John William Hills was born at the Police House in Glynde, East Sussex on 5th February 1891. His father (also John) was the village policeman. In 1912, John moved to East Dean when his father was transferred there and they lived in the Police House facing the village green near Dennetts Stores. During the Great War, John served…
Category: Maritime
The Miracle of Old Tom
I feel at home living next door to Eastbourne’s parish church, particularly as many of my ancestors were baptised and married there. Unlike me though, they seemed to be models of bravery and goodness – take for instance one of my cousins* Thomas Boniface. Boniface is an old Eastbourne name and over the years has been…
The Adventures of a Sussex Marine
Frederick (Fred) James Gordon was my great-uncle. He was born at 1am on 11th February 1894 and was delivered by Doctor Muir Smith at 23, Commercial Road, Eastbourne. His parents (my great-grand parents) were Frederick and Hannah Gordon. Frederick had a long and adventurous life and my cousin Leeanna and myself hold photographs and postcards that he sent…
A Sussex Sailor who fought with Nelson
In the churchyard to the north of St. Leonards church Seaford is a large box tomb decorated with anchors. This is the last resting place of Admiral James Walker who had an adventurous life on the high seas. Walker was born in Scotland in 1764 and joined the Navy at the tender age of twelve….
A Remarkable Eastbourne Engineer
Colonel Charles Manby lived at The Greys in Borough Lane, Old Town. (Greys Road is named after the building) Charles Manby was born on the Isle of Wight in 1804. He was the son of Aaron Manby (1776-1850) who was a Shropshire ironmaster who took his expertise to France where he established several ironworks. His father…
The Big Bang Theory that Failed
For hundreds of years, the shifting shingle within it’s bay has caused problems for the town of Seaford. Even today we try to tame this movement with a convoy of massive bulldozers which try to put the beach in its place. The Ouse once entered the sea in Seaford Bay but the shingle constantly blocked…
27,000 MILES TO SUSSEX
In my family archive I have a small cutting titled “27,000 MILES TO VISIT FATHER’S GRAVE” This is just the thing that piques my interest and encourages me to find out more. Well here is the story! Ernest Alfred Berry was born on 10th December 1870 in Taunton, Somerset , the son of an umbrella-maker Alfred…
A Royal Embarkation at Brighton.
Many years ago I was given a copy of this 1819 cartoon by the satirical engraver George Cruikshank (1792-1878). Sadly it is not an original but I like it because it has lots of detail to be interpreted. It is entitled “Royal Embarkation or bearing Brittannia’s Hope from a Bathing Machine to a Royal Barge” The…
An African slave buried at Brighton
The grave of 12-year-old Tom Highflyer is not easy to find. It is amongst the steep, dark overgrown slopes of the Woodvale extra-mural cemetery at Brighton. I had heard of him and wanted to visit the grave and pay my respects which I did this morning. The headstone reads IN MEMORY OF TOM M.S. HIGHFLYER RESCUED FROM…
Burial by Proxy?
One of the great losses of the Great War was the enigmatic Field Marshall Lord (Horatio Herbert) Kitchener whose face and pointing finger recruited thousands of men. He was Secretary of State for War and a Cabinet Minister. In 1904 a young man had joined Lord Kitchener’s Staff. He was Oswald Arthur Gerald Fitzgerald from Eastbourne,…
Quirky Sussex History by Kevin Gordon 