Chailey Parish
Magazine notes in December 1916: Cottingham,
Co Sergt Major J, 37th RF, and this information is then repeated monthly up until the final published roll call in July
1919.
J Cottingham is
probably James Louis Cottingham who was one of four Chailey brothers who served during the First World War. He was the eldest child of William and Esther Cottingham (nee Baker) of South Common Chailey and was
born at Chailey in late 1884 or early 1885, his birth recorded at Lewes in the March quarter of that year.
The 1901 census
returns show him living at Chailey with his family. The household comprised William
Cottingham, head of the household, aged 53 and working as a tile maker, his 46 year old wife Esther Cottingham and their five
children: James, aged 16, a brickyard labourer, William Cottingham, aged 13, a brickyard labourer, his twin brother George Cottingham, aged 13, working as a carter boy on farm, Frederick [Samuel] Cottingham, aged nine, and finally Alfred Cottingham aged six. There were other children too who were obviously not at the family
address when the 1901 census was taken. In aged order they were: Ellen Cottingham (born in 1876), Alice Cottingham
(born in 1878), Emma Cottingham (born in 1880) and Edith Cottingham (born in 1886).
The 37th Royal
Fusiliers was a labour battalion formed at Falmer, Sussex on June 6th 1916. It went to France the following month as part of the Fourth Army. In
April 1917 it became the 107th and 108th Labour Companies of The Labour Corps. The
National Archives gives two designations for this man: 38338 Warrant Officer Class 2 James L Cottingham, Royal Fusiliers and
(when the 37th RF was re-designated), 63717 Warrant Officer Class 2 James L Cottingham, Labour Corps.
The Cottingham
brothers were also distantly related to Thomas Cottingham.
Sources and Acknowledgements
- 1891 Census of England and Wales
- 1901 Census of England and Wales
- England and
Wales, Civil Registration Index:
1837-1983
- British
Regiments, 1914-18 by Brigadier E A James, OBE TD (Samson Books, 1978)
- The National Archives’
on-line medal information card index
- Chailey Parish Magazine
- David Lawrence
for information about the Cottingham family
