Frank Percy Richard COTTON, Blakeney born 1892 (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Friday, July 05, 2013, 23:09 (4160 days ago) @ dink999

Thanks again Dink for another interesting post. One reads or sees feature films about the terrible conditions for the landed invasion forces in the trenches and dugouts, but it was probably even worse for Percy. Already a very uncomfortable task working on board an ironclad ship in those hot climes, but the ships were moored very close to the land so themselves also under occasional fire from shore artillery. I've read about the Dardanelles campaign and the logistical problems were considerable and to some extent not really planned-for, especially when the landings became bogged-down far longer than anticipated and the invasion force couldn't live off conquered land. However it seems the supply of clean drinking water was achieved using the warships in the invasion force, altho' no doubt their men & machinery worked far harder than anticipated or built-for.
Page 58 of this online-book of the Campaign mentions the absolute importance & methods of supplying drinking water, I hope the link works.
http://archive.org/stream/dardanellescolou00wilkuoft#page/58/mode/2up/search/drinking

Another mention of the problem can be read in this graphic diary account of the first day of the landings from a Worcestershire Regiment perspective
"Dead bodies and wounded all over the place. Oh, the poor wounded, what they suffered, the cry being, "water, water," all day long, and we had none to give them. The Medical men and sailors worked hard to get us some for we were obliged to drink the sea water then and for days afterwards, it being distilled first, but we still had the nasty taste, and we knew that hundreds of poor souls were still floating about in it, but the Turks had poisoned the water in the wells."
http://www.worcestershireregiment.com/gallipoli_Ben_Ward.php

Elsewhere I've read that despite everyone's best efforts each soldier's drinking water ration was just half a pint a DAY, and in those dusty hot climes !. Apparently some soldiers would use leftover cold tea to shave in to save drinking water. Of course this general lack of water also caused hygiene issue, seawater bathing in ANZAC Cove etc was encouraged to help overcome this.

----------------

It would be interesting to know, if possible, was Percy Cotton a sailor or soldier ? Was he a specialist engineer or medic, or had he been "volunteered" into the role from the infantry ?.

Regarding engineers and Cottons of Gloucester, I wonder if Percy is a relation of the famous Frank Willoughby Cotton who founded the famous Cotton Motorcycle firm in Gloucester just before WWI ?. I know nothing of FW Cotton's family history or even if he was a Glostershire man.
Then again perhaps Percy used his second name because there were already so many Franks in the Cotton lines all over the UK, not just Glostershire ?. I don't recall meeting any Cottons but I do know of Fran Cotton the ex-England rugby player but he's from Wigan, so...
http://cottonownersclub.com/page4.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_(motorcycle)

----------------

Back to "Percy" Cotton's family history.

From GlosBMD;

Birth Details:

Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
COTTON Frank Percy Richard COTTON COTTON WHITE 1892 Forest of Dean Westbury on Severn, Newnham 63 281

Probable parents:

Groom Surname Groom Forename Bride Surname Bride Forename District Parish Building Year Register Entry
COTTON Moses Francis WHITE Augusta Maria Forest of Dean Westbury-on-Severn (FoD) Register Office 1889 9 22

Parents' Birth Details:
Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
COTTON Moses COTTON COTTON CHARLEY 1853 Forest of Dean Chepstow, Lydney 6 478

Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
WHITE Augusta Maria WHITE WHITE KNOCKER 1863 Forest of Dean Westbury on Severn, Newnham 23 376

I did check FoD PRs for him & his parents and found this near miss for his parents, and in the right area, relations perhaps ?

Record ID 32219
Entry Number
Year 1889
Month Aug
Day 8
Grooms Surname COTTON
Grooms Forenames Miles J
Grooms Age [not stated]
Groom Condition Bachelor
Grooms Occupation Grocer etc
Grooms Residence Blakeney
Grooms Fathers Surname [not stated]
Grooms Fathers Forenames [not stated]
Grooms Fathers Occupation [not stated]
Brides Surname WHITE
Brides Forenames Augusta
Brides Age [not stated]
Brides Condition Spinster
Brides Occupation [not stated]
Brides Residence Blakeney
Brides Fathers Surname White
Brides Fathers Forenames Stephen A
Brides Fathers Occupation [not stated]
Licence or Banns [not stated]
Date of Banns [not stated]
Signature or Mark [not stated]
Witness 1 [not stated]
Witness 2 [not stated]
Other Witnesses [not stated]
Officiating Minister W H Allen
Event Marriage
Memoranda
Notes
Register Reference D5690/1
Page Number [not stated]
Parish Chapel Newnham and Blakeney Tabernacle

Another possible relative/ancestor of Percy is Elizabeth Cotton, grocer of Blakeney in this 1868 Slater's Directory of Newnham & Area.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cbennett/newnham1868.htm
===============

A Mr Frank Cotton of the Blakeney area gets this brief mention in this prior thread, see "Forest Adventures", the same man or a relation perhaps ?.

"in Gloucester in 1962 I once spoke to a Mr Frank Cotton, a very wealthy customer who turned out to be a partner in the Williams and Cotton enterprise. A very pleasant man and we chatted about Yorkley which he knew well."
http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?mode=entry&id=39882