William Richard KIMMINS (1887-1915) Richard KIMMINS (preferring to spell his surname KIMMIENS) was born in 1887 in Congresbury, Somerset, the son of William KIMMINS and Rosina (nee KIG). He lived with his parents and seven siblings in a cottage which was later demolished to make way for the Full Quart public house car park in Hewish. After leaving school Richard joined the army serving his time chiefly in Malta, India and China. The 1911 Census records show Richard still serving with the Somerset Light Infantry in Malta. After completing his military service Richard joined the Engineering department of GWR at the Yatton depot. At the commence of WW1 Richard, being an army reservist, was recalled and assigned to the Machine Gun Section, 1st Somerset Light Infantry (service No 7909) who fought on the Western Front for the duration of the conflict. The 1st Battalion, part of 11th Brigade, 4th Division, landed at Le Havre on 22nd August 1914. Richard proceeded almost immediately to the front where he severed and remained in good health as recorded in a letter to his mother dated 29th December 1914. He also wrote that “We have had a chat to the Germans and they gave us cigars for Christmas, we are quite close to them now, being only about 100 yards apart. If you see R NEATH tell him to look sharp out here or else all the fun will be over before he can get here” . The History of 4th Division during Richard’s service – The Battle of Le Cateau was essentially a rearguard action fought by the British in late August 1914, during the general Allied retreat along the Western Front in the face of sustained German successes at the four Battles of the Frontiers. The First Battle of the Marne was conducted between 6-12 September 1914, with the outcome bringing to an end the war of movement that had dominated the First World War since the beginning of August. Instead, with the German advance brought to a halt, stalemate and trench warfare ensued. The First Battle of the Aisne was a follow-up offensive by the Allied forces against the right wing of the German First and Second armies in retreat after September 1914's First Battle of the Marne. The offensive began on the evening of 12 September in the aftermath of a rather belated pursuit of the Germans. The Battle of Messines was a battle fought in October 1914 between the Germans and British, it took place between the river Douve and the Comines-Ypres canal. The Second Battle of Ypres comprised of the only major attack launched by the German forces on the Western Front in 1915, preferring to concentrate German efforts against the Russians on the Eastern Front . During the summer of 1915 Richard was wounded in the back from a fragment of shrapnel and was treated at Manchester Hospital. Whilst recovering from his wounds Richard married Lucy Jane PALMER mother of his child Rosina and daughter of Harry PALMER & Sarah Jane (nee STONE) from Hewish. The marriage took place on 3rd Jun 1915 at St Anne’s Church Hewish. Immediately after the ceremony he left to join his regiment at Davenport. He arrived back at the front just three weeks before being fatally wounded on 13th September 1915 on what was his 28th birthday. He died in Number 3 General Hospital, Le Treport, France as a result of a gun shot wound to his head. Richard had been hoping to meet up with his brother Herbert Cecil KIMMINS serving with the North Somerset Yeomanry whose position at the time was not far from that of the Somerset Light Infantry. He was buried in Plot 1 Row H Grave 2A Le Treport Military Cemetery Seine-Maritime France. Richards death was reported in Weston Mercury on 18th September 1915. War Memorial Puxton Church