The Hospital Way - Chailey 1914-1918

Part 1: Introduction & Acknowledgements

The 1st East Surreys at Mons - Hickwells Convalescent Home – 6738 Private Charles Sabourin, 1st East Surreys.

Lord Haldane’s 1908 army reforms – Scheme for the Organisation of Voluntary Aid in England & Wales – Composition of detachments – Duties – Rules & Regulations

Part 4: Sussex 54 VAD

Men’s and women’s detachments – more rules and regulations - Duties of the VADs - the birth of Sussex 54 VAD – Field Days and preparing for war.

Part 5: Hickwells

Nurse Edith Oliver – 8030 Private Henry Walter Richardson and the 1st Dorsets – Hickwells – Reverend Thomas Harry Lee Jellicoe and the Chailey Parish Magazine.

Part 6: First Ypres 1914

First Ypres – 7480 Private Reg Pimble and the 1st Gloucesters – Private John Thomas and the 2nd South Staffs

Part 7: Second Ypres 1915

Winter in France and Flanders – 2229 Trooper Alfred Rock, Royal Horse Guards – 6271 Private Ernest Whitcomb, 1st Middlesex – 1359 Private William Butters, 20th Londons – 2nd Ypres – The German gas attack – St Jean and St Julien - 1584 Corporal Henry Smith, 6th Northumberland Fusiliers – 841 Lance Corporal George Walburn, 1/4th Yorkshire

Part 8: May - September 1915

6155 Private Frank Dixon, 1st Wiltshire – 79364 Corporal Walter Reynolds, 3rd Royal Fusiliers – The Battle of Frezenberg, May 1915 – L/10314 Private Charles Banks, 1st Royal Fusiliers – Corporal Albert Brandon, 1/7th Middlesex – 65522 Sapper E Weeden, 135th Field Coy, Royal Engineers – Nurse Frances Blencowe – More Chailey convalescents.

Part 9: Loos Preparations

Battle of Loos background - The Loos terrain – the New Army divisions – 15429 Sergeant Arthur Reeve and the 8th KOSB – The 15th (Scottish) Division – 16534 Private William Chadwick and the 7th KOSB – R/1480 Private Stan Collins and the 12th KRR – The 20th (Light) Division - 18406 Private James Sweeney and the 13th Royal Scots – 7567 Private John Currie and the 10th Gordon Highlanders – Preparations for battle.

Part 10: The Battle of Loos Commences

Attack by the 15th, 47th and 1st Divisions – 15429 Sergeant Arthur Reeve and the 8th KOSB – 16534 Private William Chadwick and the 7th KOSB – 18406 Private James Sweeney and the 13th Royal Scots – 7567 Private John Currie and the 10th Gordon Highlanders – The 21st and 24th Divisions – 10690 Private John Sheridan, 12th Northumberland Fusiliers – 5365 Private George Lucas, 8th Royal West Kent – 9457 Corporal Horace Wood, 8th Royal West Kent – Chailey’s contribution to the Battle of Loos.

Part 11: Subsidiary Attacks

Attack of the 20th and 3rd Divisions – R/1480 Private Stan Collins, 12th KRRC – L/6723 Private Frederick Harding, 4th Middlesex – 3246 Private John Allan, 1/4th Gordons – Mobilisation of Sussex 54 VAD – 12419 Pte Charles Chambers, 7th Norfolks.

Part 12: The Close of the Year

VAD duties – 2605 Corporal John Dicks, 9th Essex – 1583 Sergeant Wlliam Calvert, 5th East Lancs – 1366 Lance-Corporal Ernest Ladd, 5th East Kent – 914 Bombardier Francis Ryan, RFA – 23331 Private W Baddock, 3rd Grenadier Guards – G/4780 Private Edward Burnage, 2nd Royal Sussex – Entertainments at Hickwells.

Part 13: 1916

831 Private Charles Bristow, 57th AIF – Life at Hickwells – Motor smash at Chailey – Private Walter Robertson, 2nd Argylls – 22824 Private Henry Burn, 2nd Worcestershire – L/6723 Private Frederick Harding, 4th Middlesex - Preparations for the Battle of the Somme.

Part 14: The Battle of the Somme

Background to the battle – 16621 Private James Cowley, 1st Kings Own Royal Lancaster – The battle for Ovillers-La Boiselle – 12517 Corporal Fred Denton, 9th Essex - 5793 Lance-Corporal Ernest Malins, 6th Queens Own Royal West Kent – The battle for Trones Wood – 8355 CSM John Gale, 2nd Bedford.

