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The Baron and the Barmaid

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Sir John French, the commander-in-chief of the BEF until December 1915 was one of the many Anglo-Irish who served in the British Army in the Victorian and Edwardian period. Sir John's family was related to the French/De Freyne family which had settled in County Wexford in the fourteenth century. A distant cousin of Sir John's was Arthur, the 4th Ba…

Remembering Sydney Constable, 4th Royal Sussex Regiment

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Sydney was the son of a gamekeeper. By the outbreak of the war he was a coach and motor body builder working for Mr A Rice, Coachsmith. He enlisted in October 1914 when he was still only 18 and served during the First World War in the Balkans with the 4th Royal Sussex Regiment. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, the French Croix de…

Lewes and the Great War : February Casualites

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February’s Lewes casualties provide a glimpse of the contrasting life experiences and backgrounds of residents of different Lewes streets, amongst whom three men’s very different stories stand out. Private Daniel Todman of the 9th Royal Sussex Regiment, who died of wounds at a field dressing station near Ypres on 18th February 1916, lived with his…

The Great War and March Casualities from Lewes, East Sussex

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During the early years of the war, March on the Western Front was a time of preparation for the spring offensives both sides knew would come as soon as the ground had dried out sufficiently to make a successful advance a real possibility. As a result there was only one Lewes casualty in March 1915 and two in 1916. March 1917 brought seven fatalitie…

27 January 1916: Pte William Gallard

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Parents Edward (born Rotherfield, December 1871 - a laundry carman) and Susan Gallard (née West) At the 1901 Census, Edward, Susan and William (age 4) were living in two rooms at 23 Commercial Road, Eastbourne. In June 1906 Susan died. At the 1911 Census, father Edward and son William were boarding with the Standings family at 28 Firle Ro…

29 January 1915: 2/Lt Sidney Barthropp

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Sidney Barthrop was the only son of Major Alfred Barthropp (a stockbroker) of Newport House and Ellen Barthropp (née Wentworth), the daughter of a Cambridge JP. At the 1901 Census, parents, daughter and son, their domestic servants and a governess, were living at Newport House (14 rooms), Newport, Essex. By the 1911 Census daughter Edith ha…

Iris Hotblack and Alan ‘Balmy’ Morton : love letters from the Front

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At the outbreak of war in 1914, 20 year old Miss Iris Mary Hotblack was at home with her family. They lived in a large, Edwardian, detached, seven room house called The Boltons, on King Henry’s Road, Lewes in Sussex. Iris had been sent away to school in Cheltenham so was used to living away from home and writing letters to stay in touch. She wro…

19 March 1916: Pte Cecil Hugh Peckham

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His parents were Joseph (a domestic gardener) and Florence. Age 5, at the 1901 Census. Cecil was living at home, at Fern Cottage, High Street, Barcombe with his parents, older brother Charles and younger sister Florence and a lodger. Age 15, at the 1911 Census, Cecil was still living at home, with his parents and younger sister Florence, by t…

The Five Baldock-Apps brothers from Hurst Green

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Some people will know of the sacrifice of the Souls family from Great Rissington in the Cotswolds. The family's tragedy was recounted by Ian Hislop in the TV series 'Not Forgotten' on First World War memorials in 2005 and told again in a book that supported the series of the same name by Neil Oliver. Annie and William Souls of Hurst Green, East Su…

The Three Pannell Brothers - 'The Day Sussex Died'

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The Three Pannell Brothers - 'The Day Sussex Died' The story of the five Souls brothers, who were all killed during the First World War, is very well-known and, earlier this year, we published the similar story of the five Baldock-Apps brothers from Hurst Green. In looking through The Western Front Association pension records as part of Project Al…

An ‘Enthusiastic’ Response to War? British social responses to the outbreak of the First World War.

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This is an MA Dissertation submitted to the University of Wolverhampton as part of their 'History of Britain and the First World War. It has been adapted slightly from the original for improved online reading, with links and illustrations added for greater enjoyment. TITLE: An ‘enthusiastic’ response to War? British social responses to the outbre…

Just out! Stand To! No. 128

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In his introduction, the editor Matthew Leonard introduces the many articles featured in this issue about conflict, the aftermath of war, loss, mental trauma, homosexuality and much more. Members now receive a copy of Stand To! four times a year. Most are sent out in print form, while Digital Members elect to receive both Stand To! and Bulletin…