Private 13802 David Summers

Killed in Action Gallipoli on Friday, 6th August 1915, age 39.
Commemorated on Panel 104 to 113 of Helles Memorial, Turkey.

4th Bn., Worcestershire Regiment. 88th Brigade of 29th Division.

Born: Tipton, Enlisted: Llanelli, Carmathen, Resident: Llanelli, Carmathen.

First landed Balkans, 4th July 1915.
Medal entitlement: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Soldier's Papers at National Archives did not survive.

Not commemorated on any Tipton memorial.
Commemorated here because identified as Tipton on 'Soldiers Died in the Great War'.

Link to Commonwealth War Graves Site: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/686141/

Genealogical Data

Birth of David Summers registered December quarter 1875 at Dudley.
Mariage of David Summers and Isabella Purcell registered June quarter 1900 at Dudley.

1901 Census
12 Wades Passage, Tipton.
Lodging with Samuel Summers (69, Blind, Widower, born Dudley) were his son David (24, Chainworker, born Tipton) and David's wife Isabella (25, born Smethwick) and their 2 children: Matilda (1, born Tipton) and William (3 months, born Tipton).

David and Isabella had 6 children with 3 dying at an early age: Matilda (1899-?), William (1901-1902), David (1902-?), Frederick (1904-1905), Arthur (1905-1906) and Emma Eliza (1907-?). The only trace of any of the children is David who is recorded on the 1921 census as an Inmate at Martley Workhouse (Worcestershire), aged 18 years and 9 months, a General Labourer, born in Tipton. He MAY have died in 1927 in Melton Mowbray, aged 25.

By 1911, the family seem to have broken up. Isabella is lodging with her sister and brother-in-law in Dudley, and David is in the Casual Ward of Llanelly Workhouse. No trace of the children can be found the 1911 Census unless 11-year old Matilda is: Matilda Summers (age 8 - she would have been 11), place of birth unknown, an inmate at the Girl's Industrial School, Wissage, Lichfield. No other Matilda Summers birth registration can be found.

We can be sure that it is David In Llanelly Workhouse as he enlisted in Llanelly, and is recorded on the Wales War Memorial Project with Tipton as his place of birth, see: https://ww1.wales/carmarthenshire-memorials/llanelli-ww1-memorial-p-z/

1911 Census
19 Old Street, Kates Hill, Dudley.
Lodging with Joseph and Matilda Grosvenor was Isabella Summers (36, sister-in-law, married, born Dudley). No Summers children were with her.

1911 Census
Llanelly Workhouse, Swansea Road, Llanelly, Carmathenshire.
David Summers, 31 years old, General Labourer, born Dudley, in the Casual Ward.

Personal Data

After David's death, his outstanding army pay and allowances amounted to £3/3/1d (3 pounds, 3 shillings and 1 penny); this was paid to his widow, Isabella, in January 1920 - over 4 years after his death. His War Gratuity was £3/0/0d (3 pounds exactly), this was also paid to Isabella in January 1920. The value of the War Gratuity suggests that David had enlisted within the previous 12 months.

In 1920, Isabella Summers applied for a Widow's Pension; this was refused on 27th October 1920. No reason was given, but it does not appear that they had not been living together as man and wife since at least 1911 so maybe the pensions authority became aware, or considered her current living arrangements not morally suitable for the award of a pension. Her address was care of Mr J. Powell, Suckley Court, Worcestershire.

David's Medal Index Card says that Mr D. Summers applied for his father's medals on 16th February 1922, and gave his address as Mrs I. Summers, C/O Mr J. Powell, Suckley Court, Worcestershire. This is the same address quoted on the failed 1920 Widow's Pension application. In 1921, Isabella (shown as Isabel) is living with her sister Alice Norman and family at Blacksmith's Cottage, Alfrick, Worcestershire, and was a "Farm Hand". She had a 7 year-old son, James, who is recorded as "father nk" -not known.

Action resulting in his death

Battle for Krithia Vineyard, 6th August 1915.
The 4th Worcesters were in action at Cape Helles in May 1915, but were withdrawn for a few days in a rest camp on Lemnos. They arrived back at 'W' Beach after dark on 28th July and moved to Gully Brach in preparation for action on 6th August. This was to be a subsidiary attack to the main attack from the Anzac area on the mountain of Sari Bair.

The 4th Worcesters, 800 strong, left the beach at 4.00am and moved into the assembly trenches. The Battle for Krithia Vineyard commenced at 2.20pm when the British guns started to fire, and the Turks immediately replied with shrapnel and high-explosive shells bursting all along the trenches.

In a letter written that day Ben Tromans of Cradley Heath described the scene as: "..it was not fit for a fly to get out of the trenches, for the shot and shells were flying everywhere, knocking the sand bags of the top of the trenches which we had to mount to get at the Turks".

At 3.50pm the battalion moved forward in four waves and as they crested a low rise they were cut down and what few men that reached the trenches were overcome by superior numbers of Turks in hand-to-hand fighting.

The casualties of the 4th Worcesters were given in the Regimental History as 16 Officers and 752 NCOs and Men wounded, killed or missing; this from an attacking force of approximately 800 men. During the night of 6th/7th August, a search of no-mans land brought in 300 wounded men. "Soldiers Died in the Great War" records that 359 Other Ranks were killed on 6th August, and many more would die from their wounds in subsequent days.

6 Tipton men were killed in action on that day: William Cooper, Eli Edwards, John Jackson, John Jarvis, Isaac Pagett, and David Summers, none have a known grave and all are commemorated on the Helles Memorial.

Newspaper Cuttings

None.