8 – Clifford Parker Seymour Smith

Of all of the men on the memorial board Flying Officer Clifford Parker Seymour Smith aught to have the most connections to the parish, and the church, but apart from actually being buried in the churchyard, he has no obvious connection to the church or the area. On his grave it says ‘Flying Officer C.P. Seymour-Smith 11^th Feb 1940 age 34 of Syston Court.’, but there is no record of the occupants of Syston Court in 1939, and locally people remember a school being billeted in the Court during the war.

Flying Officer Clifford Parker Seymour Smith was 33 years old, according to his death certificate, when he took off from the airfield of RAF Stormy Down, (later to be known as RAF Porthcawl). It had already been a bad day for the trainees on the air station, as there had been a fatality that day, Sunday 11^th February. It was an overcast day with cloud at 1000 feet. Earlier in the day Flight Lieutenant J Thornewell was on anti submarine patrol in Henley with Flying Officer J Lemon as crew. As they approached the shore off Rest Bay, Porthcawl, one wing struck the water and the machine hit rocks and exploded. Both were killed.

Flying Officer Seymour Smith would have had this accident in his mind as he taxied his plane, Wallace K4340, to the end of the runway and took off with trainee air gunner L.A.C. Stratford heading towards the range at Margam Sands just a few miles away from the air station. This was to be an air experience flight for the men. Unfortunately while making a run across the beach the Wallace stalled at low altitude, dived into the ground and burned out. Both men sustained severe head injuries and burns which killed them instantly.

The notification of his death would have been made to his wife Ruth Evelyn, who, according to RAF records was living in Sheepscombe, not to far from Painswick. Also notified were his parents, Peter and Beatrice Seymour Smith of Sutton Coldfield in Warwickshire. Following the issuing of his death certificate, his body was brought to Syston for burial. His funeral took place on 15^th February 1940 according to entry 1249 of the burial register of Syston Church. The register also reveals that the funeral service was led by Rev J. C. Lloyd, Vicar of Henbury. His abode in the register is given as ‘Syston Court’. Later a headstone was raised on his grave saying ‘ Flying Officer C.P. Seymour-Smith, Pilot, Royal Air Force, 11^th February 1940, age 34, of Syston Court’.

Clifford Parker Seymour Smith was the fourth child and eldest son of Peter Seymour Smith and his wife Beatrice. He was born in 1906 in Erdington, Birmingham. The addition of the name Parker to his name was in remembrance of his father’s mother, whose maiden name it had been. He had a younger brother, named Peter, after his father, older sisters Christine Spencer, Hilda and Margaret Beatrice, and a younger sister Hester Spencer.

Clifford’s father Peter Seymour Smith was born in Aston, Warwickshire in 1869 or 1870, to Thomas B Smith, a paper manufacturer and his wife Ann nee Parker. According to the 1871 census Peter’s family was living in Slade Lane, Copeley Hill, Aston. Peter was the second son, and the only member of the family to have ‘Seymour’ as part of his name. At the time Peter had both a younger and older brother, and there were two servants living in, Elizabeth Hanley and Mary Gregory. At the time of the 1891 census, the family was registered as living in Burlington House, Copeley Hill, Aston. The household, apart from the parents, consisted of 7 siblings and three female servants, Hannah Powell, the youngest being the cook, Bertha Pearson being a nurse and Elizabeth Numan the Housemaid. By the time of the 1911 census, when Clifford was 5 years old, Peter had moved his family from Sutton Oldfield, where all bar his youngest child had been born, to The Elms, Keynsham, and is recorded as being the General Manager of a Paper Mill. As well as the family, the household also consisted of Peter’s older sister Elsie Jane living with the family and two servants, Marion Fry, a Cook domestic and Elizabeth Yates a Housemaid Domestic.

Peter appears to have gone into the family business, being a cashier in 1891, and being a General Manager by the time of the 1911 census. During World War 1 Peter joined the Somerset Volunteer Regiment and was Gazetted (Mentioned in the London Gazette) as a temporary 2^nd Lieutenant on 18^th February 1917.

Details of Clifford’s mother are a little more scarce, but Beatrice, nee Spencer, had been born on 14^th April1874 in Lothersdale, in Yorkshire near to Skipton. The first record of her is on the 1891 census when she is 16 years old, and when she with her widowed mother Jane Spencer, a woman living on her own means, are residing at The Willow House, Whitting Hall Fold, Carlton, Skipton, Yorkshire.

Clifford may well have gone into the family business, but in addition to that, he was Gazetted on 2^nd July 1929 as having been granted a commission in Class AA(ii) as a Pilot Officer on probation in the General Duties Branch of the Reserve of Air Force Officers on 20^th June 1929. A year later on 25^th July 1930 he was confirmed in rank as a Pilot Officer. On 2^nd January 1931 he was again Gazetted as having been promoted to Flying Officer on 20^th December 1930, again in the General Duties Branch of the Reserve of Air Force Officers. He is again Gazetted on 1^st February 1938 as having relinquished his commission in the Reserve of Air Force Officers, and as of 1^st January 1938 is Commissioned as a Flying Officer in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.

