Stoker 1st Class K/15865, H.M.S. Firely, Royal Navy. Died 1st December 1915. Aged 22. Son of Alfred and Ellen Kemp, of Gazeley, Newmarket, Suffolk. No known grave. Commemorated on BASRA MEMORIAL, Iraq. Panel 1 and 60.

Private 41495, 13th Battalion (West Ham Pals), Essex Regiment. Killed in action on Sunday 22nd April 1917. Born and resident Gazeley, enlisted Newmarket. Formerly 23315, Suffolk Regiment. No known grave. Commemorated on ARRAS MEMORIAL, Pas de Calais, France. Bay 7.

Alfred Moss was born in Gazeley (Newmarket Q3-1882 3B:489), baptised in Gazeley (All Saints) on 6th November 1882, son of Isaac and Maria Moss (née KILDY). in the 1891 census he was aged 8, residing at Mill Road, Gazeley, with his widowed mother Maria [33] laundress, born Colchester; his brothers Isaac [12], Alexander [10] and sister Rosaline [6]. All the children were born in Gazeley. Also there were lodgers Elizabeth SWAN [25] and her children Gertrude [4] and Theodore [2]. His father had died earlier that year and his mother married Edward BILLIMORE in Q4 that year. In the 1901 census he was aged 18, a farm labourer, still residing at Mill Road, Gazeley with his mother, step father Edward BILLIMORE [45] horse keeper, born Gazeley, and his brothers Isaac ( farm labourer) and Alexander (platelayer) and a boarder, Robert OUTLAN [35] labourer, born Gazeley. In the 1911 census he was aged 28, single, a maltster, he was boarding at 70 Henry Street, Burton on Trent with Gazeley born Edward COCKERTON and his wife Alice and their children. His mother was still at Mill Road, Gazeley with her husband Edward BILLIMORE and her children, Rosalie and Isaac.

His elder brother, Isaac (see below) died on the Somme in 1916

He enlisted in Newmarket.

The 13th Essex (West Ham) battalion were 'enjoying' a quiet spell in the front preparatory to the attack on Oppy Wood. the 22nd April was the middle of this spell when a total 14 were killed over 11 days. That all came to an end when they lost 126 on the 28th. From the History of the Second Division we learn that:-

A new front trench within 300 yards of the Oppy line had been dug by the Brigade on the 20th, but a gap had been left in the centre between the two battalion sectors. The right sub-sector of the line was held by the 2nd South Staffords, and the left by the 13th Essex Regiment, the 1st King's were in close support, and the 17th Middlesex in reserve.

The battalion raided was the 13th Essex. About 9 p.m.,preceded by a heavy barrage, the enemy sent over two strong raiding parties against both flanks of the new forward trench. The Essex sent up an " S.O.S." to the artillery, who promptly opened fire. The enemy had, however, succeeded in getting round the left flank of the new trench, and had captured some men of the Essex Regiment, marching them back to his own front lines. Another company was immediately sent forward and reoccupied the trench, finding in it a wounded German officer of the 76th Bavarian Regiment. A number of enemy " other ranks " were also wounded. The Essex Regiment lost in this affair 5 other ranks killed, 3 wounded, and 22 missing. The enemy's barrage was particularly heavy.

Private 23685, 2nd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment. Killed in action on Monday 13th November 1916. Aged 37. Born Gazeley, enlisted Newmarket. No known grave. Commemorated on THIEPVAL MEMORIAL, Somme, France. Pier and Face 1 C and 2 A.

Isaac Moss was born in Gazeley (Newmarket Q2-1879 3B:561), baptised in Gazeley (All Saints) on 11th May 1879, son of Isaac and Maria Moss (née KILDY). In the 1881 census he was ged 2, residing at Mill Road, Gazeley, with his father Isaac MOSS [35] farm labourer; his mother Maria [25] and brother Alexander [4 months]. They were all born in Gazeley except his mother who in the following census was recorded as born in Colchester. In the 1891 census he was aged 12, residing at Mill Road, Gazeley, with his widowed mother Maria; his brothers Alexander [10] and Alfred [8] and sister Rosaline [6]. All the children were born in Gazeley. Also there were lodgers Elizabeth SWAN [25] and her children Gertrude [4] and Theodore [2]. His father had died earlier that year and his mother married Edward BILLIMORE in Q4 that year . In the 1901 census he was aged 22, a farm labourer, still residing at Mill Road, Gazeley with his mother, step father Edward BILLIMORE [45] horse keeper, born Gazeley, and his brothers Alfred (farm labourer) and Alexander (platelayer) and a boarder, Robert OUTLAN [35] labourer, born Gazeley. In the 1911 census he was aged 32, single, a farm labourer,residing with his mother at Mill Road, Gazeley with his stepfather Edward BILLIMORE and sister Rosalie.

His younger brother, Alfred, died in France in 1917 (see above). He enlisted in Newmarket.

The 2nd Suffolk moved into the area behind Serre in the middle of October. The weather prevented any large scale operations for some time, but eventually they were ordered into their assembly positions, across open the open such was the state of the trenches. At 05:00 on the 13th November they floundered forward into No Man's Land, a sea of mud, movement being almost impossible. The mist, added to the smoke from the barrage, made direction very difficult to maintain and within a short time all the officers in the leading companies had fallen, and little progress had been made. In spite of the conditions, some leading Suffolk companies did reach the German second line, but in vain as they were forced to return to their original front line, waiting there the rest of the day before marching back to Courcelles the next morning.