Censuses
1911 Census (Clase, Glamorgan, ref 018)
Name Charles Measey
Address: 10 Hut Pontland, Llangyfelech, Morriston, Glamorgan
Building Hut
Age: 24
Born 1887, Oxfordshire
Nationality English
Status Boarder
Marital status Single
Industry Railway Construction
Occupation Labourer
Other people on census
Head: John Keeling (49, Married (22 years), Excavator in Railway Construction, born 1862, Stafford)
Others: Wife Ann Keeling (46)
5 x Keeling sons (J.W.G. , James, Albert, Horace and Arthur Keeling)
1 x Keeling daughters (Edith and Ann Keeling)
3 x boarders (James Tucker, George Danbury, Thomas Hall)
1901 Census (Oakley, ref 027)
Name Thomas Measey
Address: Royal Oak, Worminghall Road, Oakley
Building Public House
Age: 16
Born 1885, Oakley, Bucks
Status Single
Occupation Cattleman on Farm
Other people on census
Father (Head): Joseph Measey (50, Married, Farmer, small holding, born 1851, Oakley, Bucks.
Mother: Martha Measey (46, Married, born 1855, Oakley, Bucks.
Brothers: Albert Measey (19, Single, Ordinary agricultural labourer on Farm, born 1889, Oakley, Bucks)
Charles Measey (18, Single, Domestic House boy on Farm, born 1883, Oakley, Bucks)
James Measey (14, Single, Ploughboy on Farm, born 1887, Oakley, Bucks)
George Measey (14, born 1887, Oakley, Bucks)
Frank Measey (6, Single, born 1895, Oakley, Bucks)
Sisters: Lucy Measey (9, Single, born 1892, Oakley, Bucks)
1891 Census (Oakley, ref 009)
Name Thomas Measey
Address: In the Village
Age: 5
Born 1886, Oakley, Bucks
Occupation Scholar
Other people on census
Father (Head): Joseph Measey (39, Married, Farm labourer, born 1852, Oakley, Bucks.
Mother: Martha E. Measey (32, Married, born 1859, Oakley, Bucks.
Brothers: William Measey (11, born 1880, Farm Boy, Oakley, Bucks)
Albert Measey (9, Scholar, born 1882, Oakley, Bucks)
Charles H. Measey (8, Scholar, born 1883, Oakley, Bucks)
James Measey (4, born 1887, Oakley, Bucks)
George Measey (2, born 1889, Oakley, Bucks)
Sisters: Mabel A. Measey (13, Single, born 1878, Oakley, Bucks)
Mary A. Measey (6, Scholar, born 1885, Oakley, Bucks)
Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919
First Names: Thomas
Initial T
Surname: Measey
Birth town: Oakley, Bucks
Resided town Gorseinon, Swansea
Enlistment Place Swansea
Nationality: British
Date of death: 20th January 1917
Fate: Killed in Action
Rank: Private
Service Number: 27362
Service British Army
Regiment Machine Gun Corps
Battalion 101st Company
Duty Location France and Flanders
Age 31 years 6 months
Cemetery Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieries, France
Grave Reference III D 10
Information Parents: Joseph and Martha E. Measey
UK Army Registry of Soldiers’ Effects (ref 401152)
Credit £8 9s 10d Allocated on 15/05/1917 to To Father Joseph £8 9s 10d
War Gratuity Allocated on 21/11/1919 to To Father Joseph £4 10s 0d
Medals
Roll of Individuals entitled to the Victory Medal and British War Medal granted under Army Orders 301 and 266 of 1919. Machine Gun Corps
27362 Pte MEASEY, Charles Henry Machine Gun Corp, Pte
• Victory Medal
• British Medal
Memorials/notes etc.
Oakley War Memorial.
Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieries, France
Grave Reference: III. D. 10.
Waddesdon Deanery Magazine
January 1916 Thomas Measey another Oakley recruit
January 1917 Tom Measey, age 31, Machine Gun Company – In Memoriam. Tom Measey died serving his country. His other brave brothers George, Charles and Frank are still safe; so is Tom, safe in the arms of Jesus
March 1917 Thomas buried
Private Thomas Measey
Personal information
Known as Thomas Measey
Born: 3rd August 1885, Oakley, Bucks
Baptised: 14th March 1886, Oakley Church (aged 7 months)
Pre-War Occupation Labourer
Pre-war address 12 Daffreye Terace, Goiseinon
Enlistment date 16th November 1915
Age at enlistment 29 years 3 months
Height 5 feet 9½ inches
Weight 12 pounds 7 pounds (175 pounds)
Chest 41½ inches (expansion 3 inches)
Next of kin (given as) Mrs Mary Govier, sister
Regiment Machine Gun Corps
Rank Private
Married: Unmarried
Died: 20th January 1917, France
Cause of Death Killed in action
Age at death 31 years 6 months
Buried Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieries, France
Family
Father: Joseph Measey (born c. 20 Oct 1848, Oakley, Bucks; bapt. 20th Oct 1848 aged 5 weeks at Oakley Chapel; married 28th Feb 1878, Oakley Church; died Sept 1937, age 89, Oakley; buried 28th Feb 1937, Oakley Church)
Mother: Martha Elizabeth Measey nee Gladdy (born 1855, Oakley, Bucks; bapt. 18th Nov 1855, Oakley Church; married 28th Feb 1878, Oakley Church; died Jul 1908, age 54, Oakley; buried 26th July 1908, Oakley Church)
Brothers (6) William Measey (born 1879, Oakley, Bucks; bapt. 5th Oct 1879, Oakley Church)
Albert Measey (born 13th Jun 1881, Oakley, Bucks; bapt. 26th Oct 1884, Oakley Church)
Charles Henry Measey (born 26th Oct 1884; died 11th November 1917, France; buried Aeroplane Cemetery, France)
James Measey (born 13th Oct 1886, Oakley, Bucks; bapt. 24th Jun 1890, Oakley Church, died 9th Sep 1909, Tiddington, Oxon, cause of death: accident with horse and cart; buried 13th Sept 1909, Oakley Church)
George Measey (born 1889, Oakley, Bucks; bapt. 24th June 1890, Oakley Church, died 5th Oct 1918 age 28 years 10 months, Chateau d’Oeux, Switzerland; buried Vevey (St Martin’s) Cemetery, Switzerland)
