William Fredrick Archer

Hampshire Regiment, 14th (Service) Battalion - Private 25515.

Died 26th September 1917, Age 35.

He was recorded as wounded but his body was lost on the battlefield. He is remembered in the Tyne Cot Memorial, France on Panels 88-90 and 162, on the Village Hall Memorial and the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial.

Frederick William Archer was born in 1882 in Andover. His parents were Frederick and Emily Kate Archer (née Lock). He had an older sister, Louisa. His father died in 1884 when Frederick was 2 years old. His mother remarried Albert Davis, a butcher and the 1891 census shows them living at 1, Vigo Road in Andover. They had two further children, Edith Davis born in 1887 and Albert Davis born in 1892. The 1901 census records the family as living at 15 Winchester Street, Andover but Frederick's mother had died before the census was taken. It records Louisa as a housekeeper, Albert as a butcher's journeyman and Frederick as a grocer's porter.

Frederick married Sabina Jerome in 1901 and transposed his forenames and was known as William Frederick Archer or Bill. They had two daughters; Irene, born in 1903 in Andover and Mildred, born in 1909 in Brockenhurst. The 1911 census shows Bill worked as a groom and the family lived in “Wallises Lane” East Boldre. (Historical note: At the time, the lane was known as Wallis Lane after the blacksmith who lived there and some older residents remember that name. It was changed to the current name, Wallace Lane, as a mistake by the local council some years ago, probably post WW2. They seem reluctant to change it back.)

He enlisted at Brockenhurst in June 1916 and saw action in the Somme and Passchendaele, where he was killed.

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Philip Furlong Armstrong

Royal Navy

Died 3rd January 1918, age 20

He is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial. P F Armstrong appears on the Beaulieu Roll of Honour.

Only son of Mrs F and Mr F Armstrong of Oxleys, Beaulieu.

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Alfred Henry Beard

Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry - Sergeant 31117.

Died 20th April 1918, Age 23.

Alfred was wounded during an overwhelming German push and died at the Divisional Field Ambulance at Bailleulval. He is buried in Bac-du-Sud British Cemetery, Bailleulval, France in Grave II. B. 5.

He is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial.

Alfred was born in 1895 in Birmingham. The 1911 census shows the family was living in a six-room house at 54 Minstead Road, Grovelly Hill, Birmingham. It records his father, Joseph Beard, worked as a waiter in a hotel and Alfred was an apprentice toolmaker. In 1915 he married Ethel M Biddle in Portsmouth. Ethyl had previously lived with her family in Newlands farm, Beaulieu and after the war she was remarried to George F Collins and they lived at Farm Cottage, East End.

When Alfred enlisted in Birmingham in 1916 he gave his place of residence as Brockenhurst. He joined the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and was posted to its 2nd Battalion in France. He saw action at the battles of the Somme, Arras and Cambrai.

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Harry Cram

Worcestershire Regiment - 2/8thBattalion.

Died 31st March 1918.

Killed in action in France & Flanders.

Remembered on the Village Hall Memorial.

Born in Exbury, Residence in Henley on Thames

Enlisted in Brockenhurst,

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Sydney Crouch

Hampshire Regiment - 1st Battalion - Private 7733.

Died 5th May 1915, Age 26.

He died at the General Hospital in Rouen of gas inhalation and wounds inflicted during the Second Battle of Ypres. He is buried at St. Server Cemetery, Rouen in Grave A. 9. 2. He is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial and the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial.

Sidney Crouch was born in East Boldre in the first few months of 1889 but was brought up by his aunt and uncle. The 1901 census shows the Crouch family living in Pages Lane, East Boldre. His Uncle William was a 69 year old farm labourer, his Aunt Ann was 63 and his cousins were Charles and John, both brickmakers, Thomas, a farm labourer and Beatrice was in service. Sidney was 12.

He enlisted at Winchester in 1907, age 18 and joined the Hampshire Regiment, 1st Battalion. The 1911 census shows he was posted to Wynburg in South Africa. By the time war broke out he was a reserve and, as such, he reported to Colchester where he was posted to the Hampshire's 1st Battalion. He saw action at Mons, the Marne and Aisne.

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Bert Doe

Hampshire Regiment - 2nd/4th Battalion - Private 202439.

Died 22nd October 1918, Age 36.

Bert died of pneumonia which was a complication of influenza. He is buried in St. Paul's Church, East Boldre. And is remembered on the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial.

Bert Doe was the son of Francis John Doe and Louisa of Thorny Hill, Bransgore.

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Bert Dow

Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) - 6th Battalion - Private.

Died 1 Oct 1917

Killed in action in France & Flanders.

Recorded on the Village Hall Memorial.

