Douglas was one of two brothers who died the same day, (see Edgar Rogers who has his own page on this website)

On the 1901 census the family were living at the Police Station, Lapley, Wheaton Aston, Staffordshire where father William Rogers was a Police Constable. He was 44 and had been born in Bradley, Staffordshire.   His wife Mary 37 was a dressmaker and had been born at Tipton, Staffordshire.  They had 6 sons and 2 daughters, Ann 6, Gladys  3,  Gregory 1 had been born in Wheaton Aston.  The 5 other sons were Rowland, 14 a “Horse Driver On Farm”  Horace 11,  twins Douglas and Percy 10 and Edgar  9.   Also living with them was Ann Harrison a 27 year old Sister-In-Law.

By the 1911 census they had moved again to live at 5, Wilson St., Stoke – on – Trent, Staffordshire. William 54, was then a ‘Police Pensioner’.  His wife of 25 years Mary Maria was 47 and had ‘home duties’. There had been  8 children  born and all survived. Rowland, Percy and Horace were not at home at the time of the census, but the rest of the children were there. Douglas 20 was single and a ‘Loco Dept Rly Co Pass Fireman’.  Edgar 19 was a ‘Letter Press Printer’. Ann 16  helped in ‘Home Duties’. Gladys 13 and Gregory  11 were both at school.

Please follow the link and  refer to brother Edgar’s page on this website for the family story about these boys as told by Niece Mary Moore.

Four of the brother’s were at Gallipoli  as was their friend Ted Titley who had enlisted with the brothers.  Ted survived the war.

Edgar and Douglas were ordered to go ‘over the top’ on that fateful day on the 7th August 1915. Their two brothers were not.  Rowland (who was a Quartermaster, later to be promoted “in the field” to Regimental Quartermaster) was in the trenches, undertaking his Quartermaster duties in looking after the munitions and stores. Percy, it seems, was not detailed to be in that attack. When the fighting had finished, Rowland set out to find his brothers.  He found Douglas who had been fatally bayoneted. Rowland was told that Edgar had seen Douglas being injured, had gone to help him and was bayoneted himself  and  had been carried away to the Hospital Ship, (Delta), where he died and was buried the next day at sea.   Rowland helped bury Douglas and buried him with an Officer, Captain Walter Lloyd from Gwernafield, Mold, who died beside Douglas. He wrapped them up and buried them together. Captain Lloyd  is commemorated on an individual plaque in Gwernaffield Church.  When their bodies were recovered to be re-interred, they were reburied close to each other.  Douglas and Edgar died on the same day.  Percy and Rowland survived the war and so lived to tell the tale.  (This family story was told to me by their Niece, Mary Moore).

Both brothers are commemorated on a family grave in St. Deniol’s Churchyard, Hawarden (North Extension West Side   G 19). and recorded on the Imperial War Museum- Memorials Project Website – North extension (1912/13) – St Deiniol Churchyard –
Description – White marble cross on a three stepped base with double kerbs. Flat marble base inside kerbs. Lead lettering.

Inscription
 GLADYS/ WHITEHEAD/ 17 JULY 1897,/ 12 OCTOBER 1992.
 SACRED TO THE/ MEMORY OF/ THOMAS FREDERICK,/ BELOVED HUSBAND OF GLADYS BITHELL/ WHO DIED MARCH 10, 1919/ AGED 29 YEARS.
/ ALSO DOUGLAS & EDGAR ROGERS/ WHO FELL IN ACTION AT GALLIPOLI,/ AUGUST 7th 1915,/ AGED 24 & 23 YEARS/ UNTIL THE DAY DAWNS.
: ALSO/ FREDERICK NEVILLE,/ WHITEHEAD,/ WHO DIED AUG. 31, 1969,/ AGED 67 YEARS.
: ALSO OF/ WILLIAM,/ BELOVED HUSBAND OF/ MARY MARIA ROGERS,/ WHO DIED APRIL 27, 1931/ AGED 74 YEARS./ ALSO THE ABOVE/ MARY MARIA ROGERS/ DIED DEC. 11. 1946/ AGED 82 YEARS.

Also on the Imperial War Museum- Memorials Project Website – http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/60339
Current location – In recess on an arch on South side of nave. – St Ethelwold Church
Description – Brown, oval-shaped, marble tablet with gold lettering.
Inscription –

Sacred to the memory of/ Lce Corpls DUGLAS (sic) & EDGAR ROGERS/ aged 24 and 23 years/ 8th Batt R.W.F./ who fell in Action at the Dardanelles/ August 7th 1915/ “Fight the good fight”/ R.I.P. 

Douglas was named on 2 other memorials – the Hawarden War Memorial and the memorial screen at St Ethelwold’s Church.   Also in St. Ethelwold’s Church the family erected a plaque to commemorate the 2 brothers, underneath is another plaque that was erected by the family of Harry Bullock 18,  who also died in this war, (please click on the link to read his story)  Mrs. Rogers used to look after the 2 plaques, referring to Harry as ‘Young Harry’,   Harry had been shot as he slept in the trenches.

There is an index card for Douglas in The Flintshire Roll of Honour at the County Record Office in Hawarden. (Flintshire WW1 Index Cards F 37 Shotton) Rogers, Douglas.  The regimental details above  are confirmed, the address given was  9, Salisbury Street, Shotton, Nr., Chester. He served from  31st August 1914  and was Killed in Action at Gallipoli 7th August 1915. The card  had been signed on the 19th January 1920 by Wm. Rogers. (The same day he had signed his other son Edgar’s Card.)

Douglas’s medal card also accessible on ancestry, records his medal details and also tells us that his first theatre of war was the Balkans and that he entered it on 28th June 1915.

Douglas Rogers in the UK, Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, 1901-1929 tells us that the sole Legatee was his father William who was paid £5. 13s 1d on the 20th November 1915 and his War Gratuity of £3 on the 28th July 1919

In the newspaper County Herald dated Friday 25th September 1914 (Page 7, Col.1/2) under the heading ” Connah’s Quay and Shotton Recruiting for Kitchener’s Army”, it is referring to the local household’s that have sent their sons to the War and Sgt. Rogers sent 5 sons, two  of whom died, Douglas & Edgar.

UK soldiers who died in the Great War 1914 -19, accessible on www.ancestry.co.uk confirms the regimental information above and adds that he enlisted in Shotton.