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The elder son of Leslie and Freda Turner of Milestone Cottage, Harrisons Lane, Ringmer, was Barry and he was born on 19th September 1919 in Kent. Before the War he worked in London for a bank and is thought to have joined the Territorial Army. He transferred to the Regular Army on the outbreak of World War Two and was in the Royal Corps of Signals at that time.
When the British Expeditionary Force of nearly 400,000 men sailed for France during the autumn of 1939, to help her repel the German invaders, Barry Turner was there. Along with the majority of that ill fated force he retreated and was rescued from the beaches at Dunkirk. Not all could retreat - many were killed or captured.
Following his return to Britain, Barry trained for and was granted a commission in the British Army on 23rd August 1941. His Regiment was the Royal Artillery and his service number was 201829. He was assigned to 300 Independent Anti-Tank Battery, which formed part of the 8th Army. On 1st October 1942, 2/Lt Turner was promoted and received the War Substantive rank of Lieutenant. He continued to serve in North Africa and took part in the various campaigns there.
On 7th July 1943 a task force sailed from Port Said in Egypt. Their objective was to assist in the capture of Sicily and their designated invasion area was the extreme south-east corner of the island. This part of the massive Allied operation was an amphibious assault by Montgomery’s 8th Army. 300 Independent Anti-Tank Battery was attached to 231 Infantry Brigade to defend them against Axis armour. By 08.30 on 10th July the bridgehead had been secured and all the anti-tank guns were ashore.
Gradually the Allies pressed ahead and the towns of Noto, Palazzolo and Buccheri were taken but 231 Brigade was held up by strong opposition at Vizzini on 13th July. Part of the 300 Battery was detached to accompany 23rd Armoured Brigade, and advance on Scordia. Casualties were sustained when the column was attacked by enemy aircraft on 15th July. The following day 300 Independent Anti-Tank Battery was ordered to rejoin 231 Infantry Brigade and proceed to Caltagirone which had been captured by the Canadians. During 17th and 18th July the Brigade fought its way to, and then occupied, the small village of Raddusa.
On 19th July, alongside the 2nd Devonshires, 300 Independent Anti-Tank Battery advanced against strong enemy positions. Severe casualties were incurred as the Brigade was held up by the enemy at a point midway between Raddusa and Agira in a narrow mountain pass. Lieutenant Turner and two others were killed by mortar fire and several men were wounded.
Initially Barry Turner and his men were buried by their comrades on the left of a mountain road in that pass at map reference: Sheet 268 (1/100,000), 475890. His body was later removed to a final resting place in Catania War Cemetery, Sicily. Barry is further commemorated on the stone tablet in Ringmer (New) Churchyard, which marks the burial place of his father. There is also a seat placed in his honour adjacent to the south wall of St. Mary’s Church near the porch.
Adapted from Valiant Hearts of Ringmer by Geoff Bridger: Ammonite Press, 1993
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Silver War Badge
Released from captivity by the Germans at the end of the War, Joseph came home to die at the age of 23 on 8th September 1919 in Kitchener’s Hospital at Brighton. He was buried with full military honours at Ringmer on Saturday 13th September in St. Mary’s Churchyard. The Reverend G.R. Leefe conducted a choral service and the hymn Peace Perfect Peace was sung at the grave-side. Three volleys rang out in tribute to a brave soldier and The Last Post was played by a solitary bugler. The Cricketer’s Flag was lowered to half mast for the afternoon and the interval in the match that day corresponded to the funeral service. His grieving mother Eliza from Rushy Green, Ringmer was chief mourner. John Crossingham, Joseph’s father, had already sadly passed away.
Joseph enlisted in the 2/5th Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment on 11th September 1914 with the number 2536. He transferred to the 7th Battalion when the call came through for more men to serve overseas. Having joined a Territorial Battalion he was not initially obliged to serve other than in his own unit which was then in the United Kingdom. Most of the men in the Territorial Army did, however, relinquish their rights and elect to fight at the Front when called upon.
As a private with number G/18076, Joseph Crossingham went to France to join the 7th Battalion in 1916 and he was entitled to the British War and Victory Medals. He also qualified for the Silver War Badge. This was given to Servicemen discharged from the forces due to injuries received or a severe illness. In the latter case this had to be of a nature which would have prevented any further active service. It was issued so that discharged soldiers, sailors and airmen could walk about safely in ‘mufti’ or plain clothes. There was otherwise a considerable risk of apparently fit young men, not in uniform, being given a white feather. This was the treatment meted out to some men when it was considered they had not, ‘done their bit’!
