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Captain Guye Lushington

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Captain Guye Lushington

Guye Wellesley Lushington was born in India on 6th November 1880. The oldest of four children, his parents were James and Bessie Lushington. James was a worked in the Bombay Uncovenanted Civil Service and, while it’s not possible to track his location through census records, by the time of the 1891 census, Bessie had returned to Britain with the children. The document found them living at 31 Clarendon Street in Bedford, Bedfordshire.

Guye’s background stood him in good stead when it came to building a career. His chosen profession was the army and, by January 1898 he had landed a commission in the Royal Marine Artillery. Lieutenant Lushington continued to do well and, on 13th March 1908, he received a promotion to Captain.

Full details of Guye’s military service have been lost to time, but by the time war broke out, he was attached to the dreadnought battleship HMS Bellerophon. The stress of the Great War was to take its toll, however, and he was diagnosed with neurasthenia. In 1916, he was admitted to the King Edward Convalescent Home at Osborne House, on the Isle of Wight. Captain Lushington’s condition, however, was to worsen.

The Isle of Wight Coroner yesterday held an inquest respecting the death of Captain George [sic] Wellesley Lushington, 35, of the Royal Marine Artillery, sone of Mr James Law Lushington, of Briar Bank, Grove-road, Worthing [West Sussex], who was found dead… on Tuesday, having apparently thrown himself over an iron staircase fire escape into the courtyard.

Colonel Douglas Wardrop, house governor and medical superintendent, said the deceased arrived at Osborne House from Haslar on the 5th inst… He was rather depressed and worried about his loss of will power. He had been four years on the “Bellerophon” and on active service with the Grand Fleet. There was nothing in the deceased’s manner to suggest suicide. He slept on the top floor of the south wing. At two o’clock on Tuesday morning, the night nurse reported that the deceased had not slept in his room. Search was made, and the deceased was found lying in the courtyard between the kitchen and the south wing. He must have jumped from the fire escape – which was an iron staircase with platforms outside each landing – onto the flag stones below, a distance of 45 feet. His skull was smashed to pieces. There was a railing 3 feet 6 inches high round the staircase, and deceased could not have accidentally fallen over.

Two letters were found in deceased’s room, one addressed to his father and the other to his sister. His father identified the writing. The letter to the deceased’s father was as follows:

“Osborne House, Sunday.

“My dear pater, Since I broke down a month ago, I feel I shall never pick up again. I am afraid this will rather surprise you, but I cannot stand the tension any longer. I am always wondering what is going to happen to me. Give my love to Daisy. If one has to die, it is better quickly than slowly. With lots of love – GUYE”

Nursing sister Arkins, who had charge of the deceased, said he was quiet, bur showed no suicidal tendency.

Lieutenant George Stewart Manisty, of the Indian Army Reserve, attached to the 7th Bengal Lancers, said he played bridge with the deceased up till 10:30 on Monday night, and for three nights running. Deceased seemed quite friendly and in good spirits.

A verdict of “Suicide while of unsound mind” was returned.

The Coroner said that was the third suicide within a week on the Isle of Wight, either directly or indirectly due to the war.

[Sussex Daily News: Thursday 11th May 1916]

Captain Lushington’s full state of mind on the night he took his life will never be know. The family had suffered three early deaths in a matter of years: Guye’s oldest sister, Violet, had died in 1899, at the age of 18; his brother Hubert had died in 1905 at the age of 19; his mother Bessie passed away in 1911 at the age of 58. Guye had taken his life on 8th May 1916, aged 35 years old.

The body of Guy Wellesley Lushington was taken to Worthing, West Sussex, for burial. He was laid to rest in the town’s Broadwater Cemetery.

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Gunner Arthur Green

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Gunner Arthur Green

Arthur William Green was born on 27th August 1896, the middle of five children to William and Mary Green. William was a shoemaker, who was employed at the Clark’s factory in Street, Somerset, and this is where the family were born and raised.

Clark’s was the key employer in Street and, by the time of the 1911 census, five of the Green family were working for them. This included the 15 year old Arthur, whose job was a shoe cutter.

