royalsussexregiment

Should this not read "served as adjutant of a service battalion"?

Eric Stuart Ellis.

Citation for the award of the Military Cross to Temporary Lieutenant Eric Stuart Ellis Royal Sussex Regiment published in the London Gazette 29731 of 18th August 1916. "For conspicuous gallantry during operations. He led his bombing party with great dash into the enemy's support line. He was knocked down by the blast of a shell, but pushed on and accounted for two of the enemy with his revolver." He continued to serve in the Army after the war; his promotion to Captain in the Royal Sussex Regiment is published in the London Gazette of 10 Nov 1922, effective 2 Oct 1922 with seniority from 24 Mar 1920. It appears likely that he was born in India. Also that he was married to a Kathleen Marion Collier, b. 1899. But she is shown to have later married Cuthbert Fennessy Selous in 1927. Selous was born at Faysabad, India, b. 1876 (which would mean at marriage he was 51 and she 28, suggesting the possibility that she was a widow?).//

Cuthbert Fennessey Selous died in 1945 at Tonbridge in Kent. So it was Eric Stuart Ellis who married his widow, then Kathleen Marion Selous, at Plympton Devon in 1949. By then Eric Ellis was in his early 50s and Kathleen was 49. She had three children, Reginald aged 20, Patricia 18, and Diana 16. Eric Stuart Ellis is shown as being appointed as a Captain in the 4th Battalion The Queen's Regiment on 8 Oct 1935. London Gazette of 8 Oct 1935.

Eric Stuart Ellis was commissioned into 13th (Service) Battalion The Royal Sussex Regiment on 4th January 1915. 13th Battalion was a 'Pals' battalion, raised by 42-year-old Lt Col Claude Lowther MP on 20 Nov 1914 at Bexhill in Kent. It was known as the 3rd South Down battalion and irreverently as 'Lowther's Lambs'. Between 16 Nov 1914 and 4 Jan 1915 there were 15 officers newly commissioned into the Battalion. Claude Lowther had fought in the Second Boer War in the 8th Imperial Yeomanry and at Fabers Put on 30 Mar 1900 was recommended for a Victoria Cross but received only a Mention in Despatches. 13th Battalion initially trained at Maidstone and was adopted by the War Office in July 1915. In Sep 1915 they moved to Aldershot, and then in Oct 1915 to Witley where they formed an element of 116 Bde of 39 Div. The Battalion sailed from Southampton on 5 Mar 1916 aboard the SS 'Viper' and SS 'Australind', landing at Le Havre in the snow on 6 Mar 1916. They went into the front line 'under instruction' for the first time on 12 Mar 1916. Lt Col Lowther was denied the opportunity to lead his men in action in France. He returned to Herstmonceux Castle before 13th Battalion took over a section of front line under their own command for the first time, when they relieved 13th Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers at Givenchy on 15 Apr 1916. From the War Diary; published at www.1914-1918.net/sussex.htm The three pals battalions of the Royal Sussex - 11th, 12th and 13th - the South Down battalions, or "Lowther's Lambs" - suffered terrible casualties on 30 June 1916, 24 hours before the much better known "First Day on the Somme". This was in a diversionary attack, a large scale raid launched by 39th Division at a position called the Boar's Head, near Richebourg l'Avoue. The three South Down battalions suffered 360 killed and 1,100 wounded in a fruitless attack that had no effect on the enemy's abilities to withstand next day's assault on the Somme. The vast majority of the losses were to men from the county of Sussex. It is almost certainly to have been in this action that Eric Ellis won his MC. Going over the top on a flank attack at 3.05 am, following a 15 minute artillery fire-plan, Lieutenants Whitley and Ellis, Platoon Commanders in 'A' Company, are recorded as having 'gained a footing in the enemy trench'.//

Commonwealth War Graves Commission shows following:- Name: BUCKMAN, ERNEST GEORGE CHARLES Initials: E G C Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Royal Sussex Regiment Unit Text: 7th Bn. Age: 25 Date of Death: 20/11/1917 Service No: G/20201 Additional information: Son of Ernest and Ellen Buckman; husband of Amy Perry (formerly Buckman), of 26, St. John's Hill, Clapham Junction, London. Grave/Memorial Reference: II. E. 5. Cemetery: TINCOURT NEW BRITISH CEMETERY www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=255210 photgraphy of his memorial can be found here twgpp.org/information.php?id=2859612

He was one of a number of men transferred from the 28th (Reserve) Battalion, Middx Regt to the Royal Sussex Regt. Others I have seen were transferred to the Royal Sussex Regt on the 16th Dec 1916 and embarked for France the same day (which ties in with the information you have). He may have travelled overseas as part of a draft for another Sussex Regt battallion and then been posted to the 7th Bn shortly thereafter. For example, G/20222 (ex 28th Middx) embarked as part of draft for 9th Royal Sussex on 16/12/16; posted to 7th Bn on 3rd Jan 1917.

