World War I
Ramsden Bellhouse
Isaac Garland

Isaac is one of the sergeants sitting next to the officer with the cane, though not the one sitting on the officer's right hand (left as we look), who I've identified.
Can anyone can help identify him?

If you can help please email John
 
Click here for larger version and more information
Click here for page from the 4th Battalion RMLI Muster list containing Isaac Garland's name. His service number is recorded as 15218.
Isaac was a Sergeant in the 4th Batt Royal Marine Light Infantry, service number PO/151128, he was killed 23rd April 1918 aged 29 and is remembered on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial Ref 30.
Isaac took part in the famous Zeebrugge Raid which rendered the port of Zeebrugge useless to the Germans and in this action eight VCs were awarded, at the cost of some 500 British casualties.
He was the son of Philip and Thurza Garland, of 3, Hope Cottages, Park Rd., Ramsden Heath, Essex, and was the husband of Florence M. Garland, of 10, Cottage Grove, Whitworth Rd., Gosport, Hants.
Article by John Westwood Curator of Virtual memorial
Sometimes what seems to be easy, takes more time than expected. I recently began looking at the names on the Ramsden Bellhouse memorial. Firstly it is located in Ramsden Heath and remembers those from the parish of Ramsden Bellhouse who died in both world wars. There aren’t many listed, but each gave their life for a cause which ever disappears into the annals of history.
The Garlands lost three sons, Isaac, William and Percy. How easy is that to research?, Although they share the same name there is no guarantee that they are the same family. Fortunately I had some help, because none were actually living in the village when war broke out. At the time of the 1901 Census Philip and Thurza Garland were living in Dowsetts Lane, Ramsden. Exactly where is a problem, as few old buildings exist there now. He was an agricultural labourer and aged 39. Thurza was 5 years younger and with them lived nine of their ten children. Percyone of the sons appeared to be living two doors away in his grandfather’s house at the time of the census.
This record currently is the only one we have until the record of the three son’s deaths in 1918.
In those seventeen years much appeared to have happened. In many of the village cases I have researched many were born, lived, married and died in the same place or close by as had previous generations. Few had the chance to go further afield. In the case of the three sons they were living well away from Ramsden.
Isaac was in Gosport, married to Florence, William was also married and living in Lower Halstow in Kent, and finally Percy was living in or near Hamilton in Canada.
Their parents had also moved to Park Road, still in the same village, of the seven others we can only guess at this time. At the time of his death Isaac was a sergeant in the Royal Marine Light Infantry, he took part in the famous Zeebrugge Raid which rendered the port of Zeebrugge useless to the Germans and in this action eight VCs were awarded, at the cost of some 500 British casualties. He was killed 23rd April 1918 aged 29 and is remembered on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial Ref 30.
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