There has been some discussion about this name. Bert Doe (above) is mentioned on the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial and should, therefore, be repeated on the Village Hall memorial but it is not. Is it possible that his name fell victim to a typing error? The W and E keys have been next to each other since the qwerty key arrangement was invented for the Sholes and Glidden typewriter and sold to Remington in 1873.  

For completeness we have found the following record:

Bert Dow

Born in Norleywood, Hants. Residence in Lyndhurst, enlisted in Southampton.

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Frederick Robert Dunkason

Wiltshire Regiment - Private 31712.

Died 3rd February 1919, Age 21.

Known as Robert Dunkason, he is buried in Beaulieu Cemetery with the following epitaph: "RETURNED PRISONER OF WAR FROM GERMANY DECEMBER 3RD 1918. DIED FROM EFFECTS FEB 3RD 1919 AGE 21"

He is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial and the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial.

Robert was the oldest of eight children. He was born in Furzey Lodge, Beaulieu in 1898. His father was George Dunkason, a cowman, who married Louisa Emma White of East Boldre in 1896. His siblings were Elizabeth, Pepper John George, Rosie Marie, George, James, Harry and Louisa Emily.

It is not known when or where he enlisted but his Medal Roll shows that he did not serve overseas before 1916.

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George Etheridge

Hampshire Regiment - 1st Battalion - Private 9289.

Died 17th April 1915, Age 21.

George was wounded on 26th August 1914 at Ligny, France but not evacuated owing to a shortage of ambulances. The Regimental Journal for October 1914 names him as one of the wounded and the following month the journal lists him as a prisoner of war. He died at Langensalza in Prussian Saxony and is buried in Niederzwehren Cemetery, Germany in Grave IV. A. 8. He is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial, the Commemorative Plaque in East End Chapel and the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial. George Etheridge appears on the Beaulieu Roll of Honour.

George was born at Main Road, East Boldre in late 1893. He had an older sister, Louise born in 1892 and a younger brother Edward born around 1903. His father was James Etheridge who was born at Furzey Lodge, East Boldre in 1863. Around 1891 he married Theresa, a girl from Norleywood and they settled in Main Road. James worked as a brickmaker at Pitts Deep and Baileys Hard for about 20 years before finding work as a general labourer.

George's war was short and tragic. He enlisted in Lymington in 1912 and joined the Hampshire Regiment where he was posted to the 1st Battalion at Aldershot. The Batallion later moved to Colchester. In August 1918 he went to France aboard the Braemar Castle, arriving on 24th August. They were taken by train to Le Cateau then marched to Solesmes to cover the retirement of the Smith Dorrien's 2nd Corps from Mons. On 26 August the Hampshires were ordered to withdraw to Ligny and hold the village. It was here that George was wounded and taken prisoner.

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William George Etheridge

Wiltshire Regiment - Private 31703, then South Wales Borderers - 5th Battalion - Private 40482.

Died 17th April 1918, Age 30.

William was killed during the last German offensive to retake the area around Ypres. He is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial, France on Panels 65-66, on the Village Hall Memorial and the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial. W Etheridge appears on the Beaulieu Roll of Honour.

William was the fourth of six children. He was born in East Boldre around 1889, Lucy born around 1882, Nelly born around 1883, Henry born around 1886, Albert Edward born around 1892 and Lucy born before 1901. His father, George Etheridge, an agricultural labourer, was born around 1851 and his mother, Elizabeth was three years younger. The 1891 census shows the family living at Furzey Lodge in East Boldre. His father died before the 1901 census and Elizabeth now kept some cows to bring in some money.

William married Alice White in 1915 and in 1916 he enlisted at Winchester into the Wiltshire Regiment. By 1918 he had transferred to the South Wales Borderers - 5th Battalion. He saw action at Passchendaele and was killed during the German offensive to retake Ypres.

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Ralph Douglas Frowd

Hampshire Regiment - 15th service Battalion - Private

Died 6 May 1918

Killed in action in France & Flanders. Remembered on the Village Hall Memorial and the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial.

Born about 1895 in Savernake Forest, Wilts. Residence in Norleywood, Hants.

Enlisted in Winchester.

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Charles Gregory

Hampshire Regiment - 14th Service Battalion - Private 24827.

Died 2nd August 1917, Age 21.

Charles died at Ypres. His body was lost on the battlefield. He is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, France on Panel 35 and on the Commemorative Plaque in East End Chapel.

Charles Gregory was born around 1897 in Boldre, the sixth of nine children. His parents are Harry John Gregory, a carter, and Eliza (née Rixon) who married in 1886. His siblings are George, Elizabeth, Ernest, James, Nellie, Daisy, Reginald and Lottie. The 1911 census shows the family had moved to Norleywood and Charles was working as a shepherd.

In the spring of 1916, Charles enlisted in Lymingtion into the 14th Service Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment. They fought in the Battle of the Somme in the autumn of 1916 before moving to Ypres.

