BATH (ST. JAMES'S) CEMETERY
Somerset
England
GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 51.3802, Longitude: -2.37222
Location Information
St. James Cemetery is located to the west of Bath on the A36 near the Holiday Inn.
The cemetery contains 41 Commonwealth burials from both wars.
World War One Casualties: United Kingdom 28.
World War Two Casualties: United Kingdom 13.
St. James Cemetery is located to the west of Bath on the A36 near the Holiday Inn.
The cemetery contains 41 Commonwealth burials from both wars.
World War One Casualties: United Kingdom 28.
World War Two Casualties: United Kingdom 13.
Images in the gallery below used with the permission of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Chaplain 4th Class
The Reverend Charles Thomas Claude Jefferys
Army Chaplains' Department
20th November 1918, aged 38.
Y. F. 43.
The information below supplied by 'The Ellesmerian Club', the alumni organisation for Ellesmere College where Charles was a pupil.
The Reverend Charles Thomas Claude Jefferys
Army Chaplains' Department
20th November 1918, aged 38.
Y. F. 43.
The information below supplied by 'The Ellesmerian Club', the alumni organisation for Ellesmere College where Charles was a pupil.
Charles Thomas Claude Jefferys, the only son of Charles and Mary Anne, was born on 23rd August 1880 in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire. There were also two elder sisters, Charlotte and Florence. Sadly, their mother died shortly after Charles’ birth. Charles (Senior) remarried – to Adeline, Mary Anne’s younger sister. The family were living in Tenby when Charles was sent away to board, in the ‘Alfred’ dormitory, at Ellesmere College in June 1893.
Charles remained at the college for three years but the records of the time are minimal. He sat his Preliminary Oxford Local Examinations in 1895 and passed in Religious Knowledge, English History, Geography and Latin and, in the same year, he was awarded the Form III Latin Prize at Speech Day. A year later he sat his Junior Exams and passed in Religious Knowledge, English Grammar, English Literature and Geography.
He left Ellesmere in July 1896 and The Ellesmerian records that, by then, he was an Assistant Master at Stourwood College, Southborne.
He maintained contact with the college and the Old Ellesmerian Club. At the 12th annual London dinner he proposed the toast ‘School and Staff’ and a report on the dinner stated that “he made a very effective speech, mainly dealing with the superiority of the public school over the private school. In the former, the boys learnt the national virtues of patriotism and manliness; while in the Woodard Schools, of which Ellesmere College was one, he rejoiced as an old boy to know that Christianity was taught as the foundation and root of all true citizenship.”
In 1904, he enrolled at St. Chad’s Hall and then at Durham Theological College – whilst his youngest brother, Lionel, was arriving at Ellesmere in his brother’s footsteps.
Charles was ordained in 1906 by the Bishop of Lichfield and over the following years he held curacies in Monmouth, Oswaldkirk and Micheldever, Hampshire. Whilst Senior Curate at the Parish Church, Monmouth he married Eva Pride, from Tetbury on 2nd January 1908. They went on to have two sons, Charles and George.
After three years in post there he resigned through ill- health. His parishioners presented him with a testimonial of substantial character…. This comprised a cheque for one hundred guineas (a considerable sum of money then), a Gentleman’s Dressing and Suit case with silver mounted fittings of the value of 10 guineas and a gold watch of similar value.
In 1916, he was gazetted Chaplain (4th Class) to the Forces and he disembarked at Boulogne on 24th May 1916. The next day he was at the British Expeditionary Force Depot at Etaples. Like every other Chaplain, his role would have been synonymous with the provision of care, comfort and compassion to those caught up in the bloodshed of war. On 26th August he was posted to 144 Brigade, 32nd Division.
He was admitted to No. 49 Casualty Clearing station on 19th February 1917 suffering from laryngitis / bronchitis and was hospitalised. He was transported back to England on the hospital ship ‘Panama’ on 14thMarch and after a further period of treatment and convalescence he was instructed to report to the War Office ‘ready to embark’ on 24th May. He returned to Woolwich, London on 19th October
Charles survived the war to see the Armistice declared but he died of pneumonia a few days later on 20thNovember 1918 whilst a Captain Chaplain attached to the 1st Dorset Regiment. He was buried in Bath (St. James’s) Cemetery alongside twenty-seven other casualties.
In all, one hundred and seventy-nine Chaplains perished in the conflict. His life is commemorated on the East Wall, Royal Garrison Church of All Saints, Aldershot, on the War Memorial at Ellesmere and in the Ellesmere College ‘Roll of Honour.
His youngest son, Charles, who served as a First Officer in the Royal Air Force during World War Two, lost his life on active service on 10th March 1944.
Charles remained at the college for three years but the records of the time are minimal. He sat his Preliminary Oxford Local Examinations in 1895 and passed in Religious Knowledge, English History, Geography and Latin and, in the same year, he was awarded the Form III Latin Prize at Speech Day. A year later he sat his Junior Exams and passed in Religious Knowledge, English Grammar, English Literature and Geography.
He left Ellesmere in July 1896 and The Ellesmerian records that, by then, he was an Assistant Master at Stourwood College, Southborne.
He maintained contact with the college and the Old Ellesmerian Club. At the 12th annual London dinner he proposed the toast ‘School and Staff’ and a report on the dinner stated that “he made a very effective speech, mainly dealing with the superiority of the public school over the private school. In the former, the boys learnt the national virtues of patriotism and manliness; while in the Woodard Schools, of which Ellesmere College was one, he rejoiced as an old boy to know that Christianity was taught as the foundation and root of all true citizenship.”
In 1904, he enrolled at St. Chad’s Hall and then at Durham Theological College – whilst his youngest brother, Lionel, was arriving at Ellesmere in his brother’s footsteps.
Charles was ordained in 1906 by the Bishop of Lichfield and over the following years he held curacies in Monmouth, Oswaldkirk and Micheldever, Hampshire. Whilst Senior Curate at the Parish Church, Monmouth he married Eva Pride, from Tetbury on 2nd January 1908. They went on to have two sons, Charles and George.
After three years in post there he resigned through ill- health. His parishioners presented him with a testimonial of substantial character…. This comprised a cheque for one hundred guineas (a considerable sum of money then), a Gentleman’s Dressing and Suit case with silver mounted fittings of the value of 10 guineas and a gold watch of similar value.
In 1916, he was gazetted Chaplain (4th Class) to the Forces and he disembarked at Boulogne on 24th May 1916. The next day he was at the British Expeditionary Force Depot at Etaples. Like every other Chaplain, his role would have been synonymous with the provision of care, comfort and compassion to those caught up in the bloodshed of war. On 26th August he was posted to 144 Brigade, 32nd Division.
He was admitted to No. 49 Casualty Clearing station on 19th February 1917 suffering from laryngitis / bronchitis and was hospitalised. He was transported back to England on the hospital ship ‘Panama’ on 14thMarch and after a further period of treatment and convalescence he was instructed to report to the War Office ‘ready to embark’ on 24th May. He returned to Woolwich, London on 19th October
Charles survived the war to see the Armistice declared but he died of pneumonia a few days later on 20thNovember 1918 whilst a Captain Chaplain attached to the 1st Dorset Regiment. He was buried in Bath (St. James’s) Cemetery alongside twenty-seven other casualties.
In all, one hundred and seventy-nine Chaplains perished in the conflict. His life is commemorated on the East Wall, Royal Garrison Church of All Saints, Aldershot, on the War Memorial at Ellesmere and in the Ellesmere College ‘Roll of Honour.
His youngest son, Charles, who served as a First Officer in the Royal Air Force during World War Two, lost his life on active service on 10th March 1944.
