Hungarton in the Great War those who died in action

Hungarton in the Great War those who died in action This study was undertaken in recognition of the one hundredth anniversary of the start of the Great War in August 1914. The intention was to find out more about the local men who died in action during the war. Only the briefest of details were originally recorded (sometimes only surname and initials) because, in a small village like Hungarton, everyone would have known them. A wide range of sources of information has been used, including the 1891, 1901 and 1911 Censuses, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Leicestershire Regiment and Leicestershire Yeomanry archives, British Army Service Records, Leicestershire Record Office and Hungarton churchyard. It has not been possible to contact any living relatives of the men although Maureen Wattam, who has lived in the village since 1928, has been very helpful in providing more information about a number of their family members who survived the war. Thanks are also due to Dennis Roe for using his extensive genealogical research expertise to locate much of the information. The Roll of Honour for the Parish of Hungarton lists all the parishioners who were involved in the World Wars of 1914-18 and 1939-1945 and is kept in the church. Out of a population of approximately 260 (taken from the 1911 Census), sixty two men served in the forces in the Great War and eight men were killed in action. They were: Alfred Bonner William Dowell John Reginald Mitchinson Ellis John Robert Gamble William Edward Gregory E Greenaway R Routledge Daniel John Smith The War Memorial next to the church lists five of the men but, for some reason, the last three on the list above are not included. It is known that some families did not want to have their deceased relatives details included in memorials. Other families had possibly moved away and could not be traced to seek their permission. The men s details are listed in alphabetical order on the following pages. L Faulkner, Hungarton 17 August 2014

Alfred Bonner Alfred Bonner was born in Bottesford, Leicestershire on 9 November 1891. His father, also Alfred, was a railway signalman (later a station master). His mother was Frances Mary. He was one of six siblings, two of whom died as children. In 1901 he was recorded as living in Bottesford with his parents and two brothers, Herbert and Frederic. In 1911 they were living at Station Cottage, Bulwell, Nottingham. He married Beatrice Anne Cunliffe in March 1914 His attestation to join the army for the duration of the war was dated December 1915, at which time he was working as a golf club maker and professional and living in Bulwell. His medical record shows that he was 5 feet 4 ½ inches tall and weighed 134 pounds. He was enlisted into the Sherwood Foresters regiment as a private in April 1916. He was posted to France in August 1916 and was wounded several times before he was finally recorded as being wounded and missing in action on 25 June 1917, barely a year after he had enlisted. He was 25. As well as being commemorated on the Hungarton war memorial he is also remembered at the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial in France. The Nottingham Evening Post reported his death thus: "NOTTINGHAM GOLFER KILLED News has been received in Nottingham that private Alfred Bonner of the Sherwood Foresters who for several years has acted as the professional to the Bulwell Forest Golf Club has been killed in action. His father was station master at Bulwell Forest Station when Bonner, as a lad, became assistant to Walter Tedder whom he succeeded in the capacity of professional. A fine player, Bonner had a capital style and played some brilliant golf at times, notably at Hollinwell in an exhibition match two or three years ago when he was partnered by Harry Varden. He joined the army barely two years ago, and the news of his death will be received with keen regret by all golfers in Nottingham and District." He left effects to the value of 63 to his widow. His body was never found and she received a widow s service pension of 13 shillings and nine pence a week once he was assumed to be dead for official purposes in March 1918. His brother Frederic, a golf apprentice, served with the Royal Garrison Artillery. He survived the war and is also mentioned on the Hungarton Roll of Honour. The reason why the brothers were commemorated in Hungarton is believed to be because their father was a signalman locally, around 1901.