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John Reuben Gregory

Hampshire Regiment, 1/4th (T.F.) Battalion - Private 40655.

Died 27th January 1918, Age 35.

John died of paratyphosis (paratyphoid fever caused by salmonella bacteria) in the 31 General Hospital, Port Said, Egypt. He probably contracted the disease in India and was in transit to England when he became so ill he was taken ashore at Port Said for hospitalisation. He is buried in Port Said War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt in Grave B 30. He is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial and the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial.

One of eight children, John was born in Village Street, East Boldre on 12th December 1882. His father was Reuben Gregory, the village shoemaker who married Jane Janes in 1872 in Boldre. Later they lived in Main Street and then Coombs Gate, East End. By this time his father had died. John was a labourer as were his brothers Fred, James and William. His brother Walter was a groom gardener.

John enlisted into the Hampshire Regiment, 1/4th Territorial Force at Brockenhurst but It is not known when. It was probably before the outbreak of war because his Medal Roll suggests he served in India but not with his the rest of his battalion in Mesopotamia.

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Samson Holman

Hampshire,Regiment - 2nd Battalion - A/Corporal.

Died 13th July 1916, Age 21.

Killed in action in Somme, France. Remembered on the Village Hall Memorial. Samson Holman appears on the Beaulieu Roll of Honour.

There is a Monumental Inscription on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France.

In Memory of

Corporal SAMSON HOLMAN

8785, 2nd Bn., Hampshire Regiment

who died

on 13 July 1916

Remembered with honour

THIEPVAL MEMORIAL

Born about 1895 in Beaulieu, Residence Badajos Barracks Aldershot.

Enlisted in Lymington. He may have fibbed about his age as the 1901 census states that he was age 5 and born 1896. His parents were William Holman & Emma (née. Renyard).

Thanks to Samuel Holman who sent in this information and the photo of his Great Uncle.

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Stephen W H Longman

Royal Garrison Artillery - Battery Quartermaster Sergeant 3799.

Died 11th March 1919, Age 33.

Stephen died in Whitchurch Military Hospital of pneumonia which was a complication of the Spanish Flu. He is buried in Hollybrook Cemetery, Southampton and remembered on the Village Hall Memorial and the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial.

Stephen William, born around 1886, was the oldest of seven children. His father, also named Stephen, was born in 1859 and had a varied career. He joined the Royal Artillery as a boy soldier but changed his mind and became a gardener. He reenlisted in 1883 and joined the Royal Garrison Artillery, taking time to Marry Elizabeth Haywood of Alverstoke on 8th March 1885. The baptisms of his children show that he was posted to Gosport, Weymouth, Bangor and Chester. In 1895 he was posted to Quetta in India for two years and, having completed his years, was discharged as a Company Sergeant Major in 1904. He then became a customs officer but when war broke out he reenlisted but was discharged as medically unfit owing to a hernia.

The 1901 census shows the 15 year old Stephen William and his younger brother Joseph both serving as a boy soldiers with the Royal Garrison Artillery in Liverpool. After serving in India, Stephen returned to England in 1911 and married 25 year old Lilian Mary Harvey who lived at Furzey Lodge in East Boldre.

Now a Corporal he was sent to France in April 1915 where he spent the war shelling German positions from a safe distance, some of the guns having a range of over 11,000 yards. He saw action at several of the allied offences and by the end of the war he had been promoted to Battery Quartermaster Sergeant.

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Albert Loseby

Remembered on the Village Hall Memorial.

No military record found. Lived in White House, Sowley, Hants. Age 21 in 1911 census.

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Tom Lowe

Royal Field Artillery - Shoeing Smith.

Died 3rd August 1918

Remembered on the Village Hall Memorial. T Lowe appears on the Beaulieu Roll of Honour.

Lived in Beaulieu. Age 24 in 1911 census.

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John Malcom

Joined the Hampshire Regiment and later transferred to the Wiltshire Regiment Machine Gun Corps, Infantry Battalion, - Lance Corporal 123370.

Died 22nd March 1918, Age 19.

John was killed during the last German offensive to retake the area around Ypres. His body was lost on the battlefield so he is remembered on the Pozieres Memorial, Somme on Panels 90-93, on the Village Hall Memorial and on the Commemorative Plaque in East End Chapel.

John was descended from a Scottish farming family who owned Edinbeg Farm, North Bute. His father, born in 1863, was a younger son and as such, he did not inherit the family farm in Scotland, so in 1896 he came to work on Clobb Farm, Beaulieu. The following year he married Catherine, born in 1874, his sweetheart from a neighbouring farm (Colmac Farm, South Street) in North Bute.

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Albert William Marshall

Royal Navy - Stoker 1st Class, HMS Begonia.

Died 6th October 1917, Age 38.

