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“Live Ye for England, We for England Died”

memorials

The centenary of the start of World War I falls on 4th August 2014. As a tribute to the 54 men of Keymer and Clayton who gave their lives defending our country I decided to research their lives. This will become a permanent record for our own and future generations.

Those who died came from all walks of life and I have tried to research their backgrounds as far as possible.  In most cases I have been able to piece together details of the action or circumstances in which they died in order to give a snapshot of events at that time rather than give a detailed history of the war.   In each case I have given their service details, the date and place of their death and where they are buried or commemorated as recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

I have made extensive use of the internet during my research and I was also able to delve into family trees and trace some family members through family history websites.  I am grateful to those families who were willing to share information and photographs. The national censuses, taken every 10 years, are available to research between 1841 and 1911 and I was able to glean much information from them.  The local weekly newspaper The Mid Sussex Times was another rich source of material and I have quoted from it in many instances.

War memorials take many different shapes and forms and I discovered that many of our local men are also commemorated on war memorials elsewhere in other towns, villages, schools, gardens of remembrance, churches and chapels where they had a past connection.  I have included as many of these as possible.

I would like to acknowledge the help I have had from individuals, so many that it is not possible to name them all but I would particularly thank Doug Cook from the Australian Returned and Services League. He helped with research into John McDonald who emigrated to Toogoolawah, Queensland, Australia.  I would have been stuck without him.  True international cooperation.

I am an amateur historian and cannot claim any in-depth knowledge of World War I.  My research is intended to give an overall impression of the ‘life and times of the man’.  The amount of information available on war service varied greatly and was garnered from a huge variety of sources.

This research is my own and any errors are also entirely mine.  If you have further information or you feel that an error has been made please do contact me via this website.

Penny Worth, Keymer

35 thoughts on “Home”

  1. It’s 4th August LIGHTS OUT ,don’t forget to go to the war memorials at either Clayton church ,Keymer Church or the front of the Royal British Legion (Woodsland Rd ) at 10-00 tonight to remember the fallen of The Great War .

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    • Dear Penny,
      I was visiting my son in Brussels this weekend and todau we went to the Ixelles communal cemetery close to where he is living. We came across the war graves of several British soldiers who died during WW1. Among them, as you know, is the grave of Private William Stallwood, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry), from Sussex. Then we noticed the date he died, Thursday October 24th 1918, exactly 103 years ago today.
      I searched for information about him and came across your research. I am so grateful to you for doing this. To know about young William, who died so young and so close to the Armistice. His mother and father, and his sister, will have no doubt received the news of his death around the time the Armistice was signed. Their grief and loss must have been in stark contrast to the joy of those around them celebrating the end of the war.
      I said a prayer for him today and put a British Legion Remembrance Cross on his grave. His sacrifice is not forgotten and we marked his death.

      Best wishes,

      Laurence

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      • Dear Laurence,
        Thank you so much for taking the time to write to me. I agree completely that the family must have been hit particularly hard with William dying so close to the Armistice being signed. So many families bereaved – such a waste. I feel that all those who lost their lives should be remembered and that was the purpose of my research, and now it is complete it is there for ever for all to read. The date coincidence is amazing! I shall post William’s entry on the local Facebook page so that others can be reminded – quite appropriate as we approach Remembrance Sunday.
        Thanks once again Laurence.
        Penny

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  4. Hi Penny,
    You have excelled yourself, all of the hard work is paying off. Keep it up and I will remain in contact just in case I get anything else to add. I have also wondered how many other names on our memorial have a history from over there.
    Doug

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  5. Arlette Piercy -this is an incredible piece of local history. Thank you so much for this it is a resource for the whole community. Have you sent the details to the local schools? They are doing a lot this year and I am sure they could make very good use of all your hard work.

