Anstey Soldiers Who Returned from World War I
According to the Hertfordshire Mercury of December 3rd 1921, 45 men went from Anstey to serve their country in the Great War. The twelve who gave their lives are named on Anstey’s war memorial. But who were the others who did return? There is no list. Checking the names of male residents of serviceable age against enlistment records does not provide an exhaustive list as over half of these records were destroyed in bombing raids in WW2. (Where these exist I have included service numbers and regiments).
Mathematics tells us that there are 33 to be accounted for but it is not so straightforward. This number must be seen to be approximate as there was movement to and from neighbouring villages and to Buntingford and Royston during the war years. These men have equally important stories to tell as those who, sadly, did not return.
I have so far tracked down two thirds of them. This has been an easier task as, scarred and battle weary as they were, many settled down to have families who kept precious papers and photographs. I am so grateful to all those who have so willingly allowed me to use these.
In addition I have taken this as an opportunity to show their links to Anstey and to share old photographs of our village.
Again I believe what I have written to be correct but would welcome any comments or changes.
Jenny Goymour, December 2015. (Revised 2021)
ansteysoldiers@gmail.com
A book was produced to mark the Millennium, with photographs of Anstey houses and their current inhabitants. There are a few left, priced £12 including postage. Please contact me should you be interested in obtaining a copy.
Click on images to enlarge
Alfred Barker RFA
Alfred was born in about 1886 and was brought up in Cottered.
He married Louisa Martin from Anstey, in Anstey Church in July 1917. Louisa was an assistant teacher at Anstey school in 1911 according to the census, and was still working there in 1915. At the time of his marriage Alfred was a private in the Royal Field Artillery but there is no information as to when he joined up.
He survived the war with no physical wounds. He and Louisa lived in Anstey in a now demolished cottage between Redstack and Milk Farm, until 1924 when they moved to Bulls Farm, Nuthampstead with their son Tony.
Alfred died in 1971 and is buried in Anstey Churchyard
Oliver Bentley
Oliver was born to parents Albert and Esther Maria née Skeggs on May 16th 1894, and appears to be one of fourteen children. He was the sixth child and the third son. He was born in Nuthampstead as was his father, but his mother was born in Anstey.
By 1911 the family had moved to Anstey and the two parents and nine children were living in a five roomed cottage at Puttocks End. Oliver, then aged 16, his father and older brother Bert were all farm labourers.
Unlike Bert, Oliver survived the war and married Florence May Law in Islington in December 1917. In March 1918 their daughter Corrine Joyce was baptised in Anstey Church, when Oliver’s occupation was given as soldier. This is all the indication to date that we have that he served in the war. A second daughter, Sylvia May was baptised in June 1928 in Anstey, by which time Oliver’s occupation was given as a farm labourer.
According to the 1939 census the family was still living in Puttocks End.
Oliver died in 1981 aged 87 years.
Sidney Alfred Bradford
15934 Bedfordshire Regiment / 82794 Machine Gun Corps
15934 Bedfordshire Regiment/82794 Machine Gun Corps
Sidney was born to parents Amos and Sarah née Seymour in 1893. He was one of thirteen children but by the time of the 1911 census there were only six children living.
In 1911 the family of two adults and three of the children were living in a three roomed cottage in New Barns Lane. Both Sidney and his father were farm labourers.
Sidney enlisted on 8th September 1914 in Royston in the Bedfordshire Regiment. He gave his occupation as horse keeper and labourer. His medical forms describe him as being 5 feet 8 1/2 inches, weighing 144 lbs with a ruddy complexion, dark brown hair and blue grey eyes.
His war records show that he had a long service in the war, with many hospital admissions.
He was posted to France on 30th August 1915 . On 29th December 1915 he was wounded and the next day his father received a telegram;
“Regret to inform you Pt S A Bradford 8th Bedfordshire is dangerously ill gas poisoning in 22 General Hospital Wimereux. Regret permission to visit cannot be granted.”
He obviously recovered enough to return to the fighting, being discharged on 28th February 1916 as fit (and having been awarded a Wound Stripe) and sent to the Front on March 4th 1916. Fifteen days later he was being treated in hospital in Etaples, but rejoined his battalion four days later. He was being treated for shell shock on 28th September 1916 in Etaples, for which he was awarded a second Wound Stripe, and for gun shot wounds to his elbow on 3rd November, which merited a third Wound Stripe.
