Stanley Lennard Barker
The soldier:
Stanley Lennard (Leonard) Barker enlisted in to the army in North Walsham, Norfolk.
He was initially assigned to the Norfolk Regiment and given regimental number 1554, but was subsequently transferred to the Northamptonshire Regiment and given regimental number 43419.
He was ‘killed in action’ on the 10th September 1916, aged just 19 whilst serving as an acting Corporal in its 1st Battalion.
He is buried in grave IV.D.10 of the Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, Longueval, France.
His name appears on both of Snettisham Village’s memorials and its ‘Roll of Honour’.
The man:
Stanley Lennard (Leonard) Barker/Holland was born on the 1st May 1896 in Snettisham, Norfolk. His parents were Thomas and Elizabeth ‘Eliza’. There is no ready record of Thomas and Elizabeth’s marriage.
By the 1901 census, Thomas, Eliza and Stanley, now aged 4, are residing at an address in Station Road, Snettisham, Norfolk under the surname ‘Holland’. Thomas’s occupation is listed as ‘Butcher’. Eliza’s birth place is listed as Whissonsett, Norfolk.
A Mathew Allen, aged 24 is also shown residing with the family as a boarder.
Stanley Lennard Holland enrols in Snettisham School (still Snettisham’s Primary School) on the 1st June 1903. He remains for his entire schooling and leaves on the 29th April 1910 to ‘work’. His father’s name is listed as Thomas.
It would seem that Stanley’s father, Thomas died in early 1909. A Thomas William Holland was buried in St. Mary’s Churchyard, Snettisham on the 27th March 1909.
In the 1911 census Eliza is still living at the Station Road address as Mrs. Eliza Holland, although her status has been changed to ‘widow’ and her occupation is now shown as ‘launderess’. Stanley is living with her (aged 15) along with Violet BARKER a 7 year old niece and a Leo Spinks, an 18 year old Boarder, born in Marham, Norfolk. Stanley’s occupation is listed as ‘Grocer’.
It is evident that Violet (born 26th December 1903 in Whissonsett, Norfolk – the same village as Eliza) was not just visiting the family at the time of the census as she is shown enrolling in Snettisham School on the 18th September 1911 and remaining there until the 2nd October 1916, three weeks after Stanley’s death, when she left the village for London.
Following his death all A/Corporal Stanley Lennard Barker’s personal belongings were forwarded to his mother, Mrs Elizabeth Holland at Station Road, Snettisham by the army. Mrs E Holland also appears on the CWWG register as his next of kin.
Although some records are now missing it is reasonable to believe given the above, that Stanley went through his early life and schooling under his Father and Mother’s surname ‘Holland’ but at some point after his Father’s death elected to go under his Mother’s surname (and that of his cousin Violet) ‘Barker’.
Of note is the fact that Leo Spinks (born Marham, Norfolk) who had been boarding with the family in 1911 also died in the war. He enlisted in to the Kings Royal Rifle Corps and was ‘killed in action’ on the 30th July 1915.
