Brendon, North Devon
WORLD WAR 1 1914-1918
CORPORAL Albert James Ash (1895-1918)
Albert James Ash was born in 1895 at Brendon. He was the son of John Ash (1865-1945) and Isabella Ash nee Rossiter (1866–1924) who resided at 2 Bridge Ball, Brendon. Albert's Father was a farm labourer at Combe Park Farm nr Hillsford Bridge, Lynton. Albert came from a large family and his siblings were:
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When War came Albert enlisted as 8442 Private Albert James Ash of the Devonshire Regiment. He was later transferred to the 5th Battalion of the King's Liverpool Regiment, where he served as 51285 Corporal Albert J. Ash.
He was killed in action in France on the 1st of October 1918, aged 23 years. Albert is commemorated upon the Brendon War Memorial, However, his grave is located at Fourquieres Churchyard Extension, Pas de Calais, France, at plot number: IV. H. 14. |
PRIVATE Charles Lethaby (1894-1917)
He was born in Brendon in 1894 and was the son of George Lethaby (1865-1927) and Sarah Lethaby nee Handford (1864-1922). His Father was a Stonemason and the family lived at Bridge Ball, Brendon. Charles had nine siblings: Mary Ann 'Annie' Lethaby (1888-1952), Frank Lethaby (1891-1892), Herbert Lethaby (1893-1960), Elsie Maude Lethaby (1897-1975), Ellen May Lethaby (1899-1969), Hettie Lillian Lethaby (1900-1925), George Owen Lethaby (1902-1969), Florence Lethaby (1906-1906), and Ida Sarah Lethaby (1907-1984). During WW1 Charles enlisted into the Army in 1915 and served as 11972 Private Charles Lethaby of the 9th (Service) Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. He was killed in action at Zonnebeke, Belgium on the 9th of October 1917, aged 23 years, but his body was never recovered. In addition to being remembered on the Brendon War Memorial, his name also appears on panel 38-40 on the Tyne Cot Memorial at Zonnebeke, Arrondissement Ieper, West Flanders, Belgium. Charles was posthumously awarded the 1915 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal, on the 26th of June 1921. Of Charles' nine siblings we know the following: Mary Ann 'Annie' Lethaby (1888-1952) was born in Brendon on the 26th of March 1888. On October the 1st 1911 she married Thomas John Kift Floyde (1889-1964), who was a Postman in Lynton and they made their home in Barbrook where they raised a family of seven children. Tragedy struck on the night of the 15th of August 1952 with the Lynmouth Flood Disaster. A storm with heavy rainfall, combined with already saturated soil and flood debris, led to the flooding of the Barbrook and Lynmouth area, in which more than 100 buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged and 38 cars were washed out to sea. In total, 34 people died, including Mary Ann Floyde nee Lethaby, her son; Frederick Charles Floyde (1925-1952), her daughter; Elsie Doris Bowen nee Floyde (1920-1952), her son-in-law; Ronald Bowen (1914-1952), and her grandchildren; David Thomas Bowen (1940-1952), and Kenneth Ronald Frederick Bowen (1942-1952). They all share a family grave at Lynton's new cemetery (except 12-year-old David Thomas Bowen, whose body was swept out to sea and never recovered). Their names are also inscribed on the Lynmouth Flood Disaster Memorial located inside the church of St. Mary the Virgin, Lynton. Frank Lethaby (1891-1892) He died as an infant aged 1 year. Herbert Lethaby (1893-1960) was born in Brendon in 1893 and by the age of 18 years had followed in his Father's footsteps to become a Stonemason. On the 8th of October 1915 he volunteered into the Royal North Devon Yeomanry, a Territorial Force, trained and equipped as hussars for home defence. On the 3rd of July 1916 he married Maud Louise Small (1890-1965) at Brendon Church and raised a family of four children. On the 7th of April 1917 he joined the Army Regulars and served in the Royal Engineers (Road and Quarries Unit) as W.R.25168 Pioneer Herbert Lethaby. He received the 1915 Star for his Territorial Service and the British War Medal and Victory Medal for his service during WW1 in the Royal Engineers. Following the War he returned to his profession as a Stonemason and relocated to Plymouth to work in Heavy stonework and road construction. On retirement Herbert and Maud moved to live at 2 Burnells Cottage, Barbrook Hill, Lynton, - where he died on the 19th of June 1960. Elsie Maude Lethaby (1897-1975) was born at Brendon on the 10th of February 1897. By 14 years of age she had left school and she never married. In 1939, aged 42 years, she was a single lady residing at 431 Wargrave Road, Newton-Le-Willows, Lancashire, and employed as a Grocery Packer. She died aged 78 years in September 1975 at Warrington, Cheshire. Ellen May Lethaby (1899-1969) was born at Brendon on the 12th of August 1899. In 1922 Ellen had a daughter; Florence May Leathaby (1922-1960). In 1929 Ellen married Percy William Playsted (1887-1933) – a habitual criminal from London who had served several prison sentences for theft. Ellen returned to London with Percy and they made their home in Chelsea, where they had two children; Percival George Playsted (1930-2011), and Muriel Jean Playsted (1931–?). Following the death of her first husband Ellen was married for a second time; in 1936 to Bertram Henry Martin (1881-1964) – a Postman from Hastings, and the family relocated to live at 27 Cornfield Terrace, Hastings. In 1937 Ellen and Bertram had a daughter; Sheila Lilian Joyce Martin (1937-2010). Ellen May Martin (previously Playstead) nee Lethaby died on the 27th of December 1969 at Enfield, Middlesex, aged 70 years. |
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Hettie Lillian Lethaby (1900-1925) She was born in Brendon in 1900 but died very young on the 27th of June 1925, aged 24 years. She shares a grave with her parents in Brendon's Churchyard.
