Seaford resident Cuthbert Bromley distinguished himself during the Gallipoli landings on 25 April 1915. Cuthbert was born to his parents, John and Marie Louisa in Hammersmith, London before the family moved to live in Seaford. One of four brothers, Cuthbert had originally intended to enter either the medical profession or the civil service upon the […]
Did you know that the Royal House of Windsor as we recognise it today originated during the First World War? At the outbreak of the First World War the monarchies of Britain, Germany and Russia were all held by the descendants of Queen Victoria. George V ruled Britain as King of the House Saxe-Coburg and […]
Did you know that the traditional Sussex sport was used during the First World War to help rehabilitate soldiers? Stoolball has always been a sport heavily connected with Sussex and dates back to the Middle Ages where players would use their hand to defend a wooden stool from being hit by the ball. In its modern format, […]
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 […]
Did you know that the famous Ladybird Books for children started publication in August 1914? The company originated in 1867 when Henry Wills began publishing assorted street directories and travel guidebooks in Loughborough, Leicestershire. The arrival of his publishing partner William Hepworth in 1904 gave the company a new name, Wills & Hepworth, and a […]
Did you know that tanks, which were invented during the First World War, got their name as part of a plot to trick the Germans? During 1915 it became clear that the German defenses on the Western Front was going to prevent the possibility of any large scale British or French breakthrough. In an attempt to […]
During the First World War, many women across the country chose to support the war effort by becoming VAD nurses, while those who were already qualified nurses immediately offered their services. In Bexhill, the Bray family included three qualified Nursing Sisters whose service in the First World War was recognized in the Bexhill Observer of […]
Cooden Camp was a military training camp established in Bexhill at the start of the war. Situated near Cooden Beach Golf Club and Henry Young’s Cooden Mount residence, on what had been farmland between Cooden Sea Road to the east, and Cooden Wood, to the west. The initial occupants of the camp were housed under […]
Did you know that there was a total solar eclipse on 21 August 1914 only weeks after the outbreak of the First World War? The eclipse was primarily visible in Eastern Europe and came only a few days after the Russian army had invaded East Prussia. The outbreak of war in Europe prevented many astronomers […]
