Ernest Arthur Wellman was born on the Old Kent Road, Southwark, London on Tuesday, 5th January 1887, the only child born to Arthur Edward Wellman and Elizabeth Jane Carpenter. His father Arthur was a ‘Brass Finisher’ which proved to be a profitable trade for when he died, his estate was worth the equivalent of £500,000, in today’s money. Ernest started school in September 1891 aged four, when he went to Moreland Street Primary which still functions today, albeit from much more modern premises. When his education was complete, he found work with a Stationery company and trained as a ‘clerk’. This may have been one of the London branches of Dickinsons because by 1911, Ernest had moved to Apsley End and was working as a ‘clerk’ in Apsley Mills. The description of his job belies the fact that he was a ‘paper expert’ and as a result his job was ‘starred’ as a reserved occupation by the time war was declared.

Ernest married Clara Stanley in Islington in September 1910. Clara lived not far from Ernest and in fact had gone to school in Queens Head Street, just around the corner from the Wellman family home in Southwark. The young couple moved into ‘Highfield’ on Bennett’s End Lane, Apsley End and in 1913 they had their only child, a son named Stanley Herbert.

After war had been declared in August 1914, there was a popular demand for a means of service for those men who were over military age or those with business or family commitments which made it difficult for them to volunteer for the armed services. This resulted in the formation of local volunteer defence groups which were at first frowned upon by the authorities fearing such groups might interfere with recruiting for the regular army. In November 1914 however, the Government granted some recognition by setting up a Central Association of Volunteer Training Corps (VTC). By February 1918, there were 285,000 Volunteers, 101,000 of whom had been directed to the Corps by the Tribunals set up after the Military Service Act in 1916 which determined if men called up had to join the war overseas.

The Hemel Hempstead VTC was established in January 1915 and Ernest joined shortly afterwards and was assigned to No.3 (Apsley) Platoon. He was exempt from active service due to his ‘starred’ occupation so he continued to work at Dickinsons whilst performing Home Defence duties with the ‘Volunteers’. Ernest was called up under the Military Service Act in 1916 and his previous exemption from service was revoked. He attested at Hemel Hempstead sometime after November 1916 and enlisted with the London Regiment and was posted for training at Warminster in Wiltshire.

He was sent overseas in 1917, posted to the 2/16th Battalion London Regiment (Queen’s Westminster Rifles). He first went to the Balkans arriving in Greece on the 23rd April and joined his Battalion in Macedonia a few days later. His unit was engaged in attacks against the Bulgarian army in the Battle of Doiran and Ernest was soon in action as intermittent assaults were made by the allied forces. These continued until the 8th of May when in a series of four attacks over two days the British forces were finally defeated, suffering enormous casualties. They lost 12,000 killed, wounded and captured of which more than 2,250 were buried by the Bulgarian defenders.

Ernest came through unscathed and just over a month later he moved with his Battalion to Egypt disembarking there on the 25th June and joined the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. It was not until the 31st October that Ernest saw serious action again when he fought in the Battle of Beersheba followed immediately by the Third Battle of Gaza on the 1st and 2nd November. It was during the latter action that Ernest was wounded and taken out of the line to 66 Casualty Clearing Station at Moablaka near Damascus in Syria. Typically, there were great distances between these facilities and the more important Base Hospitals and the battlefields of the Sinai and Palestine. It often took a week of travel over difficult terrain to evacuate the wounded to safety and for treatment and this appears to be the case for Ernest.

He was transported over 160 miles to Damascus after being wounded but sadly he died shortly after reaching the Clearing Station.

Ernest died of his wounds on Wednesday, 7th November 1917.

His death was announced in the Hemel Gazette ten days later, although the location of his demise was stated incorrectly.

He was commemorated on the John Dickinson & Co. Limited War Memorial in Apsley and on the War Memorial Plaque in Marlowes (Carey) Baptist Church where he had been a member of the congregation.

Ernest is Remembered with Honour in Beersheba War Cemetery, Israel and Palestine (including Gaza), where he is interred in Grave O. 61.

He was 30 years old when he died.

Ernest was entitled to the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.