Remembering Worthing's fallen

The Worthing men who died in March 1916 while serving their country in the First World War.
Worthing War Memorial DM154259aWorthing War Memorial DM154259a
Worthing War Memorial DM154259a

Second Lieutenant Herbert Ernest Mallandaine

Indian Army Reserve of Officers attached 97th Deccan Infantry

Herbert Mallandaine was born in Jubbulpore, India, in 1887 to parents Alfred and Eleanor Mallandaine.

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His father Alfred, who was born in Lancashire, had been a student at Kneller Hall, home of Army music, while serving as a Sergeant with the East Lancashire Regiment.

He married Herbert’s mother in 1881 at Brentford and, after the birth of a daughter in 1882, they were posted to India with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment.

Soon after their arrival in India a further son and daughter were born before Herbert in 1887.

Herbert excelled as a sportsman and was said to be a splendid shot and a fine horseman. He later worked for the Bombay Salt Department, before joining the Indian Army.

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In 1900 Herbert’s mother died and his father returned to England and remarried, eventually settling at 3 Kingsland Road, Worthing.

In the Great War Herbert served as a Second Lieutenant in the 97th Deccan Infantry and left India with his regiment for the Persian Gulf in December 1915.

He was killed in action at Al Kut, Iraq, on March 8, 1916, aged 29, after surviving three battles and being mentioned in dispatches.

He is remembered on the Basra memorial in Iraq, and the Broadwater Church memorial.

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G/66 Private Walter Samuel Stringer

Royal Sussex Regiment 9th Battalion

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Walter Stringer was born in Storrington, Sussex, in 1879, the eldest son of Edward, a bricklayer’s labourer, and Ellen Stringer.

In 1891 the family was living at 45 Newland Road, Worthing.

On January 18, 1895, Walter enlisted with the Royal Sussex Regiment, 3rd Battalion for seven years. His service number was 6658.

He served in South Africa until January 17, 1902, when he went into the reserves.

On November 1 of that year he married Rosa Squires and they had five children.

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Their home was at 16 Holden Cottages, Broadwater, and Walter was working as a market garden labourer.

Later Rosa moved to 1 Bartlett’s Cottages, Broadwater, near Walter’s parents who were living at 4 Bartlett’s Cottages.

At the onset of war, Walter joined the 9th Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment on August 14, 1914.

On October 19, 1915, he was posted to France and in March 1916 his battalion was at Hooge.

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Walter was killed in an isolated incident on March 11, aged 36, the only soldier of his battalion to be killed on that day.

He is commemorated on the Menin Gate memorial and the war memorial at Broadwater Church.

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SD/1156 L/cpl William Frank Hobbs

Royal Sussex Regiment 11th Battalion

William, or Frank as he was known, was born in Woodford, Essex, in October 1887, one of five children born to William and Eva Hobbs.

His father died when Frank was only five years old, and soon after the family moved to 4 Thorn Terrace, Worthing; then later 10 Ambrose Place and 6 Liverpool Terrace.

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Frank worked as a commercial clerk for the local gas company where he was held in high esteem.

Frank enlisted with the The Royal Sussex Regiment and joined the 11th Battalion, one of The Southdowns Regiments.

On March 13, 1916 he was in the front line near Festubert, France, when a German barrage took place.

The enemy fired 12 shells, one of which landed on a billet being used by the 11th Battalion.

The shell caused four fatalities and nine wounded.

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Frank was one of those wounded and was taken to the casualty clearing station but died later that day, aged 28.

He was buried in the Sailly-Sur-La-Lys Canadian cemetery.

His brother Arthur was also killed on July 3, 1916, in the Battle of the Somme.

Both soldiers are remembered on their parents’ grave in Broadwater Cemetery.

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SD/531 Private Charles Claude Martin

Royal Sussex Regiment 11th Battalion

Charles Martin, sometimes known as Claude, was born in 1886 at Lambeth, the only child of Charles and Jessie Martin. The family lived at 14 Waterloo Road, Lambeth, and Charles senior worked as a fruit salesman. They later moved to ‘West Dene’, Lyndhurst Road, Worthing.

