Where did they live in Lewes? The addresses of people listed on our war memorials

World Wars I and II Casualties from the streets around St John’s Church.

Written by Jenny Pigott.            

Before an exhibition in St John’s Church in September 2015, “A Church and its Community”, we researched the addresses of the people listed on our war memorials to see how many came from the area around the church.

This list is not exhaustive, so we would really welcome new information on any of the people mentioned, or any who are not listed but who lived in the parish.

The addresses given are the last known, but of course as people moved around, other addresses may also be relevant.

From Abinger Place:

W War I
William David Roser, 15th Lancs Fusiliers. Died at Arras in May 1918, aged 33.

W War II
Dennis Moppett, RAFVR, captured and held as POW in the Far East, died January 1945, aged 22.
Roy Bernard Wharmby, RAFVR, Died in Germany in January 1944.

From The Avenue:

W War II
Harold William Newnham – A/S Royal Navy, died aged 20, when destroyer HMS Glowworm was sunk off Norway in April 1940.
(Mary Norris adds:
Harold’s mother was ‘living in’ and working in The Avenue in 1939 having been brought up in St John’s Street. Is there any evidence that Harold actually lived in The Avenue? An employer may not have been happy for the housekeeper’s 17 year old son to also live there! See Harold’s notes in the WW2 memorial file.)

From The Fosse:

W War II
Eric W Cork, Able Seaman, Royal Navy. Died in December 1941. Was due to be married next leave.

From Lancaster Street:

W War I
Albert Burgess, London Regiment (1^st Surrey Rifles). Died at Arras in May 1916, aged 29.
Albert Thomas Chandler, Wiltshire Regiment. Died at the Somme in March 1918, aged 32.
Alec Charles Thompson, Royal Sussex Regiment. Died in Belgium in November 1917, aged 25.

 From the Lewes Arms:

W War II
Frank E H Bennett, Royal West Kent regiment, only son of the landlord, died n April 1944 in Burma, aged 26.
(Mary Norris adds:
Frank’s father was not in fact the landlord of The Lewes Arms as stated in ‘Lewes at War’ . Frank certainly lived at the pub and  was brought up there, but in 1939 the licensee was his aunt, having previously been his grandfather then his grandmother. The awarding of the licence can be traced. Frank’s father Ernest worked for ESCC. Ernest’s funeral in 1948 was attended by members of NUPE and the local paper gives some more details. See Frank’s notes in the WW2 memorial file.)

From Mount Place:

W War I
Percy Fuller, Sussex R.G.A. Died in November 1917 in Belgium, aged 29.
William Henry Crock, R.G.A. Died at Arras, June 1914.
Thomas Crock, Royal Navy. Lost at sea in September 1914, from HMS Aboukir.
Samuel Crock, Shoeing Smith in R.F.A., died in October 1918 at Salonika.

W War II
Patrick Amos Crock, R.H.A. Died at El Alamein in October 1942, aged 23.

From New Road:

W War I
Harry Connett, R.M.A. Died in September 1914 when HMS Abouker was lost in the North Sea. Aged 35.
William Henry Marks, Rifle Brigade. Died at the Somme in September 1916, aged 28.
John Piper, Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry. Died in France in July 1917, aged 23.

W War II
George Albert Casselden, Royal Naval Volunteer (Wireless) Reserve, missing in action near Normandy in June 1944, aged 26.
Donald Herbert William Cook, RAFVR. Shot down flying a Lancaster bomber from Lincolnshire, aged 24.

From North Street:

W War I
David Arnold, 12th Royal Sussex. Died at the Somme in November 1917, aged 25.
William George Arnold, 2nd Royal Sussex. Died at Loos, May 1915, aged 28.
William Blackmore, West Somerset Yeomanry. Died at Gallipoli in October 1914, aged 39.
Cecil Reginald Briggs, Coldstream Guards. Died in September 1914, near Soissons, France, aged 20.
Albert Ernest Hewlett, 1St Queen’s Reg. W. Surrey. Died at Houdecourt, France in September 1918, aged 27.
Stephen Hoad, East Yorkshire. Died in Belgium, in April 1918, aged 19.
Harry Percy, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. Died in France in June 1915, aged 23.
Harry Washer, R.G.A. Died at the Somme in May 1915, aged 26.
William Henry Wren, Labour Corps. Died aged 34 in October 1918, buried in St John sub Castro Cemetery.

 From Paddock Road:

W War II
Albert Bertie Hathaway, RAFVR. Drowned in Haifa, on active service in May 1942, aged 21.
Stanley Alfred Hathaway, RAFVR. Missing in action on flight over the Netherlands in May 1943, aged 20.
(Mary Norris adds:
Later information shows that Stanley was not missing in action after all; his crash site and subsequent burial are now known – see his notes in the WW2 memorial file.)

From St John Street

W War I
George Henry Speck, 1st Bedfordshire. Died in Belgium in July 1918 aged 25.

W War II
Ronald Clifford Breeds, Royal Sussex Regiment. Died at El Alamein in October 1942, aged 23.
(Mary Norris adds:
From the various census entries relating to Ronald’s family (he himself did not marry), other residences were: ‘behind the White Harte’, 12 Green Wall, then St John’s Street. By the mid 1940s his father had moved again and was in Seaford . See Ronald’s notes in the WW2 memorial file.)

From St John’s Terrace:

W War I
George Crock, Machine Guns Guard, died in September 1918 in France, aged 36.

From Sun Street:

W War I
Charles Walter Gillett, Bugler with Royal Sussex Reg.  Died at Hamel in July 1916 aged 19.
Henry William Lancaster, 5th Royal Sussex. Died in Pas-de-Calais in May 1915, aged 20.
Arthur William Page, Rifle Brigade. Died in France in April 1918, aged 19.

From Talbot Terrace:

W War I
John Edward Clark,23rd Middx Regiment. Died at Passchendale in September 1917.
Arthur A. Simmonds, 11th Royal Sussex. Died at Ypres in August 1917, aged 27.

W War II
Albert Richard Davis, Royal Marine, died aged 30, on active service in Portsmouth in February 1940.
Charles Simmons, Royal Navy, died in April 1945.
(Mary Norris adds: 
The only addresses I have been able to find for Charles are in East Grinstead. While there must be an SJSC connection …..  see his notes in the WW2 memorial file).
Leslie Turner, a Pells boy, R.A.F., missing in action on flight to Paris in June 1940.
(Mary Norris adds:
Later information shows that Leslie was not missing after all; his crash site and subsequent burial are now known – see his notes in the WW2 memorial file.)

From Toronto Terrace:

W War I
Jesse Thomas Fry, R.F.A. Died in October 1918 in France.

 W War II
Ronald John Beney, Royal Artillery. Died in February 1942 in Singapore, aged 30.
(Mary Norris adds:
The Beney’s were in both Paddock Road and Toronto Terrace during WW1. Ronald’s father died and his mother remarried and moved to Tunbridge Wells in 1928. I haven’t found any evidence that Ronald stayed in Lewes (or moved with his mother), as he was in Liverpool in 1934 ,and Rocester in 1939 – see his notes in the WW2 memorial file.)