Part 15: Chailey's Somme

Sussex 54/VAD receives Somme casualties – Chailey men are killed on the Somme - 3962 Private Christopher Barclay, 2/10th King’s Liverpool – 5365 Private George Lucas, 8th Royal West Kent – 17797 Private Albert Leggett, 1st Northants – 2725 Private William Washbourne, 1/5th Gloucester – the Somme battles continue.

Part 16: September 1916

Albert, Alexander and Owen Plummer of Chailey – S/7793 Private Andrew Geddes – Private H Proctor – Private T W Brown – 230 Private Herbert Maginnis

Part 17: October 1916

7834 Rifleman Henry Saunders, 12th London – 25442 Private Wigston, 4th Worcestershire – 14598 CQMS Oswald Hitter, 10th Essex – Private Angus Mckenzie, 1/5th Seaforth Highlanders – 6850 Private Robert Mearns Hobbs, 1/5th Cameronians (Scottish Rifles).

Part 18: November 1916

November attacks - 22782 Lance-Corporal Ernest Fairbrother, 10th North Lancashire – 43009 Private Herbert Barnes, 13th Essex – G/4780 Private Edward Burnage, 2nd Royal Sussex – MM presented at Newick to 12717 Corporal Frederick Denton, 9th Essex.

Part 19: For King and Empire

Troops from the Empire at Beechlands – 57941 Lance Corporal Albert Smith, 20th Canadians – 602919 Private James Bentley, 7th Canadians – Chailey men serving with the Empire forces – 730340 Albert Burnett, CEF – Lieutenant Albert Heasman MM, 16th AIF – 291 Private Frederick Heasman 13th AIF – 2145 Lance-Corporal Gilbert Heasman MM, 11th AIF – Pantomime at Beechlands.

Part 20: Arras & Brook House

Gallantry awards to Chailey men – 415211 RSM Thomas Pateman MM, 4th Queen’s Hussars – Captain Archibald Wright, 4th Royal Dragoon Guards – G/1671 Lance-Corporal Frederick Yeomans DCM, 8th Royal Sussex – The Arras Offensive and Chailey casualties – A new convalescent home for RFC officers opens in Chailey.

Part 21: Passchendaele 1917

Passchendaele Preparations – Battle of Pilckem Ridge - Lieutenant Richard Deane, RFA – Sergeant H Hunter, Coldstream Guards – G/24393 Private Frederick Woodhams, 13th Royal Sussex – 16880 Private Joseph French, 9th Essex KiA – Lieutenant John Tucker, 2nd Devonshire – Battle of Langemarck – G/1654 Private Charles Bristow, 9th Royal Sussex KiA - Battle of Menin Road Ridge – Battle of Polygon Wood - 291 Private Frederick Heasman, 13th AIF KiA – 831 Private Charles Bristow, 57th AIF KiA – 240101 Sergeant Wilf Wortley, 2/5th Leicestershire – 268791 Private Arthur Whipp, 2/7th Sherwood Foresters – 486742 Sapper Arthur Bee, 470th Field Coy, RE – A/200884 Rifleman Frederick Leech, 21st KRRC – 90669 Gunner Joseph Miller, RGA KiA

Part 22: "Nothing But Waste and Water"

The Battle of Broodseinde – Lieutenant Roland Draper, 10th KOYLI – 20161 Corporal John Lawson, 15th Cheshire - The Battle of Poelcapelle – 34238 Corporal John Sheridan, 8th York and Lancs KiA – 2767 Private William Barbin, 42nd AIF - The First Battle of Passchendaele – 23703 Lance-Corporal Arnold Marshall, 8th KRRC – 43262 Private Robert Vinton, 10th West York – T2/12286 Sergeant Claude Ireland, 151st Coy, ASC KiA – The Second Battle of Passchendaele – 32526 Lance-Corporal Stan Brown, 1st South Staffordshire – 6850 Private Robert Hobbs, 1st Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) KiA – 138937 Bombardier William Hegarty, RGA

Part 23: Duties Done

Commandant Margaret Cotesworth and Matron Miss Emily Marshall honoured – Private Archibald Capham – 18406 Pte James Sweeney, 13th Royal Scots, KiA – Captain Magnus Robertson MC, KiA – 587639 Private Ernest Whitcomb, Labour Corps died – The end of hostilities – Commemorating the Chailey dead.