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Charles junior was a popular, friendly boy, well known as a prominent member of the local swimming club.

He joined the National Reserve at Worthing and served for three years in the Territorial Forces of the Sussex Yeomanry.

On September 10, 1914, he enlisted at Worthing with the Royal Sussex Regiment, 11th Battalion. On one occasion he was admonished for being drunk and causing a disturbance, and another time he was picked up for having a rusty bayonet on parade.

On March 4, 1916, Charles was sent to France with his battalion and on March 13 he was near the front line when a shell from a German barrage landed on their billet.

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Charles, aged 29, was killed with three other Worthing men including his friend Private Arthur Newman.

He is buried at the Rue-David Military Cemetery at Fleurbaix and remembered on his parents’ grave in Broadwater Cemetery.

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SD/535 Private Arthur Thomas Newman

Royal Sussex Regiment 11th Battalion

Arthur Newman was born in Worthing in 1883 and baptised at St Mary’s Church, Broadwater, on August 26 of that year.

He was the ninth child of 11 born in Worthing to William, a carpenter, and his wife Charlotte.

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William and Charlotte started their married life at 4 Surrey Street but when William suddenly died in 1891 at the age of 48, the family moved to 7 West Buildings.

Arthur’s first job on leaving school was that of a grocer’s assistant, working for Messrs. Potter, Bailey and Co.

By 1911 he was 27 and still living at home, working as an assistant in a draper’s shop.

At the start of the Great War, Arthur enlisted at Worthing with the Royal Sussex Regiment, the 11th Battalion, known as Lowther’s Lambs. After training, the 11th Battalion had a stormy crossing from Southampton to Le Havre.

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They arrived in bitterly cold, snowy conditions and after several days, travelling by train and on foot, they arrived at their base near the front line at Fleurbaix.

The following day the enemy shelled Fleurbaix and Arthur, aged 32, was killed.

He was buried at the Rue-David Military cemetery at Fleurbaix.

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SD/548 Private William Samuel Seall

Royal Sussex Regiment 11th Battalion

William Seall was born in Worthing and baptised at Broadwater Church on February 12, 1882 to William and Caroline, née Parsons.

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William was the eldest son in a family of nine children and home was at 18 Prospect Place.

William attended the National Boys’ School in Richmond Road, and on leaving school he trained as a piano tuner and repairer.

He and his brother Charles were later employed at the music warehouse of Mr Winwood Mansfield.

William enlisted at Worthing with the 11th Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment, one of Lowther’s Lambs.

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With several other Worthing men he went with his battalion from Southampton on the transport ship ‘Viper’, arriving at Le Havre in a snowstorm at 2am on the morning of March 5, 1916. By March 12 they were billeted near the front line at Fleurbaix.

The following day, William, aged 34, was one of four men killed by enemy shell fire.

He is buried at Rue-David Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix, and is commemorated on the Richmond Road School memorial, now in the Sidney Walter Centre in Sussex Road, Worthing.

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1871 Rifleman Alfred Stevenson

The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort’s Own) 4th Battalion

Bertie Alfred Stevenson was born in Hove in 1887 to parents Charles Thomas Stevenson, a general labourer, and his wife Matilda. A sister, Helena, was born in 1890.

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In 1892 Matilda Stevenson died aged 40, leaving Charles to bring up his two children.

In the 1901 census Charles and his son Bert, now aged 14, were boarding at 7 Malt House Cottages at Goring, and Charles was earning a living working as a market gardener.

Bert enlisted at Worthing with the Rifle Brigade, The Prince Consort’s Own, 4th Battalion.

He was killed in action near Ypres on March 15, 1916, and is buried in the Voormezeele Enclosures no. 1 and 2.

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His next of kin was given as his sister, who was living in Truro in 1911 with her infant son.