When war came to Europe, Arthur had already stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Marine Artillery in March 1914. His service records confirm that he was 5ft 8ins (1.72m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having a scar on the back of his neck.

Private Green was initially under age for service in the regiment, only coming of age at the end of August 1914. He initially completed his training either in Chatham, Kent, or Plymouth, Devon, becoming a Gunner on 5th February 1915. That spring he was assigned to the battleship HMS Warspite, and would remain on board for the next four years.

In February 1918, Gunner Green was assigned to the 4th Battalion of the Royal Marines. Still serving on Warspite, on 23rd April he was involved in the Raid on Zeebrugge. A combined action by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, the aim was to block the entrance to the port of Bruges-Zeebrugge by sinking obsolete ships. A total of 1700 men were involved, and, in the ensuing battle, some 200 were killed and 400 wounded.

Gunner Green was one of those who was injured in the battle. When the Warspite returned home, he was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, Kent, but his injuries were to prove too severe for him to overcome. He passed away on 17th May 1918, at the age of just 21 years old.

Arthur William Green was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the Chatham base he had briefly known as home.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Gunner, Hampshire, history, illness, photography, Private, Royal Marines, Somerset, story, war

Gunner Frederick Milverton

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Gunner Frederick Milverton

Frederick Walter John Milverton was born on 26th June 1888 in the Somerset village of Rimpton. One of seven children, his parents were farm workers George and Mary Milverton.

When he left school, it was natural for Frederick to follow in his father’s footsteps. The 1901 census recorded him as working as a farm lad in Leigh, Dorset, while in 1911 he was back at the family home, where he was formally employed as a rabbit trapper.

George passed away in 1913 and, with war fast approaching, Frederick remained at home, to help support his mother. But he eventually received his enlistment notice and, on 28th February 1916, he joined the Royal Marine Artillery.

Private Milverton’s service records show that he was 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall, with dark brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. After five months’ initial training, Frederick was awarded the rank of Gunner 2nd Class, and assigned to the cruiser HMS Euryalus.

For the next couple of years Gunner Milverton remained on board Euryalus, serving in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, India and Hong Kong. He transferred to HMS Lavatera in March 1918, and saw out the remainder of the war on board.

In January 1919 Gunner Milverton returned to home soil, and was assigned to the Royal Marine Artillery Headquarters in Eastney, Hampshire. It was here, however, that he fell ill, and was admitted to the Royal Naval Haslar Hospital with bronchial pneumonia. Tragically the condition was to get the better of him: Frederick passed away on 6th February 1919, at the age of 30 years old.

Frederick Walter John Milverton’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the quiet graveyard of St Mary’s Church in his home village of Rimpton.

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Gunner Arthur Young

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Gunner Arthur Young

Arthur William Young was born on 11th July 1900, in the Gloucestershire village of Charfield. His parents, James and Eliza, were both born in the area, and this is where they raised their nine children.

James worked as a bone turner and sawyer, working the material for things like buttons. This was a family trade, and something that Arthur followed his father and older siblings into when he finished school.

By this point, storm clouds were brewing over Europe. Arthur was too young to enlist when war first broke out, but when his older brother Francis died in Northern France in December 1917, this seemed to have driven him to play his part as well.

Arthur enlisted in the Royal Marine Artillery on 1st July 1918, a couple of weeks before his eighteenth birthday. Assigned the rank of Private, his records show that he was 5ft 9ins (1.65m) tall, had blue eyes, brown hair and a fresh complexion. It was also noted that he had a scar on his right wrist and another on his forehead.

After nine months’ service, Arthur was promoted to Gunner and, by the autumn of 1919, he was assigned to the dreadnought HMS Queen Elizabeth.

On 1st December 1920, while moored in Portland Harbour, Dorset, a concert was held on HMS Warspite. Gunner Young attended, but on the trip back to his own ship, the boat he was on collided with another, and he and three others were knocked overboard and drowned. He was just 20 years of age.

Arthur William Young was brought back to Gloucestershire for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in the Congregational Chapelyard in his home village of Charfield.