George Owen Lethaby (1902-1969) He was born in Brendon on the 7th of September 1902 and entered service in the Royal Navy as a 'Boy Sailor' at age 12 on the 2nd of September 1920 (Service number J.99185). He was first sent to HMS Vivid III, a shore-based training establishment at Devonport, Plymouth, for the Royal Naval Division Trawler Section, before serving on several ships, including; The Battleship HMS Revenge, the Dreadnought Battleship HMS King George V, the Battleship HMS Valiant, the Battleship HMS Resolution, the Battlecruiser HMS Hood, the Light Cruiser HMS Comus, the Light Cruiser HMS Concord, the Cruiser HMS Curlew, and in 1928 he was transferred to be stationed at HMS Tamar – The Royal Naval shore establishment in Hong Kong. Throughout his time in the Royal Navy he served as an Able Seaman. He was awarded the RN Long Service and Good conduct Medal on the 18th of August 1941 and left the Royal Navy sometime after the end of WW2. A couple of interesting facts from his Naval records are that in 1921, whilst serving on HMS Revenge, he suffered an accident which required the top of his left middle finger to be amputated. Whilst at home on leave in Brendon on the 22nd of August 1926 George and his friend; Frank Tucker (a Labourer from Brendon) were arrested and charged with; 'At Brendon, wounding Edward John Pearce Turner with intent to do him grievous bodily harm'. The case was heard at Barnstaple County Court on the 6th of October 1926 but was transferred for trial at Exeter Castle Crown Court on the 3rd of November 1926. At the trial George was found 'not guilty', but his friend; Frank Tucker was found 'guilty' and was sentenced by the Judge (Mr Justice Talbot) to 12 months imprisonment with hard labour. In 1935 George married Bridget 'Betty' Ryan (1907-2003) and the couple had nine children. In 1939 Betty and her children were living at St. Mary Street, Stonehouse, Plymouth – being close to the RN Dockyard at Devonport for George's return on leave. Following retirement George and his family moved back to the local area and resided in Lynton. George died on the 16th of August 1969, aged 67 years. His grave is located at the Lynton New Cemetery, and is shared with his wife; Betty, who died in 2003, aged 95 years. Florence Lethaby (1906-1906) She was born and died in Brendon as an infant. Ida Sarah Lethaby (1907-1984) She was born in Brendon on the 14th of February 1907, and in June 1936 married Reuben Last Gooch (1891-1946) at Hastings, Sussex. Reuben was a widower and his previous wife had died in 1924. He had served as a Soldier in the Norfolk Regiment during WW1, but in 1936 he was a Kitchen Worker in a local hotel. Following his marriage to Ida the couple set-up home at 5 Castle Cliff, Hastings where they raised a family of, at least, three children. Later in life the family moved to Swindon in Wiltshire, where Ida died in 1984, aged 77 years. |
PRIVATE Arthur Scott Richards (1884-1917)
Arthur Scott Richards was born in Brendon on the 18th of July 1884 and was the son of John William Richards (1856-1937) of Lynton and Elizabeth Richards nee Blackmore (1856-1936) of Parracombe. His Father was a Boot and Shoemaker, as well as the local Sub-Postmaster of Brendon. Arthur had four siblings:
At the start of WW1 In 1914 Arthur joined the Canadian Army and served as 784793 Private Arthur Scott Richards in the Canadian Infantry (Eastern Ontario Regiment). A little-known fact is that up-to 60% of Soldiers from the Canadian Expeditionary Force were of British birth. There being no restrictions on joining, men from England would join the Canadian Army, rather than the British Army, due to the more attractive pay and conditions. He was killed in action in France on the 9th of April 1917 at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, aged 32 years and has no known grave. In addition to the Brendon War Memorial, his name also appears on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial at Vimy, Pas-de-Calais, France. The memorial is dedicated to the memory of Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed during the First