Cutcombe (Wheddon Cross)
Another hill-country War Memorial was unveiled on Friday last at Wheddon Cross (February 1921) where a neat monument of grey granite has been placed in a conspicuous position at the crossroads. The Memorial was unveiled by Sir R.A Sanders, Bart, M.P., and dedicated by the Reverend. G.L Fitzmaurice (vicar). The Memorial which was designed and made by Messrs. Slade Bros. of Quirke Street, Minehead and takes the form of an obelisk mounted on two square bases of grey granite. It stands on an octagonal base of cement and a small space around has been neatly laid out and gravelled. It is intended when further funds are available to enclose this space with chain railings.
At the hour fixed for the ceremony a large number of parishioners assembled though a bitter wind swept across the hill '(nothing changes)'. From the direction of the school came a small procession including Sir Robert Sanders, Rev. Fitzmaurice, Rev. J Squire (Methodist Minister) and the choir. The Vicar read out the inscription and names on the Memorial and a number of wreaths were laid. One large wreath of laurel leaves tied with a red, white and blue ribbon having the place of honour at the front as representing the village. There then followed a service. The bugler was Mr W House of the Minehead Branch of the Comrades of the Great War. |
Cutcombe Church War Memorial
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John Bennett
Son of John and Eleanor Bennett, of The Green, Wheddon Cross, Cutcombe, Somerset. John came from a large family of 10 children - mainly girls, John Reginald and Rowland being the youngest group.
Rank: Private. Service No: 21477 Regiment/Service: Somerset Light Infantry, 6th Bn. Date of Death: 04/09/1916 Age: 25 Killed in action. Memorial: THIEPVAL MEMORIAL, Somme, France. Pier and Face 2 A. |
Reginald James Bennett
Son of John and Eleanor Bennett, of The Green, Wheddon Cross, Cutcombe, Somerset. Reginald came from a large family of 10 children - mainly girls, John Reginald and Rowland being the youngest group.
Rank: Private. Service No: 20669. Regiment/Service: Somerset Light Infantry, 8th Bn. Date of Death: 19/11/1916 Age: 22 Killed in actionI Memorial: THIEPVAL MEMORIAL, Somme, France Panel Reference: Pier and Face 2 A. |
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PRIVATE Author George Crockford (1882-1914)
His name was Author George Crockford BUT has in numerous cases and documents been mis-named as 'Arthur'. He was born at Cutcombe, Somerset, in May 1882 and was the youngest son of George Crockford of Exford, Somerset, (1847-1929) and Emma Crockford nee Baker of Cutcombe, Somerset, (1843-1912). He was baptised at the Church of St. John, Cutcombe, on September the 3rd 1883.
His siblings were: 1. James Crockford (1868-1957) – Emigrated to Canada. 2. Michael Crockford (Feb 1870-April 1870) 3. Rose Emma Mitchell nee Crockford (b.1871) 4. Michael John Crockford (1873-1958) – Emigrated to Canada. 5. William Henry Crockford (1876-1964) 6. Cicely Ann Harvey nee Crockford (b.1880) Author was a Private (Service No. 11614) in the 2nd Battalion of the Grenadier Guards. When war was announced on the 28th of July 1914 he was stationed at Chelsea Barracks in London. His Battalion were ordered to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force and on the 12th of August the Battalion paraded from Chelsea Barracks to Nine Elms to cheering crowds. A train from Nine Elms took them to the coast and they landed in France on the 13th Aug 1914. Author was killed in action in Flanders on the 10th of November 1914, aged 32 years. His body was never recovered/identified and he is commemorated on Panel 9 of the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres, Belgium. At home in England he is commemorated on the War Memorial plaque inside St Johns Church at Cutcombe, Somerset, and on the War Memorial at Wheddon Cross, Somerset. His name also appears (as a memorial only) on his parent's gravestone in the churchyard at St Johns Church, Cutcombe. |
Samuel Norman Melhuish
Born 1892. Son of Robert and Bessie Melhuish, of North Wheddon Farm, Wheddon Cross, Somerset.
