Newsletter, Spring/Summer 2019 Surrey in the Great War Update Left and middle: project officers Imogen and Kirsty attended the National Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey on Remembrance Sunday 2018. Right: the presentation of John St Loe Strachey’s Willing Badge of 1915 to SHC by the High Sherriff of Surrey took place at our Armistice event on 10 November 2018. The centenary of the Great War may be over but, like many 1914-22, will be available towards the end of the year. thousands of British and overseas soldiers in 1919, we’re still In addition, we have had plenty to celebrate this spring: here! Sunday 11 November 2018 marked 100 years since the signing of the Armistice, thus ending open hostilities Over 80,000 newspaper articles with WWI-in-Surrey- between the Allies and the Central Powers. However, WWI related content have now been logged on indices wasn’t officially over until the signing of the Treaty of uploaded to our website Versailles on 28 June 1919, when Germany formally ceded to Profiles of more than 25,000 Surrey-related people who Britain and her allies. The Surrey in the Great War project will played a part in WWI are now available on our website continue until the end of 2019, discovering and documenting stories of post-war Surrey: returning soldiers’ experiences, 1000+ stories now feature on our website, with new the Spanish influenza pandemic, rioting Canadian submissions being uploaded frequently soldiers ...and much more. We’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to the project, There’s still plenty to do. We have already published our new whether that’s through volunteering, sharing a family story, free-to-download learning resources online, and are in the research or data, or by attending one of our events. midst of planning our finale event at Dorking Halls on www.surreyinthegreatwar.org.uk Saturday 20 July 2019. We’re particularly excited to announce that our book, to be published by The History Email: [email protected] Press and entitledIn the Shadow of the Great War: Surrey, Image Gallery Remembrance Day outside St Lawrence’s Hospital Gates, Remembrance Poster (SHC ref 6520/61) Caterham, 11 November 1924 (SHC ref 4209/3/38/6) Surrey in the Great War SGW Finale Showcase Event: Peace Day Centenary 2019 Page 2 Newsletter, Spring/Summer 2019 Events hosted and attended since our last newsletter Keep up-to-date with project events via SGW Armistice Event, Woking the feed on the homepage of our Cobham Remembers Armistice event National Service of Thanksgiving, website. Judging of WW1 art competition, East Westminster Abbey September 2018 Surrey Talks to Reigate and District Local History Talks to St John’s WI, Woodmansterne Surrey Heritage Showcase, Woking Society, Nutfield History Group, Year 6s Eve WI, Oxted WI from St Matthews’ Primary School (at November 2018 Redhill Library) Workshop with Year 6, North Mead BBC Radio Surrey interview Junior School Workshop with home-educated children West Surrey Family History Fair, Woking Event at Stoughton Barracks, Guildford January 2019 Workshops with Year 6, West Byfleet Mayford Village Society Heritage Day Talks to West End Old Folks’ Club and Junior School and St Mary’s Primary Smallfield & Burstow WI School (Chiddingfold) May 2019 October 2018 Unveiling of new memorial plaque for Training for Bisley Village Hall research Workshop with Year 8, Woodcote House Surrey Police, Mount Browne, Guildford group School Armistice event with Normandy British Talk to Bletchingley Historical and Talk to Oxford & Limpsfield Probus Group Legion Conservation Society DID YOU KNOW…? 150 WOMEN RETURNED TO WEST BYFLEET FROM FRANCE AFTER WORKING AS CARPENTERS FOR SURREY BUILDER W.G. TARRANT. IN TOTAL, THEY HAD BUILT 37,000 HUTS FOR THE ARMY OVER THE COURSE OF THE WAR . (WOKING NEWS & MAIL, 31 JANUARY 1919) Collection of Images of Surrey’s War Memorials You will have read in previous A huge thank you to all our colleagues and newsletters that one of our project volunteers who have contributed names missions is to collect the names from and images so far. Here are a couple of Surrey’s war memorials and rolls of examples: honour so that we can record them for posterity. We are also creating illustrated information pages on our website for all memorials on which a Surrey person is remembered. We are always on the look- out for those we’re missing. If you know of a memorial, plaque or tablet to Surrey’s WWI people, check our website to see if we already have a record of it...if not, then let us know! We would like to publish high-resolution photos of such memorials that include: St Mary’s Church, Barnes (Courtesy of Claire One image capturing the entire Newing) memorial or plaque in situ. Leatherhead Memorial Garden (Courtesy of Phil Cooper) Individual close ups showing each Page 3 panel of names. If you can, do please send such images to [email protected] Surrey in the Great War Learning Resources for Teachers, Tutors and Home Educators The end of 2018 saw the creation of structured around primary sources for our learning resources. We worked in WW1-era Surrey: images, diary liaison with a fantastic education extracts, tribunal records and consultant, Ruthie Boys, to produce newspapers….a variety of visual and high-quality and engaging activities textual sources for students to relish for teachers, tutors and home studying. educators to use. They are targeted at Key Stages 2 (ages 7-11) and 4 The four-year centenary of WW1 is (ages 14-16). now over. However, it is important that the stories of those who lived, died, We aimed to create Surrey-specific fought and worked during the 1914-18 WW1 resources that are closely conflict are not forgotten. We feel it is linked to the National Curriculum and particularly important to ensure that contain contextual historical the service and sacrifice of Surrey’s information to make them as useful men and women are remembered as possible to educators. Activities are among the younger generations. Through our resources, they will learn about conscientious objection, the role of women in the war, recruitment, and Florence Winifred Hooker in Women’s remembrance...and much more. Land Army uniform, 1917 (SHC ref 8488/1) Our learning resources are free to download from our website: https:// Please do visit the learning pages of www.surreyinthegreatwar.org.uk/ our website and see what you think! resources/learning/learning-resources/ Nellie Dabbs’ diary, logging news of her missing fiancé Teddy Cutt (SHC ref ESR/25/CUTT) In the Shadow of the Great War: Surrey, 1914-1922 Six authors have been commissioned to research and write between them eight chapters covering Surrey’s WW1 story, from mobilisation, training and recruitment to women, treating the wounded, the defence of the county, agriculture, industry, rationing, and post-war life. The chapters make a fascinating read! After much hard work, research and copy-editing, we have (at the time of publishing this newsletter) submitted the first draft of the book to the publisher. Opening of a re-created scene from the An exciting development in the We will continue to work on the Western Front in Guildford High Street for project this year comes in the form of book, which will contain around 90 ‘Feed the Guns Week’, October 1918 (SHC a book! We are working with The images and 14 case studies, over the 1946/box 7) History Press to publish an accessible coming months, fine-tuning the lay- and engrossing account of Surrey’s out and text. Keep your eyes peeled WW1 story, to be entitled In the for further information on an Shadow of the Great War: Surrey, autumn publication date and find 1914-1922. out when you can purchase a copy. Page 4 Robert James Stark (edited version - full story on the SGW website) Family history story contributed by Cynthia Mills (close family friend) Robert James Stark was born in Feltham, Middlesex, on 22 September, 1893, to Charles John Stark, a wheelwright and carpenter, and Elizabeth Ann Stark (née Beacon). The family moved from Devon to Godstone, Surrey, where Robert was christened at St Nicholas Church in December 1893. He had one sibling, Sydney Charles Stark, born November 26, 1894. Sydney served in the Army Service Corps (ASC) and survived the Great War. Robert attended the Caterham Valley Board School because his father felt the village school would not give his sons the best educational opportunities. He was also a member of the Caterham St John’s Ambulance Brigade. The only surviving picture the family has of him shows him dressed in his full St John’s uniform. In 1914, Robert became engaged to Margery Pitt. The couple were deeply in love and the villagers said they were “going strong”. Robert was known to everyone as “Robbie”, and had a fine baritone voice and sang in the choir at St Nicholas Church. He also enjoyed dancing the latest dances and was known as the “village heartthrob”. In 1915, after much deliberation, Robert enlisted in London under the Derby Scheme on Robert Stark in his St John’s November 15, 1915. Charlie Stark was opposed to his sons joining up, believing there would never Ambulance uniform be conscription, so when Robbie came home and told him the news, the row they had was so (courtesy of Cynthia Mills) loud the entire Salisbury Road heard it! Robbie was called up on January 20, 1916. He was sent to France on his mother’s birthday, August 24, 1916, and was killed six days after his 23rd birthday on September 28, 1916, at the Battle for the Schwaben Redoubt on the Somme.