The Hampshire Family Now in Historian our 41st year December 2014 Volume 41 No.3 Christmas Truce 1914 – see page 160 Inside this Issue The RHR Field of Remembrance • Greetings from Wodonga • SE Hampshire Roman Catholics PLUS: Around the groups • Book Reviews • Your Letters • Members Interests • Research Room Journal of the Hampshire Genealogical Society Hampshire Genealogical Society Registered Charity 284744 HGS OFFICE , 52 Northern Road, Cosham, Portsmouth PO6 3DP Telephone: 023 9238 7000 Email: [email protected] Websites: www.hgs-online.org.uk or http://www.hgs-familyhistory.com PRESIDENT Miss Judy Kimber CHAIRMAN PROJECTS Dolina Clarke Eileen Davies, 22 Portobello Grove, Email: [email protected] Portchester, Fareham, Hants PO16 8HU BOOKSTALL Tel: (023) 9237 3925 Chris Pavey Email: Email: [email protected] [email protected] MEMBERS’ INTERESTS SECRETARY Email: [email protected] Mrs Sheila Brine 25 Willowside, Lovedean, WEBMASTER Waterlooville, Hants PO8 9AQ John Collyer, Tel: ( 023) 9257 0642 Email: [email protected] Email: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND TRUSTEES: [email protected] Sheila Brine TREASURER Dolina Clarke Ann-Marie Shearer Eileen Davies 64 Sovereign Crescent Gwen Newland Fareham, Chris Pavey Hants PO14 4LU Lin Penny Email: Paul Pinhorne [email protected] Ann-Marie Shearer Ken Smallbone MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Keith Turner Gwen Newland Angela Winteridge 52 Northern Road, Cosham, GROUP ORGANISERS – See Group Reports Pages Portsmouth PO6 3DP Tel: (023) 9238 7000 Email: [email protected] SUBSCRIPTION RATES: ALL MEMBERS £15 EDITOR Members may now pay by Credit Card Ken Smallbone at our website. 110 St Peter’s Road, Basingstoke, Hants RG22 6TG This journal is designed and laid out by Tel: (01256) 355590 Email: Acadia PR & Design Southampton [email protected] Telephone 023 8023 5780 Email: [email protected] The Contents Hampshire Editorial – Ken Smallbone 154 Family Feature article – The RHR Field of Remembrance 155 Historian Searchers compiled by Lesley Bull 156 December 2014 The value of life in war by Mr M.F. Reid 159 The Christmas Truce 1914 by Ken Smallbone 160 One Old Contemptible by Anthony Paice 162 In days of yore Civil Registration, Part 5 166 Book reviews 169 Page 162 Page 191 Deadline Material for possible inclusion in the March 2015 Family Historian should be received strictly by 10 January 2015. All contributions are, however, appreciated as early as possible. Disclaimer Dear Editor – Your Letters 172 The Hampshire Family Historian is the official publication Greetings from Wodonga of the Hampshire Genealogical Society. by (Rev.) Neil Harvey 175 Material is copyright of the Society and may not be HGS News 176 reproduced without written permission. The Hampshire Members’ surname interests 182 Genealogical Society does not accept responsibility for Surnames appearing in this issue 186 personal views expressed in this publication, or in any Chapman Codes 187 articles. Historical hogs – Ernest George Horlock, VC Submission of material by Ken Smallbone 188 The editor welcomes articles, family trees (typed in black, From Hampshire to Russia A4 with 1” margins) letters, items, comments, and by (Ms) Jocelyn M. John 191 especially family photographs or illustrations to News from Record Offices/Libraries 194 accompany them. Please enclose SAE for photo return. George Watts at war Items can be submitted by e-mail to by Ken Smallbone 200 [email protected] with your Surname and “New Local Group Programmes 202 HFH Article” on the subject line or by post (letter or CD in Word format). The HGS reserve the right to reproduce SE Hampshire Roman Catholics – Part 1 submissions in publicity materials and on the society by Roy Montgomery 218 website. Earliest Minstead Parish Register Please, ALWAYS include a telephone contact — by Colin Macey 221 (it will not be printed if you clearly state this) and your HGS Publications 222 membership number PLUS full postal home address - particularly when sending Emails. 153 Editorial Welcome… As one year drifts into another we naturally begin to think back to previous times and often to people we had lost along the way. As 2014 makes way for 2015 the process continues, and it will become a sad time for many, as well as a reason for celebration for most. A major anniversary had occurred in 2014 that seemed to have made a much greater difference in the minds of family historians throughout the world. All at once, the significance of Remembrance Day and poppies had become utterly real for many more people than usual. Our feature article concerns the Field of Poppy Crosses in the Royal Hampshires’ Memorial went to Russia; greetings from Australia; Garden. The First and Second World Wars are Roman Catholic records; a previously “lost” commemorated in the feature article, while parish