Consciencious Objectors

This only relates to Chailey in as much when, several years ago on one of many visits to the National Newspaper Library at Colindale and trawling through old journals for information on Chailey during the First World War, I came across this snippet on consciencious objectors. I post it here now, for no other reason other than it's an interesting piece and also provides me with a great excuse to re-publish the Gilson cartoon above.

East Sussex News, Friday July 13th 1917

CONSCIENCIOUS OBJECTORS DUCKED
A party of consciencious objectors who had been sent to work in the New Forest had a hostile reception on arriving at Brockenhurst. Numbering about 60 they split into two parties… the former were pelted with clods of turf, booed and hustled out of the village, principally by civilians. The other party came in for rather rougher treatment. Two of their number were ducked in the stream at Balmer Lawn and their luggage which was on a lorry, was pitched into the river. Clods of earth were hurled at them. After a time they made their escape…

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Francis George Pettet

It's always great to find out additional information about Chailey's men and women, and the final release of records from the WO 363 series on-line via Ancestry has opened up the archive for people like me who live too far away from Kew.

Francis George Pettet appears as F Pettit and then F G Pettet in Chailey's parish magazine. Only two pages of his service record survive, but I've updated his page on the main Chailey 1914-1918 site.

11th November 2009

Remembering today, the men and women of Chailey who served their King and Country during two world wars, and remembering in particular, those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

WW1 Service Records O-Z

Not before time, Ancestry has released the remaining 'Burnt Documents' and these are now searchable - after a struggle - on the Ancestry site. It's a pity, having waited so long for these, that Ancestry seems to have completely messed up the search function. Type the first name and surname in the relevant boxes and you'll just as likely get no results. Type the same names in the keywords boxes and the results appear.

Similarly, it's no use typing in the regiment (in the regiment box) and the name (in the keywords box) at the same time. That will also get you no results. Type the names first, wait for the results, and then narrow down by regiment. The information is there, it's just that Ancestry has messed up the search.

In any event, apart from finding my great grandfather's service records, I've also had a quick look at some of Chailey's men and found records for the following:

John Peckham
Francis George Pettet
Albert Still

There may be others, but in the meantime, I'll be updating these men's pages as and when.

Arthur Tully - a young Special Reservist

When Arthur Tully died of wounds in June 1918 he was 20 years old. And yet his number - LSR/2295 - dates to August 1914 and belongs to the series issued to the Royal Sussex Regiment Special Reserve - the 3rd Battalion. Of course, there was nothing unusual about men (or boys) joining up under age and Arthur appears to have fallen into that category. To be 20 years old in 1918 must have meant he was 16 in 1914 and was probably the reason he remained in England until 1917.

I'm guessing that his true age became apparent to the military authorities at some point and that he was retained in England until he became 19. If that was the case, it's unusual as I've seen countless service records of men who were discharged from the army having made a "mis-statement of age".

Arthur is buried at Varennes Military Cemetery in France. His headstone reads, PARTED ON EARTH / TO MEET IN HEAVEN.

Arthur Tully RIP

William Mainwood

I've updated William Mainwood's page with some more conjecture based on the two army numbers which were issued to him IF he was the same William Mainwood who served with the Royal Berkshire Regiment and the Ox and Bucks Light Infantry.

Chailey Heritage 1928

My thanks to Roger Dougherty of Coneyhurst Paper Collectables for sending me the photo above. It shows Dr Charles William Kimmins and, presumably, boys from Chailey Heritage. It was taken in 1928. The biographies of Dr Kimmins's sons Anthony Martin Kimmins and Brian Charles Hannan Kimmins are on the Chailey 1914-1918 website.