William Dowell William Dowell was born in late 1888 at Glen Parva, Leicestershire and his brother, Walter Thomas, was also born there in 1892. In 1891 he was living at Dowell s Lodge with his father Thomas (1863-1911), a farmer, and mother Frances Elizabeth (1860-1893) but they had moved to Hungarton by 1893. In 1901 he was living with his father, now a grazier, and step-mother Sarah Jane (born 1859), next door to the Black Boy. It is believed that the publican at the Black Boy, William Dowell (born 1839), was his grandfather The 1911 Census shows that he was staying with his step-mother (both of his natural parents having died) in Hungarton although he was working as a certificated elementary school master for the Isle of Ely County Council, which existed from 1889 to 1964. He enlisted in Ascot, Berkshire and was initially a private (25435) in the Wiltshire Regiment. He later transferred to the Somerset Light Infantry and was killed in action on 16 September 1916 in the Somme, aged 28. As well as being commemorated on the Hungarton war memorial he is also remembered at Thiepval Memorial in northern France, which bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. His brother Walter, who survived the war, is also commemorated on Hungarton s memorial. The Roll of Honour states that he was a Lieutenant in the Coldstream Guards, although he was also attached to the Leicestershire Regiment. He was awarded the Military Cross and the award was listed in the Supplement to the London Gazette dated 19 November 1917. He co-ordinated the fundraising for the re-gilding of the dial of the church clock in 1937 and there is a framed chart which lists all the donors next to the organ in the church. They lived in what is now Pear Tree Cottage. He died in 1950 when he was living at 5 Knighton Church Road in Leicester. He is buried with his wife, Marjorie Annie who died in 1992, in Hungarton churchyard. He left effects to the value of nine hundred and twelve pounds fourteen shillings and one penny to his widow.

John Reginald Mitchinson Ellis John Reginald Mitchinson Ellis was born in Hungarton on 31 March 1891. His father was Rev John Ellis who was living at Hungarton Vicarage from 1886 to 1918. In 1911 JRM Ellis was working as an assistant master at Bromyard Grammar School, Herefordshire. The school was founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1566, although it no longer exists. Its name lives on, though, as a charitable education foundation. He then moved to Canada where he worked as a rancher. He enlisted in the Canadian Infantry (Manitoba Regiment) in September 1914 at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier in Quebec. This was originally erected as a military training camp in August 1914 as part of the mobilisation of the Canadian Expeditionary Force at the onset of WWI. He was 5 feet 7 ½ inches tall. JRM Ellis was wounded near Ypres and died on 9 August 1916, aged 25. He is buried at Hazebrouck Communal Cemetery in France. Commonwealth burials began there in October 1914 and continued until July 1918. The cemetery contains 877 Commonwealth burials from WWI. There is a bronze memorial to him in the chancel of the church as well as the commemoration on the Hungarton war memorial The Hungarton Roll of Honour records that he was a Sergeant when he died although his inscription at Hazebrouck states that he held the rank of Lieutenant.

John Robert Gamble John Robert Gamble was born in Hungarton in 1892. His father, John (1868-1947), was a builder and carpenter and his mother was Emma Nelson (1869-1951). It is understood that they lived in the Cottage, Main Street, and that his father later became an undertaker and made coffins. His brother Arthur Richard (1899-1965) married Hilda Goodman (1904-1990) from Leicester and they had a grocer s. He was a trooper in the Royal Horse Guards in WWI. He was a staff sergeant major in the Leicestershire Yeomanry in WWII and Hilda was a village warden. His sister Florence M (1895-1989) did secretarial work for Quenby Hall and was in the Red Cross during WWII. She lived until she was 102. The whole family is buried in Hungarton churchyard. Records of his paternal ancestors go back to his great- great- grandfather who was born in 1750 in Keyham. Over the years the family moved from Keyham via Cold Newton to Hungarton. JR Gamble joined the Leicestershire Yeomanry at Melton Mowbray and became a lance corporal. He died on 13 May 1915 at Frezenberg, during the Second Battle of Ypres. As well as being commemorated on the Hungarton war memorial he is also remembered at the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial in France and on the Oakham Castle Memorial in Rutland. The total British losses in the battle amounted to 59,275 men killed, wounded or missing. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records that 13 May was a day of ceaseless rain and shelling, with a German break-in on 7th Cavalry Brigade s quagmire of a front and enemy bombardments causing temporary evacuations of 4th Division s line; counter-attacks and skilful use of support troops restored the situation though at heavy cost in lives. Six days of intense fighting yielded German gains of around 1,000 yards of front but at such high cost in casualties that offensive operations were halted. The remnants of the Leicestershire Yeomanry played a prominent part in the action on 13 May, not only clinging on to their trenches during almost four hours of bombardment but also fighting off infantry assaults for another seven. In the words of a Leicestershire Yeomanry survivor "We came out a broken Regiment".