The 7th Royal Sussex saw plenty of action in France and Private Crossingham was in the thick of it. They fought on the Somme in 1916 though not on the notorious First Day. By November 1917 it was decided to launch a massive raid in the Cambrai area with the objective of destroying personnel and guns and general demoralisation of the foe. It was not intended to hold on to ground gained as G.H.Q. considered insufficient reserves of manpower were available for this. The battle, for such was its magnitude, was to test out the whole concept of the large scale use of tanks in warfare. The earlier attempts had largely failed owing to improper deployment over totally unsuitable ground. They had bogged down in the morass of Flanders and when stuck fast became easy targets for enemy gunners.
The attack commenced on 20th November 1917 after much secretive preparation. This was to be the first major attack by the British Army where the artillery barrage did not commence before zero hour and thus warn of the impending onslaught. Some 378 tanks and 1,009 artillery pieces were employed, and new techniques, especially by the Royal Artillery, were used. The role of the 7th Battalion, as part of the 12th Division, was to form the right wing in attack and defend that flank from retaliation. The advance was a resounding success and a huge salient appeared in the German lines. As it was originally never intended to hold on to the ground thus far gained no infantry reserves were available to exploit the break-through. A form of stalemate ensued where our forces could advance no more and on 30th November the Germans began to strike back. A retreat began on 3rd December and the British withdrew to lick their wounds.
The total British losses of killed, wounded and missing were put at 44,207 compared with around 50,000 equivalent German casualties. We had over 6,000 men taken prisoner during the Battle, many of whom were wounded. Among these was Private Joseph Crossingham. It is reported that as a Prisoner of War he ‘suffered terrible deprivations which undoubtedly hastened his death’.
Adapted from Valiant Hearts of Ringmer by Geoff Bridger: Ammonite Press, 1993
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Edward Penfold's Grave Lapugnoy Military Cemetery
Born in Lambeth, London around 1887 it seems Edward was initially reluctant to join the conflict in which his country was embroiled. During June 1917 he attended the Chailey Tribunal where representations of people as to why they should be exempt military service were heard. In this instance, however, it was the military spokesman who made application for Edward to attend the Tribunal in order that his earlier exemption from Service be rescinded.
Edward had moved to Ringmer and become a baker in the village, living with his wife Emily Ester at Sunnyside. They had married on 24th October 1915 and at 35 she was his senior and already a widow. Conscription, with the number 203337, was into the Royal Sussex Regiment with which his initial military training took place. From there he was posted into the 74th Battalion Machine Gun Corps with the rank of Private and a new number of 126966.
The 74th (Yeomanry) Division that Edward was attached to served in Palestine until the end of April 1918. Also in that Division was the 16th (Yeomanry) Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment. They sailed from Alexandria for France and arrived in Marseilles on 7th May. Concentration was near Abbeville for training prior to moving into the line near Merville on 14th July. Early August saw their first action near Bapaume before they became involved in the Battles of the Hindenburg Line.
An attack was planned to commence at 5.50am on 21st September in the area of Ronssoy and Templeux le Guerard [about ten miles north west of St. Quentin]. The Machine Gun Section formed up with the 16th Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment which supplied carriers for the ammunition. The main purpose of a Machine Gun Section in attack was to support our infantry by firing over their heads and saturating an area of land with bullets thus denying it to the enemy. The Vickers Machine Gun was fired from a tripod and altogether weighed 90lb without ammunition. During an advance this all had to be carried forward. Each gun was capable of continuous fire provided ammunition and water for cooling was available and instances of over 120,000 rounds being fired in 12 hours are recorded.
At this time of the War the Germans were, in general, retreating. They were not however prepared to relinquish ground easily and fought our soldiers with all available means. The Machine Gunners suffered many casualties during this battle. Their plight had not been aided by members of the carrying party abandoning their load of ammunition and withdrawing to safety. Starved of a constant replenishment of cartridges, the rate of fire withered and the enemy surfaced to fight back, the Gunners being a preferred target. Their Commanding Officer after detailing the events of 21st September, commented in the War Diary:
I wish to pay a particular tribute to the high morale and tenacity of the Section under very trying circumstances; the carrying party disappeared; withdrawing Infantry continually passed through; heavy fire was brought to bear on them from three flanks and the shelling throughout was exceptionally heavy. The Section never wavered and kept their nerve throughout.
