Remembering Worthing's fallen

Douglas Duffield was born in Worthing in 1893, the only son of William and Annie Duffield, and he had two younger sisters.
William Duffield worked as an hairdresser’s assistant, and Annie, née Sparrow, was the daughter of the landlord of the Lamb Inn at Westbourne.
They married in Westbourne in 1892.
The Duffield family lived in Ashdown Road, Worthing, for many years, first at no.25 and then at no.41.
On leaving school, Douglas worked as a cycle repairer – ideal for him as he was a keen member of the Worthing Excelsior Cycling Club.
In fact, he set the club record for 100 miles, which he did in five hours, 32 minutes.
Douglas enlisted with the Suffolk Regiment at Chichester.
As he was below the military regulation height, he joined what was known as a Bantam Battalion.
While in action on the Somme on November 1, 1916, Douglas was hit in the head by a sniper and fatally wounded.
He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial and the St Andrew’s Parish Church memorial, in Clifton Road, Worthing.

Archibald Tutt was born in West Devonport, Tasmania, on May 26, 1892, to John, a carpenter, and Agnes Sabina, née Judge.
John and Agnes married in Hastings in 1884 and twin sons were born to them in 1885.
Sometime after that they went to Tasmania where Archibald was born in 1892, followed by a daughter in 1894.
The whole family returned to England in 1895, arriving at London in February on the ‘Ormuz’.
They settled back in Hastings at 16 St Mary’s Road and their last child was born there in 1896.
Archibald’s father died in Hastings in 1901 at the age of 43.
On February 18, 1914, Archibald joined the West Sussex Constabulary and served as a Worthing police constable.
He was also stationed at Horsham for a time.
When war came he enlisted at St Leonards into the Royal Field Artillery as a gunner.
On November 3, 1916, he was killed in action near Flers.
He is buried in the Bulls Road Cemetery at Flers and remembered on the war memorial at Horsham police station.

Henry Petter was born in 1874 at Midhurst to Lewis Petter, a shepherd at Dumpford Farm, Midhurst, and Lydia, who were born in the nearby village of Rogate.
Henry was the elder son in a family of two sons and two daughters.
In 1903, Henry married Ada Kate Frost at Midhurst and they had a son and a daughter.
Henry was working as a market gardener and the family may have moved around with his work as his son was born in Shoreham and his daughter in Walberton.
By 1911 they had settled at 15 Eastcourt Road, Worthing, with Ada’s widowed mother Emily Frost.
Henry’s parents later moved to Liss, Hampshire.
Henry enlisted with the Middlesex Regiment at Chichester.
On November 9, 1916, he was in action on the Ancre when he was hit by a shell and killed during a heavy bombardment.
His officer said he had died doing his duty for King and country.
He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial and the Liss Parish War Memorial.
His widow later moved to 61 St Dunstans Road, West Worthing.

William March was born in Worthing in 1886, the eldest of six children born to William Thomas March, a painter and decorator, and his wife Ellen, née Smith.
The family home for many years was at 39 Cobden Road.
When William left school he found work as a milkman for a local dairy.
In 1914 he married Maggie Lake.
William enlisted at Worthing with the Royal Sussex Regiment, the 48th Division, the Pioneers.
By the beginning of November 1916 the Germans had been pushed back some four miles and there was much pioneering work to be done to consolidate the positions. The wet weather conditions made the work difficult and there was frequent shelling by the enemy.
William was severely wounded and was taken to the base camp hospital at Rouen where his leg had to be amputated.
Doctors tried to save him but gangrene set in and he died on November 11.
Six weeks before, his wife had given birth to their daughter Irene.
William is buried at St Sever Cemetery Extension at Rouen and commemorated on the St Matthew’s Parish Church war memorial.

Charles Godden was born in Worthing in 1895 to John Newell Godden, a bricklayer by trade, and his wife Alice Ann, née Guiel. He was the third son in a family of four sons and two daughters, all born in Worthing. Their first home was at 30 Howard Street and they later they moved to ‘Chiswick’, Tarring Road.
Charles did not follow his father and two older brothers into the bricklaying trade. By 1911, aged 15, he had left home and started work as a page boy for an elderly widow at ‘The Poplars’, Mill Road, West Worthing.
Charles enlisted at Worthing on September 14, 1914, with the Royal Sussex Regiment, 11th Battalion.
He left for France on March 4, 1916, and on August 8 he was appointed Lance Corporal before he was made Corporal on October 1.
On November 13 the 11th Battalion, supported by the 12th and 13th Battalions, captured the village of St Pierre Divion in a dripping Autumn fog, completely surprising the enemy.
There were casualties, Charles among them.
He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, the parish church war memorials of Heene and St Matthew’s, and his brother Edgar’s headstone in Broadwater Cemetery.

Edward was born on September 7, 1887, in Paddington to Edgar Harvie, a solicitor, and his wife Caroline.
He was educated at Winchester College from 1901-1905 and then at the Central Technical College in Kensington.
In 1911 at Crookham, Hampshire, he married Mabel Agnes Holliday.
Edward started work as an electrical engineer and enlisted in the Public Schools Company of the Royal Navy in November 1914.
He served in the Royal Navy at the landings at Gallipoli where he caught enteric fever and was invalided out of the service in September 1915.
After his recovery he was granted a commission with the RNVR and in September 1916 was sent to the Western Front.
The British launched an attack on the village of Beaumont Hammel at 5.45am on November 13, 1916, and during this action Edward was killed. He has no known grave but is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial and the war memorial at Winchester College.
Edward left his estate of £7,500 to his widow, who was living at Eweshot, Surrey.
Edward is also remembered on his parents’ grave in Heene Cemetery.

