Selected Biographies

Pleasants, Alfred Raymond – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 25.12.1896.[1]  Parents: Frederick William Pleasants of Long Melford (Gardener) and Charlotte [née Eaves].  Family Connections: Brother to Frederick Charles Pleasants [b1893]; also, nephew of Ambrose Herbert Pleasants [b1864] and John Pleasants [b1866], and cousin of Horace William Pleasants [b1881], Thomas Edward Pleasants [b1884] and Frederick George Pleasants [b1893].  Home: Melford Road, Acton, Suffolk (1901), The Green, Long Melford (1911), Royal Navy Barracks, 8 Hargood Terrace, Devonport, Devon (1921), 17 Council Houses, Mill Road, Kedington, Suffolk (1939).  Occupation: Errand Boy (1911), Warehouseman [1919], Royal Navy Stoker (1921), General Labourer (1939).  Married: Hilda May Marsh in 1923.  Service Record: Alfred enlisted as Pte.17762 with 8^th [Service] Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers and posted to Suvla Bay, Gallipoli from 6.8.1915, as part of 34^th Brigade, 11^th [Northern] Division.  The Battalion was evacuated to Egypt in January 1916 and by July was stationed in France.  With no extant Service Record, it is not possible to assign exactly when Alfred was moved from one battalion to another.  His Medal Roll records that after serving with the 8^th he was transferred to 1^st Battalion, then 16^th [Service] Battalion and finally to 19^th [Service] Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers.  What all these units have in common however, is that they all served on the Western Front and in 1916 all took part in various battles of the Somme Offensive.  Private Pleasants received his discharge in early 1919 and by the end of April had enlisted for twelve years as Stoker N^o. K56160 in the Royal Navy.[2]  Died: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire in 1960.

Pleasants, Ambrose ‘Herbert’ – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk in 1864.  Parents: Henry Pleasants (Agricultural Labourer) and Harriett [née Coker].  Family Connections: Brother to John Pleasants [b1866]; also, uncle of Horace William Pleasants [b1881], Thomas Edward Pleasants [b1884], Frederick George Pleasants [b1893], Frederick Charles Pleasants [b1893] and Alfred Raymond Pleasants [b1896].  Home: Bridge Street, Long Melford (1871 to 1881), lodging with Joseph Algar at Chipping Hill, Witham, Essex (1891), lodging with John Middleton in Church Street, Witham (1901), lodging with Annie Clarke at 3 Washington Terrace, Tollesbury, Essex (1911 to 1921), North Road, Tollesbury [1936].[3]  Occupation: Agricultural Labourer (1881 to 1891), Railway Navvy (1901), Railway Plate Layer (1911 to 1921).  Married: Annie Clarke in 1911.  Service Record: Up to 1884 Herbert was a volunteer with 3^rd [Militia] Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, enlisting in that year as Pte.940 with 2^nd Battalion, Suffolks, being posted to India in 1885 and discharged in 1887 as medically unfit.[4]  It is not known if he saw service during the First World War as no definitive record has been found.  Died: Tollesbury, Essex on 8.4.1936.[5]

Pleasants, Frederick Charles – Born: Acton, Suffolk on 16.10.1893.[6]  Parents: Frederick William Pleasants of Long Melford (Gardener) and Charlotte [née Eaves].  Family Connections: Brother to Alfred Raymond Pleasants of Long Melford [b1896]; also, nephew of Ambrose Herbert Pleasants [b1864] and John Pleasants [b1866], and cousin of Horace William Pleasants [b1881] and Thomas Edward Pleasants [b1884].  Home: Melford Road, Acton, Suffolk (1901), East View, The Green, Long Melford (1911), 34 Orchard Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire (1921), 21 Earl Street, Cambridge (1939) to [1962].  Occupation: Butcher’s Assistant (1911), House Painter (1921), Poulterer (1939).  Married: Celia Marshall in 1916.  Service Record: Frederick enlisted on 10.11.1914 as Pte.3708 with 2/6^th Battalion, Essex Regiment.  He was posted with the Essex Regiment to France from 22.12.1916 to 2.6.1918, receiving shrapnel wounds to the face and knee in 1917 and poisoned by gas on 29.5.1918.  As neither the 2/6^th Essex nor its sister battalion the 1/6^th appear to have served on the Western Front, the former being on Home Service the latter in Gallipoli and Palestine, one must assume that he was serving with 11^th [Service] Battalion, Essex Regiment, the only other unit mentioned in what remains of his extant Service Record.  If this assumption is correct, then 11^th Essex was already stationed in the Somme valley as part of 6^th Division’s 18^th Brigade when Private Pleasants joined it at the end of 1916.  Without a precise date for his first injury, it is not possible to pin down when and where his wounds were sustained, whether from the day-to-day hazards of the trenches, during the assault on Hill 70, near the coal-mining town of Lens in August, or at the Battle of Cambrai in November.   By the time of his gassing in May 1918, 11^th Essex had been transferred to the Ypres Salient.  At his discharge in April 1919 Frederick was serving as Sergeant N^o. 34760 in ‘F’ Company, 3^rd [Reserve] Battalion, Essex, another home service unit.[7]  Died: Saffron Walden, Essex on 14.10.1962.[8]