It was in the course of this engagement that Edward Penfold was mortally wounded and died twelve days later in Number 18 Casualty Clearing Station (C.C.S.). He was 31 and is buried in Lapugnoy Military Cemetery which adjoined the C.C.S. His entitlement of British War & Victory Medals were sent to his widow who subsequently married for the third time and, as Mrs Emily Over, moved to Worthing.
Adapted from Valiant Hearts of Ringmer by Geoff Bridger: Ammonite Press, 1993
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Alfred Brooks
Died : 18th April 1918
Alfred was the second of the Brooks brothers to die for his country during the Great War. He was born in Ringmer on 8th February 1893 and baptised there on 23rd April that year. Unlike his older brother all his schooling was in Ringmer and was from 5th April 1897 to 31st March 1906.
It was to Lewes that Alfred travelled to join the Royal Sussex Regiment as Private Brooks number G/1667. He landed in France on 18th May 1915 to serve with the 2nd Battalion. His arrival was in good time to participate in the calamitous Battle of Loos on 25th September that year. He was injured in the action and received treatment at Graylingwell Hospital in Chichester.
When the wounds had healed he was returned to the fray, but this time posted to the 9th Battalion, 73rd Infantry Brigade which was part of the 24th Division. He again saw action with his new battalion and was once again wounded. Alfred was not repatriated to England this time as he was not seriously injured and he was soon back in action. By now he was with the 13th Sussex, part of the 116th Brigade (39 Division) and was engaged in the same fighting as his brother, Charles. Shortly after Charles’ death on 22nd March, the 39th Division was returned to the Ypres Salient and, stationed in the Wytschaete area, came under the temporary orders of the 62nd Brigade, 21st Division.
The German Offensive in Flanders [Operation Georgette - part of the Kaiserschlacht - Kaiser's Battle], commenced on 9th April 1918 and on 16th April orders were received by 62nd Infantry Brigade for a counter attack. This was intended to be executed in conjunction with a French Division and the 13th Sussex moved forward to the line from Vandamme Farm to Store Farm. Alfred took part in the planned counter attack that evening to re-occupy Maedelstede Farm and Wytschaete Wood both of which had recently been seized by the Germans. The advance was under heavy machine gun fire, both enfilade and frontal, yet they secured their first objective. No French attack to assist materialised on the right and so it was impossible to proceed with the re-capture. The line so far held was consolidated under very adverse conditions and garrisoned by the 13th Sussex until they were relieved on 20th April. During the operation from 16th to 20th April the Battalion was constantly subjected to heavy shell and machine gun fire. 134 men were lost, killed or injured in the course of those five days. Among those killed was Private Alfred Brooks and the official documents list his death as occurring on 18th April 1918 at age 26.
Alfred has no known grave and is commemorated on Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing which contains a total of 34,957 names. It is, in effect, a continuation of the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres in that the names at Tyne Cot are for those missing in the Salient from 16th August 1917 until the end of the War. Menin Gate covers the earlier period. Two other sons of Charles Brooks, namely Albert, born 21st July 1888 and Ernest born 24th July 1891 served in the 2nd and 10th Sussex respectively and both survived the War. Alfred earned the 1914-15 Star, British War & Victory Medals.
Tyne Cot Cemetery, Belgium
Updated from Valiant Hearts of Ringmer by Geoff Bridger: Ammonite Press, 1993
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Ernest Barnes
Died : 9th April 1918
Over 47,000 Artillerymen were to die during the Great War. Among them was 25 year old Sergeant Ernest Barnes. He first joined the Sussex Royal Garrison Artillery as a Gunner in Lewes with a service number of 620. Later he transferred from that Territorial Force unit into the Regular branch with a new number of 119304 and rose eventually to the rank of sergeant in June 1916.
