Private 15163 Ernest Quarless

[Sandie Hayes]

I'll give a little bit of background to this chap first.

Everyone with the name Quarless is directly decended from slaves. The name originates from Quarles's, one of the Quarles slaves. Quarles being a wealthy South Carolina family with plantations all over the West Indies.

Ernest Arthur Quarless is a distant relation of mine (by marriage). 2 of his brothers, John & George, married 2 of my Grandfather's sisters, Anne & Mary .

I knew my uncle Ernest, not as well as his brothers, George & John, but I can remember him quite well.

Ernest was the eldest son of John Quarless & Elizabeth (Lawrence). John, a seafarer, was born in Barbados and Elizabeth, a boarding house keeper, was the daughter of a Jamaican sailor.

Now all that has been said...

Ernest was born on 9th December 1906. In the 1911 census the family were living in Kent Street. Ernest, age 5, was a school boy and his father, presumably, was away at sea.

Ernest, at some stage, joined the British West Indies Regiment. He would still be only 11 at the end of the war but was awarded the British War & Victory medals.

I know this sounds far fetched but my Uncle John once said that Ernest served in WW1 & WW2, collecting both sets of medals together. John never mentioned Ernest's age. Looking at the MIC for Ernest Quarless it does appear that his medals were re-issued in October 1948.

My Dad, who knew Ernest better than I, says it was accepted as truth that Ernest served in both wars, he doesn't remember it ever being doubted. My Dad doesn't remember Ernest's age ever being questioned. Dad does say that it wasn't discussed very often, Ernest always seemed to be away at sea and didn't talk about his war service when on leave.

He joined the Merchant Navy in his late teens and followed in his father's footsteps. He married twice, his first wedding whilst on leave in 1941, and he died in Liverpool in 1988.

I can trace him quite easily through records as, for many years, he was the only man of that name living in the UK.

Now my questions...

How on earth did an 10 or 11 year old boy enlist in the Army?

Does anyone have any idea of his enlistment date?

Where, if it's possible to tell, did he serve?

What would he have done in the regiment? Surely not fight?

How old was the youngest known soldier to serve?

Is it true that men of the British West Indies Regiment were not entitled to an Army pension?

Sorry if I've rambled on a bit

Sandie

[IPT]

I'm becoming a bit of a one-trick pony, but 15166 Egbert Roach, aged 22, enlisted 17/7/1917 and joined at France 8/12/1917. He had his toes amputated due to trench foot.

None of the men in that number sequence seem to have received their medals.

[Sandie Hayes]

Thanks IPT, you're a very useful pony!

Ernest Quarless' 11th birthday was only 2 days before Private Roach joined at France.

I wonder what happened with the medals. Ernest's MIC says they were returned. In his case it wasn't because of a change of address, they lived in Kent Street for many years.

Thanks for your help,

Sandie