Dawlish World War One Project

Herbert Arthur Garrett enlisted at Newton Abbot in the Mechanical Transport section of the Army Service Corps on May 28th 1917, at the age of 19 and 9 months.

In a short service career he embarked on “Corinthia” at Devonport on 28th July, trans-shipped to “Princess” at Durban, South Africa on 11th September and disembarked in East Africa at Kilwa Kiwimji on 19th September.

He was admitted to the military hospital at Kilwa on 4th October with dysentery and died three days later.

A telegram was sent to his father dated 6th October saying that his son was dangerously ill and he died the following day. The news reached his family on the 10th October 1917.

Herbert A Garrett was the only child of John Thomas Herbert Garrett (1871-1933) and Edith Annie Johnson (1875-1959). J T H Garrett was the son of an Inn Keeper, Luke Garrett ( the King's House Inn, Chilthorne Domer, Somerset in 1871). J T H G had been born in Chilthorne, near Yeovil.

After the death of Luke Garrett, his widow moved to Penge, Lewisham. J T H Garrett married Edith Annie Johnson in Croydon District in 1895. By 1901 their son Herbert Arthur Garrett had been born and they were living at 1 Taplow Villas, Adams Hill Road, Lewisham, and J T H G was a retail silversmith's assistant. A change of career took place, for they moved to 'Homeleigh', Holcombe by 1911 when the census records him as a “fruit farmer and small farming shopkeeper”. The father is shown as Herbert Garrett on the census.  (see Documents, below, for extended history)