“The Fallen” - Remembered
Stephen Stabler was born in late 1888 in Dunnington, York, as the fourth child of Thomas Reed Stabler and Hannah Bella Pottage. He had seven siblings – Fred, Harry, Annie, Frank, Emily, Jennie, and Ada.
Stephen was living in Dunnington in 1901, and in 1911 was working locally as a domestic gardener. In 1915 he was living in Church Street, Dunnington, when he enlisted at Helmsley in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps and became C/12592 Rifleman S. Stabler in their 4th Battalion.
On 5 May 1916 the Battalion landed in France and was soon on the Front Line. After receiving a gunshot wound, Stephen was shipped back to England and on 13th July admitted to the Australian Military Hospital in Gravesend (Kent). He was discharged from hospital on 11th August. In January 1917 he was posted to the Mediterranean, and later that year was sent back to France.
His battalion was involved in part of the final Allied offensive in the autumn of 1918 when the advancing British units met fierce German resistance in the Battle of the River Selle. The leading infantry battalions had made good progress in crossing the river through fog and mist on the morning of 17th October, but missed enemy machine-gun posts in the fog and were then slowed by thick belts of uncut German barbed wire. Nevertheless, they advanced more than twelve miles.
Next day, the Allied brigades pushed further forward towards Bazuel against strong resistance by retreating German forces. Stephen was ‘killed in action’ during this advance, on 18th October 1918.
Stephen’s body lies in the Busigny Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. He is named on the Dunnington war memorials.
In October 1920, having enquired about Stephen’s personal effects, his mother Hannah was told that nothing had been received other than the Identity Disc already forwarded. That disc and the two generally issued war medals, with the usual memorial scroll and plaque, were all his ageing parents would receive to remind them of this brave soldier son.
Father Val Hollands (faithirV@googlemail.com / 01904 489 283)