Colour by CJS
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Bringing history to life by digitally colourising Black & White photographs. Colour by CJS is not a business. Each one representing a young life cut short.
I set this page up to honour the men and women who gave so much. I have always been interested in Military History and the men and women who made it. About 30 years ago I visited Tyne Cot cemetery in Belgium and was moved by the sight of the vast sea of white headstones. Apart from a name on a headstone most of them are unknown and forgotten. I think it is important to preserve their memory. By co
03/06/2026
Serjeant David Jones VC
David was born in Liverpool in 1892.
He had five older brothers. Their father worked on the docks in the city.
When he left Heyworth Street Council School he worked as an apprentice coach builder.
From 1909 to 1913 he served in the Territorial Force as a part time soldier with 9th Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment).
When war was declared he was immediately mobilised and joined 12th Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment).
He married Elizabeth Doyle in May 1915 and was deployed to France on 24th July that same year.
He spent the first half of 1916 in the Ypres salient but at the end of July his unit moved south to take part in the Battle of the Somme.
His actions at Guillemont on 3rd September 1916 earned him a Victoria Cross.
The citation published in the London Gazette read as follows:-
"For most conspicuous bravery, devotion to duty, and ability displayed in the handling of his platoon. The platoon to which he belonged was ordered to a forward position, and during the advance came under heavy machine gun fire, the officer being killed and the platoon suffering heavy losses. Serjeant Jones led forward the remainder, occupied the position, and held it for two days and two nights without food or water, until relieved. On the second day he drove back three counter-attacks, inflicting heavy losses. His coolness was most praiseworthy. It was due entirely to his resource and example that his men retained confidence and held their post."
He was given the choice of going to London to be presented with his medal by the King or taking part in an upcoming attack.
He chose to stay with his men and was killed on 7th October 1916 during the attack on the Transloy Ridge.
He is buried in Bancourt British Cemetery
David Jones was 24 years old.
01/06/2026
The cruel hand of fate.
Major Henry Wyndham Francis Blackburne Farrer MC & two bars.
Henry was born in Rathfarnham, Dublin, Ireland in 1894.
His father was a canon in the Church of England.
Before the war the family home was in Bridport, Dorset.
He was educated at Sandroyd and later at Bedford School.
He was a good scholar and an excellent sportsman. He played cricket and football and was a fine athlete.
He entered the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich in December 1912.
He was sent to France in the opening days of the war.
He served with 30th (Howitzer) Battery, Royal Field Artillery.
He fought in most of the Battles on the Western Front including Aubers Ridge and Loos in 1915, The somme in 1916 and 3rd Ypres in 1917.
His heroism was recognised by the award of three Military Crosses.
The first MC was Gazetted on 3rd June 1916.
The first bar was Gazetted on 17th April 1917 and the second bar on 9th January 1918.
In addition he was awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre and was mentioned in dispatches three times.
He was wounded six times (on four occasions seriously).
He was killed instantly by shell fire just 12 days before the Armistice at Mazinghien, France on 30th October 1918.
He is buried in La Vallée-Mulâtre Communal Cemetery Extension.
Henry Farrer was 24 years old.
29/05/2026
A familiar story - war - home - married - war - killed
Serjeant Jacob John Franks
He was born in Bethnal Green, East London.
He was a professional soldier having enlisted in the 4th Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps in 1910.
He was serving in India when war was declared. His unit was recalled to Europe.
He arrived in France in December 1914.
He fought in second battle of Ypres in April and May 1915.
His unit was sent to fight in Salonika and arrived there in November 1915.
After two and a half years the unit returned to the U.K.
Jackob married Maria King in April 1918.
Their time together was short as he was posted to France in July to join 2/2 Battalion, London Regiment , Royal Fusiliers.
He fought in the 100 day offensive and was killed on 1st September 1918 during a successful attack near Bouchavesne.
He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Vis-En-Artois Memorial.
Jacob Franks was 26 years old.
Maria eventually remarried but when she died her family found photos of Jacob and his medals in her possessions. It seems she never forgot her first husband.
My thanks to Gaz Cootes for the photo and details about Jackob’s life and service.
27/05/2026
The Tragedy of the Beechey family - Five brothers killed in WW1.
Sergeant Barnard Beechey
He was born in 1877 in Pinchbeck, Lincolnshire.
He obtained a degree in Mathematics at Cambridge University and went into Teaching.
He served in the 2nd Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment.
He was killed in the Battle of Loos on 25th September 1915.
He has no known grave.
He was 38 years old.
Second Lieutenant Frank Beechey
He was born in 1886 in Pinchbeck, Lincolnshire.
He was a teacher in Lincoln.
He served in the 13th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment.
He lost both legs while laying a telephone line in No Man's Land.
He died of his wounds on 14th November 1916.
He is buried in Warlincourt Halte British Cemetery in Saulty.
He was 30 years old.
Lance Corporal Harold Beechey
He was born in Friesthorpe, Lincolnshire in 1891.
He emigrated to Australia in 1910.
He served in the 48th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force.
He fought in Gallipoli in 1915 and the Battle of the Somme in 1916 where he was wounded by shrapnel.
He was killed by artillery fire at Bullecourt on the 10th April 1917.
He has no known grave.
He was 26 years old.
Private Charles Beechey
He was born in 1878 in Pinchbeck, Lincolnshire.
He obtained a degree at Cambridge University and became a teacher.
He served in the 25th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers.
He was killed in East Africa on 20th October 1917.
He is buried in Dar Es Salaam War Cemetery, Tanzania.
He was 39 years old.
Rifleman Leonard Beechey
He was born in 1881 in Pinchbeck, Lincolnshire.
He served in 18th Battalion, London Irish Rifles.
