Samuel Palmer is recorded in the 1911 census, aged 24, working as a horseman on Wood Roberts farm, run by William Chambers, who is described as a ‘carriage builder and farmer’. William’s three sons worked on the farm, which must have been a fair-sized enterprise. None of the sons, as far as we know, joined up.

      Sadly, no military documents on Samuel’s life have survived, and there are a number of medal cards that refer to a Samuel Palmer, or S. Palmer, who served in the Devons, which makes any positive identification impossible.