Rank: Private. Private 295279 West Somerset Yeomanry, later Service No: 204616. Hampshire Regiment, 15th Bn. Date of Death: 20/09/1917 Age: 25, Killed in action Memorial: TYNE COT MEMORIAL, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Panel 88 to 90 and 162. |
William Smith
William Smith, born Exton, Somerset, 1892, the son of Joseph and Mary Smith. In the 1911 census records he was a baker's groom and resident at Cutcombe. Joined the Canadian army. 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.
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Harold Stevens
Born in 1897 he was the Son of William and Eliza Stevens, of Wheddon Cross, Somerset. In the 1911 census records Harold Stevens was 13 years old and employed as a grocer's errand boy.
He enlisted at Taunton as Private 2125 in the West Somerset Yeomanry, later becoming Private 295515 of the Somerset Light Infantry, 12th (West Somerset Yeomanry) Bn. He died-of-wounds on the 22/10/1918 Age: 21 and was buried at ESTAIRES COMMUNAL CEMETERY AND EXTENSION, Nord, France. Plot V. G. 18. Harold was a bellringer and a member of the Bath and Wells Diocesan Association of Change Ringers. His name appears on the association's war memorial in Bath Abbey. |
CUTCOMBE CONNECTIONS
The following men all have a connection to Cutcombe/Wheddon Cross but whose names do not appear on the War Memorial. - This can be for various reasons but is usually due to them not being a resident of Cutcombe Parish at the time of death.
SHOEING SMITH Horace Pugsley (1890-1917)
He was born at Cutcombe, Somerset, in 1890 and was the son of Silas Pugsley (1854-1917) of Cutcombe and Sarah Pugsley nee Burge (1851-1933) of Exton, who had their home at Wheddon Cross, Somerset.
Horace had three siblings:
He died of wounds, aged 27 years, on the 27th of June 1917, whilst in Belgium. He was buried at the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Poperinge, Arrondissement Ieper, West Flanders (West-Vlaanderen), Belgium Plot XV. D. 14. |
Click on Gallery Image/s (above) to view in large format
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PRIVATE Walter Percival Turner (1882-1917)
He was born at Cutcombe, Somerset, in 1882 and was the son of William Turner of Oakford, Devon (b.1853) and Emma Leah Turner of Brushford, Devon, (b.1852).
He married Annie Louise Moles of Paddington, London, (1873-1944) and the couple made their home at 6 First Avenue, Queen's Park, Paddington, London. In WW1 Walter enlisted into the 7th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers, becoming Private 55282. He was initially based as Finsbury, London, and engaged on home duties but in 1916 the battalion were deployed to France, landing at Le Havre on the 24t of July 1916 and moved to fight on the Western Front. He was killed in action on the 22nd of August 1917, aged 35 years, and buried at Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension, Pas-de-Calais, France. Plot III. E. 48. |
Click on Gallery Image/s (above) to view in large format
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Ernest Hill
Ernest Hill was born in 1876 at Cutcombe, Somerset and was the son of Mary Stone (formerly Hill), of Luckwell Bridge, Wheddon Cross, Somerset, England, and the late John Hill.
He had previously joined the 4th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment in 1894, aged 18, and served in both India (Tirah Expedition, NW Frontier) and South Africa (e.g., the defence of Ladysmith). He afterwards emigrated to Australia, and joined the 2nd Battalion, Australian Infantry at Liverpool, NSW in June 1915. He served in the Dardanelles and Egypt before being transferred to the 54th Battalion in February 1916. The battalion then moved to the Western Front (via Marseilles) in June 1916. The battalion took part in the Battle of Fromelles, which started on the 19th July. On the 20th July, Hill's body was buried near the dressing station at Eaton Hall, near Armentieres. His promotion to Sergeant came through after his death. At the time of his death, Hill would have been around 39 years of age. Rank: Sergeant Service No: 2425 Regiment/Service: Australian Infantry, A.I.F., 54th Bn. Date of Death: Between 19/07/1916 and 20/07/1916 Cemetery: RUE-PETILLON MILITARY CEMETERY, FLEURBAIX, Pas-de-Calais, France. Plot I. K. 11. |
Arthur Webber - Cutcombe Parish
Arthur Webber is known to us all and has many memories to share. Whatever is going on, he has done it. Cricket, Home Guard, YFC, special policeman, rearing poultry, thatching ricks, harbouring deer, working at the market. During the war he mapped all the wells in the area in case the Germans poisoned the water supply; in the 70s he directed weekend traffic in Dunster. He has a reputation as a gardener, photographer and has done tapestry. But singing is his first love. He says there's not a tune in the hymn book he doesn't know something about. A true countryman.
