Samuel Oakins

Family and Home ^{1, 2, 3}

Samuel George Oakins was the ninth of the eleven children of John Thomas Oakins and Emma, née Whitman. His father was a Domestic Gardener and Sexton of the Parish Church.

Samuel’s siblings were:

• William, who died aged three, born in 1867
• John, born in 1868
• Eliza Ann, born in 1870
• Rosa Mary, born in 1872
• Hubert William, born in 1874
• Ruth, born in 1876
• Stephen James Oakins, born on 20th February 1880
• Emmie Caroline, born in 1882
• Elizabeth, who died aged eleven, born in 1886
• Edith Lilian, born in 1889

In the 1891 Census, the Oakins family lived at 1 Little Gaddesden. John, Emma and seven of their children were at home then, which must have been very cramped. However, by 1901 the family had moved to 36 Little Gaddesden and only Samuel, Stephen Oakins and Lilian were still at home.

Education ⁴

Sam Oakins was entered on the Little Gaddesden School Registers on 18th April 1887 as an infant aged 3 years 6 months. In 1895 he distinguished himself in the Religious Knowledge Examination, which formed part of the annual Diocesan Inspection. Then, on 5th April that year he, Francis Thame and Walter Holland were among the 6 children who had passed Standard 4 and could therefore have a Certificate of Proficiency, which enabled them to leave school and go to work. Therefore, on 22nd April the School Log Book recorded that Sam had “gone to work with a Certificate of Proficiency”. He was aged 11½.

Employment ^{3, 5}

In the 1901 Census, Sam is recorded as a Painter and, in 1911, as a House Plumber on the Ashridge Estate.

The Little Gaddesden Brass Band ⁶

The Little Gaddesden Brass Band was formed in 1902 and a report and statement of accounts for 1902 – 1903 has survived. To obtain funds, entertainments were performed and donations sought. Each band member paid 3d per week toward the cost of tuition. The report noted “our balance in hand is very low, but we again rely on our many kind friends to give us their support and stick to our motto: Nil Desperandum”. The report included a photograph in which Sam Oakins, aged about 20, is shown fourth from left in the middle row. His brother Steve, aged about 23, is on the left hand end of the front row.

Others in the Band with links to the Roll of Honour are:

• Back Row, L to R: 1. Archibald Johnson; 2. Thomas Johnson; 3. Frederick Cutler; 5. John Wibden; 6. Edward Hing; 7. Edward Pinnock (father of George Pinnock and Arthur Pinnock).
• Middle Row, L to R: 3. Arthur Johnson; 6. Harry Wells (father of William Wells); 7. Walter Holland; 8. Herbert Fenn.
• Front Row, L to R: 4. William Johnson; 5. Sidney Rogers.
• Under the drum: Hubert Halsey
• Band members absent from the photo included William Fenn and Matthew Munden; the Band’s Secretary was Geoffrey Talbot.

Marriage and Children ^{5, 7, 8}

Samuel George Oakins married Ethel Emily Lee in Hitchin in 1910

In 1911 the Census shows Sam and Ethel living at 36 Little Gaddesden with Sam’s parents.

Their first son, Pelham Marcus John Oakins, was then born on 15th March 1912. He was baptised in St Peter & St Paul’s Church, Little Gaddesden on 7th April that year. However, by that time Sam and Ethel had moved to Studham.

By the time their daughter Violet Emma Oakins was born on 8th April 1915, the family had returned to 36 Little Gaddesden and Sam was again recorded as a Painter. Violet was baptised on 6th June 1915.

Military Service ^{9, 10, 11}

Sam enlisted in Berkhamsted. He served in the Royal Engineers, whose cap badge is visible in this family photograph.

His CWGC Casualty Record gives his unit as Depot, Royal Engineers. However, it notes that he had transferred (with Service No. 421646) to 20th Company, Labour Corps at the time of his death. His Labour Corps Medal and Award Roll Entry notes previous service (no. 57825) in the Northumberland Fusiliers. The dates of his service in these different units are unknown.

Death, and the Birth of his Third Child ¹⁰

On 11th November 1917, Sam was killed in action at Ypres aged 34.

Then, 11 days later on 22nd November 1917, Sam’s second son was born and named after his father: Samuel George Oakins.

Burial in Belgium ¹⁰

Sam is buried in Ypres Reservoir Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. His CWGC entry is https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/99445/oakins,-samuel-george/.

The original, temporary grave marker read:

In Memory Of
421646 Spr Oakins S.G.
20^th Coy. Lab. Corps

to which the words

Royal Engineers

have been added.

