James Matthews was born in the summer of 1894, the youngest of five children to James and Margaret Matthews. James Sr was a farm worker from Cuckfield in West Sussex, and it was on Hodshrove Farm in nearby Ansty that the family were raised.
James Jr worked on the farm when he left school, but when war broke out, he found a bigger calling for himself. Full details of his military service are not available, but he seemed to have enlisted early on in the conflict, joining the 9th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment. Originally formed in Chichester, West Sussex, he soon found himself billeted in the South Down near Portslade.
James must have impressed his superiors, as he was soon promoted to Lance Corporal for his work. All was not to go well, however, as, during the early months of 1915, he contracted pneumonia.
Lance Corporal Matthews was admitted to the 2nd Eastern General Hospital in Brighton, but the lung condition was to get the better of him, and he passed away on 7th March 1915. He was just 20 years of age.
James Matthews was brought back to his home village for burial. He lies at rest in Cuckfield Cemetery, in the shadow of Holy Trinity Church.
Frederick William Tugwell was born in Cuckfield, West Sussex, in the autumn of 1888. The youngest of three children to John and Mary Tugwell, his father was a tailor in the village.
Little more is known about Frederick’s early life, but, when war broke out, he wad there to play his part. He enlisted in The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment) and, by July 1916 was in France. Frederick obviously made an impression in the army and rose through the ranks, reaching Lieutenant by the time the Armistice was declared in November 1918.
Lieutenant Tugwell remained overseas when the war ended and was based in Cologne. In March 1919, he returned home on leave, staying with his sister, Constance, who lived in Guildford, Surrey. It was here that he fell ill and here that he passed away, breathing his last on 2nd March 1919. He was just 30 years old.
Frederick William Tugwell was brought back to West Sussex for burial – he lies at rest in the cemetery of his home village, Cuckfield.
A mystery surrounds Frederick’s next of kin. His medal record suggests that it was his widow – Mrs FW Tugwell – who applied for that recognition. The address given for her is the same as for Constance. The newspaper report of his death gives no mention of a widow, only that he died at his sister’s home. There is also no clear evidence for Frederick getting married, although this may have been lost to the passage of time. His widow may, of course, have been living with her sister-in-law, but again, this cannot be confirmed either way.
William Charles Haylor was born in the summer of 1870, in the West Sussex village of Cuckfield. He was one of eight children to agricultural labour Michael Haylor and his wife, Betsy. Michael passed away in 1886 and, with children to raise, his widow took in washing to earn money.
William found work as a farm labourer and, by the time of the 1901 census was living in a cottage at Beech Farm in the village, with his mother, younger sisters, one brother-in-law and six nieces and nephews.
On 25th October 1905, William married Florence Linstead. She was a carter’s daughter from South London, and it is not exactly clear how they met. It seems likely, though, that Florence had taken work on one of the estates in the Cuckfield area. The couple exchanged vows at St Antony’s Church in Florence’s home town, Nunhead, before settling down back in West Sussex.
When war came to Europe, William was keen to play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Sussex Regiment on 9th November 1914 and was assigned to the No.6 Supernumerary Company of the 2nd/4th Battalion. This was a territorial force, set in place for those older volunteers keen to serve King and Country.
Private Haylor’s time in the army was to be brief, however, as at his medical he was found to be medically unfit for military service. No further details are available, but it meant that William had spent just 82 days in the army.
At this point, William’s trail goes cold. He returned home, and presumably continued in his previous line of work. Again, however, the status quo was not to continue for long. He passed away at home, through causes unknown, on Christmas Day, 25th December 1915. He was 45 years of age.
William Charles Haylor was laid to rest in the cemetery in his home village, Cuckfield. He was accorded a military funeral.
Thomas William Perrett was born in October 1878, the seventh of eight children to Lewin and Ann Perrett. Lewin was an agricultural labourer from Wiltshire, and it was in Aldbourn, near Marlborough, that the family were raised.
Initially finding work as a farm labourer, Thomas was soon drawn to the bright lights and big city. By the early 1900s he had moved to London, and it was here that he met, and in 1909 married, Mary Sterry, a labourer’s daughter from Middlesex. The couple went on to have three children, Elsie, Rose and Alice.
Thomas, by this point, had found work on the railways: the 1911 census records him as a railway porter, presumably at Paddington Railway Station, which was within a few minutes’ walk of where the Perrett family were living.
War came to Europe, and Thomas was keen to play his part. Full details of his service are not available, but he enlisted in the East Surrey Regiment, where he was assigned to the 2nd/5th Battalion. This was a second line unit, and Private Perrett remained on home soil for the duration of the war.