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4119 Private Percy Guy Carpenter

Royal Sussex Regiment 2nd/4th Battalion

Percy Carpenter was born in Worthing in 1887.

His parents, Alfred and Alice, née Guy, married at St George’s, Hanover Square, London, in 1880.

Percy was one of eight children and his early years were spent at 1 Latimer Terrace, Oxford Road, Worthing.

His father Alfred was a chief clerk at Worthing Post Office.

Later the family moved to 93 Newland Road.

In 1911, Percy was working as a tailor’s porter.

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On February 29, 1916, Percy enlisted in the 2nd/4th Reserve Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment.

He had barely started his training when he fell ill with pneumonia.

He was taken to hospital in Cambridge where he died on 18 March, 1916, aged 28.

He was buried in Broadwater Cemetery on March 23, 1916, where his Commonwealth War Grave headstone bears the emblem of the Royal Sussex Regiment.

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SD/505 Private Charles H Collins

Royal Sussex Regiment 11th Battalion

Charles Collins was born in Worthing in about 1896.

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In 1901 his mother, Annie Collins, married Thomas Chaplin, a widower, who for many years had been a leading grocer in Worthing.

They lived at 93 Park Road and Charles was a pupil at Sussex Road School.

On leaving school, he worked as a grocer’s assistant.

Charles enlisted at Worthing with the Royal Sussex Regiment, 11th Battalion, and in March 1916 was in action near Fleurbaix, France.

On March 18, 2016, Charles, aged 20, was fatally wounded.

He was one of three deaths in the 11th Battalion recorded on that day.

Charles is buried at Merville Communal Cemetery.

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Charles is commemorated on the war memorial at St Paul’s Church, Worthing, and also on the Sussex Road School memorial to former pupils who gave their lives for their country.

The latter can now be found in the Sidney Walter Centre in Sussex Road, Worthing.

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57761 Driver Clarence Joseph Borane

Royal Field Artillery, 69th Brigade Ammunition Column

The early life of Clarence Borane is something of a mystery.

He is said to have been born in Rotherhithe about 1889.

By 1901, at the age of ten, he was living in Worthing with John and Emily Walls, at 8 Cranmer Road.

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Thereafter he was described as the foster son of Emily Walls.

Ten years later Clarence was still living with the Walls family and working as a horticultural labourer.

Clarence enlisted with the Royal Field Artillery at Brighton.

He embarked with his Brigade at Avonmouth between June 18-24, 1915, and arrived at Alexandria on July 6 of that year.

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Here, his ammunition column of horses, wagons and 50 men remained until February 14, 1916 – the rest of the brigade carried on to Gallipoli.

On February 14, the ammunition column left Alexandria and landed at Basra on the 7th/9th March.

Clarence was killed on March 21, aged 27.

He is buried in Basra War Cemetery.

He is also commemorated on the St Paul’s Church war memorial and also on the war memorial at West Tarring Church.

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1734 Lance Corporal Harry Tier

Royal Sussex Regiment 12th Battalion

Harry Tier was born in Worthing in 1891 and baptised at St Mary’s Church, Broadwater, on January 24, 1892.

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His parents Harry and Matilda, née Salter, had been married at St Mary’s Church on Christmas Day in 1888.

Harry grew up at the family home at 26 Stanley Road, Worthing, and was a pupil at nearby Sussex Road School. His father worked as a carpenter and joiner, and Harry worked with him on leaving school.

He was a keen swimmer and a member of the local swimming club, and as a junior, had taken part in water polo matches.

Harry enlisted at Worthing with the 12th Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment.

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After training at Maidstone and Aldershot his battalion left for France and landed at Le Havre in March 1916.

They were in trenches near Fleurbaix when Harry was wounded and killed on March 21, 1916, aged 24.

His grave is in the Sailly-Sur-La-Lys Canadian Cemetery at Pas de Calais.

He is remembered on the war memorial at St Paul’s church, Worthing, and the Sussex Road School war memorial for former pupils who gave their lives for their country.

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