Born 1892 Peckham, London. The 1901 census records him living at 90 Pentney Road, Balham, London [the property still exists], with his father Ernest G [b.1868, Peckham d.1949] a widower who’s employment is recorded as “Chef”, and his younger brother, Walter [b. 1894 Dulwich]. His mother Ellen Mary nee Taylor had died in 1897. The 1911 census records his employment as a Pullman Car Attendant. At the time he was lodging with the Speight family at 16 St Luke’s Road, Clapham [the property still exists but has been renamed St Luke’s Avenue]. He married Amy Frampton in the third quarter of 1914 in the Steyning district of Brighton.

This was my Grandfather. I have some letters he sent from the Trenches and aslo from the nurse in the Field Hospital who cared for him in his final days. He was a Bayonet Instructor and was drafted as a machine gunner and ironically was fatally bayonetted in the stomach when his machine gun jammed in battle leaving his wife Amy, my father (Henry Ernest) at 6 months old and his older sister (Eileen) who sadly died at the age of 17 from TB. His wife Amy died in 1978 and my father passed away in 1992 after a short illness. This has left me to carry the family name forward (Charles Ernest Buckman) and on to my son (Oliver Charles Buckman) I have my Grandfathers medals and also those of his brother Walter (Uncle Wal) His son (my father) served in the second World War mainly in India attached to the Royal Army Service Corps. The Military history has continued on through his Grandaughter (Claire Eileen my sister) in her 3 sons David (Royal Navy) Adam (Coldstream Guards recently awarded the Military Cross) Christopher ( Royal Marine Commando) Before enlisting in the army and going to war he was employed on the Southern Bell Pullman Train as a very young man, I have the colour brochure from the train with his portrait in his attendants uniform. If anyone has any connection or information about my grandfather please post any information or comments.

Paul C A Nixon Private Ernest George Charles Buckman.This was my Grandfather. Just posted some more inforamtion. What is the connection with you? Did you have a relative that served with him?

Eric Albert Bingen Born 12th April 1898 West Hampstead, London. The second of four children of Max N Bingen [b.1866 Germany] - a Bank Clerk, and Leiley Bingen nee Elsner [b.1868 Brixton, London]. The 1901 census records him living at 21 Inglewood Road, West Hampstead, with his parents and older brother Carl A [b.1896 West Hampstead, London], his maternal grandmother and three domestic servants. [There is a possibility that his older brother Carl Adolpus was killed in France on 10th Feb. 1916 while serving with the 5th Royal Sussex Regt.]. The 1911 census records him as a boarder ar Corinth House, Bath Road, Cheltenham. Judging from the name of the head of the house; Schnurman – the schoolmaster, and the names of the other boarders, this is very possibly a private Jewish School. [information found later] Corinth House was a boarding house of Cheltenham College. It was specifically for Jewish boys and from 1892 until 1914 it was run by Ivan Nestor-Schnurmann who taught German at College and also managed to travel to Cambridge every week to teach Russian. In 1914 Corinth was taken over by Daniel Lipson but in 1923 he had a disagreement with College over the terms of his lease and Corinth ceased to be part of College. Some of the boarders moved to other College boarding houses and some stayed in Corinth which Lipson continued to run as a private school for several years. His father’s entry in the 1911 census records that he is now a Bank Manager (of a private bank). London Gazette entries read; 16th July 1918 – The under mentioned are granted temporary commissions as 2nd Lieuts. ...... E A Bingen – Royal Sussex Regt. With effect 15th June 1918. 31st December 1918 – The under mentioned appointments are made to the Air Ministry ..... E A Bingen. Effective 30th November 1918. 8th April 1919 – 5th Bn. Royal Sussex Regt. 2nd Lieut. E A Bingen (Lt RAF) promoted to Lieut. and to remain seconded. Effective 30th November 1918. 23rd May 1919 – The under mentioned are transferred to the Unemployed List ..... E A Bingen (R. Suss. R.) Effective 4th May 1919 13th December 1921 - The under mentioned are granted the rank of Captain Lt E A Bingen 5th Royal Sussex Regt. No effective date given. His name is also mentioned many times in the 1930 as the Solicitor for Imperial Chemical Industries –ICI. He gains his private pilot’s license on 26th June 1937 flying a De Havilland Gipsy Moth II at the London Air Park Flying Club. His address at the time is recorded as 21 Edge Street, Campden Hill, London W8. At some point, although I’ve not been able to discover the date or the reason why, he was Knighted. This may have been because of his work with the Board of Trade – for whom he was the Official Solicitor. He married or, more possibly, re-married in 1967 to Eileen M Robertson Died in the third Quarter of 1972 Newbury, Berks. The National Portrait Gallery has a photographic Portrait of him.