Pleasants, Frederick George – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 6.3.1893.[9]  Parents: Henry Pleasants (Coconut Mat Maker) and Martha [née Copsey] (Horsehair Weaver).  Family Connections: Brother to Horace William Pleasants [b1881] and Thomas Edward Pleasants [b1884]; also, nephew of Ambrose Herbert Pleasants [b1864] and John Pleasants [b1866], and cousin of Frederick Charles Pleasants [b1893], Alfred Raymond Pleasants [b1896], Thomas Harold Bruce [b1892] and Leonard Bruce [b1898], and brother-in-law of George Stanton Lindsell [b1881] and Hardy Edmund Leeks [b1886].  Home: St Catherines Road, Long Melford (1901 to 1911), 31 Bennett Street, Blackfriars, London [1915], 42 Mitre Street, Waterloo Road, London (1921 to 1939), 12 Burdon Lane, Cheam, Surrey [1963].  Occupation: Painter (1911), Porter [1915], Wholesale Drapery Packer (1921), Textile Warehouseman (1939).  Married: Florence May Armstrong in 1920.  Service Record: Frederick enlisted on 6.4.1915 as Gnr. L/15321 with 35^th Divisional Ammunition Column, Royal Field Artillery, being posted to France from 2.2.1916 to the end of the War and seeing action during the Somme Offensive of 1916, the Third Battles of Ypres in 1917, and the Final Advance in Flanders of 1918.[10]  Died: Cheam, Surrey on 14.4.1963.[11]

Pleasants, Horace William – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 1.4.1881.[12]  Parents: Henry Pleasants (Coconut Mat Maker) and Martha [née Copsey] (Horsehair Weaver).  Family Connections: Brother to Thomas Edward Pleasants [b1884] and Frederick George Pleasants [b1893]; also, nephew of Ambrose Herbert Pleasants [b1864] and John Pleasants [b1866], and cousin of Frederick Charles Pleasants [b1893], Alfred Raymond Pleasants [b1896], and brother-in-law of George Stanton Lindsell [b1881] and Hardy Edmund Leeks [b1886].  Home: Chapel Green, Long Melford (1881 to 1891), Regent Street, Westminster, London (1901), 52 Ainsworth Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire (1911 to 1921), 61 Vinery Road, Cambridge (1939).  Occupation Draper’s Porter for Peter Robinson and Company (1901), Baker’s Vanman (1911), Trainee House Painter (1921), Post Office Cleaner (1939).  Married: Esther Smoothy in 1905.  Service Record: Horace was conscripted on 22.5.1916 as Pte.40963 with Labour Company, The Queen’s [Royal West Surrey] Regiment and posted to France from 17.3.1917 to 9.3.1918.  He transferred as Pte.78957 to 740^th [Area Employment] Company, Labour Corps and was issued with a Silver War Badge and discharged on 8.7.1918, due to sickness.  Died: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire in 1963.

Pleasants, John – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 31.3.1866.[13]  Parents: Henry Pleasants (Agricultural Labourer) and Harriett [née Coker].  Family Connections: Brother to Ambrose Herbert Pleasants [b1864]; also, uncle of Horace William Pleasants [b1881], Thomas Edward Pleasants [b1884], Frederick George Pleasants [b1893], Frederick Charles Pleasants [b1893] and Alfred Raymond Pleasants [b1896].  Home: Bridge Street, Long Melford (1871 to 1881), Military Barracks, Fort Albert, Alderney, Channel Islands (1901), 3 Holton Terrace, Holton, Halesworth, Suffolk (1911), 37 Ruskin Road, Ipswich, Suffolk [1914] to [1946].  Occupation: Assistant Gamekeeper (1881), Army Sergeant (1901), Colour Sergeant Instructor Territorial Force (1911), Drill Hall Caretaker [1914] to (1921).  Married: Ellen Jane Lambert in 1898.  Service Record: John enlisted in 1885 as Pte.1398 with 3^rd [Militia] Battalion, Suffolk Regiment.  He took part in the Hazara Expedition of 1888 on the Northwest Frontier and was promoted to the rank of Colour Sergeant by the time of his discharge in 1913.  He was recalled to the Colours on 29.10.1914 as C/Sgt.290120 with 4^th [Reserve] Battalion, Suffolks, transferring on 1.1.1917 to 14^th Battalion, Suffolks, part of 223^rd Brigade, used for Home Service duties and stationed on the north Norfolk coast.  He received his discharge on 28.4.1918, aged 52.[14]  Died: Ipswich, Suffolk on 25.11.1946.[15]