The inscription within the vertical scroll is:

Killed In Action 11/11/17

The Reservoir Cemetery is visible in this aerial photograph of Ypres that was probably taken in 1918 (maybe late in the year, after the armistice).

The cemetery, which had been in use since 1915, is in the upper right. Samuel Oakins is buried in the furthest left row, just to the right of the angled wall.

Sam’s CWGC Headstone ¹⁰

After the war the temporary grave marker was replaced with a CWGC headstone:

Sam’s CWGC headstone (Grave reference I. I. 20) shows the badge of the Royal Engineers beneath which is the inscription:

177585 Sapper
S. G. Oakins
Royal Engineers
11^th November 1917 Age 34

Beneath the cross on the headstone are the words

In Ever Loving Memory
In The Midst Of Life
We Are In Death

Then, once the CWGC headstones had been put up for the men, their original, wooden grave markers were returned home to the families. In Sam’s case, the wooden marker was placed on his parents’ grave, on the headstone of which he is commemorated. The marker remained on his family’s grave until it decayed.

A Tribute from the Rector of Little Gaddesden ¹²

Sam is mentioned in a 1917 extract from the Little Gaddesden Parish Diary written by the Rector, the Revd. Edward Clark.

The Rolls of Honour, both that of the men serving and that of those who had laid down their lives while serving, lengthened steadily. Among the latter none were more genuinely or widely mourned than Sam Oakins – who with his brother Stephen Oakins had for many years assisted his father in his work as Sexton – a good fellow in every way and everybody’s friend.

Three Cousins Killed in 1917

When Sam was killed on 11th November, two of his cousins had already fallen that year. On 31st July 1917, the opening day of the Third Battle of Ypres, Private George Hoar and Lance Serjeant Arthur Whitman, both serving with the 1st Hertfordshire Regiment, had been killed near St Julien (Sint-Juliaan on today’s maps). Both are commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.

We will remember them ¹¹

Samuel Oakins is commemorated on the War Memorials on the village green and in St Peter & St Paul’s Church, Little Gaddesden. He is also named on the Roll of Honour in the church, together with his older brother Stephen Oakins, who survived the war, his uncle Joseph Whitman and his first cousins Donald W Goodman, Edward Hoar, George Hoar, Richard Hoar, Arthur Whitman, Francis Whitman and James Whitman.

Commemorated on his Parents’ Grave

As noted above, Samuel Oakins is also commemorated on his parents’ grave in the old churchyard, NW of the tower. The headstone is at the top of the bank, immediately West of the white marble headstone of Ruth, George Thomas and Thomas George Scudder.

On the following map, Sam Oakins’ grave is marked in gold. Other family graves commemorating those who died at war are marked in grey – click on the markers to see names.

To find out more about the others buried abroad but commemorated on family graves in the churchyard, see the section headed Family Graves Naming War Dead Buried Abroad of the main War Remembrance page. And to learn about those buried in the war graves, see the War Graves section.

The location of the Oakins family grave can also be found by the following three word address: ///propose.expires.trappings.

This link opens in a new What3words tab. Location is easier if you use the aerial view rather than the map view. See here for an explanation of What3words.

The headstone’s inscription reads:

In loving memory of
Emma, the beloved wife of
John Oakins
who fell asleep Decr 23rd 1913
aged 65
In the midst of life we are in death
of whom shall we seek for succour,
but of thee, O Lord
also in loving memory of
John Thomas Oakins who died July 10th 1925
aged 80
His end was peace
also in loving memory of
Samuel George Oakins
son of the above
killed in action at Ypres Novr 11th 1917
aged 34
Peace, perfect peace

Sam Oakins was posthumously awarded the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal. His next of kin would also have received a memorial plaque and scroll; an example of the scroll and covering letter can be seen in William Mayling’s entry.

References

1. https://www.findmypast.co.uk England & Wales births 1837-2006 Transcription

2. https://www.findmypast.co.uk 1891 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription

3. https://www.findmypast.co.uk 1901 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription

4. Little Gaddesden School Log Books 1887 – 1906

5. https://www.findmypast.co.uk  1911 Census for England & Wales

6. Report and Statement of Accounts of the Little Gaddesden Brass Band 1902 – 1903

7. https://www.findmypast.co.uk England & Wales marriages 1837-2005 Transcription

8. Little Gaddesden Baptism Register 1813 – 1947

9. https://www.findmypast.co.uk Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914 – 1919

10. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/99445/oakins,-samuel-george/

11. https://www.ancestry.co.uk UK, WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920

12. The Little Gaddesden Parish Diary 1877 – 1918

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