunteered through the Derby Scheme with the 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment and was allocated the service number 212497. He was aged 35 and described as being 5ft 3 inches tall weighing in at 132 lbs and his profession was recorded as a journalist. The address given was 4 Cranmer Villas, Mitcham, which was a substantial semi-detached property near the Town Hall. He later transferred to the 6th (Service) Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry.
During the beginning of the German Spring Offensive, the 6th Battalion were fighting on the Somme around the village of Hamelet. Ernest died of his wounds, possibly suffered during shelling on 5th April 1918, when 60 ‘other ranks’ in his battalion were listed as wounded while holding the line. He is buried in the Hautmont Communal Cemetery, France and his grave is marked with a cross. He is also commemorated locally on the Mitcham War Memorial.
His widow Ethel received his last pay of £15.8 plus the war gratuity of £10.