Albert died when his ship was sunk, caused by an explosion of unknown origin. There were no survivors. The date of death is uncertain. His service record shows he died on 6th October 1917 but www.uboat.net states that his ship is listed as sunk in collision with the German Submarine U-151 on 12 October. It goes on to suggest that the British destroyer Parthian was more likely to have sunk U-151. The website gives the following account for HMS Begonia, now refitted and renamed Q-10: "Missing after sailing on September 3, 1917. Patrol area was between 5°W and 15°W, probably but not necessarily sunk by a U-boat that failed to return from patrol (U 106, UB 32, UC 21)."

Albert is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial and the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial.

Albert was born on 1st October 1879 in Salisbury, Wiltshire. He joined the Navy on 16th September 1898, age 12 and served on a number of ships including the Victory, the Duke of Wellington, the Thames, The Exmouth, The Alexandria and the Empress of India.

His father was Charles Marshal, a bricklayer in Salisbury.

On 30th April 1913, while serving aboard HMS Albemarle, he married Lilly Louisa Parker, daughter of Bradford Parker, East Boldre's blacksmith. They lived at 'Homeleigh', East Boldre.

His ship was originally HMS Begonia, a 1,250 tons sloop built in 1915 by Barclay, Curle & Co., Ltd., Glasgow for the Royal Navy. On 29 Mar 1916  it was damaged by torpedo from the German submarine U-44 in St. George Chanel. It was towed to Queenstown, southern Ireland for repairs where she was converted to a Q-Ship and renamed Q-10. Albert joined her after she was converted.

Q-Ships were heavily armed ships disguised as merchant vessels which lured submarines to the surface for a surprise attack with heavy gunfire. As a Q-Ship, she was a convoy escort vessel and was variously named Q-10, SS Jessop and SS Dolcis.

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John Pitcain Millar

1st/14th London Regiment (London Scottish) then Cameronians - Scottish Rifles, 33rd Division, 1st/6th Battalion (The 1st/5th and 1st/6th Battalions were amalgamated in May 1916.) - Lieutenant.

Died 21st September 1918, Age 30.

Note: John’s name is incorrectly spelled Miller on both the East Boldre Village Hall Memorial and the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial.

John was posted to the 6th Battalion in August 1918 and was killed at the Battle of Ephéy during an assault on Meath Post, a German defensive position which was preventing the consolidation of new allied lines. He died at Villers-Guislain (5 miles north-west of Le Catelet) when a shell burst near some trenches just retaken from the Germans. He is buried in Villers Hill British Cemetery at Villers-Guislain, France, in Grave II. B. 17. He is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial.

John was the eldest of five children born 19th November 1887 and educated at Enfield Grammar School. John's father, William Pitcairn Millar was born in Scotland but was married to Clara when their first two boys, John and Clare, were born in Norwood, Surrey (now part of Greater London near Croydon). They then moved to Middlesex where Elsie, William and Lilly were born. Before he enlisted John and his brother William were both working as commercial clerks while Clare worked as a shipping clerk.

John enlisted into the London Regiment serving with the 1st/14th Territorial Battalion (London Scottish) in 1908. He gained a promotion to Corporal before war broke out and his battalion was sent to France, landing in Le Harve on 15th September 1914. Now a sergeant, he saw action at Messines and at the First Battle of Ypres before returning to England in July 1915 where he was commissioned into the Cameronians, Scottish Rifles gaining the rank of Lieutenant in August, Temporary Captain in September and Adjutant in October. He spent time in Scotland, Essex and Ireland, training recruits for his Regiment

John married Sybil Agnes Thompson of Finchley, London on 28th March 1916. He never saw his son Jack (Christened John) who was born on 13th April 1919. Jack and his mother moved in with her parents at 39 Seaward Avenue, West Southbourne, Bournmouth. She later moved to the New Forest and presumably settled in East Boldre when the memorial was being planned.

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Harry Read

Hampshire Regiment - 1st/4th Territorial Force - Private 203280

Died 28th January 1917, Age - Uncertain.

Harry was wounded in the assault on Kut in Mesopotamia during an attempt by the Turks to retake lost ground. He was evacuated down river on a hospital steamer but died before reaching hospital in Amara. He is buried in Amara War Cemetery, Iraq, in Grave XXI. J. 9. He is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial and the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial.  H Read appears on the Beaulieu Roll of Honour.

Searches reveal details for several Harry Reads living locally so it is difficult to say which Harry Read is remembered on the memorial. His war records suggest he was 32 or older at the time of his death; that he was born in Beaulieu and, confusingly, he enlisted into the Hampshire Regiment at East Boldre in 1917. His Medal Roll shows he must have joined the Territorial Force before August 1910 as it requires four years service before 1914 to qualify for the Territorial Force War Medal. His earlier enlistment number, 6675, suggests that he joined the Hampshires early in 1903 which means he either lied about his age or that he was born no later than 1885.