At the beginning of December 1916 he was transferred to Belton Park, Grantham where he joined the Machine Gun Corps. He married Emily Agnes Mayes on January 12th 1917 in the Registry Office in White Hart Lane, Tottenham. His occupation was given as driver with the MGC/horse keeper. His address was Belton Camp, Grantham. She was a domestic servant in Stroud Green where she had been living “for more than a month”.
His next posting seems to have been to Egypt and he landed in Alexandria at the beginning of June 1917. By mid September he was in hospital, seemingly until 16th October, being treated for dysentery. On 13th November he was wounded in action and was hospitalised until February 1918 with gun shot wound to the legs. For this he was awarded a forth Wound Stripe. He had to be readmitted at the beginning of March for a week because of these wounds.
He was discharged from the army in April 1919 and by 1921 was living in Holloway.
His brother Herbert, two years younger, was killed in March 1918.
Sidney Bradford died in 1972 in Kent aged 79.
Frederick Ernest Bye
291079
Frederick was born in 1896.
His parents were Thomas and Sarah née Funston. They had eleven children, ten of whom were still alive in 1911. According to the 1911 census Thomas and Sarah were living in Cheapside in a five roomed cottage which is now known as Low Hall. Also living there were daughter Agnes, aged 48, William, aged 35 and a widower, Frederick, aged 32 and Albert, aged 8, grandson and presumably the son of William. Frederick was a farm labourer.
He was conscripted in May 1917. His occupation at that time was a road man. His medical papers show that he was just under 5 feet 2 inches with grey eyes and brown hair. He weighed 123 lbs. He had “several defective teeth and corns on both feet.” However, he was discharged after only 51 days service, in July 1917, being “no longer physically fit for war service”. He had spinal curvature and arterial sclerosis. He states that he thought his back problem stemmed from carrying pails of water.
Frederick died in 1935 aged 57.
Edmund Catley
20025 8th Bedfordshire Regiment
Edmund was born in 1894.
According to the 1911 census Edmund was living in Puttocks End, Anstey, with his parents Charles and Sarah née Coxall in a five roomed cottage. There were four children living there; Albert aged 24, Walter, aged 22, Edmund. aged 17, and Lily aged 12. Parents and children were all born in Anstey. Edmund, his father and two brothers were all farm labourers.
An older brother Edward Charles born in 1885 was in Devonport in 1911 serving on HMS Caesar. He was a leading stoker. He also served in the war.
Documents show that Edmund was serving in the war in 1914. In May 1918 he became eligible to wear a Wound Stripe, as a result of being on a recent casualty list. In August of that year he received gun shot wounds to the head “penetrating the cranium”, resulting in the award of a second Wound Stripe and his discharge from the army in mid December as being no longer physically fit for war service.
He married Mary Smith in October 1918 in Anstey Church when he was aged 24, his occupation being given as that of a soldier. Mary was the daughter of William and Fanny Smith and the sister of Private Herbert Smith who was killed in the Great War. They had a daughter Cecilia, born in 1920.
The 1939 census shows him living with Mary near the church in Anstey and working as a horseman.
Edmund died in March 1961 aged 61. He was then living at 2 Buryfield Cottages. He is buried in Anstey church yard.
Herbert Catley
20025 8th Bedfordshire Regiment
Herbert was born to parents Ernest and Louisa (Maria Louisa née Strange) in 1893. He was one of five children two of whom had died by 1911. Ernest was born in Nuthampstead and Louisa in Anstey, as were their children.
At the time of the 1911 census the family, consisting of the two adults and three children, Frederick, aged 20, Herbert, aged 18, and Francis, aged 8, were living in a four roomed cottage in Cheapside (now Meadow View) in the half nearest the well. Herbert was a farm labourer as was his brother.
Herbert was called up aged 23 years on 10th April 1916 and joined the Royal Garrison Artillery. According to his medical papers he was 5 feet 9 3/4 inches tall and weighed 160 lbs . He was found to have “16 decayed teeth which required dental treatment”.
On 8th November 1918 he was invalided to the UK and from 10th November he spent 31 days in a War Hospital in Sunderland with influenza. He was demobilised in January 1919. He married Edith Emily Bentley from Barkway in 1927.
Herbert died in 1973 aged 80 and is buried in Anstey Chapel grounds.
