Chapter 21: William Eggleton (b. 1860 d.1935)

William married Sarah Green in the Cheltenham area in 1884, almost immediately the couple moved to the Stroud area where they had two children born within twelve months of each other. The arrival of a third child quickly followed their move back to Cheltenham in late 1886 or early 1887. Of these, only the first child, Raymond William, survived past infancy. Sarah died, aged 30, whilst her youngest child was only three or four months old.

Nearly two years later, William re-married. His second wife was Ellen Finch. Ellen had six children. At least during the period of his second marriage he was an insurance agent living at 7 Selby Cottages in Cheltenham. Ellen worked as a laundress. In 1935, when he died, William was living at Court Cottage, Marle Hill Gardens, Folly Lane, Prestbury (on the north-eastern edge of Cheltenham). He left an estate worth £566/9/4, with probate being granted to his daughter and son, Daisy and Eric. Daisy remained in the family home until her death, as a spinster, in 1955. Eric was a small holder and market gardener in Tommy Taylor’s Lane (the former Folly Lane), Cheltenham.

Bernard lived at 7 Victoria Street, St Pauls, Cheltenham, until his death in 1929. His widow, Lilian remained at that address for at least 25 years thereafter; moving to number 22 in the same street before her death in 1966. Bernard and Lilian had three children, all daughters, all of whom married.

The First World War had been a sad time for William and his family. He lost his oldest son, Raymond William at Ypres in 1917 and fifth son Reginald in 1919. Raymond William was a private in the 1st/4th (City of Bristol) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment. The Battalion was formed on 4 August 1914 and based at Queen’s Road, Clifton. It formed part of the Gloucestershire and Worcestershire Brigade, South Midland Division (48th). The Division arrived in France in March

1915 and served in France and Flanders until November 1917 when it went to Italy where it served until the Armistice (04 November 1918). In France and Flanders the Division took part in many recognised battles and engagements, the last of which was the Battle of Polecappelle on 9 October 1917. This battle was part of the larger Third Battle of Ypres that became known as Passchendale.

Passchendaele took place between July and November 1917. The British Fifth and Second Armies and the French First Army carried out the opening attack. After a 10 day preliminary bombardment, with 3,000 guns firing 4.25 million shells, the British offensive started at Ypres a 3.50 am on 31st July. The initial assault soon faltered and became bogged down in heavy mud, which followed the heaviest rain for 75 years combined with the destruction of the drainage system by the artillery bombardment. Attacks on 26 September and 4 October enabled the British forces to take possession of the ridge east of Ypres. Despite the return of heavy rain, General Haig ordered further attacks towards the Passchendaele Ridge. Attacks on the 9 and 12 October were unsuccessful, due largely to the heavy mud, and German mustard gas attacks. Three more attacks took place in October and on the 6 November the, by then totally destroyed, village of Passchendaele was finally taken by British and Canadian infantry. The offensive cost the British Expeditionary Force about 310,000 casualties, 35 men for every metre of wretched ground gained. Raymond William Eggleton was one this number, falling in the failed attack of 9 October.

At 32 years old, and a married man with four young children, Raymond William was a more mature soldier when he died. In 1916 conscription was introduced. This applied initially only to unmarried men, however as all these were ‘used up’ by the war machine, conscription conditions were adjusted to include all able bodied men under the age of 41, and even this was increased to 51 by April 1918.

Raymond William was laid to rest at Poelcapelle British Cemetery, where 7,478 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War are buried or commemorated. Such was the carnage on the battlefield that 6,321 of the burials remain unidentified. Among those buried in the cemetery is Private John Condon of the Royal Irish Regiment, who at 14 is thought to be the youngest battle casualty of the First World War commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. In addition to his grave in Belgium, Raymond William is remembered on the family headstone in Cheltenham Borough Cemetery.

The family gravestone

Raymond William’s younger half-brother Reginald died in different circumstances. He was a gunner in the Royal Field Artillery and survived the carnage of the battlefield. On his return to England at the end of war he succumbed to TB, no doubt contracted as a result of cramped and damp conditions that he probably had to endure whilst serving King and Country. He is buried near his parents in a private grave, recognised as a war grave, in Cheltenham Municipal Cemetery. There are 107 other First World War graves in the cemetery, mostly of men who died in the local voluntary hospitals. The burials are scattered throughout the cemetery, except for a small plot of 10 Australian graves.

Reginald's gravestone

Both Raymond William and Reginald are commemorated on the Cheltenham Borough War Memorial, Reginald is also remembered on the Prestbury War Memorial.

Cheltenham War Memorial

. . . . .William EGGLETON b.1860 d.1935 m.#1 Sarah GREEN #2 Ellen FINCH
. . . . . . #1 Raymond William EGGLETON b.1885 d.1917 m.- -
. . . . . . . Hilda Emily EGGLETON b.1905
. . . . . . . female EGGLETON
. . . . . . . Grace EGGLETON
. . . . . . . William EGGLETON
. . . . . . #1 Cuthbert EGGLETON b.1886
. . . . . . #1 Vincent EGGLETON b.1887 d.1891
. . . . . . #2 Clive EGGLETON b.1890 d.>1891
. . . . . . #2 Bernard EGGLETON b.1892 d.>1891 m.Lilian
. . . . . . . Dorothy Lilian May EGGLETON m.- LAWRENCE
. . . . . . . Margaret Irene EGGLETON m.- HAWORTH
. . . . . . . Edna Doreen EGGLETON m.- BRAIN
. . . . . . #2 Daisy EGGLETON b.1893 d.1955
. . . . . . #2 Dorothy EGGLETON b.1895
. . . . . . #2 Reginald EGGLETON b.1897 d.1919
. . . . . . #2 Florence EGGLETON b.1900 d.>1935
. . . . . . #2 Eric EGGLETON b.1902 d.1974 m.Katherine DORCAS