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Sydney Renyard

Hampshire Regiment - 1st/4th Territorial Force - Private 2245.

Died 1st February 1915, Age 24 (Disputed).

Sydney was posted to Poona, India in 1914. In 1915 his battalion moved to Rawalpindi where he became ill. He died in Quetta Hospital of Status Thymicus. Status refers to a morbid condition and Thymicus suggests the thymus had become enlarged enough to be detected. The thymus is a lymphoid organ situated in the neck which produces T-lymphocytes for the immune system. The human thymus becomes much smaller at the approach of puberty. Status Thymicus was formerly thought to be the cause of sudden death in children. His death certificate gives his age at death as 20, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission  as 24 and the 1901 census as 22.

He is buried in the Quetta Government Cemetery in Grave 1680 and he is remembered on the Delhi Memorial (India Gate) on Face 23, on the Village Hall Memorial and the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial. S Renyard appears on the Beaulieu Roll of Honour.

Records show that Sydney was born in 1893 in Andover but this date of birth conflicts with his age at death. He was either born around 1891 or he was 22 when he died. The 1901 census shows that he was living with his grandparents, George and Emma, in Main Road, East Boldre. Their son, and presumably Sydney's uncle Walter (see entry for Walter Renyard below) was also living there. His father, John Renyard was living in Sherfield English near Romsey, Hampshire. The 1911 census show Sydney working as a labourer and still living with his grandparents.

He enlisted into the Hampshire Regiment before war broke out and was later assigned to coastal defences at Portsmouth. When it was clear that Germany was not going to invade, they were sent to India aboard the Cunard liner, Ultonia.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission spells his name ‘Sidney’.

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Walter Renyard

Hampshire Regiment - 10th Battalion - Lance Corporal 3/3494.

Died 10th August 1915, Age 35.

The 10th Batallion landed covertly at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, on 5th August ready for a surprise attack on the Turks at Chanuk Bair. The unsuccessful attack started on the 8th and, despite gaining ground, severe losses forced the Hampshires to fall back.  Walter was killed in this action but his body was lost on the battlefield. He is remembered on the Helles Memorial, the Village Hall Memorial and the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial. W Renyard appears twice on the Beaulieu Roll of Honour.

Walter was born in East Boldre in 1880 to George and Emma Renyard. The 1911 census shows they were living in Main Road, East Boldre. George and Emmas grandson (and presumably Walters nephew), Sydney Renyard, was living with them. (See entry for Sydney Renyard above.)

At the outbreak of war, Walter was living in Brockenhurst and he enlisted into the Hampshire Regiment, 10th (Service) Battalion at Winchester. After basic training at Winchester they moved to Ireland to be equipped and trained for the Rifle Company, then, in May 1914, they moved to Basingstoke for divisional training. There they were inspected by both the King and Lord Kitchener. They were destined for France but on 27th June they were told they were going to Gallipoli. They sailed from Liverpool on HMT Transylvania on 6th July and they were landed on Anzac Cove on 5th August, five days before he was killed.

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William Renyard

Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) - Battalion 22nd Wessex & Welsh Territorial - Rifleman 205081.

Died 25th October 1918, Age 29.

In 1916, William's battalion was posted to Egypt, then moved to Salonica (also known as Thessaloniki or Thessalonica, it is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the Greek region of Macedonia). Here he contracted the Spanish Flu and died of pneumonia. He is buried Dorian Military Cemetery in Grave 1. B. 15., near Lake Dorian in the northern Greece.

William is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial and the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial. William Renyard appears on the Beaulieu Roll of Honour.

The eldest of five children, William was born in East Boldre around 1990 to John and Jane Renyard. The 1901 census shows the family living at The Factory, East Boldre. John was 25, Jane, 34 and William, 11. The 1911 census shows William was working as a labourer and had married Edith Sibley from Lyndhurst. They had three children, Harold, Donald and Arthur.

He enlisted into the Territorial Force at Southampton in 1908 serving in its 5th Battalion. He later transferred to the Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) - Battalion 22nd Wessex & Welsh Territorial, probably when it was formed in November 1915.

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Harold Shelley

Hampshire Regiment - 1st Battalion - Private 21508.

Died 2nd July 1916, Age 21.

Harold died in the battle of the Somme. Losses were heavy and the wounded had to wait in shell holes until night when they could be evacuated under the cover of darkness. He was taken to one of the Casualty Clearing Stations (probably the 29th or 49th) but he died while waiting for treatment. He is buried in Gezaincourt Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme, France in Grave I. G. 6 and is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial and the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial.

Harold was the seventh of eleven children born to George Shelley and Fanny (née Pickett). George was a carpenter and he married in the spring of 1880. The family lived in Village Street, East Boldre before moving to Chapel Lane, East Boldre. Their first child, Florence was born in 1881 and the last, Gladys was born 23 years later in 1904. In order the children were; Florence, Kate, Lizzie, Gertrude, Rose, Alice, Harold, James, George, Walter and Gladys.