Walter Catley
23571 Rifleman Rifle Brigade
Walter was born on March 7th 1889.
According to the 1911 census he was living in Puttocks End, Anstey, with his parents Charles and Sarah née Coxall in a five roomed cottage. There were four children living there; Albert aged 24, Walter, aged 22, Edmund. aged 17, and Lily aged 12. Parents and children were all born in Anstey. Walter, his father and two brothers were all farm labourers.
An older brother Edward Charles born in about 1885 was in Devonport in 1911 serving on HMS Caesar. He was a leading stoker. He also served in the war.
By 1915 it would appear that the family was living in Snow End, Anstey. Walter volunteered on 22nd November 1915 aged 26 years 5 months and was posted to the 7th Bedfordshire Battalion. He was in the Rifle Brigade.
Between 22nd November 1915 to 12th September 1916 he was training in England. He served in France from 13th September 1916 to 21st August 1917, and was again back in England from 22nd August 1917 to 22nd May 1919 which was the date of his discharge. He returned to Windmill House, Snow End.
He received a weekly pension of 27/6d reviewable in 52 weeks as a result of gun shot wounds in his back and was also awarded the King’s Certificate (given to those discharged through disability and intended to help them get employment after the war).
He married Ethel Keighley in Hackney in 1923 and they had 2 daughters, Daphne born in 1926 and Joan, born in 1927.
Walter died in 1981 aged 91 years.
Henry Walter Cattley
Henry Walter Cattley was born in 1886. He was the son of Elijah and Clara Cattley both of whom were born in Anstey and had married in Anstey church. They had six children, one of whom had died by 1911, all born in Anstey.
These were;
Henry Walter born in 1886
Olive Ruth born in 1896
Reginald Percy born in 1898
Albert Eric born about 1901
Eva Emily born about 1904
In the 1911 census they are recorded as living in three rooms at Snow End, Anstey (in what is now Clare Cottage, in the part nearest the church).
Henry married Gertrude Florence Driver in August 1915 in the Union Chapel in Royston.
They went on to have two daughters, Phyllis Gertrude born in Loughton in August 1916 and Daphne Gladys Elizabeth born in Loughton in November 1918.
Henry enlisted in December 1915 when he was living in Loughton. He served in France with the 3rd Norfolk Regiment and was wounded in April 1917; gun shot wounds to the feet. In February 1918 he transferred to the Labour Corps.
He was discharged in October 1919. Because of his gun shot wounds he received a disability allowance of 12 shillings and 6 pence per week.
In 1939 he and Gertrude were living at Farm Cottages in Debden Green, Chigwell. Henry was then an agricultural worker.
Percy Reginald Cattley
The Northamptonshire Regiment
Reginald was born in 1898.
He was the son of Elijah and Clara Cattley both of whom were born in Anstey and had married in Anstey church. They had six children, one of whom had died by 1911, all born in Anstey.
These were;
Henry Walter born in 1886
Olive Ruth born in 1896
Reginald Percy born in 1898
Albert Eric born about 1901
Eva Emily born about 1904
In the 1911 census they are recorded as living in three rooms at Snow End, Anstey (in what is now Clare Cottage, in the part nearest the church).
Reginald served with the Northamptonshire Regiment but nothing more is known of war service, although his son has a photograph of him in uniform and has his service medals.
Reginald married Emily Pledger from Wyddial. They married in 1924 in Kensington, where Emily was in service. According to their son four children were born to them, in East Sheen where they lived. Further children were born in Anstey, where they came back to live during the second world war with their grandmother.
His parents, Elijah and Clara, are buried in Anstey Chapel grounds.
Reginald died in 1987 aged 89.
Albert Edward Chappell
Albert was born in 1893 to parents Joseph (1850 – 1936) and Eulalia ( 1853 – 1920) née Nottage and was baptised in Anstey church, as were his brothers and sister.
There were six children, one of whom did not survive.
The surviving children were
Claire Edith born in 1875.
Henry Bertie born in 1879
Charles William born in 1884
Francis born in 1887
Albert born in 1893
He grew up in what is now Chappell Cottage. According to the 1901 census, his father Joseph was an engine driver. In 1911 he was recorded as a farm labourer, as was 17 year old Albert.
Nothing is known of his war service but his family have a photograph of him in uniform which has been identified as that of the North Staffs regiment.