register; attempts to break down civil the First or ‘Great’ War is the theme in those registration ‘brick walls’. Furthermore, there contributions from several of our members are more than enough additional interesting (The Christmas Truce, One Old Contemptible, matters to be found in Searchers, the report The Value of Life in War, George Watts at War, from the Hampshire Record Office, Book The Lost Generation, and the Historical Hogs Reviews, HGS News, Letters to the Editor, feature on the second Hampshire-born VC of Members’ Interests, and the reports from the that war). It was also highlighted in our Open HGS groups. I wish to thank everybody Day on October 12 this year (see p 179). No concerned in contributing the items that make doubt this theme will continue as the up this current journal. centenary progresses. Thoughts on the Second World War (began 75 years ago) are also Finally, we at HGS wish you all a very brought to the surface from time to time. enjoyable Christmas and hope that 2015 will bring you much success in your endeavours. Yet, although the Great War may even be We also take this opportunity to thank you for foremost in many minds at present, a journal your support, as you are the lifeline of this such as ours ought to be able to provide a fair Society, and without you we cannot function. amount of variety, particularly as there must May you continue to help us help you. be a few families who were less affected by the events of 1914-18 than others. Thus, we Ken Smallbone also have articles on a Hampshire family who Editor 154 Feature article The RHR Field of Remembrance Serle’s House, Southgate Street, Winchester On Friday 1 August 2014 a Field of Poppy Crosses was officially unveiled in the Memorial Garden of the Royal Hampshire Regiment. This field comprised a sea of tiny poppy- bearing wooden crosses representing 10,259 ultimate sacrifices made by Hampshire’s brave. The poppy crosses remembered each of the following members of the Royal Hampshire Regiment - 8,023 killed in WW1; 2,149 in WW2; and 87 who had died since the carefully placed in the ground earlier in that end of the Second World War. week by six volunteers from the Eastleigh As the bugles sounded, the Standard was platoons of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight lowered, and, during the special service at Cadet Force. The poppy crosses then Serle’s House, soldiers past and present remained in place until mid-September, thus paused to reflect and remember those who allowing people to visit and reflect on the had fallen. The event, on the eve of the sacrifice of those killed in the two world wars centenary of the start of the First World War, and afterwards. was organised by the Royal Hampshire Serle's House was built about 1740 for Regiment Trust, and had been timed with William Sheldon and bought by John Serle in other services across the county. It also 1781. It was used as the Headquarters for the coincided with work recently completed at the South Hampshire Militia, and then sold to the museum – a refurbishment after receiving a Government in 1796. It became the Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £93,000. Headquarters of the Royal Hampshire Wreaths were laid alongside the poppy- Regiment, until converted into a museum in bearing wooden crosses, which had been 2001. After World War II the area was re-designed as a Garden of Remembrance. The garden was planted with rose trees from the battlefield of Minden and a tree from Ploegsteert Wood in Flanders, places memorable in the history of the Regiment. Various plants have been donated by those who have served in the Regiment and their relatives. Photos are supplied by John Heighes. 155 Searchers Searche Compiled by Lesley Bull If you would like your request to be included in reply will not be made except through this this section, please submit a brief, but journal. Photographs and illustrations are specific, email or letter of enquiry or send a gladly accepted: - (300 dpi resolution jpegs by 'Word' based article with relevant names (and email attachment or on CD are welcome) or particularly your own name and address) laser colour photocopies (never ordinary ones) detailed in BLOCK CAPITALS to Mrs L. Bull, or black and white original pictures. All can 'Wychwynd', Cove Road, Fleet, Hampshire, be returned if you request it and supply an GU51 2RT. SAE. If sending original photographs through the post, please use a protective board Kindly always advise a telephone number envelope. EMAIL: for any possible contact, and unless you state [email protected] and please clearly that you object, any e-mail or always quote a full postal address for those telephone number given will be printed. without computers. If this is not done, your Please be patient as acknowledgement or request may well be disregarded.