Before enlisting into the Hampshire Regiment, 1st Battalion early in 1916, Harold worked as a labourer. After three months basic training he was sent to France where he was killed a few months later.

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Stanton Degge Wilmot-Sitwell

Royal Marines - Lieutenant.

Died 14th July 1915, age 28.

Stanton served in the Royal Marines, Royal Navy Division.  He was killed in action ashore during the battles of Gallipoli and died on 14th July 1915, age 28. He is remembered on the Helles Memorial, Turkey, on Panels 2-7 and on the Village Hall Memorial.

Stanton Degge Wilmot-Sitwell was born on 25 July 1896, in the Kensington Registration District. He was the son of Francis Stanton Wilmot-Sitwell and Mary Innes the daughter of Captain Charles E Farquharson.

The 1901 census shows the family were living at The Hall, Holbrook, Derbyshire. The family consisted of Francis and Mary and their children Robert aged 6, Stanton aged 4 and Francis aged 2 along with four servants ranging from parlour maid to nursemaid.

He enrolled in the Royal Marines on 29th August 1914. Records dated 2nd September 1914 shows Stanton was one of the 'gentleman' being appointed ‘Probationary Second Lieutenants’. In March 1915 he is noted in the Gazette as being granted the temporary rank of Lieutenant.

The family seem to be from the Derbyshire area but a link to Beaulieu has been found. Francis S Wilmot-Sitwell died in the Lymington Registration District in 1929.

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Thomas A F Slater

Dorsetshire Regiment - 3rd Battalion and then 5th Battalion  - Second Lieutenant.

Died 16th September 1916, Age 21.

Thomas was listed as missing, presumed killed at the Somme at Thiepval Ridge on 16 September 1916. He is remembered at Thiepval Memorial, Pier and Face 7. B., the Village Hall Memorial and the Sherborne School War Memorial.

Thomas Alexander Fletcher Slater was born on 13th August 1895 at Millbrook, Southampton. His father was William Alexander Slater (bank manager) and Fanny Slater of 7 High Street, Christchurch, Dorset.

Thomas attended Twynam Lodge preparatory school, Christchurch, Dorset then Sherborne School (Harper House) from September 1909 until December 1913 where he was 6th form Head of House.

In 1914 he spent some time farming in Canada.

At the outbreak of war he joined  in the Dorsetshire Regiment as Second Lieutenant and had reached the rank of Lieutenant by the time he was killed in 1916.

His brother, H.F. Slater (for his father, W.A. Slater, esq.) donated £5 towards the Sherborne School War Memorial in memory of Thomas. His father also donated £10 towards the school’s War Memorial.

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Albert Smith

Grenadier Guards - 3rd Battalion - Private.

Remembered on the Village Hall Memorial.

Do you have a photo or biographical information about this serviceman?

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George Wallis

Durham Light Infantry - 20th Battalion - Private 203780.

Died 30th October 1918, Age 39.

During October 1918, George's battalion was fighting in the Ypres Salient. George was seriously wounded and evacuated to a hospital in Boulogne. His wife Lily travelled to France to be with him and was by his side when he died. His death came just 12 days before the end of the war.

George is buried in the British Cemetery, Terlincthun, Wimille, north of Boulogne, France, in Grave IX. A. 5.

George Wallis is not mentioned on the East Boldre memorials but he deserves inclusion here as he was born in East Boldre in 1879. He married Emily Lily Woodford of Lucky Lane, Pilley and they had six children. The 1911 census gives their ages as; Samuel, 10, William, 9, Thomas, 6, Harry, 4 and Sidney, 2. They had their sixth son, Les, 2-3 years later. At the time of the census, George was working as a carter on Home farm, Beaulieu and the family were living at Home Farm Cottage, but when the war broke out the family was living in Bull Hill.

Being an agricultural labourer on a farm and married, George was initially exempt from conscription, but in May 1916 the criteria rules were changed and so George was enrolled on 12th September. He first joined the 7th Battalion Durham Light Infantry who were a pioneer battalion and saw action at Arras and Ypres in 1917 and then at the Second Battle of the Somme, the Battle of the Lys and the Battle of the Aisne in the spring of 1918. His battalion was so decimated in these battles that it was totally re-organised in the summer of 1918 and George was transferred to the 20th (Service) Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry. Towards the end of the war the battalion, known as the 'Wearside Pals' were part of the British push out of the Ypres Salient. In a series of attacks, they forced the Germans back towards the River Scheldt. It is believed that George was wounded during an attack close to the town of Courtrai.

Information and photograph kindly supplied by George's great grandson, Trevor Phillips.