This territorial role was reinforced when he transferred across to the 696th Agricultural Company of the Labour Corps. Details of his work are not available, but it seems likely that he was assigned to farm work in the mid-Sussex area.
This too is where Private Perrett remained after the war and where, on 24th February 1919, he was to pass away. Details of his death are vague and the cause is unknown, but he was 40 years of age.
Thomas William Perrett was laid to rest in the cemetery in Cuckfield, West Sussex.
Sydney Francis Proctor was born in the autumn of 1886 in the Hertfordshire town of Bushey. The middle of three children, his parents were George and Annie Proctor. George was a stationary engine driver, and Sydney found work at a local iron foundry – possibly working alongside his father – when he left school.
This was not to be Sydney’s long term career, however, as, by the time of the 1911 census, he had moved to West Sussex and settled in Cuckfield, near Haywards Heath. By this time he was working as a gardener, and was employed at the nearby Borde Hill estate.
It is likely that Sydney had made the move to Sussex a few years earlier, as the same document confirms that he was married to a London-born woman called Florence, who was five years his senior. The couple would go on to have a daughter, Frances, who was born in December 1912.
Sydney’s wartime service is a little sketchy. He enlisted in the Coldstream Guards in November 1914, and was assigned to the 4th Battalion. While full details of his service are not available, Guardsman Proctor certainly served overseas, and may have seen some of the fiercest fighting of the conflict, at Loos, Ypres and the Somme.
Guardsman Proctor survived the conflict, but paid a price. In October 1918, he was medically discharged from military service, as he was suffering from aortic regurgitation – a heart complaint. He returned home to Sussex, but this respite was not to be for long. Sydney passed away on 17th July 1919, at the age of 32 years old.
Sydney Francis Proctor was laid to rest in the cemetery of his adopted home town, Cuckfield.
Harry Etherton was born in Ansty, near Cuckfield, West Sussex on 3rd April 1872. The oldest of five children, his parents were Edwin and Louisa Etherton. Edwin was an agricultural labourer, and this was work in which his son followed his father.
On 29th April 1899, Harry married Annie Eliza Pennifold, a labourer’s daughter who was also from Ansty. The couple set up home in Cuckfield, and went on to have five children. Harry was, by this point, working as a road labourer for the local council, and this was a job he was to continue doing until the outbreak of the war.
Harry enlisted in 1915, joining the Royal Sussex Regiment as part of the National Reserve. As Private Etherton, he was then transferred across to the Labour Corps, and was assigned to the 409th Labour Coy. which was based at the Infantry Depot in Lincoln.
It was while Private Etherton was here, in the spring of 1918, that he contracted meningitis, and was admitted to the Northern General Hospital in the city. Sadly, he was to succumb to the disease, passing away on 30th June 1918, at the age of 46 years old.
Harry Etherton’s body was brought back to West Sussex for burial. He was laid to rest in Cuckfield Cemetery, not far from where his widow and children still lived.
Frank Bates was born on 29th June 1893, in Cuckfield, West Sussex and was the fourth of five children. His parents were tailor William Bates and his wife, Sarah.
Tragedy was to be a constant companion to the Bates family. Frank’s older brother, William, died in November 1907 after a protracted illness, at the tender age of just 19 years old. Four years later, his younger sister, Maggie, also passed away after an illness. She was just 21 years of age.
When he left school, Frank went into the service of the Messel family, who owned the Nyman’s estate close to where Frank and his family lived. When war was declared, however, he was keen to play his part, enlisting soon after hostilities were announced in August 1914.
Private Bates joined the 4th (Home Service) Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment and was sent to Newhaven for training. It was while he was here that he fell ill, and, having caught a chill, he returned to Cuckfield to recuperate. Sadly, his condition worsened, and he passed away at his family home on 31st January 1915. He was just 21 years old.
Frank Bates was laid to rest in Cuckfield cemetery, resting not far from his siblings.
Tragedy was to strike one more time for William and Sarah. Frank’s older brother Jack served as a Private in the 2nd/4th Battalion of the London Regiment. In the spring of 1918, he was caught up in that year’s Battles of the Somme, including fighting at St Quentin and Avre.
In May 1918, Private Bates was officially reported as missing, but it was later confirmed that he had died of injuries sustained in the fighting. He passed away on 16th April 1918, at the age of 29 years old.
Jack was laid to rest at the Chauny Communal Cemetery in Picardie, France, and is also commemorated in Cuckfield Cemetery.
Henry Street – known as Harry – was born on 22nd April 1875 in Oxted, Surrey and was one of thirteen children to Jacob and Emma. Jacob was an agricultural labourer, and this is work Harry initially went into when he left school.