William Edward Gregory William Edward Gregory was born in Hungarton in 1893. His parents were Edward (1858-1929), who was a general labourer, and Elizabeth (1861-1948) and they are both buried in Hungarton churchyard. They all lived at the Post Office in Hungarton from at least 1901 to 1911 and it is believed that the sub postmistress, Charlotte Knight (born 1831), was his grandmother. She was still running the post office at the age of 80. He became a farm labourer before enlisting in London into the Leicestershire Regiment as a private. He joined the battalion in the field in October 1915 and died three months later on 7 January 1916 in Mesopotamia near the Persian Gulf, at the age of 22. There is a marble memorial to him in the church as well as the commemoration on the Hungarton war memorial. He is also remembered at the Basra Memorial in Iraq. He never married and so his effects, valued at one hundred and seven pounds, twelve shillings and one penny, were left to his father.

E Greenaway No information is known about E Greenaway other than he was a private in the Leicestershire Regiment. His name is in the Hungarton Roll of Honour but not on the War Memorial. It is understood that some families did not want to have their details included and this might explain why so little is known about him. However, it is believed that the initial was incorrectly recorded (mistaking the C for an E) and that this actually refers to Charles William Greenaway, who was born in Hornsey, Middlesex in around 1896. His father was George (born in Hoxteth, London in 1866), who lived at Tickencote, Rutland and was working as a caretaker in 1911. His mother, Julia Louisa, was born in 1874. CW Greenaway enlisted in September 1914 in Aberdeen as a private in the Leicestershire Regiment. He left for France on 19 July 1915. He was killed in action on 1 October 1917 at Polygon Wood during the third battle of Ypres. The battle lasted between 26 September and 3 October. Polygon Wood was totally destroyed during the war and it was replanted after the war. Before enlistment he was a footman and, once in the Army, he became a soldier servant to his company commander who was killed in the same action. He is remembered at Tyne Cot Memorial in Belgium. There is no obvious link with Hungarton or Leicestershire and the intriguing facts are that both he and Daniel John Smith (see later) worked as footmen and enlisted into the 9 th battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment in Aberdeen. Their service numbers are consecutive - 14892 and 14893!

R Routledge No information is known about R Routledge other than that his name (no other details) is in the Hungarton Roll of Honour although not on the War Memorial. It is understood that some families did not want to have their details included and this might explain why so little is known about him. However, it is believed that the initial was incorrectly recorded (mistaking the A for an R) and that this actually refers to Arthur Frederick Victor Routledge who was born in 1889 at Highgate, London. His parents Arthur Chapelhorn and Selina were living at 13, Tregothnan Road, Stockwell, London. In 1901 the family was living at 116 Junction Road, Islington. His father was working as an upholsterer. There were a total of five children, the others being Lilian D (born 1887), Edward H (born 1891), Emily (born 1896) and Leonard G (born 1899). AFV Routledge enlisted into the Leicestershire Regiment in Leicester as a private on 7 September 1914, right at the start of the war. Almost 200,000 men volunteered in the first week of September 1914. He was working as a footman at Quenby Hall at the time. He was killed in action on 14 April 1917 and is remembered at the St Leger British Cemetery in France and at Stockwell War Memorial in London. Thomas Routledge, who married Freda Farmer from Houghton on the Hill in 1957, and lived in one of the cottages which now forms Lilac Cottage, is believed to have been a gardener at Baggrave Hall. It has not been possible to find any link between him and AFV Routledge, though.

Daniel John Smith Daniel John Smith was born in about 1892 at Brown Candover, Hampshire. At the time of enlisting as a private in the Leicestershire Regiment in Aberdeen in September 1915 he was working as a footman. He died on 14 July 1916 in Flanders, aged 24, less than a year after enlisting. His parents, Thomas and Mary Smith of Sindlesham, Wokingham, Berkshire both predeceased him. For some reason he is not commemorated on the Hungarton war memorial but he is listed in the Hungarton Roll of Honour. He is also remembered at the Thiepval Memorial in northern France, which bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. It is not known why he is listed in Hungarton s Roll of Honour, given his apparent lack of ties to the area (other than being in the Leicestershire Regiment). However, there is a Thomas Smith, born around 1855 in Yorkshire, shown in the 1881 Hungarton census. He was working as a labourer on the new railway line and could possibly have been his father. The intriguing facts are that both he and Charles William Greenaway (see earlier) worked as footmen and enlisted into the 9 th battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment in Aberdeen. Their service numbers are consecutive - 14892 and 14893!