During the First World War, the size and scale of some of the weaponry produced devastating wounds and losses on soldiers. In order to provide some protection to the men in the front lines, armies explored the possibility of providing them with different types of armour. Soldiers in the British army at the outbreak of […]
Saturday 28th March 2015 marked the 100th anniversary of the death of Private Frank Taylor, Bexhill’s first Territorial to die during the First World War and the town’s 22nd war death during the conflict. Frank Taylor lived at 6 Cumberland Road, Sidley, and before the war he worked as an Errand Boy at the grocers on […]
Three members of Tony Titchener’s family served in the army during the First World War. Andrew Doyle is one of three relatives who were killed in World War 1 and are commemorated on the war memorial on Rottingdean Village Green. He was a 31 year old former ship’s steward born in Belfast married to my […]
Charles Frederick Onslow Wickham was my great uncle on my mother’s side. He grew up at Witherenden Mill, the eldest son of the miller and farmer, Henry Charles Wickham. The family story is that Charles was sent to Australia before the First World War, having got a local girl pregnant – she subsequently called herself […]
Following their mobilisation in 1914 the Sussex Yeomanry was soon deployed to Gallipoli in 1915. The South-East Mounted Brigade (of which Sussex Yeomanry was a part) was attached to the 42nd Division, a Territorial Infantry Division from the Manchester area. This Division was very much the worse for wear from heavy fighting and dysentery. It […]
In the Spring of 1915 the Sussex Yeomanry were stationed at Canterbury and were part of the South-Eastern Mounted Brigade. Training was carried out at a Squadron, Regimental and Brigade level. The Regimental horse show was held in May and cricket was played regularly at the Canterbury Ground. The effect of the war however started […]
William Frederick Henshaw William Henshaw lived in Bexhill on Sea (Near Egerton Park) and worked as a Bricklayer. He was the son of George and Sarah Henshaw, of Crowborough; husband of Lilian Mary Henshaw, of 23, Cornwall Rd., Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex. He was killed by artillery fire in Ypres 1915, aged 40. His name appears on […]
L/Cpl. Henry Wooller Killed 17 June 1918 aged 27 G/651 9th Bn Royal Sussex Regiment Henry Wooller, was born at Malthouse Cottages Red Lion Street Willingdon on 30 November 1890. He was the elder of two sons of David and Emily Wooller with a younger sister Elsie, my grandmother. Harry was typical of many of […]
Christmas during the First World War was as much a story of distance as it was of bonding, and this is reflected in the experiences of East Sussex soldiers and civilians. One of the enduring (and indeed endearing) images is the First World War is that of the famous ‘Christmas Truce’ of 1914. What began […]
My great uncle Ernest Wooller was born at Malthouse Cottages, Red Lion Street, Willingdon on 10 October 1895, the younger of two sons of David and Emily Wooller. He enlisted in the 12th Bn. Royal Sussex Regiment at Bexhill on 17 September 1914, aged 18. His elder brother, Henry had already enlisted in the 9th […]
