A joint Hale History Project and Lacunae of History story
A few years back, the Hale History Project acquired a photograph of a young soldier with the name ‘Wilfred Harmsworth’ written on the back. The photo was part of a batch that was found at 28, Bethel Lane, Upper Hale. Here is the photo and here is the story of Corporal Wilfred Clifford Armsworth who died in the First World War.
Born in early 1896, Wilfred was baptised by Reverend Hitchcock of Hale on 20 September 1896. The baby’s parents were Luke and Martha Armsworth. Baby Armsworth was actually named WILFRID but his name was thereafter spelled WILFRED so that is the name used in this story
Short Notes on the Armsworth Family of Hale, starting with Wilfred’s Great Grandfather
Sergeant William Armsworth: Born 1773 in Bentley, Hampshire. Served in 66th Foot until 1818 and then returned to Bentley. Married 1) Jane Page in 1822 – couple had 7 children (including John) 2) Mary Nevill in 1841 – Mary had 3 young children from a previous marriage. Died December 1852 – residence given as Hungry Hill in Farnham’s Parish Register.
Private John Armsworth: Born 1831 in Hale, near Farnham, Surrey. Served in the 9th Foot Regiment from age 17 until 1874 – a total of 24 years. Married Maria Rowles of Limerick, Ireland in 1856 – couple had 8 children (including Luke) born in various places around the world. John was stationed in Ireland, India, St Helena, Island of Jersey, and Cape Province. The two youngest children were born in Hale after John retired from the army. John died in 1899.
Luke Armsworth: John and Maria’s second son, born in Ireland in 1865 and lived in Hale from age 9. Married Martha Rolling in 1892 and the couple had 7 children (including Wilfred); one child died as a baby. In the 1901 census, the Armsworth family were living at 1, Bethel Cottages in Hale and Luke worked as a house painter. He died in 1911 (before the census) at age 45, leaving Martha with 5 children to raise, as shown in the 1911 Census. Daughter Gladys (age 17) was a kitchen maid at Littlefield House Farm, Worplesdon.
In 1922, Martha married a local carpenter, Charles Underwood (1884-1956), and the couple lived in Heath Lane, Upper Hale. Martha died in 1929.
Wilfred Clifford Armsworth
The scene has now been set for us to look at Wilfred. After (presumably) attending Hale Schools, Wilfred left school at age 14 and was listed as Builder’s Errand Boy in the 1911 Census – perhaps Caesar’s Building Company of Upper Hale. Just after his 19th birthday, Wilfred volunteered for the army on 1 June 1915 when the First World War in its second year; he did not wait for conscription. Wilfred was assigned to the Royal West Surrey Regiment and saw active service as his medal index card showed he was eligible for the 1915 Star.
On 4 February 1916 the Machine Gun Corps (Infantry) was formed from the Machine Gun Sections of four regiments, including Wilfred’s regiment – the Royal West Surreys. Wilfred Armsworth was assigned to the 37th Company of the Machine Guns Corps, and was promoted to Corporal. The hat badge insignia in the photograph is of the Machine Guns Corps.
On the 20th November 1917, the rumble of 374 fighting tanks in the Battle of Cambrai signalled the beginning of a new era in military history. (Source: The Long, Long Trail)
Many Machine Gun Corps companies were assigned to support the tanks; losses were heavy. Corporal Armsworth was killed on 20 November 1917 and has no known grave. His memorial is a name on Panel 12 of the Cambrai Memorial at Louverval.
Post Script Notes
- Private William George Armsworth: you will notice that the name above that of Cpl W C Armsworth on Hale War Memorial is W. Armsworth. This was Wilfred’s first cousin, son of his Uncle William Armsworth, who married Alice Turner. The family lived at 2 Park Cottages, Upper Hale. William volunteered for service on 16 December 1915 and in 1916 was assigned to the Household Battalion. This unit was formed as an infantry battalion in 1916 from the Household Cavalry and the men were trained to be foot soldiers. The Household Battalion took part in the Third Battle of Ypres (also called Passchendaele). Losses to the Household Battalion were severe when the battalion attacked near Poelcapelle and Pte. Armsworth was killed on 12 November 1916. William was identified by means of a letter he had on his body and initially thought to be ‘Armstrong’ – later corrected to ‘Armsworth’.
2. Private Arthur William Newman: Another First World War Casualty connected to the Armsworth family was the husband of Wilfred Armsworth’s sister, Hilda. In 1914, Hilda married Arthur William Newman who was a Drummer with the band of the Hampshire Regiment. He served as an infantryman during the First World War with the Wiltshire Regiment which had the misfortune of holding the line in Ypres in Flanders in April 1918.
The Battle of the Lys was fought from 7 to 29 April 1918 and was part of what the Germans planned as a final push to win the war. Initially, the German army swept through the Western Front in Flanders but after an advance of only 9 miles (15 km) it ground to a halt once the Allies re-grouped. (Source: Wikipedia)
Pte. Newman was buried by the Germans along with other Allied soldiers in Lauwe, Belgium. He was identified by his military disc and eventually re-interred in Harlebeke New British Cemetery with a headstone. Hilda received a widow’s pension for herself and the two children. Gladys later married another soldier musician: Piper Alfred Higgs and the family were stationed in India for a while before settling in Alfred’s home town of Wolverhampton.
3. Caroline Armsworth Simpson: this was Wilfred Clifford Armsworth’s Great Aunt. She is included here as an offset to the death in war of the three men discussed above. Caroline was born in Hale around 1821. Baby Caroline survived infancy and as a teenager left Hale to work in London. In 1849, Caroline married James Simpson (a baker, born in Scotland) and the couple were married for sixty years and had six children. Caroline Simpson lived for 101 YEARS, dying in East Ham, Essex in 1922!
4. Armsworth Close: The Hale History Project put forward the name ‘Armsworth’ as a suggested street name in the new estate built at the top of Folly Hill and there is now an Armsworth Close.
Select Sources:
- Hale History Project
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- Ancestry.com (subscription needed)
- U.K. General Registry Office
Hale History Project: https://www.halehistoryproject.co.uk