He married Ivy Maud Wick in Anstey Church in 1927, by which time he had become a gamekeeper. Ivy’s brother Hubert was killed in the Great War.
Albert died in 1983 and is buried in Anstey Churchyard. He was almost 90. His wife Ivy died in 1977.
Arthur George Chappell
535583 Royal Fusiliers
Arthur George was born on 30th November 1889 in Anstey to James and Sarah Chappell. According to the 1911 census there were eight children still alive, three of whom, including Arthur George, were living in the family home, in what is now Little Thatch, in the half nearest the well. Arthur George, known as George, and his father were farm labourers. A younger brother Frederic James was killed in the war.
On August 15th 1915 he married Emma Danes and they had a son, Leonard, in October 1916. When George was conscripted in March 1917 the family was living at the School House and George was a painter and decorator. He was still living there in 1923.
According to his army records, George was wounded on 12th August 1917, for which he was awarded a Wound Stripe. He was transferred to the Labour Corps in March 1918. He was discharged in February 1919.
He had received gunshot wounds in his back and because of his disabilities attributed to war service he received a weekly pension of 5/6d from 22nd February 1919 “until further notice”. His brother Frederic was killed in the Great War.
He had gunshot wounds in his back and because of his disabilities attributed to war service he received a weekly pension of 5/6d from 22nd February 1919 “until further notice”.
He died in 1942 in Anstey at Hillside.
Henry Bertie Chappell
WR 27227 Pioneer Royal Engineers
Henry was born on 21st September 1879 to Joseph and Ulala Chappell.
He married Emily Ann née Cattley in Edmonton in December 1906 and according to their daughter, Betsy, she always said she was unrelated to any of the Cattleys in Anstey. In 1911 they were living in Cheapside in five rooms. The two cottages which are there now (nos 1 & 2) were then three and the family lived in the middle one. Henry was a HCC roadman and they had two children, Dora, aged two, and Donald, under two months.
Henry’s parents lived a six roomed cottage in Cheapside, Anstey, in what is now Chappell Cottage. Henry had lived there as a child, with his younger brothers Charles, Francis and Albert.
In August 1917 Henry joined the army aged 37 years 10 months.
By that time he had two more children, Richard, born in 1912 and Edward, born in 1915. He gave his occupation as a road man. According to his army medical papers he was 5 feet 5 1/2 inches tall with “very defective teeth”. He joined the Royal Engineers as part of their Road Troops.
On 26th September 1917 he joined the British Expeditionary Force, but was evacuated to England and admitted to hospital in Cambridge on 24th September 1918. His notes say that he had myalgia and ‘’a great deal of rheumatism in joints”. When he was discharged 52 days later he had to report to the Road and Quarry Troops in Aldershot. According to his daughter he was gassed during the war. He was demobilised in January 1919.
In August his wife Emily took over the Chequers Public House in Anstey until she gave it up in 1947. Two more children, Frank and Betsy were born there. Henry became a chimney sweep in Anstey and the local villages and was often out with his cart and pony Darkie.
Henry died in 1963 aged 84
Albert Coxall
15471 Bedfordshire Regiment
Albert was born on January 9th 1887 and was baptised in Anstey church.
He was the second child and eldest son of Walter and Harriet née Catley, who had ten children. From baptism records the family can be seen as living at Cave Gate (March 1895) Bandons Cottage (Sept 1899) and North End (May 1906).
He married Amelia Jackson in 1910. By the 1911 census he was living with Amelia and her brother Walter, aged 19, in four rooms in Baldock Street, Buntingford. Arthur was then a gardener.
Documents show that Albert was serving in the 1st Bedfordshire Regiment in 1914. His campaign medal documents show that he was sent to France in April 1915. He was wounded in the autumn of 1916, resulting in the award of a wound stripe. At that time he was a Lance Corporal. From a postcard he sent to his mother in July 1917 it seems that he was then serving in Salonika. By the end of October of that year he was suffering from Pyrexia (severe trench fever) and was admitted to hospital, 10 days later being transferred for convalescence.
Albert and Amelia had three daughters, Amelia, (Millie), Aggie and Margy. They adopted another daughter, Ann, as a baby.
During the Second World War Albert served with the Home Guard in Anstey.
Albert died in 1976 aged 89 years.