Pleasants, Owen Griffith – Born: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire on 1.6.1915.[16]  Parents: Horace William Pleasants of Long Melford (Baker’s Vanman) [see above for military details] and Esther [née Smoothy].  Family Connections: Nephew of Thomas Edward Pleasants [b1884] and Frederick George Pleasants [b1893] both of Long Melford.  Home: 52 Ainsworth Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire (1921), 61 Vinery Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire (1939).  Occupation: Gents Outfitter (1939).  Married: Jessie Jolley in 1939.  Service Record: Owen was a member of the Auxiliary Fire Service in Cambridge during the Second World War.[17]  Died: Colchester, Essex in 1998.

Pleasants, Thomas Edward – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 13.8.1884.[18]  Parents: Henry Pleasants (Coconut Mat Maker) and Martha [née Copsey] (Horsehair Weaver).  Family Connections: Brother to Horace William Pleasants [b1881] and Frederick George Pleasants [b1893]; also, cousin of Frederick Charles Pleasants [b1893], Alfred Raymond Pleasants [b1896], Thomas Harold Bruce [b1892] and Leonard Bruce Pleasants [b1898], and brother-in-law of Arthur Albert Watson [b1880], Frederick Stanley Watson [b1882], George Stanton Lindsell [b1881], and Hardy Edmund Leeks [b1886].  Home: Chapel Green, Long Melford (1891), St Catherines Road, Long Melford (1901 to 1911), Hall Street, Long Melford (1921 to 1939).  Occupation: Quill Winder (1901), Grocery Porter (1911), Manager of A.D. Wash Hardware of Hall Street (1921 to 1939).  Married: Gertrude Rose Watson in 1916.  Service Record: Thomas was a member of the Long Melford Volunteer Training Corps in 1915.[19]  Died: Cleveland, Yorkshire in 1987.

Related Biographies

Leeks, Hardy Edmund [MM] – Born: Haverhill, Suffolk on 6.4.1886.[20] Parents: Hardy Leeks of Long Melford (Horsehair Factory Manager) and Ellen Louisa [née Cadge]. Family Connections: Brother to Arthur William Leeks of Long Melford [b1884], Albert Leeks [b1889], Fred Leeks [b1893] and Walter Leeks [b1898]; also, brother-in-law of Horace William Pleasants [b1881], Thomas Edward Pleasants [b1884] and Frederick George Pleasants [b1893], and uncle of John Hilton Leeks [b1921]. Home: Horsehair Factory, The Street, Lawshall (1891 and 1901), 10 Princes Street, Parkston, Essex (1911) to [1934]. Occupation: Gardener (1901), Labourer for the Great Eastern Railway at Harwich Docks (1911 to 1921). Married: Sarah Sophia Pleasants of Long Melford in 1909. Service Record: Before 1902 Hardy served in 3^rd [Militia] Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, enlisting in 1902 as Pte.6056 with 1^st Battalion, Suffolks, giving his age falsely as eighteen.  Hardy transferred to the Army Reserve in 1905, being discharged on 4.4.1914.  He was recalled to the Colours and was posted to France, serving as Sgt.32057 with 2^nd Battalion, Suffolks as part of 76^th Brigade, 3^rd Division.  There is no extant record of precisely when he was posted to the Western Front, but it may have been by early 1915.  If this assumption is correct, he would have seen action during the Somme Offensive of 1916 and at the First and Second Battles of the Scarpe in April 1917.  It was probably at the Scarpe that he was awarded the Military Medal for his ‘bravery in the field’.[21]  Died: Parkston, Essex on 28.7.1934.[22]