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1939  - 1945   -   East Boldre War Memorials

Leonard Aldridge

Remembered on the Village Hall Memorial.

Do you have a photo or biographical information about this serviceman?

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Joseph Angus Bowyer

RAF Volunteer Reserve - 217 Squadron - Sergeant 923861.

Died 20th June 1942, Age 21.

Joseph is remembered on column 250 at the El Alamein Memorial, Egypt and he is also remembered on the St. Paul's Churchyard Memorial.

Joseph Angus Bowyer was the son of Joseph Sydney and Mary McLean Bowyer, of Lymington, Hampshire.

Joseph joined 217 Squadron, RAF Coastal Command, and flew in Bristol Beauforts which were equipped with anti-shipping torpedoes. It is not known if he was a gunner or a wireless operator. Initially, 217 Squadron was based at RAF Leuchars in Scotland but it was reassigned to Sri Lanka. The journey was timed to coincide with two Mediterranean convoys in order to provide air cover and the aircraft arrived in Malta on 11th June 1942. On 20th June, twelve Beauforts took off to intercept an enemy convoy. The last two planes took off later than the first ten and were attacked by four Junker 88C night fighters. One Beaufort escaped but Joseph's Beaufort Mike 1A, DD959Q was shot down with no survivors.

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Reginald Frederick Broomfield

(This name is incorrectly spelled 'Bloomfield' on the Village Hall Memorial)

Royal Sussex Regiment - 5th Cinque Ports Battalion -Private 5496619.

Died 28th October 1942, Age 34.

Reginald is buried at the El Alamein War Cemetery, Egypt and is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial and on the St. Paul’s Churchyard Memorial.

Reginald Frederick Broomfield was born on 2nd August 1908 at his home in Bath Road, Lymington. His father was Ben Broomfield, a journeyman bricklayer, who enlisted in the Devonshire Regiment, 2nd Battalion, and was killed on 30th October 1917 at the Battle of Passchendaele.

Reginald married Winifred Doris Harvey in December 1939 at Beaulieu and they lived in an old railway carriage in Doris's parents' garden at Worts Cottage, Furzey Lodge. At the time, Reginald was working for the Forestry Commission but previously he had joined the army, transferring between the Hampshire Regiment, the Royal Sussex Regiment and the Military Police. In March 1942, he rejoined the Royal Sussex Regiment 5 (Cinque Ports) Battalion.

On 1st June 1942, the battalion sailed from Liverpool to Suez via Freetown, West Africa, Cape Town and Aden. By 25th July, the battalion was in action in preparation for the Battle of El Alamein which began on 23rd October 1942. Reginald died during this battle on 28th October.

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David Coke

Remembered on the Village Hall Memorial.

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Cyril Colmore

RAF - Squadron Leader, Pilot 37651.

Died 12th July 1942, Age 29.

Cyril is buried in Winchester (West Hill) Old Cemetery in Square 21. Grave 1823. He is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial.

Cyril Lancelot Fellowes Colmore is the son of George Cyril and Phyllis Fellowes Colmore. He is husband of Mary Jane Colmore.

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Norman Leonard Crouch

The Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment - Private 5572752 .

Dies 4th January 1941, Age 23.

Remembered on the Village Hall Memorial, Beaulieu War Memorial and on the St. Paul's Churchyard Memorial. He is buried in St. Paul's Churchyard, East Boldre.

Private Norman Leonard Crouch was the son of Edgar James Crouch and Ethel Beatrice (née Parker) Crouch, of East Boldre. His father, Edgar, was born in 1886 in Christchurch and worked as a carter, a labourer and a seaman. The family lived in Little Purcell Cottage in Beaulieu.

Norman enlisted  the 4th Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment  before the war and served 132 (Kent and Surrey) TA Brigade. On the outbreak of war, Norman's brigade was sent to Belgium as part of the ill fated British Expeditionary Force which was forced to retreat to Dunkirk for evacuation.

After returning to England, the Battalion was assigned to the coastal defence of New Romney in Kent. He was stationed in a sandbagged post in The Old Lifeboat House in Littlestone. Unfortunately, this had been undermined by the sea and, on 4th January 1941, the building collapsed and Norman died of traumatic asphyxiation.

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Donald Anthony Duffin

Royal Navy - Able Seaman, C/SR 8127.

Died 23 September 1941 Age 23.

Donald is buried in Blackfield Cemetery, UK Row C, Grave 5. He is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial, the BeaulieuWar Memorial, the Fawley War Memorial and on the St. Paul's Churchyard Memorial.

Donald Anthony Duffin was the son of Edmund and Louise Duffin of Park Grove, Beaulieu.

