Other
George Kenward
Service: 1st Hastings Police Reserve
Other Info: Pictured with Henry Campany, Jabez Muggeridge and George Brann.
Published: April 1915
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Other
Henry Campany
Service: 1st Hastings Police Reserve
Other Info: Pictured with George Kenward, Jabez Muggeridge and George Brann.
Published: April 1915
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Army
Thomas H Rich
Rank: Bandmaster / Sergeant
Regiment: 5th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment
Other Info: This interesting picture sent from the Front by Bandmaster T H Rich, 5th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment, shows the Bandmaster on the right, with QMS R H Abraham, the well known local vocalist, and the Regimental Interpreter, seated.
Additional name information from the Lives of the First World War website.
Published: April 1915
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Army
S R Leslie
Rank: Corporal
Regiment: 2nd Battalion, London Yeomanry
Wife: Miss Elsie Willett
Other Info: The text reads: ‘A khaki wedding took place at Christ Church, St Leonards last Saturday. The bridegroom was Corporal S R Leslie, 2nd London Yeomanry. The bride was Miss Elise Willett, daughter of Mrs Willett, of Eastbourne, late of Hastings. Private Middleton, 2nd London Yeomanry, was the best man.
Published: April 1915
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Navy
E Grant
Rank: Steward
Service: Royal Navy
Ship: HMS Duchess of Devonshire
Other Info: The article reads: ‘Officers’ Stewards and cooks on board HMS Duchess of Devonshire, somewhere at sea. The centre figure is the chief steward, MR E Grant, who was the steward of the St Leonards and East Sussex Golf Club, and volunteered his services for the duration of the War.
The Duchess of Devonshire was a passenger vessel that was converted into an armed boarding vessel in 1914. More about her history can be read here.
Published: April 1915
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Army
W W Jones
Rank: Private
Regiment: Nigerian Land Force Contingent
Father: Mr W Jones
Brother: F E Jones
Father’s Address: 14 Battle Road, St Leonards
Other Info: The article states ‘W W Jones will be remembered as the Trades Council representative on the Hastings Education Committee before taking up an appointment under Government at Lagos, West Coast of Africa.’
Published: April 1915
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Army
F E Jones
Rank: Staff Sergeant
Regiment: 2nd Home Counties Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
Father: Mr W Jones
Brother: W W Jones
Father’s Address: 14 Battle Road, St Leonards
Published: April 1915
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Army
Thomson Favard
Rank: Sapper
Service: East African Engineers / Southern Rifles
Grandparents: Mr & Mrs H Horscroft
Grandparents’ Address: Hastings
Other Info: Tom Favard, whose clever achievement in the capture of a rebel leader in the Cape Rebellion (possibly the Boer Rebellion of 1914?) was related in the Observer on March 20th.
The report in the Hastings & St Leonards Observer reads: “… A letter from Uitenhage describes the affair. A report came to the camp at Kimberley that the rebels were in the neighbourhood, so a party of the Southern Rifles, to which Mr Favard is attached, went in pursuit. There was a sharp fight with the rebels and two horses were killed. The main body had been stationed at likely spots for the rebels to trek through near the Vaal River; but Lieutenant Duthrie, with three men and Mr Favard captured eleven rebels and thirteen horses, and among the rebels was Commander Conroy, the last active rebel leader active in the Union of South Africa.
Mr Favard had taken a revolver and joined the combatants. The four or five were stationed on a high plateau, and Favard was relieving guard at 3am, when the sentry reported that he saw a small native boy herding sheep. Mr Favard fetched the boy and questioned him in Dutch as to whether he had seen any armed or mounted men, and the boy said there some behind behind a farmhouse about a mile away.
So the went to the spot and the Lieutenant called upon the rebels to surrender, which they did, and they were made to come one by one and give up their rifles. They were frightened and begged for their lives, and looked as if they would feint. Conroy gave Mr Favard his rifle and revolver, telling him to keep them, and asked him where the remainder of his men were. And his surprise can be imagined when he found that his party had surrendered to four or five lads. Some of the prisoners were handed over to another party to take into town as they could not deal with them all.”
Published: April 1915
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Other
Thomas Culver
Service: Unknown
Address: 51 Vicarage Road, Hastings
Other Info: The text reads: ‘… who was going to the Gold Coast on the “Falaba” when that vessel was torpedoed. He swan for three quarters of an hour, and was picked up by the trawler “Ellen Emma”. He is a man of fine physique.’
The SS Falaba was sunk near the Pembrokeshire coast by German U Boat U-28 on 28th March 1915. Of the 242 on board, 104 people died in the incident. The vessel had come to a stop on the orders of the U-28, and the Captain was ordered to abandon the ship before it was torpedoed. The U-29 fired a torpedo before the evacuation was complete. The ship sank within 8 minutes of being hit.
The water was freezing and a number of passengers who made it off the ship succumbed to hypothermia. This puts Mr Culver’s feat into some perspective.
The sinking of the Falaba is notable for being the first unarmed passenger ship to be sunk during unrestricted German submarine warfare. One of the casualties, Leon Thrasher, was the first US citizen to die in these attacks. This incident, and the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915, were contributory factors in the USA declaring war against Germany.
An excellent article with more detailed information and, remarkably, photographs of the incident both from the deck of the Falaba and U-28 can be seen here.
Published: April 1915
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Army
Edward Fathers
Rank: Quarter Master Sergeant
Regiment: 8th Battalion, South Wales Borderers
Other Info: The text reads: ‘Group photograph sent by Mrs Breeds, Providence House, Tackleway, Hastings. The soldiers shown in the picture were billeted with her. The are: Quartermaster-Sergeant Jas. Wright, age 55, service 38 years; Quartermaster-Sergeant C. Spillman, age 50, service 32 years; Sergeant Major E. Fathers. age 57, service 33 years. They belong to the 8th Battalion, South Wales Borderers, and have all passed fit for the Front at any moment. The sender of the photograph asks: “Can this be beaten in any one billet in Hastings?”.’
Additional name information from the Lives of the First World War website.
Published: April 1915
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