World War. Following his death his widow Elizabeth (known as Lizzie) remarried in 1922 to Ernest Charles Richards (1883-1932) - who was one of Arthur's elder brothers. Of Arthur's four siblings we know the following: John William Richards (1878-1962) married Margaret Jane Foster (1883-1956) on the 18th of December 1912 at Fivemiletown Co. Tyrone, Ireland, and they had two daughters. After the death of his Father in 1937 he took-over the position of Sub-Postmaster for Brendon and lived at the Post Office in the village. In 1962 his address appeared as The Staghunters Inn, Brendon. He died at Lynton Cottage Hospital on the 23rd of February 1962 and is buried in Brendon Churchyard. |
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George Richards (1879-1915). At age 12 he was working as a servant at Brendon Rectory for the Reverend Herbert Edward Ayre, before joining the Royal Navy on the 22nd of August 1896. On the 1st of April 1906 he married Maude Mary Sutton (1885-1919) at Bere Ferrers, Devon. The couple set-up home in Torpoint, Cornwall, and on the 27th of April 1909 they had a son: Cyril George Richards.
George Richards progressed his career in the Royal Navy and rose to the rank of Petty Officer. On the 29th of July 1914 he joined the Ship's Company aboard HMS Goliath and was killed on the night of 12th-13th May 1915 at Morto Bay, close to Cape Helles, Gallipoli, when the ship was attacked and sunk by a Turkish Torpedo Boat. Harold Richards (1881-1891). He died aged just 11 years and has his grave in Brendon's Churchyard. Ernest Charles Richards (1882-1932). On 15 Oct 1898 he joined the Royal Navy and rose to the rank of Petty Officer before leaving the Navy on the 19th of May 1922. During his service he was awarded the 'Distinguished Service Medal (DSM). In 1922 at Devonport, Plymouth, he married Elizabeth Richards nee snell (1883-1968) - who was the widow of his brother Arthur, and in October 1922 they had a daughter Monica Elizabeth Richards. At the time of Ernest's death in 1932 his address was registered as Brendon Post Office. He was 50 years of age and has his grave in Brendon's Churchyard. |
PETTY OFFICER George Richards (1879-1915)
He was born in Brendon on the 6th of April 1879 and was the son of John William Richards (1856-1937) of Lynton and Elizabeth Richards nee Blackmore (1856-1936) of Parracombe. His Father was a Boot and Shoemaker, as well as the local Sub-Postmaster of Brendon. George had four siblings:
At age 12 George was working as a servant at Brendon Rectory for the Reverend Herbert Edward Ayre, before joining the Royal Navy on the 22nd of August 1896. On the 1st of April 1906 he married Maude Mary Sutton (1885-1968) at Bere Ferrers, Devon. The couple set-up home in Torpoint, Cornwall and on the 27th of April 1909 they had a son: Cyril George Richards. George Richards progressed his career in the Royal Navy and rose to the rank of Petty Officer. He served on numerous ships and on the 29th of July 1914 joined the Ship's Company aboard HMS Goliath. Of the Canopus class, the Goliath was a typical pre-dreadnought. Completed in 1900, of 13,000 tons and 430-feet long, she carried four 12-inch guns, twelve 6-inch and a large number of smaller weapons. Her crew was over 700. She had provided fire-support for the Gallipoli landings on April 25th, 1915, and continued to do so thereafter, sustaining light damage from Turkish shore batteries. On the night of 12th-13th May 1915 she was anchored in Morto Bay, close to Cape Helles, the southern tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula, in company with a similar vessel HMS Cornwallis. Five destroyers had been assigned to protect them, but visibility was low due to fog. At around 11.30pm the searchlights sweeping the anchorage from the British ships were switched off. (Why this was done is one of the mysteries of the entire operation) but unbeknownst to the Royal Navy a Turkish Torpedo Boat was lurking nearby in the fog patches. The Turkish Torpedo Boats were impressive vessels, designed only for one purpose, that of attack. Of 765 tons and 243-feet long, their two