William Jared Brooks was born in Fletching, Sussex in 1896.  He appears on the 1901 census living with his family at Cherry Tree Cottage, Fletching Common.  The household comprised: Jared Brooks (head, married, aged 32, a bricklayer journeyman), his wife Frances E Brooks (aged 33) and their three children: Frances E Brooks (aged six), William (aged four) and Sydney Arthur Brooks (aged three).  Also living at the cottage was William's maternal grandfather, 82 year old William Hart.

Chailey Parish Magazine first mentions him in its April 1918 issue, stating Brooks, Lance-Corporal W J, 12th Royal Sussex.  This information is repeated up to and including the final published roll call in July 1919.

In fact, William had been in khaki for a long time.  He and his brother Sydney had enlisted with the 12th (South Down) Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment at Brighton on 11th November 1914 and they had travelled to France together in March 1916.  Sydney’s number was SD/1632 and William’s SD/1633.

The 12th Sussex was thrown into action at The Boar’s Head on 30th June 1916 and the casualties were great. I have covered this action in Chailey’s Somme; Part 15 of my narrative, The Hospital Way.  When the roll call was taken later, Sydney was reported missing and later presumed dead.  Soldiers Died in The Great War notes his date of death as 30th June 1916 and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records his name simply as Sydney Brooks.  He is commemorated on the Loos Memorial.

William appears to have come through the encounter unscathed.  Certainly, his old headmaster, John Oldaker, of Newick school, makes no mention of it in the notes he jotted down about him.  Both boys had been at the school between 1905 and 1911 and at some stage, William sent Mr Oldaker the photograph of himself that is reproduced on this page.

William remained overseas with the Royal Sussex Regiment until he was wounded on 23rd July 1918 and his war ended.  In later life, he settled in Jackies Lane, Newick and became a fruit farmer.  He married and had two daughters but the First World War left an indelible mark on him.  He suffered with bronchial problems throughout his life, the result of being gassed in France, and he died a relatively young man, in 1957.

I have published a separate article on the Newick School cricket team on the Chailey 1914-1918 Blog which shows a very young Will Brooks circa 1907.

Sources & Acknowledgements

• 1901 Census of England and Wales
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• Soldiers Died in The Great War
• Chailey Parish Magazine
• Simon Stevens for the notes and photograph of William taken from John Oldaker’s collection
• Sally Tinkler, Will Brooks's granddaughter for additional information and a splendid photo of the Newick School cricket team taken around 1907.