He was gassed and wounded at Cambrai in December 1917.
He died from tetanus in a French military hospital on 29th December 1917.
He is buried in St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen.
He was 36 years old.
25/05/2026
No longer Missing - Identified 109 years after he was killed.
Lance Corporal William Voice MM
William was born in Horsham, Sussex in 1886.
Before the war he worked on a farm and then as a carpenter.
He married Agnes Ethel Green in 1908 at Steyning. The couple had four children.
They set up home in Portslade-by-Sea, Brighton.
He joined the Army on 28th June 1916, the month that conscription of married men began.
He served with the 8th Battalion, Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment.
It is probable that he was deployed to France in time to take part in the latter stages of the Battle of the Somme.
His unit fought in the Arras offensive in the spring of 1917 and then at Messines and the Third Battle of Ypres.
He was awared the Military Medal in June 1917 for an act of gallantry.
On 31st July 1917 they launched an attack in the Klien-Zillebeke area in the southern part of the Ypres salient.
During a three day period (July 30th, 31st and August 1st) they were under prolonged and heavy artillery fire and sustained the following casualties, 35 killed, 165 wounded and 105 missing.
William was posted missing following shelling on August 1st.
Evidently his body was found in 1921 but not identified.
He was buried in Bedford House Cemetery where his headstone simply read “A Soldier of the Great War”, “Known unto God”.
Recent research was passed to the M.O.D’s “War Detectives” who were able to conclusively proved that the man buried in Enclosure No.4 grave IX. E. 9 was William.
On 28th April 2026 a re-dedication service took place at Bedford House Cemetery attended by William’s great grandson.
A new headstone, inscribed with his name, now marks his final resting place.
William Voice was 31 years old.
22/05/2026
Corporal James Calvert
James was from Blackburn in Lancashire.
He was posted to France sometime after December 1915.
He served in 16th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
He married Rhoda Tinsley in December 1916.
He became a father in June 1917 with the birth of his son James.
He was killed during an evening attack near Bouzincourt on 22nd April 1918.
The attack had cost the Battalion 234 casualties (53 killed, 20 missing, 161 wounded)
He is buried in Bouzincourt Communal Cemetery Extension.
James Calvert was 27 years old.
Postscript
I believe that Rhoda remarried in 1926.
Apparently when she died, aged 80, this photograph of James was found in her hand bag. She had carried him with her always.
20/05/2026
Gunner William Herbert Elliot
William was born in Wandsworth, London in 1899.
He was one of five siblings.
The family home was in Epsom and he attended Sutton Grammar school.
He enlisted when he was under age in 1915 and was deployed to France on 27th November that same year.
He served in "D" Battery, 173rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery.
He fought in the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
His was severely wounded in the right thigh near Kemmel, Belgium on 2nd March 1917. Despite being operated on in hospital he died later that day.
He is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord.
William Elliot was 18 years old.
Postscript
My thanks to Phil Hanks for supplying the original photo and details about his Great Uncle.
18/05/2026
A contested legacy.
Field Marshal, The Right Honourable, The Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE.
Douglas Haig remains one of the most debated figures in modern British history. As Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force during much of World War 1 he oversaw some of the war’s largest and bloodiest battles.
To some, he was a determined leader who contributed to eventual victory, to others he symbolised the tragic cost of outdated military thinking.
Born in 1861 in Edinburgh, he came from a wealthy family and pursued a career in the British Army. Before the First World War, he served in colonial campaigns and held senior staff positions, gaining a reputation for professionalism and discipline.
In 1915 he became Commander-in-Chief of British forces on the Western Front.
He envisaged a major offensive breaking through enemy lines followed by a massed cavalry exploitation leading to a decisive victory.
This vision did not materialise. Instead his leadership is most closely associated with attritional warfare, the idea that victory would be achieved by steadily wearing down the enemy’s resources and manpower at a greater rate than one’s own losses.
This strategy defined major offensives such as the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917.
Although these battles eventually gained some territory and weakened the Germans, the human cost has overshadowed their strategic impact.
Despite eventually leading Britain to great success in the 100 day offensive in 1918, his legacy remains deeply contested.
He has often been accused of being out of touch with the realities of trench warfare.
However, many historians argue this view is overly simplistic. They point out that the nature of industrial warfare, with entrenched positions and modern technology made high casualties almost unavoidable.
He did adapt over time to the conditions on a modern battlefield and contributed to the development of more effective military strategies.
After the war, he devoted himself to supporting veterans, helping to establish organisations such as the Royal British Legion.
He died in 1928 aged 66 but the debate about his leadership continues to shape public understanding of the First World War.
In the end, Douglas Haig stands as a complex figure, neither wholly incompetent nor unquestionably brilliant, but a commander operating under immense pressure in one of history’s most brutal conflicts.
18/05/2026
Private James Kennedy
James was born in North Shields, Northumberland in 1884.
He married Bertha Edward in 1908.
The couple had two sons, James born in 1909 and John who was born in 1913.
Before the war he worked as a general labourer and later as a shipyard worker/riveter.
He enlisted with his brother John in late 1915.
He was posted to France in mid 1916.
He served in 12th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers.
He fought in the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
He was killed in action near the villages of Wancourt and Heninel along the Scarpe River on 13th April 1917.
He has no known grave and in commemorated on the Arras Memorial to the missing.
James Kennedy was 32 years old.
Postscript
His brother Private John Kennedy was killed on 30th November 1917 serving with The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment in the Battle of Cambrai.
The family had earlier suffered the loss of Bertha’s nephew Edward Thomas Linsley who was killed on 26th Sept 1915 at the battle of Loos.
All three men are missing with no known graves.
My thanks to Kev Hugman for providing the photo and telling me about his Great Grandad James Kennedy.
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