turbines delivering 17,700 HP, and 26 knots, they carried three 18-inch torpedo tubes as well as two 3-inch and two 2.25-inch guns. It was one of these vessels, the Muâvenet-i-Millîye (National Support) that was to be the Goliath's nemesis. Shortly after midnight the Muâvenet-i-Millîye crept down along the shore and the Allied destroyers failed to detect her. At 1am the Goliath was spotted directly ahead. The Turkish vessel's advance was now noticed, and Goliath signalled a request for the night's password, but it was too late. The Muâvenet-i-Millîye was in torpedo-range, and she launched three torpedoes. They proved to be equally spaced along the pre-dreadnought's length – one hit below the bridge, a second below the funnels and the third near the stern. The Goliath capsized and sank almost immediately, so quickly in fact that 570 of her crew of more than 700 were lost, including that of George Richards. He was just 36 years of age and his body was never recovered. |
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Of George's four siblings we know the following:
John William Richards (1878-1962) married Margaret Jane Foster (1883-1956) on the 18th of December 1912 at Fivemiletown Co. Tyrone, Ireland, and they had two daughters. After the death of his Father in 1937 he took-over the position of Sub-Postmaster for Brendon and lived at the Post Office in the village. In 1962 his address appeared as The Staghunters Inn, Brendon. He died at Lynton Cottage Hospital on the 23rd of February 1962 and is buried in Brendon Churchyard. Harold Richards (1881-1891) He died aged just 11 years and has his grave in Brendon's Churchyard. Ernest Charles Richards (1883-1932) On the 15th of October 1898 he joined the Royal Navy and rose to the rank of Petty Officer before leaving the Navy on the 19th of May 1922. During his service he was awarded the 'Distinguished Service Medal (DSM). In 1922 at Devonport, Plymouth, he married Elizabeth Richards nee snell (1883-1968) - who was the widow of his brother Arthur, and in October 1922 they had a daughter Monica Elizabeth Richards. At the time of Ernest's death in 1932 his address was registered as Brendon Post Office. He was 50 years of age and has his grave in Brendon's Churchyard. Arthur Scott Richards (1884-1917) At the start of WW1 In 1914 Arthur joined the Canadian Army and served as 784793 Private Arthur Scott Richards in the Canadian Infantry (Eastern Ontario Regiment). A little-known fact is that up-to 60% of Soldiers from the Canadian Expeditionary Force were of British birth. There being no restrictions on joining, men from England would join the Canadian Army, rather than the British Army, due to the more attractive pay and conditions. He was killed in action in France on the 9th of April 1917 at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, aged 32 years and has no known grave. In addition to the Brendon War Memorial, his name also appears on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial at Vimy, Pas-de-Calais, France. The memorial is dedicated to the memory of Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed during the First World War. Following his death his widow Elizabeth (known as Lizzie) remarried in 1922 to Ernest Charles Richards (1883-1932) - who was one of Arthur's elder brothers. |
LIEUTENANT Alfred Felix Schuster (1883-1914)
He was born in Hampstead, London, on the 30th of July 1883 and was the son of Dr Maximillian Ernest Joseph Schuster (1850-1924) and Mathilde (Hilda) Elisabetha Weber (1857-1911). His parents had been married in London in 1876, although his family were originally of German (Jewish) ancestry in Frankfurt. Alfred's Grandfather and his family (including Alfred's Father) had relocated to England by 1871 and had converted to Christianity. Alfred's Grandfather was both a Merchant and Foreign Banker, whilst Alfred's Father became a Barrister-at-Law. Alfred's Mother was the daughter of Sir Hermann David Weber (1823–1918) and Matilda Gruning (1834-1911). Mathilde's Grandfather and his family had also immigrated to England from Germany sometime before 1854.