Arthur Samuel Coxall
125470 Royal Field Artillery
Arthur was the son of Walter and Harriet née Catley
He was born on September 27th 1890 and was baptised in Anstey church.
He was one of ten children (five boys and five girls). He was the third child and the second son.
According to the 1911 census he was living at North End Farm with all of his brothers and sisters except for Albert, the eldest brother. It was described as a five roomed cottage. Arthur was a farm labourer as was his father Walter.
On April 17th 1911 he married Alice Jane Merrit in Anstey Church. In 1901, aged 11, she was living in Barkway with her grandparents James and Susan Scripps. Her mother Alice Merrit and her one year old sister Maud lived there too. At the time of the 1911 census she was recorded as a visitor to the Coxall family in Anstey. Had she come to discuss her marriage two weeks later?
Arthur enlisted in 1915 aged 26 years 3 months. He would have volunteered.
His occupation was given as horsekeeper living at Butterwick, now Buttermilk Farm, near Buntingford. His army papers show that he was a gunner and that he served in France. During his time there he received gun shot wounds to the mouth and was also severely poisoned by gas. He was discharged in February 1919 and received a pension of 8/- a week for 18 months due to his injuries. By that time the family was living in Ware.
Arthur and Alice had three children, Irene Alice May born in May 1915 in Barkway, Violet, born in 1921, and Ernest, born in 1924.
Arthur died in 1977 aged 88.
Charles Coxall
15845 Driver Army Service Corps
Charles was born on November 3rd 1894 at Cavegate in Anstey. He was the fourth child and third son of Walter and Harriett Coxall. There were ten children in all.
By the time of the 1911 census Charles was living at Northend, Anstey, in a five roomed cottage, with his parents and all of his brothers and sisters except Albert, the eldest brother. Charles was a farm labourer, as was his father and the other three brothers living there.
By the time he enlisted, in May 1915 aged 21 years 8 months, Charles was living in Barkway. His occupation at that time was a coal carter. He would have volunteered as conscription had not then been introduced. Charles joined the Army Service Corps as a driver. Later that year he was serving in Belgium.
According to his grandson, he was gassed and shot, rendered unconscious and left for dead. On 24 March 1918 his family received a communication to say that he was in hospital in Rouen with a gun shot wound in the right eye (severe). On October 2nd they received a further communication to say that Charles was now in Queen Mary’s Military Hospital, Whalley, Blackburn, with a severe hand wound. He had been in a “trench mortar battery”. For both injuries he became entitled to wear Wound Stripes.
On December 25th 1919 he married Gertrude Mary Martin in Anstey Church.
They had two daughters Freda Hope born in 1920 and Dorothy Betty born in 1928.
During the Second World War Charles served with the Home Guard in Anstey.
Charles died in December 1988, aged 94. By then he lived at 3 Buryfield. He is buried in Anstey churchyard.
Sidney Coxall
15848 8th Bedfordshire Regiment
Sidney was born on 16th March 1892.
He was the fourth child and third son of Walter and Harriet née Catley. They had ten children.
According to the 1911 census he was living in Anstey at Northend with his family and worked as a farm labourer.
Sidney’s campaign medal documents show that he was sent to France at the end of August 1915 so he would have volunteered. From a letter to his mother we know he was wounded in October 1917 and was consequently entitled to wear a wound stripe.
On April 28th 1918 he married Florence Cattley in Camberwell. His occupation was given as soldier, and she was a clerk living at 134 Avondale Square. Florence was the daughter of Edward Cattley who was born in Anstey but by the 1881 census, aged 28, was living in London. Sidney’s mother Harriet was a Catley, but spelt with one t. Did they meet through their Anstey connection?
They had a son, Reg and a daughter, Doreen.
Sidney died in 1986 aged 94.
Leonard Danes
3318 4th Bedfordshire Regiment/203137 East Kent Regiment
Leonard was the son of Arthur and Alice née Catley, both of whom were born in Anstey. He was born in February 1897 and was baptised in Anstey Church.
He was one of 7 children. These were;
Sidney born in 1888
Emma born about 1891
Francis born in 1892
Julia born in 1894
Leonard born in 1897
Eva Dora born in 1899
Stanley Arthur born in 1901
In 1911 they were living in 4 rooms, in part of what is now Red Stack. Julia was a servant to Mary Pigg in Barkway, but Alice’s mother lived with them, making 9 people living there. Leonard was a farm labourer.
