Stephen Joseph STEEL was born 1888 in Bexleyheath (possibly 23rd January), the second son of James Steel and Anna Maria nee HUSSEY. His parents had married in St Michael’s Church East Wickham on 22nd August 1885. They were both from East Wickham. James Senior was a farm labourer and fathered 14 children with the same wife. They must have been of a very good stock because the 1911 census says that the 14 children were still all alive, the youngest been 1 year old, and the oldest, 25, something quite exceptional in those days in such a large family.
The family moved very often because of where work was available, and we can follow this through the birthplaces of the children and 3 censuses. Perhaps a listing will show this more clearly (the letters M, J, S and D represent the quarter of birth registration):
- S1886, William James in East Wickham
- M1888, Stephen Joseph in Bexleyheath
- J1890, Elizabeth in East Wickham
Census 1891 in Northfleet, 1 Speflt Cottages, London Road - J1891, Ernest Alfred in Gravesend
- M1894, Edward Charles in Bexley
- M1895, James in Shorne
- J1896, Norman in Gravesend.
- J1898, Ethel in Snodland.
- M1900, Charles Henry in Higham
Census 1901 in Dartford, 10 Denton Terrace - J1901, Albert in Dartford
- J1903, John in Swanscombe
- M1906, Edith Vera in Wrotham
- J1908, Arthur Reuben in Halstead
- M1910, Bessie in Chelsfield
So the family stayed in Kent but moved at least every 1 or 2 years, and Stephen must have remembered many different places from his childhood.
Stephen married Lucy Ann Reed and they had two children, Francis, born in 1914 and Norman, born in 1916. (After Stephen’s death, Lucy would marry Stephen’s older brother William in 1922).
On the 1911 census, 3 children have already left home, and Stephen was probably the first to enlist in the Army, but many of his brothers would follow.
Stephen, sometimes taking his other Christian name Joseph, enlisted in Maidstone in the Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), No L/8766. He was a private in the 1st battalion already in March 1911, in the QORWKR barracks with about 300 other soldiers in Headley, Hampshire. He moved later to the 7th battalion according to Soldiers Died in the Great War and the CWGC Roll of Honour. This Regiment was formed at Maidstone on 5th September 1914. Considering that the War had started on 4th August 1914 this was a very rapid formation and goes to show the enthusiasm of the people at that time to answer Lord Kitchener’s call to arms. 7th Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment was part of K2 or the second hundred thousand and was in 55th Brigade of the 18th (Eastern) Division commanded by Sir Ivor Maxse. It was continually in France during the war and was considered to be one of the elite Division of the First World War. The 18th Division lost some 46503 men killed wounded or missing of whom 13,727 died.
Stephen Joseph landed in France at the very beginning of the conflict, 15th August 1914, probably still in the 1st battalion as the 7th only came into existence in September. He was wounded by schrapnel in 1917 and sent back to England to recover in hospital in Northampton (Bexleyheath Observer 8th June 1917). He returned to France and met his death on 8th August 1918. He must have seen all the horrors of the war as he survived almost 4 years of the conflict. 1918. Soldiers Died in the Great War lists him as “Killed in action,” but his medal card bears the simple mention “Deceased”. He received the 14-Star medal , the British and the Victory medals. He is buried in Beacon Cemetery in Sailly-Laurette, in the Somme in France. His service records did not survive the Blitz.
The dead of the Division are commemorated on the Roll of Honour in St. James Church, Colchester, Essex.
His brother, James, was killed in 1917. Please look at his brother James’s biography for more details of the other brothers who went to war and came back.
Commemorated
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