WHAT MADE AN OLD CONTEMPTIBLE ?

To qualify as an "Old Contemptible" the soldier would have to have seen active service actually in France and Flanders between 5 August and 22 November 1914. For this he would qualify for the medal known as the 1914 Star. This medal was introduced in 1917. In 1919 a clasp bearing the qualifying dates was authorised and given to soldiers who had actually been under fire between those dates. It was also known as the "Mons Star"

Here is a link to a very interesting website where the above came from:

 http://www.oldcontemptibles.com/the-original-old-contemptibles.php

The soldiers buried in Netley who are listed as an "Old Contemptible" are:  Barnett, Belcher, Bennett, Blanchard, Boeham, Brinton, Brown, Chatfield, Chilvers, Clarke, Clayton, Cottis, Crook, Crossfield, Curley, Davidson, Dobbyn, Drake, Dray, Dymock, Edwards, Gallavin, Gobbey, Good, Gould, Hall, Hatton, Hendry, Hildersley, Hill, Hills, Holloway, Honor, Howe, Hunt, Innes, Jarvis, Johnson, Kitching, Macey, Mailer, Malyan, Mead, Munday, McMahon, O'Brien, Oakman, Pearce, Phillips, Ravenhill, Read, Revely, Riley,Roddis, Russell, Russell, Seager, Sealey, Shaw, Smith, Snell, Spooner, Stone, Tee, Vincent, Warner, Watson, White and Wooton.

Further research is needed because some didn't get to France and died at home of  other ailments or accidents.

Eight hospital ships, all in their Great War livery transported soldiers to Netley Hospital that were later buried in the cemetery.

Top row: H.M.H.S. Aberdonian & R.M.S. Aquitania; second row: H.M.H.S. Asturias & H.M.H.S. Britannic; third row: H.M.A.T. Essequibo & H.M.H.S. Patrick; bottom row: H.M.H.S. Lanfranc & H.M.H.S. Panama.  Only two of these ships failed to survive the war.  The Britannic, younger sister of the Olympic & Titanic, was sunk by a mine off the Greek island of Kea on 21st November 1916 with the loss of thirty of her crew of over a thousand; apparently, she was the largest ship sunk during the Great War.  And on 17th April 1917, the Lanfranc, still plying the evacuation route between Le Havre & Southampton, was torpedoed without warning by UB-40 and sunk, killing thirteen British and fifteen German wounded, five crew, and one member of the R.A.M.C. staff.  Among the survivors were 152 wounded German soldiers.  The Asturias, although torpedoed in 1917 and beached by her crew, was raised, towed to port and later repaired and refitted as a cruise ship.

Thanks to Magicfingers.