On 31st March 1913 at the age of 17 years 1 month Leonard enlisted in the Army Reserve for 6 years service for the 4th Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment. He was mobilised for war on 8th August 1914 and was sent to France but not until March 1915, presumably when he reached 19. On July 14th he received gun shot wounds to the abdomen and was eventually sent home on August 14th.
He was transferred to the East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) in February 1916.
Leonard was discharged on 21st March 1917, “being no longer physically fit for war service” in consequence of wounds received in action in Basra, Mesopotamia and was awarded the King’s Certificate (given to those discharged through disability and intended to help them get employment after the war).
According to his nephew at some point in the war he was gassed.
He died, aged only 44, in October 1941, by which time he was living in Watford, and is buried in Anstey Churchyard.
John Stanley Driver
John was born in 1891 to Nathan Driver and Mary née Pilgrim.
He was one of nine children, all born in Anstey.
These were;
Henry born in 1880;
Margaret born in 1882;
Helena born in 1884;
Beatrice born in 1886;
Gertrude born in 1888;
Stacey born in 1889;
Ellis born in 1890;
John born in 1891;
Gladys born in 1892.
His father Nathan established the the Post Office from his house in Anstey in about 1883 in part of what is now Red Stack. (At some later point it transferred to what is no Milk Farm). He also developed a building and undertaking business in Anstey. Nathan died in 1902, leaving everything to his oldest son Henry, who was then a wheelwright. According to the 1911 census Henry was working as a carpenter. John was a postman and at this time he was living with his grandfather Henry Pilgrim in part of what is now Well Cottage. Ellis was living there too and was workings as a grocery assistant. His mother continued running the post office.
In 1917 John joined the Herts Regiment, which amalgamated with the Herts & Beds Regiment, which then amalgamated with the Iniskillins. We know nothing of his war service except that he became a prisoner of war in Germany, being released at the end the war, as documented in a letter from King George V.
He married Edith Flack in July 1925 in Anstey Chapel. Edith lived at Puttocks End. (She was one of 6 children. Her brothers Willie and Leonard served in the war, and there were three sisters, Florence, Ada and Emma). Having no children of their own, John and Edith brought up her sister Ada’s twin boys.
John and Edith eventually ran the Post Office (with a cycle shop at the back where John’s brother Ellis did bicycle repairs).
John was a postman all his life, firstly in Anstey and then in Buntingford where he was living in 1935.
He moved to Ware in the 1950’s and died in 1979 aged 87.
Stacey Pilgrim Driver
24201 Royal Air Force
Stacey was born in 1889 to Nathan Driver and Mary née Pilgrim. He was one of nine children, all born in Anstey.
These were;
Henry born in 1880
Margaret born in 1882
Helena born in 1884
Beatrice born in 1886
Gertrude born in 1888
Stacey born in 1889
Ellis born in 1890
John born in 1891
Gladys born in 1892
His father Nathan established the Post Office from his house in Anstey in about 1883 in part of what is now Red Stack. (At some later point it transferred to what is now Milk Farm). He also developed a building and undertaking business in Anstey. Nathan died in 1902, leaving everything to his oldest son Henry, who was then a wheelwright. By the time of the 1911 census Henry was working as a carpenter and Stacey was then a housepainter. They were both living with their mother, Mary, who continued to run the post office after Nathan’s death.
In 1912 he was a cycle agent. He married Elsie Maud Matthews in 1915 in Buntingford and they went on to have six children.
In February 1916 he joined the Royal Flying Corps when his civilian occupation was given as a motor fitter. He transferred to the Royal Air Force on 1st April 1918, the day it was founded. He became a colonel and then a sergeant mechanic, serving in the Middle East from May 1917 to May 1919 and was mentioned in despatches.
He was discharged in April 1920.
In February 1939 Stacey enlisted in the Reserves, by which time he was a carpenter, joiner and house decorator.
Stacey died in October 1942 aged 87, having moved to Church End in Rushden.
Leonard Flack
15929 8th Bedfordshire Regiment
Leonard was born 1894 in Clavering.
He was one of six children born to his parents Frederick and Linda née Catley, both born in Anstey and married in Anstey church.