Lindsell, George Stanton – Born: Withersfield, Suffolk on 16.6.1881.[23]  Parents: George Lindsell (Corn Merchant) and Euphemia [née Everett].  Family Connections: Brother-in-law of Horace William Pleasants [b1881], Thomas Edward Pleasants [b1884] and Frederick George Pleasants [b1893] all of Long Melford.  Home: The Fore, Withersfield, Suffolk (1891 to 1901) Queen Street, Withersfield (1911), 39 West Street, Carlton, Stillington, County Durham (1921), 1 Downey Street, Redcar, Yorkshire (1939).  Occupation: Coal and Corn Carter (1901), Agricultural Labourer (1911), Bricklayer’s Labourer (1921), Builder’s Labourer (1939).  Married: Charlotte Elizabeth Pleasants of Long Melford in 1908.  Service Record: George enlisted on 9.9.1914 as Pte.21293 with 8^th [Service] Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment, being posted to France on 30.8.1915 as part of 16^th Brigade, 6^th Division.  On 15.6.1916 he was issued with a Silver War Badge and discharged due to sickness.[24]  Died: Cleveland, Yorkshire in 1959.

Orvis, Leslie John – Born: Ipswich, Suffolk on 13.7.1898.[25]  Parents: Francis Henry Orvis (Plumber and Decorator) and Ada Ellen [née Rayner].  Home: 124 Fore Hamlet, Ipswich, Suffolk (1901 to 1921), 40 Alan Road, Ipswich (1939), 5 Lansdowne Road, Ipswich [1969].  Occupation: Agricultural Engineer’s Clerk (1921 to 1939).  Married: Eva Maud Pleasants of Long Melford in 1954.  Service Record: Leslie was conscripted as Pte.53971 with 22^nd [Service] Battalion [7^th City], Manchester Regiment.  From November 1917 this unit saw action against the forces of Austria-Hungary in northern Italy as part of 91^st Brigade, 7^th Division.[26]  Private Orvis received his discharge in March 1919.[27]  Died: Ipswich, Suffolk on 21.11.1969.[28]

Notes – [1] Place and date of birth from his RN Register.  [2] Royal Navy Registers of Seaman’s Services [ADM 188/973/56160].  For details of 8^th Battalion’s time in Gallipoli see War Diary [WO 95/4299].  War Diaries for all the units mentioned for the period of the Somme Offensive see [WO 95/1821/2 for 8^th Battalion], [WO 95/1430/3 for 1^st Battalion], [WO 95/2398/1 for 16^th Battalion] and [WO 95/2477/2-3 for 19^th Battalion].  See also Alfred’s Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329] and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [3] For address see Electoral Roll. [4] Chelsea Hospital British Army Service Record [WO 97] as Ambrose Pleasants. [5] National Probate Calendar.  [6] Date of birth from the 1939 Register for Cambridge, Cambridgeshire.  [7] For details of 11^th Essex’s movements on the Western Front see War Diary [WO 95/1616/1].  See also his Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363], Service Medal and Award Rolls, First World War, Silver War Badge [WO 329] record and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372]. [8] National Probate Calendar.  [9] Date of birth from Admission Register 24.1.1898, St Catherines Infants School, Long Melford and the 1939 Register for Lambeth, London. [10] For details of 35^th DAC’s movements see War Diary [WO 95/ 2475/3].  See also his Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363], Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329] and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [11] National Probate Calendar.  [12] Date of birth from the Baptism Register 3.7.1881, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. [13] 1939 Register.  [14] Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363] [which records his name as William Horace Pleasants], Service Medal and Award Rolls, First World War, Silver War Badge [WO 329] record [ref:421945], Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329] and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [15] National Probate Calendar. [16] 1939 Register.  [17] 1939 Register.  [18] Baptism Register 5.10.1884, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. [19] For Training Corps article see Suffolk and Essex Free Press 10.3.1915.  [20] Date of birth from the Baptism Register 1.8.1886, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. [21] For the notice of his Military Medal see the Supplement to the London Gazette 16.8.1917, p.8422.  For 2^nd Suffolk’s involvement during the campaigns of 1916 and 1917 see War Diary [WO 95/1437/1] and Murphy, Lieutenant-Colonel C. C. R. The History of the Suffolk Regiment 1914-1927 [London: Hutchinson and Co, 1928], pp.182-89 and 219-28.  See also his Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363], Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329], and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [22] Date of death from the National Probate Calendar.  [23] 1939 Register.  [24] Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923 [ref: 136/0509/LIN-LIN], [WO 329 – Silver War Badge ref: 49926], Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329], and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [25] 1939 Register.  [26] For more details see https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/7th-division/.  [27] Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923 [ref:11/M/330419], Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329], and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [28] National Probate Calendar.