However, it seems that Harry was after more of a career, and looks to have enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery by 1895. His trail goes cold for a while, and it can be assumed that he served abroad, although exact details of his career are lost to time.
By 1906, Harry was back in England, and, on 15th October he married Janette Street at St Peter’s Church in Tandridge, Surrey. The marriage record confirms that Harry was a soldier, while his new wife was the daughter of a labourer. Janette was three years Harry’s junior, and there does not seem to be any close family connection, in spite of their shared surname.
Again, information on Harry’s life at this point is sparse. When war was declared, he was either still serving with the Royal Field Artillery, or was called back in to duty. By December 1914, he had been promoted to Lieutenant: this was to be a rank he would continue to hold until the end of the conflict. He certainly served abroad, and was awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medals, in addition to the Victory and British Medals. He was also given the French Medaille Militaire, although reasons for this award are lost to time.
Lieutenant Street survived the war, and by the autumn of 1919, he was living at Bright Farm in Cuckfield, West Sussex. It was here, too, that he passed away, through causes unknown. He died on 5th October 1919, at the age of 44 years old.
Harry Street was laid to rest in Cuckfield Cemetery, in the shadow of the village’s Holy Trinity Church.
Edward Francis Wakeford was born in Rottingdean, near Brighton, Sussex, in February 1881. He was the younger of two children to curate William Wakeford and his wife, Eliza.
The family home was always a busy one; the 1881 census records one visitor, four boarders and a servant. Ten years later, confirms one boarder and two servants.
By 1901, William had taken up a post in St Peter’s Church, Henfield. This seems to have been a step up: helping look after the family and a visitor were four servants – a gardener, a cook, a housemaid and a kitchenmaid.
In March 1907, Edward married Annie West Thornton; she was the daughter of a well-to-do family – the census records show that her father, William West Thornton, lived by private means, while Annie was sent to Surrey to attend a boarding school.
Edward and Annie couple set up home on the Sussex coast, and, when William passed away in 1912, were soon also living by private means. They went on to have three children: two girls, Olive and Iris, and a boy, who they named William after both of their fathers.
War was coming to Europe by this point. While full details of Edwards military service are not available, he appears to have given a commission in the Royal Sussex Regiment. Initially serving as a Lieutenant, but October 1914, he was promoted to Captain.
Edward was assigned to the 6th (Cyclist) Battalion, and served in East Anglia. It seems that he fell ill while there, and was admitted to the Norfolk and Norwich Military Hospital, suffering with appendicitis. Sadly the condition proved too much, and Captain Wakeford passed away following the operation. He died on 23rd February 1915, not long after his 34th birthday.
Edward Francis Wakeford’s body was brought back to Sussex. He was laid to rest in Henfield Cemetery, not far from the church where his father had served for so long.
Captain Edward Wakeford (from findagrave.com)
The now widowed Annie wed again, marrying Reverend John Gurney in October 1917. Tragedy was to strike again, though, when she passed away just a year later, on 20th October 1918. She was laid to rest Henfield Cemetery, in the plot next to her late husband, Edward.
John Gurney went on to live a full live. He never married again, and settled in Buxted, near Uckfield. He passed away in November 1956, at the age of 76 years old. He was also laid to rest in Henfield Cemetery, where he was buried in the same plot as Annie.
Edward and Annie’s children also went on to have full lives, despite the early loss of their parents.
Olive never married, and passed away in Nottingham in 1986, aged 78 years old.
Iris married in Liverpool in 1934, and went on to have two children. When the marriage failed in the 1940s, she got wed again in 1949. She passed away in Cheltenham in 1965, at the age of 54.
William got married in 1940, at which point he was serving as a Lieutenant in the 1st King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. He saw action in Italy towards the end of the war, and was awarded a Military Cross for his service. When peace came to Europe again, he and his wife settled into a normal life, before emigrating to Australia. William passed away in May 1967, at the age of 54 years old.
William Reeves was born in the summer of 1896, one of eleven children to James and Ruth Reeves. James was a house painter from Henfield in West Sussex, and it was there that he and Ruth raised their growing family.
When war came to Europe, William was keen to play his part. He enlisted as a Gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery, and, by October 1915, was in France.
Little information survives about Gunner Reeves’ military service, but by the time he was demobbed, he had earned the Victory and British Medals, the 1915 Star and the Silver War Badge. The latter award was given to those servicemen who had been honourably discharged from service due to wounds or sickness.
William returned to Sussex, but to a quieter home, James having passed away in the spring of 1916. William was also suffering with his health. He had contracted tuberculosis while in the army, and this is the condition to which he finally succumbed. He passed away on 16th December 1919, aged just 23 years old.
William Reeves was laid to rest in Henfield Cemetery, within walking distance of his family home.
Death and Service 