For King and Country: Blackmore During the First World War (Part 4): Around Blackmore

Blackmore Servicemen and Families During the First World War

Gerald Pigott

The Pigott family lived at Blackmore House in Hook End. Gerald was the only child of Lieutenant-Colonel Wellesley and his wife Helen.

At the beginning of the First World War Gerald was promoted to a Second Lieutenant, the lowest rank of officer class in the Army. Gerald, aged 18, would have no doubt had the commission paid for him by his father.

Gerald would have had to buy his own uniform, unlike the non-commissioned ranks. In the early years of the First World War the pips denoting rank were on the sleeve of the uniform much like a wristwatch, which actually was compulsory equipment for a leader of men.

For Second Lieutenants this made them easily recognisable not only to their men but also the enemy. Many were killed as they led an assault from the front.

Gerald was injured in the second battle of Ypres on 13th May 1915 and died the following day.

Arrangements were soon made for a memorial service to be held at All Saints Church Doddinghurst, where his mother was organist and choir mistress.

Letter from Wellesley G. Pigott, 18th May 1915

Blackmore House by Brentwood Essex
May 18th 1915

My dear Reeve

I expect that you have heard that Gerald has died of his wounds in Flanders. We had hoped to have been allowed to bring his body home and lay it to rest in Doddinghurst Churchyard but we hear from the War Office that as he died in the zone that this is not allowed so we must let him rest where he is at present.

We are having a memorial service on Friday at 3.30pm in Doddinghurst Church and we both much hope that you will take part in the service. I have mentioned this to Mr Adams and he fully concurs and asks me to write to you.

Yrs sincerely
Wellesley G Pigott

Mr Adams was the Vicar of Doddinghurst. A further letter, black edged, was sent to the Rector of Stondon Massey the day after the Service.

Letter from Wellesley G. Pigott, 22nd May 1915

Blackmore House. Brentwood Essex.
May 22nd 1915

My dear Reeve

Thank you so much for your very kind letter which we both appreciate very much. We also wish to thank you for taking part in the service yesterday and for helping to make it such a beautiful service as it was.

I have attended many services that have been beautifully rendered but I don’t think I ever was present at one that was so much what one would have wished from every point of view and one felt that every one in the Church was there from a sense of real affection for him.

We have had full details of his last hours, he was struck in the head by a shell bursting just above him and was rendered unconscious at once and remained so until his death 21 hours after so we have the great consolation of knowing that he never suffered and never even knew that he had been hit.

The doctors say that had his life been spared he would probably have been blind for life and very likely his brain permanently injured as well so it is much best as it is.

With renewed thanks from us both.

Yrs very sincerely
Wellesley G Pigott

Bordering their Hook End property a shrine was later erected to his memory.

Blackmore in 1911

Blackmore’s population in 1911 was 613. Most people lived in the village although there were a few houses in Hook End, sometimes referred to as Kelvedon Common, Wyatts Green, and on the parish boundary with Mountnessing at Swallows Cross.

Private James Roast

Pte J Roast. Private James Roast of the 13th Essex Regiment was the eldest son of James who was gardener for the Pigott family at Blackmore House.

They lived at Blackmore House Cottages, although in 1911 our James was living and working as a groom for Stephen H King at Forest Hall, Ongar.

James was killed on 28th April 1917, age 26. He has no known grave and is remembered with others on the Arras Memorial.

Ernest Albert Maynard

In Blackmore village itself the following men were neighbours living in homes yards from one another.

L Corp E A Maynard. Ernest Albert Maynard’s mother, Emma, a widow, lived in Fingrith Hall Road.

Ernest, her youngest son, worked for Revd. Reeve at the Rectory at Stondon Massey for a few years before being called up in March 1916. Ernest worked with Albert, James Roast’s brother, who we will meet later.

Ernest was killed at the French Front on 27th June 1917, age 27. His brother, Joseph, wrote two letters to the Rector.