The Second World War seems a long time ago and one wouldn’t expect Cutcombe Parish to have too much involvement but you would be surprised. In earlier months I have mentioned German and Italian prisoners of war working around the Parish. This month I have taken the opportunity of reproducing extracts from Birdie Johnson’s interview with Arthur. Our thanks to them both for allowing permission.
When war broke out Arthur and his brother Sidney joined the Home Guard. They would have to do night duty then come home and start work on the farm.
There were about 20-30 in his Home Guard, with an officer in charge, who usually came from Minehead. He did a course on bombs, and became the one who would deal with any unexploded bombs in the area. On an exercise in a quarry in Dunster, an anti-tank bomb that was supposed to blow up on a rock did not go off, so the officer decided Arthur had to tackle it. He had to lay the fuse and walk quickly to find cover before it exploded. Bossington beach was used for bomb training - he thinks there may still be some bombs there!
He was considered too valuable to agriculture to be called up to the regular army and was provided with a thresher and tractor by the Government that was small enough to be used on Exmoor’s smaller farms. It was his job to take the thresher around to the various farms in the area.
Another of his jobs in the Home Guard was to draw up a plan for the Americans showing them where all the wells in the area could be found because the Americans thought the water supply might be poisoned by the Germans. The Americans found a supply that used to go down to Quarme and took the water up onto the hills where they were camped. One night the Home Guard were invited up to the American camp for dinner – he remembers having a particular type of sausage there he had never tasted before.
There was a hump on the road to Wheddon Cross known as the ‘Colonel’s Bump’ because the soldiers both British and American would drive as fast as they could over it trying to get their jeeps to leave the ground.
American tanks were a common sight and did some damage to the railings near Watercombe – this is still visible today!
The Americans set up their guns near Dunkery Beacon and fired shells to Larkbarrow, eventually destroying it. The flash could be seen from the village followed by a bang a few seconds later. When the war was over there were shell holes left all over the place and they became full of water.
British soldiers were stationed in the Moorland Hall for a while.
The Home Guard knew D Day was coming because of the increase in military traffic in the area. They were sent up to Health Poult for night duty because they could see the bombs better from there. One night he saw 3 bombs land on Dunkery because the pilot had been unable to unload them on South Wales for some reason. The road over Dunkery was closed because of bomb damage. You can still see the holes on Dunkery now.
One night a British plane came down near Cutthorne. The pilot had bailed on the other side of the Exford road and was brought back to Wheddon Cross.
One Sunday seven American airmen parachuted out of a plane, one was found just opposite Cutcombe Church and the others further down the Avill Valley and in Wootton Courtenay. While out in a potato field he saw Spitfires shoot down a German fighter plane over Porlock marshes - there is a memorial there now to mark the spot. Another German plane came down in Bridgetown, where searchlights were positioned on his brother's farm.
They also captured a barrage balloon over their fields which had come over from South Wales. They wound the slack of the balloon's wire round some big trees to make it stop.
Arthur Webber is known to us all and has many memories to share. Whatever is going on, he has done it. Cricket, Home Guard, YFC, special policeman, rearing poultry, thatching ricks, harbouring deer, working at the market. During the war he mapped all the wells in the area in case the Germans poisoned the water supply; in the 70s he directed weekend traffic in Dunster. He has a reputation as a gardener, photographer and has done tapestry. But singing is his first love. He says there's not a tune in the hymn book he doesn't know something about. A true countryman.
The Second World War seems a long time ago and one wouldn’t expect Cutcombe Parish to have too much involvement but you would be surprised. In earlier months I have mentioned German and Italian prisoners of war working around the Parish. This month I have taken the opportunity of reproducing extracts from Birdie Johnson’s interview with Arthur. Our thanks to them both for allowing permission.
When war broke out Arthur and his brother Sidney joined the Home Guard. They would have to do night duty then come home and start work on the farm.