These were;
Willie born in 1887
Florence born in 1890
Leonard born in about 1894
Ada born in about 1897
Emma born in about 1900
Edith born in about 1902
In the 1911 census the family was recorded as living in a five roomed cottage at Coltsfoot. Frederick was a horse keeper, Willie and Leonard were farm labourers. Florence was no longer living with the family.
Leonard volunteered on 8th September 1914, being quickly promoted to sergeant, and served in France certainly from the end of August 1915. He was awarded the Military Medal for “bravery in the field”, this being announced on 27th October 1916, and was the equivalent of the Military Cross but for non- commissioned officers.
He was discharged in April 1917 due to disablement or ill health. According to a relative he was gassed and suffered from this all his life, needing to be looked after by his sister Emma.
In the 1939 census he was recorded being sub post master, living in the Post Office in Anstey with his sister Emma.
Willie Flack
Willie was born on May 12th 1887 in Anstey and was baptised in Anstey Church.
He was one of six children born to his parents Frederick and Linda née Catley, both born in Anstey and married in Anstey church.
These were;
Willie born in 1887
Florence born in 1890
Leonard born about 1894
Ada born about 1897
Emma born about 1900
Edith born about 1902
In the 1911 census the family was recorded as living in a five roomed cottage at Coltsfoot. Frederick was a horse keeper, Willie and Leonard were farm labourers. Florence was no longer living with the family.
In 1915 Willie married Mercy Lavinia Bradford (whose brother Herbert was killed in France in 1918). They lived in what is now Well Cottage, when it was divided into three dwellings. They went on to have eight children.
Willie enlisted on 28th January 1916. He first served in Salonika. On 15th July 1917 he was recorded as having valvular hear disease and rheumatism as a result of his war service and was treated in the 10th General Hospital, Salonika where he spent five months as a result of his rheumatic fever. He was then sent home and later transferred to the Labour Corps in France which built and maintained roads, railways, canals, camps, stores, telephone and telegraph systems. This was manned by soldiers who had been medically rated as below the A1 condition needed for front line service.
He was finally discharged on 13th November 1919.
Willie died on July 23rd 1966 aged 78 when he was living at 1 Castle Cottages. He is buried in Anstey churchyard.
Reginald John Large
Reginald was born in September 1896, in Hackney. He was the son of Henry Seabourne Large and his wife Thirza.
By 1901 Henry and Thirza had come to live in Daws End in Anstey (possibly on the site of Yew Tree Cottage) with Reginald aged 5 and his younger sister Winifred. Henry was a photographer and farmer. He owned his house and some land, plus a further 2 acres. It would be interesting to know why the family chose to move to Anstey.
They were still in Anstey in 1911. Henry was recorded in the census of that year as being a photographer, assisted by his children. (Henry had been deaf since childhood and his wife had died in 1902.)
Reginald enlisted in the navy in June 1916; he may well have been conscripted. He is described as being 5 feet 7, with blue eyes and a dark complexion. His occupation was given as a farm worker, with the address of his father as next-of-kin being in Dalston, amended later to Stamford Hill. The family must have moved from Anstey before he joined up.
He served in the navy on President II & Daedalus.
Reginald is untraceable after the First World War. Henry was still living in Stamford Hill in 1924 and at other Middlesex addresses with his daughter Winifred until he died in Tottenham in 1931.
Thirza, Henry and Winifred are all buried in Anstey churchyard.
Francis George Joseph Martin
15822 Bedfordshire Regiment
He was born on September 28th 1892 to parents Joseph and Alice née Chappell.
There were four children;
Rose born about 1883
Margaret born about 1884
Louisa born about 1887
Francis born in 1892
In 1910 the family was living “near The Chequers”. This was in a now demolished cottage between Red Stack and Milk Farm. By 1911 Rose and Margaret had left. (Rose was a servant in Acton to the Machon family, originally of Buntingford.) Francis and his father were farm labourers. Ralph Bye, stepfather to Alice was also living there. Louisa was an assistant teacher at Anstey School in 1911 according to the census, and was still working there in 1915.
Francis volunteered on 8th September and joined the Bedfordshire Regiment. He was sent to France in August 1915. According to a newspaper article in the Herts and Cambs Recorder of September 13th 1918 he had been reported missing the previous month on 6th August and was subsequently found to be a prisoner of war in Germany. On March 8th 1919 he was transferred to the Army Reserve.