Letter from J. H. Maynard, 13th July 1917

“Fingrith Hall Road, Blackmore. July 13 [1917]

The Rev Reeve

Dr Sir. so sorry to write to tell you the sad news of the death of our dear brother Ernest Maynard who was killed in action June 27. Mother has received a very nice letter referring to his noble death also that he was buried in a cemetery.

Yours truly
J H Maynard”

Letter from J. Maynard, 8th August 1917

“Fingrith Hall Road, Blackmore. 8th August [1917]

The Revd Reeve

Dr Sir. Thankyou very much for letter received so sorry but we were unable to answear before as Mother was waiting the captains letter so I have enclosed same My brother was in the Essex drafted to the Bedfords and he was also a Lewis gunner untill he met his death again thanking you for your kind letter.

Yours truly
J Maynard”.

Reeve noted on the letter:

“He was hit by a shell and died instantly. Buried at the British Cemetery at Philosophe. G W Brewster. Captain”.

Following the war his mother always laid a wreath at the War Memorial every Armistice Day to his memory.

Ernest Puddephatt

Pte E Puddephatt. Ernest survived the war. He was the son of Thomas Puddephatt who for about 50 years ran a grocer’s shop next to the Leather Bottle pub. It is now Blackmore Tea Rooms.

William Scudder

Air Mechanic William Scudder Royal Naval Air Service. His home would have been the Leather Bottle public house where his father and mother were landlord and landlady.

William lost his life after the Armistice, on 2nd July 1919 in the Baltic Sea, trying with one officer and three other men to stop a mine drifting down on a hospital barge. He was 20 years old.

Frederick Wilson

Opposite, at Crosse House, there were celebrations on 15th March 1917 when Walter Wilson’s son, Frederick married Lily Wardingham of South Croydon.

Perhaps Walter made the wedding cake because he describes his profession as master baker. One of his specialities was making Nelson cake, a kind of bread pudding made, no doubt, from unsold bread.

Pte F Wilson served in the Essex Regiment and returned home from war.

Albert Edward Barker

Pte A Barker. Albert Edward Barker, known probably as Edward in the village, was the landlord of The Bull Public House in Church Street.

He served in the 2nd Battalion of the Essex Regiment and was killed in action, aged 38, on 10th October 1917.

He has no known grave and is remembered on the vast wall of Tyne Cot cemetery in Belgium.

William Edward Rudling

Longbeam Cottage in Church Street was a shop where William Edward Rudling worked as a grocer’s assistant in 1901.

Pte W Rudling was killed in action in the Battle of the Somme. He has no known grave: his name appears on the Thiepval Memorial.

The Whitmore Family

At Manor House, until 1917, lived the Whitmore family. William and Margaret, husband and wife, were teachers at the School around the corner.

Their sons Bertram and Reginald both served and returned from war.

Charles and Major Jubilee Pagram

Pte. C Pagram. RASC. Charles Pagram returned from the war to his home at Little Jericho.

He was described by his niece, born 1921, later named Mary Coller, as:

“a jovial sort of chap and was chauffeur / handyman at the Priory. He used to impress on us that he spoke French because he had served in France ... but all I can ever remember him saying, and he was always saying it, was ‘Ooh lah lah!’”.

His brother, Corporal J Pagram, RASC:

“Uncle ‘Jimmy’ ... was chauffeur to sisters, Misses Barrett, as well as gamekeeper. Jimmy and his wife Lil lived just past the Barrett sisters on the Ingatestone Road.

Although he was always called ‘Jimmy’ he had two much grander names. His full name was Major Jubilee Pagram, not that he was ever commissioned while driving a lorry ... in the [Royal] Army Service Corps”.

He was born in 1887, the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee.

Herbert Ovel

Pte. H Ovel, Essex Regiment. In the 1920s:

“Herbert Ovel became gardener for the Hull family at the Priory. The kitchen garden next to the Vicarage had rows and rows of strawberries and asparagus”.

Captain James Henry Hull

Captain J H Hull, Essex Regiment. James Henry Hull, who we have met already in connection with the unveiling of the War Memorial, succeeded his father as owner of Jericho Priory.