Frank Braden was born in Worthing in 1883 and baptised on January 13, 1884.
He was the eldest son of George Braden, a bricklayer’s labourer, and his wife Jane, née Field. The family of six children lived at 16 Field Row.
At the age of 17 Frank was working as a boot maker, and he later worked in a boot shop. In 1912 he married Gertrude Edwards and they had a son, Bernard P Braden, born in 1915. The family home was at 45 Howard Street.
In June 1916 Frank enlisted at Littlehampton with the 11th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers. His battalion was in action on the Somme at the Battles of Delville Wood and Thiepval Ridge.
He was killed on November 15, towards the end of the Somme offensive, and has no known grave, but is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
In 1917 Frank’s younger brother, Albert Braden, was killed in action at Ypres.

Michael Streeter was born in 1886 at Nutbourne, near Pulborough, the youngest child of Michael Streeter, an agricultural labourer and rat catcher, and his wife Olive.
His mother died the year after his birth at the age of 38.
By 1901, 15-year-old Michael was living with his married sister Agnes Hammond at Rusper, near Horsham, and working as a telegraph boy. Ten years later he had moved to Worthing where he was living at the Brunswick Hotel and working as a barman.
In 1913. Michael married Fanny Flemmings and a son, William H Streeter, was born to them in 1914. They made their home at 2 Milton Street.
Michael enlisted at Chichester with the Royal Fusiliers, the 11th Battalion, and they landed at Boulogne in July 1915. He was killed in action at the Battle of Ancre on November 16, 1916.
He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial and the Heene Parish Church war memorial.

Bert Baker was born in Horsham in 1887. His name at birth is recorded as Bertie, but he was known as Bert throughout his life, this name appearing on census, marriage and enlistment records. The next appearance of Bert in the records is his marriage in Worthing on February 11, 1911, to Alice Jane Walker.
The 1911 census, completed by the enumerator, shows Bert working as a traction engine driver.
The couple were living at 6 Clifton Cottages, Broadwater Street, and went on to have a daughter, Alice Mary.
Bert initially enlisted as G/12119 with the Royal Sussex Regiment.
Later he joined the Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex) Regiment as G/40395, enlisting at Chichester.
His occupation at the time was given as a carman and his address was 10 Jubilee Terrace, Penfold Road, Worthing.
Bert was killed in action on November 17, 1916, and is buried at Guillemont Road Cemetery, Guillemont.
He is remembered on the war memorial at St Mary’s Church, Broadwater.
Alice Baker was awarded a pension from June 11, 1917, for herself and her child, of 18/9d a week.

Edwin was born at Southwark in 1897 to James, a scale maker, and Ann, who had five children.
Soon after Edwin’s birth the family moved to 21 Carlyle Street, Brighton, where the youngest child, Violet, was born.
By 1911 only Edwin and Violet were still living at home and the family had moved to 56 Bernard Road, Brighton.
Edwin enlisted in the 12th Battalion the Royal Sussex Regiment at Brighton. After training at Aldershot the battalion left Southampton and landed at Le Havre on March 6, 1916. The battalion was soon in action on the Somme and was heavily involved in the battles at Thiepval Ridge in September and the Ancre Heights in October and November 1916.
Edwin was wounded and taken to the military hospital at Boulogne awaiting treatment back in England.
Sadly he never made the return journey as he died of his wounds on November 18, 1916.
He is buried in the Boulogne Eastern Cemetery and commemorated on the war memorial at St Matthew’s Church in Worthing.
The family was living at 27 West Buildings, Worthing, at the time they received the news of Edwin’s death.

Frederick Kent was born in Lyminster, Sussex, in 1885.
In 1891 he and his sister Florence, aged six and 18 months, were being cared for by grandparents James and Jane Kent at their home in Lyminster.
Ten years later they were still with their grandparents who had moved to 21 Orme Road, Worthing. Frederick, aged 16, was now working as a florist’s assistant. Later he worked as a milkman.
On May 25, 1903, he joined the Royal Sussex Regiment for a short service, enlisting at Brighton. He served in Malta but became ill with a fever and spent 43 days in hospital. His service ended on May 24, 1906.
On September 28, 1908, Frederick married Lily Butcher at Broadwater Church and they made their home at 18 Howard Street, and had two sons.
In August 1914 Frederick was remobilised and served with the British Expeditionary Force in France. In late November 1916 his battalion was in action in a bombardment on the Butte de Warlencourt.
He was killed on November 27 and buried in the Dernancourt Communal Cemetery Extension.
He is commemorated on Broadwater Parish Church war memorial.

Walter was born in Worthing in 1893 to parents Herbert, a gardener, and his wife Ellen.
In 1901 Walter was living with his parents and three siblings at 2 Cottenham Road, Worthing.
In 1911, now aged 18, he was living with a sister, described as the head of the house, and brother, still at 2 Cottenham Road. The reason for this was because both parents had died – Ellen in 1908 and Herbert in 1909.
Both parents are buried in Broadwater Cemetery.
Walter enlisted in the 11th Battalion of the RoyalSussex Regiment at Worthing on September 16, 1914.
On July 16, 1916, he transferred to the 2nd Battalion. In July 1915 he was sentenced to seven days confined to barracks for, “Refusing to obey an order, using obscene language to his superior officer.”
Walter landed in France on March 4, 1916, and was killed in action near Bapaume on November 30, 1916, while acting as a stretcher bearer.
He is buried in the A.I.F. Burial Ground at Flers, three miles from where he was killed, and is remembered on the war memorial in Heene Church, Worthing.