TAYLOR, Seth


No.5334, Private, Seth TAYLOR
Aged 33


8th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment
Killed in Action on Saturday 1st July 1916


Seth Taylor was born Weston Colville (Linton Q2-1883 3B:569), son of Martin and Caroline TAYLOR (née SMITH).

1891 census...Aged 8, he was at Church End, Weston Colville with his father Martin TAYLOR [45] farm labourer; his mother Caroline [40]; brothers Dennis [10], Edgar [6] and Preston [2]; sister Elsie [7 months]. All were born in Weston Colville.

1901 census...Aged 18, a gardener, he was still at Church End, Weston Colville with his parents (father now horse keeper); sisters Ellen [27], Elsie and Nora [8] (Ellen and Nora both born in Weston Colville); brothers Dennis, Edgar and Preston (all three were farm labourers).

1911 census...Aged 28, single, still at Church End with his parents and brothers Denis, Edgar and Preston and sister Nora. All the brothers were farm labourers.


He enlisted in Newmarket.
The battalion were at Montauban Ridge..there is a great amount of detail in the war diary here http://qrrarchive.websds.net/PDF/ESD0081916001.pdf but in summary they actually had permission to kick footballs into no man's land ahead of them "provided proper formation and distance were kept". They reached their objective just after noon and dug in along the Mametz Road.

CWGC show 139 killed, on this, the terrible first day of the Battle of the Somme. 8 are buried in Carnoy, 33 in Dantzig Alley and 98 have no known grave and are named on the Thiepval memorial



Seth Taylor is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, pier and face 6B/6C

click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details


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