Frank Measey (born 8th Jan 1895, Oakley, Bucks; died 22nd Jun 1918 age 23 years 6 months, Salonika, Greece; buried Karasouli Military Cemetery, Greece)
Sisters (3) Mabel Annie Measey (born 1878, Oakley, Bucks; bapt. 5th Oct 1879, Oakley Church; married 14th Mar 1905 to Emma Mile)
Mary Ann Measey (born 8th Apr 1884, Oakley, Bucks; bapt. 26th Oct 1884, Oakley Church; married Apr-Jun 1908 to Henry (Harry) Govier, Thame District; died Jan-Mar 1973, Aylesbury District)
Lucy Caroline Measey (born 21 July 1891, Oakley, Bucks, died Oct-Dec 1973, Aylesbury District)
Paternal Grandfather: William Measey (born 1811, Oakley, Bucks; bapt. 1st Aug 1811, Oakley Church; married 4th Feb 1841, Oakley Church; died Jul 1896, age 84, Oakley, Bucks; buried 24th Jul 1896, Oakley Church)
Paternal Grandmother: Marianne (Mary Ann) Measey nee Nixey (born 1820, Oakley, Bucks; bapt. 12 Nov 1820, Oakley, Church married 4th Feb 1841, Oakley Church; died Dec 1859, age 38, Oakley, Bucks; buried 28th Dec 1859, service at Oakley Chapel)
Maternal Grandfather: William Gladdy (born 11th Dec 1823, Oakley, Bucks; bapt.: 14th Dec 1923, Oakley Church; married 21st June 1844, Oakley Church; died 31st Mar 1866 aged 43, Oakley, Bucks; buried 5th Apr 1866, Oakley Church)
Maternal Grandmother: Maria Gladdy nee Shirley (born 23rd Jan 1825, Little London, Bucks; married 21st June 1844, Oakley Church; died Oct 1901 aged 76, Oakley; buried 12th Oct 1901, Oakley Church)
Military background
BRITISH ARMY
Regiment during World War 1
Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry, service number 21326
Machine Gun Corps (Infantry) – 101st Company, service number 27362
Machine Gun Corps during World War 1
At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 the tactical potential of machine guns was not appreciated by the British Military. The Army therefore went to war with each infantry battalion and cavalry regiment containing a machine gun section of just two guns each. A year of warfare on the Western Front proved that, to be fully effective, machine guns must be used in larger units and crewed by specially trained men. To achieve this, the Machine Gun Corps was formed in October 1915 with Infantry, Cavalry and Motor branches, followed in 1916 by the Heavy Branch. A depot and training centre was established at Belton Park in Grantham, Lincolnshire, and a base depôt at Camiers in France.
The MGC saw action in all the main theatres of war, including France, Belgium, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Salonika, East Africa and Italy. In its short history, the MGC gained an enviable record for heroism as a front line fighting force. Indeed, in the latter part of the war, as tactics changed to defence in depth, it commonly served well in advance of the front line. It had a less enviable record for its casualty rate. Some 170,500 officers and men served in the MGC with 62,049 becoming casualties, including 12,498 killed, earning it the nickname ’the Suicide Club’
Thomas Measey in Machine Gun Corps
16th November 1915 Joined
16th November 1915 Attested
27th November 1915 Posted to depot 9.
10th March 1916 Transferred to Machine Gun Corp
27th April 1916 MGC 101st Company joined 34th Division
10th June 1916 Sailed Folkestone to Boulogne – B.E.F. France
11th June 1916 Baise Depot
4th July 1916 Posted to the field to join 101st Company
14th July – 17th July 1916 The Battle of Bazentin Ridge (Phase in Battle of Somme 1916)
23rd July – 1st Sept 1916 The Battle of Pozieres Ridge (Phase in Battle of Somme 1916)
20th January 1917 Killed in Action
According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission 294 British Empire servicemen died on 20th January 1917. Three men of Machine Gun Corps died on that day.
Cemetery / Memorial
Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieries, France
Country: France
Locality: Nord
Identified Casualties: 2145
Location Information
Armentieres is a town in the Department of the Nord, on the Belgian frontier, 14.5 kilometres north-west of Lille.
From the town of Armentieres take the D945 to Estaires. Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery is signposted off this road just before Erquinghem-sur-la-Lys.
Historical Information
Armentieres was occupied by the 4th Division on 17 October 1914 and it remained within the Allied lines until its evacuation ahead of the German advance on 10 April 1918, after a prolonged and heavy bombardment with gas shell. It was occupied by the Germans next day, and was not recovered until 3 October 1918.
CITE BONJEAN MILITARY CEMETERY was begun (Plot IX) in October 1914 and during the winter of 1914-15 it was used for civilian burials (later removed), the town cemetery at Le Bizet being too greatly exposed. The cemetery continued to be used by field ambulances and fighting units (particularly the 4th, 6th, 21st, New Zealand, 17th and 57th (West Lancashire) Divisions and the Australian Corps) until April 1918. Plots V, VI, VII and X were then used by the Germans.
The cemetery now contains 2,132 Commonwealth burials of the First World War. In 1925, 455 German graves were removed from Plots V and VI, but more than 500 remain in the cemetery