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  6. This is brilliant. Many thanks for all the hard work and research that you have done. My grand father and his 3 brothers lived in Parklands Road, Hassocks with their mother and all fought in WW1. Amazingly they all survived but I’m told that their mother found it hard to face the mother’s of the lads that were killed. Looking at your information, they would have been at school and in the same regiments as several of the men killed. Reading your accounts of life, and events in various regiments has brought home to me what life was like for my grandfather and his brothers. They never talked about their experiences.
    Thank you

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    • Thanks for your kind comments. Did you know that the Imperial War Museum are collecting life stories of those who served? This relates to those who survived and not just to those who died. https://livesofthefirstworldwar.org/dashboard
      It can be a bit complicated but you can record known facts as well as personal stories and family anecdotes etc. You can also upload photographs. You can also search for names of your relatives and record the fact that you are remembering them.
      What were the names of your grandfather and brothers? In my research I did come across details of other men who served, who appeared in the newspaper etc. and there may have been something relating to one of them.
      Penny

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  7. Excellent information! Would you have any objection to my pointing this resource out to readers of the Sussex Family Historian?

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    • I would be very happy for you to. It has been a struggle trying to let people know about my site. I am not very good at self-publicity! I would like it to be read as widely as possible so any help in that direction is greatly appreciated.
      Penny

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  8. Thank you Penny. My grandfather was Frederick James Taylor born 1893, his brothers were George Edward Taylor born 1886 , Ernest Charles Taylor born 1889 and Albert William Taylor born 1890. The brothers were all born in Keymer/Clayton/Hassocks and my grandfather was born in 57 Bonchurch Road(Parklands Road) where they were still living in the 1901 census and by 1911 they were living at 20 Parklands Road. (It may be the same house as I don’t know if the houses were renumbered when the name of the road was changed).

    On the subject of publicity, have you considered writing something for the “Hassocks and Keymer Talk About” or even just telling the editors about your site so that they can mention it. I don’t know if you live locally but this magazine is widely read, and I’m sure that a lot of locals would love to see what you have produced.

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  9. Hi Pauline,
    I have an extract from the Mid Sussex Times of 1st May 1917.
    “Military Medal Awarded:- Private Bert Taylor, of Hassocks, serving in France, writes to his mother, Mrs Taylor, of Parklands Road, that he has been awarded the Military Medal and that he had had the honour of receiving the ribbon from the Divisional General. Private Taylor has three brothers serving in the forces. Before joining up he was in the employ of Mr Bates, of Hassocks Farm, and was a well-known member of the Hassocks Football Club, better known as ‘The Robins’. He also took a keen interest in the organisation of the Carnival, and was for a considerable time a member of the Fire Brigade.”
    Did you know he won the MM?
    Interestingly, one of my men, Alfred Standing, also lived in Parklands Road, had been employed by Mr Bates of Hassocks Farm and was a messenger for the Fire Brigade. Without a doubt they would have known each other well!

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    • Thank you very much for that information. I did know that he had won the Military Medal but I don’t know what for. I knew about the football and the Fire Brigade but was not aware that he had worked for Mr Bates at Hassocks Farm, or that there had been anything about him in the Mid Sussex Times.

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  11. Hi Penny
    I think the work you have done on this is fantastic – as it brings the names in the memorial gardens at Adastra to life. I was also intrigued to see how the memorial garden used to look, compared to it’s slightly weather worn state now.
    I am a local stone carver and would be really interested in exploring the possibilities of refurbishing/improving the gardens. Any thoughts you have about who to approach would be appreciated.
    Will Spankie

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  12. What great work you have done , I found it very interesting, I grew up in hassocks as did my father , I will past on the site details he would know some of the family names .

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  15. G’day Penny ,
    I’m very much in the same vain as all the other comment !
    Great research , presentation & places to visit when I some day make it to your part of the world . Thank you.

    Cheers Paul ” Butch ” Pettet

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  17. Hi Penny,
    Great research! In particular, I am writing about West Yorks 12th Service Battalion and the wonderful picture you posted “after the push”. My Great Grandfather served in this Battalion so it would be great to know a bit more history around this picture if possible.
    Many thanks
    Dan

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    • Hello Dan, I don’t know how it happened but I have only just come across your comment made back in 2016! Apologies. I got the photograph from the internet as I thought it was a good one to illustrate rather than it contains a photo of my chap. Sorry I can’t help more. Kind Regards, Penny

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  18. Hello
    Thank you for putting together such a great website.