In 1925 Francis married Mary Rand. They moved into one half of what is now Elm Cottage. Francis and Mary went on to have five children; Joseph, Eileen, Jean, Ronald and Daphne who still lives in the village.
In the late 1920’s they bought the other half of the cottage to accommodate their growing family. During WW2 Mary ran the post office from one of the back rooms in her home. She also took in washing from the officers at the air base in Nuthampstead. Francis had become a builder, leaving the village each day on his bicycle and working in London. It is likely he got a train from a local station. He did some work locally and helped to build Edwinstree School in Buntingford.
Francis died in 1968 aged 75 and is buried in Anstey churchyard.
James Cowlin Pigg
24201 Royal Air Force
James was born to James and Emma in 1884. His father was originally from Barkway and farmed 120 acres there.
They had 4 children:
Alice born about 1880 in Tewin
Evelyn born about 1882 in Tewin
James born in 1884 in Tewin
Gertrude Emma born in 1891 in Anstey
In 1881 James and Emma were living in Tewin with their baby daughter Alice. He had a farm there of 500 acres.
By 1891 the family were at Anstey Hall in Anstey, with a governess and 2 servants. James was a farmer, owning 658 acres, Northey Wood, 35 acres, and 11 cottages.
In 1911 the family had one year old servant. Both father & son were farmers.
James served in the Great War volunteering in 1914. Little is known of his war service. but he was discharged from the RA in 1920 having previously served as a gunner in the Honourable Artillery Company.
He married Beatrice Ellen Vincent in 1923 in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight. She had trained as a nurse between 1914 and 1917 at the Royal South Hants & Southampton Hospital. Could he have met her as a patient? By 1925 they were living at Anstey Hall, his father having died in 1921.
James died in 1927, aged only 41, at Henrietta Housein Cavendish Square, but was buried in Anstey church yard. The next year his widow is recorded as living in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight so it appears that she had no more connection with Anstey.
Herbert Stanley Ward
He was born in November 1882 in Ware to parents Henry and Frances née Price and was the youngest of nine children.
These were;
Henry Hudson born about 1873
Beatrice born about 1874
Frank Edward born about 1876
William Stacey born about 1877
Ethel Mary born about 1878
Ann Elizabeth born about 1879
Charles born about 1880
Richard born in 1881
Herbert Stanley born in 1882
This was obviously a wealthy family, Henry Ward being a “malster”, employing in 1881, 15 men and 5 boys. The family then had 2 nurses and 3 servants.
According to the census of 1891 the family lived in a house in Ware High Street. Five of the children were living there plus a governess and two servants.
By 1901 Herbert was a boarder in Loughborough, living with a “schoolmaster in a secondary school” and his wife.
By 1910, aged 27, he had moved to Bandons in Anstey with his older brother Richard, who died in 1914. Herbert was a poultry farmer and veterinary surgeon.
Herbert served as an officer in the Army Veterinary Corps from 1914 to 1916 when he surrendered his commission.
In August 1916 a photograph was taken of him at the Grahame-White Flying School in Hendon, where he was awarded a flying certificate. He is in civilian clothes while most of the other men are in uniform. His occupation is then given as a farmer. It is not known whether he served as an airman, although there is documentation which shows that he may have done.
He married Millicent Coxall on 28th September 1932, but there is no record of the marriage taking place in Anstey. He was 25 years older than Millicent, whose five brothers had all served in the war, the youngest, Reg, being killed in France. Her father was born in Anstey, as she and her nine siblings were.
Herbert apparently became bankrupt. On March 22nd 1935 he sold the contents of Bandons, “Antique and modern furniture and also Poultry Houses and Appliances”. He also sold the house and land. “Also Freehold Estate known as Bandons, extending to about 286 acres is for sale by private treaty with possession of the house and the premises and about 19 acres. The remainder of the lands, 2 homesteads and 2 pairs of cottages are let to various tenants at rentals amounting to £257 per annum”.
On 9th February 1935 he purchased Arras, now called Oakwood, for Millicent and in her name for £44. New furniture was also bought. They moved in in mid-March but only lived there for 3 weeks. Tragically and mysteriously Herbert shot his wife and then killed himself in April of that year.
They are buried in the same plot in Anstey churchyard.
Click here to view the History page of the Anstey Soldiers who died during WW1
If you have any further information please email Jenny Goymour at ansteysoldiers@gmail.com