There were about 20-30 in his Home Guard, with an officer in charge, who usually came from Minehead. He did a course on bombs, and became the one who would deal with any unexploded bombs in the area. On an exercise in a quarry in Dunster, an anti-tank bomb that was supposed to blow up on a rock did not go off, so the officer decided Arthur had to tackle it. He had to lay the fuse and walk quickly to find cover before it exploded. Bossington beach was used for bomb training - he thinks there may still be some bombs there!
He was considered too valuable to agriculture to be called up to the regular army and was provided with a thresher and tractor by the Government that was small enough to be used on Exmoor’s smaller farms. It was his job to take the thresher around to the various farms in the area.
Another of his jobs in the Home Guard was to draw up a plan for the Americans showing them where all the wells in the area could be found because the Americans thought the water supply might be poisoned by the Germans. The Americans found a supply that used to go down to Quarme and took the water up onto the hills where they were camped. One night the Home Guard were invited up to the American camp for dinner – he remembers having a particular type of sausage there he had never tasted before.
There was a hump on the road to Wheddon Cross known as the ‘Colonel’s Bump’ because the soldiers both British and American would drive as fast as they could over it trying to get their jeeps to leave the ground.
American tanks were a common sight and did some damage to the railings near Watercombe – this is still visible today!
The Americans set up their guns near Dunkery Beacon and fired shells to Larkbarrow, eventually destroying it. The flash could be seen from the village followed by a bang a few seconds later. When the war was over there were shell holes left all over the place and they became full of water.
British soldiers were stationed in the Moorland Hall for a while.
The Home Guard knew D Day was coming because of the increase in military traffic in the area. They were sent up to Health Poult for night duty because they could see the bombs better from there. One night he saw 3 bombs land on Dunkery because the pilot had been unable to unload them on South Wales for some reason. The road over Dunkery was closed because of bomb damage. You can still see the holes on Dunkery now.
One night a British plane came down near Cutthorne. The pilot had bailed on the other side of the Exford road and was brought back to Wheddon Cross.
One Sunday seven American airmen parachuted out of a plane, one was found just opposite Cutcombe Church and the others further down the Avill Valley and in Wootton Courtenay. While out in a potato field he saw Spitfires shoot down a German fighter plane over Porlock marshes - there is a memorial there now to mark the spot. Another German plane came down in Bridgetown, where searchlights were positioned on his brother's farm.
They also captured a barrage balloon over their fields which had come over from South Wales. They wound the slack of the balloon's wire round some big trees to make it stop.
Ken Heard and the Home Guard
When I did the article on Arthur and the Home Guard and mentioned that his brother Sydney was also a member I was told that I hadn’t done all my research! We have another ex Home Guard member in the village – Ken Heard.
There were over 20 members of the Home Guard for our area and Ken volunteered and was the youngest member. Some of the older ones were ‘Old Soldiers’ from the World War 1. The members were taught to shot and Ken tells me he was a good shot. They used to use the bank at Hanger’s Cleeve for target practice.
With its excellent views over the area Heathpoult was very important in home security and anyone passing along the road would be challenged with ‘Halt, Who goes there?’ On one occasion, on duty with Billy Hill, they made their challenge – it was a man called Baker on his bike with his mother following on behind. He shouted back ‘Don’t ye shoot mother!’
On Sundays there would be exercises against neighbouring Home Guards. When competing against Dunster Home Guard they would be set tasks like getting into Dunster without being found by the ‘enemy.’
He was called up at the age of 18 and sent to East Lancashire Regiment based in Blackpool and trained on the Blackpool Beaches. Asked why he was sent there and not based locally, it was because this is where men were needed at the time. He also trained at Royal Army Service Corp Transport Section at Buxton, Derbyshire. Soldiers needed to be versatile and skilled to survive.
On June 6th 1944 he was sent from Gosport, Hampshire to Normandy as part of the D Day landing force. A lady gave him a four-leaf clover before leaving for Normandy and this remained with him throughout. Many of the troops were drowned during the landings as well as those killed by enemy fire. We received air cover all the time from the Royal Air Force.
He marched through France and into Belgium and was very grateful for the air cover given by the Royal Air Force that saved many thousands of lives. He remembers on one occasion being sent out on reconnaissance and they went too far. Fortunately for them they saw a light in the distance and found help from a man called Franz de Hooga who belonged to the Resistance and they were directed back to their own lines. Ken was sent to France, Belgium, Holland and Oldenburg in Germany. Part of his job was to check houses for enemy soldiers and clear the way for the rest of the force. He remembers on one occasion falling through a ceiling in someone’s house!
