Private Samuel Alfred Chapple


Service Army Service No. 4550 Cap badge Devonshire Regiment
Rank Private
Regiment:Devonshire Regiment, 4th Reserve Battalion
Date of Birth: 1890
Born Ilfracombe
Date of Death: 08/01/1917
Memorial: Dawlish Memorial Inscription CHAPPLE S.A. PTE. DEVON REGT.

Service History

It is not known when Samuel enlisted but his army record shows that he was residing at Dawlish. His death occurred in hospital at Tidworth, Wiltshire. (see Documents, below)

Association with Dawlish

Samuel came from an Ilfracombe family of six children of Samuel Edward Chapple (1854-1925) and Ellen Blackmore (1853-1932). A detailed family is given in Documents, below.

It is not clear when Samuel left North Devon after 1901, but his appearance on the Dawlish Boys' School Roll of Honour suggests that he may have been sent to a relative in Dawlish. There is a census record of Alfred Chapple, aged 20, boarding with the Trewin household at 21 Palace Avenue, Paignton in 1911. He was shown as a hairdresser's assistant.
In 1915 Samuel married Florence Emily Thomas in Teignmouth in the January to March quarter. Florence E Thomas was from a Teignmouth family which was at 23 Fore Street in 1901 and still there 10 years later. After Florence's marriage to Samuel they may have moved to Dawlish. The record of UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914-1919 gives Samuels' residence as Dawlish and that would also account for his appearance on the Dawlish War Memorial. After his death his widow appears to have returned to her family home which is the address given for her on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site.  The reference to RW Chapple in the newspaper report (see Document, below) clearly is to Samuel Alfred Chapple. The confusion may arise if the initials belong to his employer, or if he had adopted different Christian names. There is no other WW1 casualty to whom this refers.

He left a widow and a young daughter, Nellie G F Chapple (b.Dec 1915, N.A. Vol 5b, p 132)

Devon Roll of Honour Chapple, Samuel Alfred, Pte, Devon Regt, 8th Jan 1917, Tidworth
Additional Information Commonwealth War Graves Site


Next of Kin: Mrs Florence Emily Chapple, widow
Last Known Address:

Cap badge Devonshire Regiment
Cap badge -The Devonshire Regiment

Free Birth Marriage Death records

Heather Roche – Teign Heritage Centre

refs via subscription sites: Ancestry and Find My Past

Census records

UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914-1919

UK, Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects

Forces War Records

redmore family tree (ancestry.com) and Bellia Family tree