    Some years ago I was in the Friars Oak pub and saw the picture of soldiers marching past. I was keen to get a copy of this amazing photo for framing at home. I was offered the facility to borrow it for copying. I went to the pub a few weeks later and sadly they had given the photo away! I Googled this image tonight and found it on your website.

    Would you mind me contacting the person who sent this image to you? I have downloaded a copy from your site but it will be relatively low resolution and maybe quite grainy when it’s blow up. Ideally I would like to get a professional scan of a higher resolution version.

    Thank you very much

    Mark Shenton
    Oldlands Mill House
    Keymer
    BN6 8ND

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  20. Thank you so much for your fascinating website and all the hard work it must have entailed. I have been researching information regarding the life of Hubert Garbett because I have been wondering about who he was. The brass cross in Keymer church, still carried in procession nearly every Sunday, is dated 1917 and dedicated (presumably by his family….his father being the churchwarden) to his memory. I will be writing a few words to this effect in our parish magazine for November….the centenary of the end of the Great War. Thank you for supplying me with his story…I shall acknowledge my source!

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  21. Thank you for this information. I run a Scout Group in Herefordshire, one of our former Scouts, Walter Prosser, was a crew mate R Whiting on your memorial, I’ve added a link on our website to yours

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  22. Hello Penny. I stumbled across your website after having been to the Adastra Garden of Remembrance and the Parish Chirch at Keymer as part of my volunteering activities with Imperial War Museums, which administers the War Memorials Register and can be found online.

    I was in Lewes today and photographed the war memorial at St. John’s sub Castro and was struck by a variation of the title of your site on the St. John’s memorial.

    Their version reads ‘Live thou for England, we for England died.’

    Any idea where the quote – either version – comes from?

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    • Hello Richard, Thanks for getting in touch. I am afraid I don’t know the source of the quote but have seen it on many war memorials that I have seen online. I have seen a longer version TRUE LOVE BY LIFE TRUE LOVE BY DEATH IS TRIED LIVE THOU FOR ENGLAND WE FOR ENGLAND DIED. I had wondered if it was from a poem?
      I was wondering if, when you went to the Garden of Remembrance you noticed the sad state of the wooden structure where some of the names are carved. This was once a thatched seating area and all the names were on it. It was sadly burnt down, however bits remain. I contacted the parish council to ask them to do something about preserving this war memorial but they did not seem interested. I did have a meeting with a man from the parks improvement committee who said if he had his way it would be taken down and burnt and replaced with a stainless steel, modern plaque. I was so upset and annoyed, as you can imagine, that I contacted the council again who assured me that it would not be removed. I told them that were grants available for restoration to war memorials but it all seems to have fallen on deaf ears. I moved away 3 years ago so don’t know its current status. With your connections with the Imperial War Museum is there anything you might be able to do about conserving it for future generations?
      Once again, thanks for getting in touch,
      Penny

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  23. Hello Penny.

    My original reply seems to have got lost in the ether so I am resubmitting it. Basically, as they might say in ‘Star Wars’ … ‘These are not the answers you are looking for…’

    The Adastral Garden is being restored but the pergola has new (and I believe) uncarved crossbeams. The shelter by the seating area at the far end of the path has lost the skeleton support for the shelter, there being four cemented holes where it stood. Hassocks Parish Council are asking for volunteers as the Garden renovation is an ongoing First World War commemorative project.

    Regarding IWM and funding, I don’t believe that the museum has grants available for memorial restoration; IWM simply administering the War Memorials Register.

    Requests for funding would probably be better to be made( in the first instance to the War Memorials Trust), details of which can be found online. Even they may not be able to help directly, but I am sure they could advise further.

    Incidentally, if you or any of your readers have pictures of war memorials or dedications on family graves to service personnel killed and buried elsewhere – as distinct from war graves where the named service person occupies the grave under the grave marker – then IWM’s War Memorial Team would love to hear from you. Details are at https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials

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  24. Glad to be of help and also glad that my last comment landed safely.

    My thanks to you and your original blog post without which I would never have identified the Adastra Garden.

    When I first saw it – the information notices did not appear until later in the day – I THOUGHT it might be a garden of remembrance or a memorial.

    The information notices I saw later confirmed this but it was your post that put the garden into the context of the family the Salvation Army home and more.

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