Supplies and hard rations were often in short supply. They would be given a rest from time to time behind their own lines and fresh troops sent to the front.
He did meet two friends from home during his time abroad. One being Cyril Hurdley who worked with the waterproof vehicles – ducks that were used for transferring supplies. Near Arnheim he saw Raymond Quartley from Bridgetown who was a Military Policeman. It was good to see a face from home.
He was sent home just before the end of the war on compassionate leave because his father was dying. He then cared for his parents and found work at Hoe Farm helping in the gardens. He worked at Dulverton Sawmills for a time. One day he was sent to Chumleigh and worked with Tony Fowler (who lived in Cutcombe) cutting down some enormous trees. He remembers walking back to Dulverton from Chumleigh ….. A long way! He then went to work for West Somerset Council until retirement. He was always a welcome sight in mid winter when the roads were blocked with snow and those of us living off the main roads were unable to get out. Thank goodness we don’t have such hard winters and the heavy snow I wouldn’t be seen from New Year to Easter!!!!
When I did the article on Arthur and the Home Guard and mentioned that his brother Sydney was also a member I was told that I hadn’t done all my research! We have another ex Home Guard member in the village – Ken Heard.
There were over 20 members of the Home Guard for our area and Ken volunteered and was the youngest member. Some of the older ones were ‘Old Soldiers’ from the World War 1. The members were taught to shot and Ken tells me he was a good shot. They used to use the bank at Hanger’s Cleeve for target practice.
With its excellent views over the area Heathpoult was very important in home security and anyone passing along the road would be challenged with ‘Halt, Who goes there?’ On one occasion, on duty with Billy Hill, they made their challenge – it was a man called Baker on his bike with his mother following on behind. He shouted back ‘Don’t ye shoot mother!’
On Sundays there would be exercises against neighbouring Home Guards. When competing against Dunster Home Guard they would be set tasks like getting into Dunster without being found by the ‘enemy.’
He was called up at the age of 18 and sent to East Lancashire Regiment based in Blackpool and trained on the Blackpool Beaches. Asked why he was sent there and not based locally, it was because this is where men were needed at the time. He also trained at Royal Army Service Corp Transport Section at Buxton, Derbyshire. Soldiers needed to be versatile and skilled to survive.
On June 6th 1944 he was sent from Gosport, Hampshire to Normandy as part of the D Day landing force. A lady gave him a four-leaf clover before leaving for Normandy and this remained with him throughout. Many of the troops were drowned during the landings as well as those killed by enemy fire. We received air cover all the time from the Royal Air Force.
He marched through France and into Belgium and was very grateful for the air cover given by the Royal Air Force that saved many thousands of lives. He remembers on one occasion being sent out on reconnaissance and they went too far. Fortunately for them they saw a light in the distance and found help from a man called Franz de Hooga who belonged to the Resistance and they were directed back to their own lines. Ken was sent to France, Belgium, Holland and Oldenburg in Germany. Part of his job was to check houses for enemy soldiers and clear the way for the rest of the force. He remembers on one occasion falling through a ceiling in someone’s house!
Supplies and hard rations were often in short supply. They would be given a rest from time to time behind their own lines and fresh troops sent to the front.
He did meet two friends from home during his time abroad. One being Cyril Hurdley who worked with the waterproof vehicles – ducks that were used for transferring supplies. Near Arnheim he saw Raymond Quartley from Bridgetown who was a Military Policeman. It was good to see a face from home.
He was sent home just before the end of the war on compassionate leave because his father was dying. He then cared for his parents and found work at Hoe Farm helping in the gardens. He worked at Dulverton Sawmills for a time. One day he was sent to Chumleigh and worked with Tony Fowler (who lived in Cutcombe) cutting down some enormous trees. He remembers walking back to Dulverton from Chumleigh ….. A long way! He then went to work for West Somerset Council until retirement. He was always a welcome sight in mid winter when the roads were blocked with snow and those of us living off the main roads were unable to get out. Thank goodness we don’t have such hard winters and the heavy snow I wouldn’t be seen from New Year to Easter!!!!