William Horace Simmons was
another old Chailey soldier overlooked by the Reverend Jellicoe in his monthly roll call of serving parishioners. He originally attested with the 21st Hussars on 13th March 1893 and joined the regiment at Canterbury
two days later. His papers record that he was born in Chailey and working as
a cook. He was 22 years old, stood five feet six and three quarter inches in
his socks and had a scar on the back of his left hand. He had a fair complexion,
brown eyes and dark brown hair.
William’s early service
record makes fascinating reading. His first two years’ service were blemish
free and on 13th March 1895 he was awarded Good Conduct Pay at the rate of 1d a day.
A year later though, he was in serious trouble. The entry for 4th March
1896 reads, “In confinement” and then, a week later, “Tried and convicted by DCM [District Courts Martial]
of ‘disobeying a lawful command’. To be imprisoned with HL [Hard Labour] for 56 days.” Horace forfeited his Good Conduct Pay but by 5th November that year it had been restored.
On 13th March 1899 he was
granted his second Good Conduct Pay and seven days later, forfeited one again. On
28th December the same year, William transferred to the 8th (King’s Royal Irish) Hussars and was given a new number,
4727. His Good Conduct Pay was restored on 20th March 1900 and he was discharged
medically unfit for further service on 31st May 1901.
During his eight years’
service, William also saw a good deal of service abroad. He was in the “East
Indies” (India) between
8th March 1894 and 23rd October 1896 and then went straight to Egypt
until 11th November 1899. He was home in England
briefly between November 1899 and February 1900 but then sailed for South
Africa on 13th March that year to fight the Boers. He returned home on 15th July 1900 (presumably
as a result of sickness or wounds) and was discharged in 1901. He was entitled
to the Queen’s South Africa Medal.
By the time the First World
War had begun, William was 42 years old, living at Beech in Hampshire and back to his old pre-army job, working as a cook. He was also on the National Reserve.
He enlisted for a second
time on 22nd October 1914, this time signing up with the Military Mounted Police at Aldershot. He was assigned the number P/381 and immediately appointed lance-corporal. The following June he was deprived of his stripe but by December 1915 he was appointed as acting lance-corporal,
an appointment he appears to have held until his discharge from the army (due to no longer being physically fit for war service)
on 15th August 1917.
William spent the entirety
of his service with the MMP at home in England. His earlier service papers indicated no next of kin but on 19th December 1914, late
in life, he had married Mary Ann Langrish at the parish church in Alton.
She is recorded as his next of kin on his WW1 service papers, and their address as Wimborne in Dorset.
I am surmising that the reason
for William’s omission in Chailey Parish Magazine was due to him having moved out of the immediate area many years before. With no relatives noted, Reverend Jellicoe can be forgiven for omitting him from his
roll call.
Sources and Acknowledgements
- The National Archives – WO364 Pension Series