On leaving school, 'Tony' joined the Royal Navy and served aboard the submarine H 44. In 1940, Able Seaman, Donald Anthony Duffin was serving aboard His Majesty Motor Launch 144. By March, 1941, the boat was part of the 5th ML Flotilla based at Newhaven in Sussex. By day, they were an Air-Sea Rescue unit and by night they hunted German E-Boats near the French coast. At dusk on the evening of 23 September 1941, ML 144 hit a mine off the coast of Dungerness. Five of the crew, including Tony, lost their lives.

It is not known when Tony married Nellie May of Fawley. They lived in Charmouth Cottage, Rolleston Road, Fawley and had one son.

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Maxwell Farrar

Royal Air Force 205 Squadon - Squadron Leader 37498.

Died 12 January 1942.

Maxwell is remembered on the Singapore Memorial, Column 411 and on the Village Hall Memorial.

Maxwell Francis Campbell Farrar D.F.C. Was the son of Campbell and Cristobel Farrar.

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Reginald Hayward

Remembered on the Village Hall Memorial.

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Cyril Margerison Hobson

Royal Army Service Corps - 50 Division Petrol Sub Park - Rank: Driver T/63493.

Died 27 May 1940, Age 25.

Cyril is buried at Dover (St. James') Cemetery, UK, Row H, Grave 29, and is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial and on the St. Paul's Churchyard Memorial.

Cyril Margerison Hobson was born in 1914, at his grandparents' home, 12, Carlton Road, Ealing, Middlesex, where he lived with his parents, Robert Margerison Hobson and Florence Jane (née Carpenter) Hobson, of Ealing.

At the start of WW2, Cyril was a driver with the 50th Division Petrol Company in the British Expeditionary Force which arrived in Cherbourg on 20th January 1940 and a month later, were positioned at Equennes in Picardie. Following the German invasion on 10th May, the company received orders to prepare to move to Belgium. By the end of May, the company had been diverted to several different locations and eventually it was ordered back to Dunkirk for evacuation. It is not certain where Cyril was wounded (quite probably during a German dive-bombing raid on 22nd May) but he was taken aboard a hospital ship which took him to Dover, where he died on 27th May.

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Leonard Hurl

The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) - 1st/5th Battalion - Private 5625455.

Died 2nd August 1944, Age 28.

Leonard is buried in the Bayeux War Cemetery, in Grave XXVI. C. 6. He is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial.

Leonard Hurl is the son of John and Jane Hurl, and husband of Queenie Maud Hurl, of Beck Heath Cottage on the Beaulieu Estate.

He was killed in Normandy after recovering from wounds sustained in the desert campaign.

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Edward Lewis

Remembered on the Village Hall Memorial.

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Percy Loseby

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve - Leading Aircraftman 1275161.

Died 16th February 1944, Age /

Percy is remembered on the El Alamein Memorial, Egypt, Column 282 and on the Village Hall Memorial.

Percy Loseby is the son of John Thomas Loseby and Fanny Loseby.

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Royston Jack Lowe

Royal Artillery 23 Field Regiment - Gunner 1138291.

Died 28 October 1943, Age 20.

Royston is buried in the Naples War Cemetery, in Grave I. N. 10. He is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial.

Royston Jack Low, born in 1923 in East Boldre, was the son of Charles and Fanny (née Renyard) Lowe.

He was called up in 1941 and posted to the 90th Battery of 23rd Field Regiment Royal Artillery. In 1942, he served in Tunisia with the 1st Army and in September 1943, he landed in Salerno, Italy, as part of the 5th Army to support Field Marshall Montgomery's advance from the south. They pushed north, taking Naples on 1st October and crossing the River Volturno on 20th October. On 28th October, Jack was in the cookhouse when it was bombed during an air raid. It was a direct hit causing 7 fatalities and wounding 12.

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Frederick Eli William Page

Coldstream Guards - 1st Battalion - Guardsman 2659041.

Died 1 June 1940, Age 23.

Frederick is buried in the Veurne Communal Cemetery Extension, Belgium, Grave F.2., and is remembered on the Village Hall Memorial and on the St. Paul's Churchyard Memorial.

Frederick Eli William Page was the eldest son of Frederick and Annie Page, of Forest View, Chapel Lane, East Boldre, Hampshire. Before joining the Coldstream Guards in June 1939, which was before war was declared on Germany, Fred worked as a gardener, first for Captain Cookson at East Boldre and later, at Exbury.

His battalion was sent to France in September 1939 but Fred's training was not yet complete so he remained in England and did not join his battalion in France until January 1940. He saw little action in the early months of the war but after the German invasion on 10th May, his battalion was moved to the Belgian frontier before falling back to Roubaix, then to Dunkirk for evacuation.

Fred was killed in Flanders on 1st June 1940 but the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records it as 31st May.

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Research Resources:

“Boldre and the Great War” by John Cockram, Richard Williams and the Boldre Parish Historical Society

New Forest Military Archive

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The National Archives

Forces War Records

Naval History.Net

U-Boat.Net