Alfred was the youngest child of the family and had three elder siblings:
Alfred was educated first at Stoke House, Stoke Poges, and then at Charterhouse, where he held junior and senior scholarships; and finally he was an Exhibitioner of New College, Oxford, where he took a second class in Moderations and a second class in Lit. Human. He joined the Kerry Militia (Royal Munster Fusiliers) on the 29th of July 1905 as 2nd Lieutenant, being promoted to Lieutenant in August 1908. Prior to the First World War, the regiment's three militia battalions served as reserve battalions. In July 1910, when the Militia was disbanded, he transferred to the 4th (Queen's Own) Hussars Special Reserve (North Somerset Yeomanry Officers). His local connection to Somerset being that his Father, for many years, rented a property at Wilsham, Brendon, Near Lynton – being just over the Devon/Somerset boarder. It was whilst here that he hunted with The Devon & Somerset Staghounds. He also hunted with the Vale of White Horse, The Quorn, and in 1908 won the Bar Point-to-point Lightweight Race. In 1906 he followed his Father's footsteps to become a Barrister-at-Law (Inner Temple), and in 1911 he published a book entitled 'The German Commercial Code', with the introduction given by his Father. In 1913 he joined the publishing firm of Sidgwick and Jackson. In his personal life he became a member of The New University Club, The Cavendish Club, and The Garrick. When war came Alfred was one of the first to be dispatched to France and Flanders, serving with the 4th (Queen's Own) Hussars. He disembarked for France on the 27th of August 1914 with the expeditionary force. He was killed in action on the 20th of November 1914 in the most advanced trench at Hooge, near Ypres, Belgium. His body was never identified/recovered. |
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He was posthumously awarded the 1914 Star on the 26th of June 1919, and the 1914 Star Clasp together with the British War Medal and Victory Medal on the 12th of April 1921.
The stained glass window at St Brendan's Church, Brendon, is one of six known memorials to Alfred. The second is on the Brendon War Memorial in the Churchyard. The third is located on Panel 5 of the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium. The fourth is a memorial plaque at Zillebeke Church, near Leper, Belgium. The fifth is on a side panel of his Father's grave at Hampstead Cemetery, London. The sixth and final memorial can be found at St James Church in Nether Worton, Oxfordshire. |
CAPTAIN George Robert Wiggin (1889-1916)
He was born at Forehill House, Alvechurch, on the 22nd of February 1889 and was the son of Walter William Wiggin (1856-1936) and Edith Wiggin nee Adkins (1868-1950) of Forehill House, Alvechurch. His father was a Nickel and Cobalt Refiner and a local Justice of the Peace, who also had a military career as a Captain in the 3rd Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment, rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Worcestershire Yeomanry.
George was educated at Eton College, Windsor, and then at Trinity College, Cambridge University. At the commencement of WW1 he was already a Lieutenant in the 1st/1st Worcestershire Yeomanry, and was later promoted to Captain. On the 9th of April 1915 the regiment were sent to Egypt as part of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, sailing from Avonmouth, Bristol, and arriving at Chatby Camp near Alexandria on the 24th of April 1915. Later that year they were deployed to Gallipoli, arriving at Sulva Bay on the 18th of August 1915 as dismounted cavalry. They took part in the attacks on Chocolate Hill and Hill 112 but by early September 1915 their numbers were heavily reduced due to a combination of severe sickness and battle casualties. This resulted in the regiment merging with 1/1st Gloucestershire and 1/1st Warwickshire Yeomanry to form the 1st South Midland Regiment. By late October 1915 they were evacuated from Gallipoli to the Greek Island of Mudros, and by December had been returned to Egypt. The regiment were then redeployed to Sinai as part of the defence force protecting the Suez Canal. Captain Wiggin was killed in action, aged 27 years, on the 23rd of April 1916 whilst commanding C Squadron of the Worcesters during the Battle of Qatia, also known as the Affair of Qatia. It was an engagement fought east of the Suez Canal and north of El Ferdan Station, in the vicinity of Qatia and Oghratina. The exact circumstances of his death are unclear; one version tells of Captain Wiggin being wounded and knocked unconscious by shrapnel from the Ottoman shelling at about 1.30pm, later to have regained consciousness and then collapsing from blood loss around 3pm whilst attempting to ride-out to find reinforcements. A second version simply reports him as missing in action, presumed killed, after the shelling of the area by the enemy. The stories are further complicated, or confused, by the fact that Major W.H. Wiggin (a relative of George's) was wounded at Qatia and managed to withdraw with about half the squadron. Qatia fell to the Turkish forces with the loss of all of the Yeomanry’s officers except Major W.H. Wiggin. It is equally unclear if George's body was buried at Qatia in the desert sands, or, if his body was never found. However, he has no known grave and is commemorated on Panel 4 of the Jerusalem Memorial. He has several other known memorials in England. These are located at:
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The Birmingham Mail of the 10th of July 1916 reported:
Lieut George Robert Wiggin of the Yeomanry, reported missing after the Sinai Peninsula engagement, was killed. He was the only surviving son of Lieut-Colonel W.W. Wiggin of Forehill House, Alvechurch. |