He was born in Ringmer on 21st November 1891 of Walter and Emily and lived in the village at Rushy Green. Schooled at Ringmer from 14th April 1896 until 15th April 1904, Ernest was to attain his grades each year. He married Alice Jane Reed from Dover early in 1916 and they lived at 11 Lime Terrace, Lewes. They had two children, Ernest Edgar and Alice Vera Barnes. In common with so many bereaved young mothers his widow was to re-marry soon after the war and, as Mrs Alice Baker, lived at 146 Malling Street, Lewes. She naturally was entitled to her former husband’s British War & Victory medals. As he died in hospital, rather than on the battlefield where they might have been lost, his personal effects including his wallet with family photos and his wedding ring were saved and returned to his widow. Because of the connection with Lewes and Ringmer he is named on both War Memorials. It is noticed that, whereas the severely damaged Service Papers record the names and dates of birth of two children, Mrs Alice Jane Baker, was awarded a pension of £1/2/11d per week in respect of herself, but only one child, with effect from 14.10.1918.
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Letter from Alice Baker to the War Office among Ernest Barnes' service records, severeley damaged by fire in 1940. |
Promoted to Corporal in April 1916 Ernest Barnes was soon to be promoted again and service in France and Flanders followed from 25th September 1916. He had transferred from 176 Siege Battery via several other units before his final posting to 253 Siege Battery of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) on 30th January 1918. It was armed with six 6” howitzers. They were short barrelled guns designed mainly for lobbing their 100lb shells over intervening obstacles into the enemy fortifications. Their maximum range of 9,500 yards was rarely required. There were many different artillery pieces in use in the First World War of which the 6” 26cwt BL Howitzer was but one. It was nevertheless a reliable work-horse and fired over 22 million shells at the enemy in France & Flanders. That represents around one million tons of steel and high explosives hurtling through the air - from that type of gun alone! Needless to say the Germans did not like it coming at them. They retaliated and we followed suit by targeting the opposing batteries and having ‘counter battery shoots’. Perhaps half of all siege batteries were fired at each other's gun positions, rather than each other's trenches and fortifications. That strategy accounted for the huge number of casualties incurred by the Royal Artillery.
By the beginning of April 1918 the German Spring Offensive was grinding to a halt in the area occupied by Sergeant Barnes. They were checked just outside of the vital French pivotal city of Amiens, after pushing our forces back over 30 miles on this front. Ground that the Allies had fought to take back inch by inch over the entire war to date was lost again in nine days. It was not realised that the enemy had exhausted his main thrust and further attacks were still expected by the minute.
From 1st to 4th April the XXII Artillery Brigade of which the 253rd Siege Battery was a part, had established its Headquarters in Cachy, about seven miles east of Amiens. The gun batteries were located nearby and they continually exchanged fire with their German counterparts. Reports were received that the enemy was massing, evidently to resume his attack. Fire was rained down on his infantry positions causing great damage and inflicting many casualties. On 5th April the Brigade was parked in Cagny, a suburb of Amiens but on the 6th was once more in action to ward off yet another anticipated attack. Throughout the next three days the batteries maintained a harassing fire on all observed enemy positions. They also fired in support of our own infantry wherever it was most effective to assist them.
During those early and vital days of April the battery had seven gunners killed outright and a further twenty one wounded. It is not known exactly when Ernest Barnes fell mortally wounded; however, despite the Army Casualty Form B.103 implying the 2nd April the most likely date is 4th April 1918. The War Diary records that, ‘between 6am and 8am all battery positions and Brigade HQ were heavily shelled by 10.5 & 15cm howitzers.’ After initial treatment he was taken to No. 3 Australian General Hospital in Abbeville where he unfortunately succumbed to his wounds on 9th April 1918. It is recorded that he had severe facial and chest wounds as well as multiple fractures to his right arm which was amputated in an attempt to save his life. He is buried in Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension.
His parents pre-deceased him, his mother dying on 13th February 1915 whereas his father, Walter had died prior to the War. Ernest had two brothers, one of them, John, served with the 2nd Royal Sussex Regiment in the Great War. He had been a pre-war regular and fought with the 1st Battalion in the South African War. At the time of his mother’s death John was recuperating in England from shrapnel wounds received at Ypres. He is reported as, ‘having just previously saved the life of a wounded comrade, carrying him to safety.’ He rejoined his unit in France and survived the War. The other brother, Walter James had been born on 6th August 1880 before the family had came to Ringmer from Laughton. They lived initially at ‘The Village’, before moving to Rushy Green. Following the death of their parents the three brothers moved to Lewes, with Walter and John being recorded as residing at 111 Malling Street.
Adapted from Valiant Hearts of Ringmer by Geoff Bridger: Ammonite Press, 1993