Clifford Parker Seymour Smith married Ruth Evelyn Greener (Born in Aston in 1906) in 1937 in Merioneth East, Merionethshire. At the time of his death in 1940 she was expecting their only child Candy. Parishioners remember talking to Candy at the time of her mother’s interment in 2002, and she imparted that piece of information to them.

The family appears to continue to live in Bristol as by 1934, according to Kelly’s Directory of that year, they are now living at Hallen Lodge in Hallen, which sits between Avonmouth and Cribbs Causeway.

It is a bit of a mystery as to why Clifford is buried in Syston Churchyard. The carving proclaims that he is ‘of Syston Court’. However at the time of his death he would have been living in barracks at RAF Stormy Down, in Wales and his home address on his death certificate is given as ‘Hallen Lodge, Henbury, Bristol’. This is the address of his parents and family on the 1939 register, and was also their address in the 1935 edition of Kelly’s Directory, which in addition lists the family telephone number as Westbury-on-Trym 67153. At the time of his death his wife Ruth is listed as living at Sheepscombe, which is near Painswick. The nearest to Syston that he can be found living is on the 1911 census when he is 5 years old and his family are living at ‘The Elms, Keynsham, Somerset’. His parents and grandparents all appear to be either from around the Birmingham area or Yorkshire. However his burial must have been agreed by the parish, as would have been the inscription on his grave, but why is currently lost in the mists of time

For his service in the RAF he would have been awarded the War Medal 1939-1945 and the 1939-45 Star.

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7 – Thomas William Saunders

Thomas William Saunders was the oldest of the men on the memorial board at Syston. At the time of his death he was 48 years old.

Thomas William Saunders was born on 5^th December 1896. He was very much a local lad. He was baptised at St Barnabas Church, Warmley on 10^th February 1897, in the presence of his father Ernest and mother Elizabeth. Elizabeth and Ernest had married earlier that year on 24^th May 1896 in Holy Trinity Kingswood, their Fathers being George Nott and Thomas Saunders

On the 1901 Census Thomas is recorded as living in North Common, Cann Lane, Bitton. He is part of a household of which his Grandmother Elizabeth Nott, who had been born in Bitton in 1838 was head of household. Elizabeth Nott was a widow and was living at that time with her son Henry Nott, and her daughter Elizabeth Saunders, married and working as a paper sorter with her sons, Thomas W and Ernest G Saunders, Ernest having been born in 1899.

Thomas’ mother Elizabeth (Saunders) had been born in Warmley in 1871 to George, an Agricultural labourer born in 1832 and Elizabeth Nott. She had been Baptised at St Barnabas, Warmley on 24^th December 1871. She was to die at the age of 40 in 1912. Elizabeth (Saunders) had an older brother Henry, born in 1869, with whom she was still sharing a house in 1901 and a younger sister Hannah born in 1877. In 1891 Henry was a Brick and Pipe Maker and the two girls were Paper Makers. According to the 1881 Census, where Elizabeth and Hannah are scholars, there is also an older sister Eliza J born in 1865 and working in a Paper Mill.

Thomas married Kathleen Rose Pegler born on 20^th April 1900, in 1920. According to the 1939 Register he is living on Siston Common. His occupation is given as ‘Mill Hand Ochre and Oxide Works’. As well as his wife Kathleen, living with him are also his sister Margaret E Jones who is a Boot and Shoe Trade Machinist and his school boy sons William R and John R Saunders.

Given his age, it is likely that Thomas William Saunders may well have been conscripted later in the war. His military number was 13014974. By the time of his death he had achieved the rank of Lance Corporal. He died in Germany on 28^th March 1945. He had been a member of the Pioneer Corps, the rear echelon of the army whose job it was to do the hard physical work behind the lines, particularly grave digging. The Corps badge is a spade and a rifle. He is buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery (Grave reference 54.G.15.) At the time of his death his son William would have been aged 16 and John aged 13. For his service to his country he would have been awarded the War Medal 1939-1945 and the 1939-1945 Star.

6 – Frederick Donald Robinette

There is very little information available about Frederick Donald Robinette Despite having a relatively unusual name, the only Robinette family living anywhere in the local area according to the 1939 Register, lived at 151 Lodge Causeway in Fishponds. The head of that household was Frederick, born in 1882, so it would be possible that Frederick Donald was his son, or that of William, born in 1884 who was also a member of the same household. In which case his mother would be Violet R Robinette born in 1886. Locally though, it has been suggested that he lived in one of the houses around Syston Court, and was possibly related to the family who owned Syston Court.

According to his army records Private Robinette was born circa 1918 and served in the 1^st Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment. His service no was 1498050.

Frederick is mentioned three times in casualty lists. It appears that he took part in action on the 4^th October 1944 in North West Europe. On the 25^th October he is recorded in a hand written note in Casualty List no 1586 as being ‘wounded and missing’. On Casualty List no 1640, dated 28^th December 1944, still regarding action on 4^th October 1944, he is now officially reported as being ‘Wounded and Missing’. On Casualty List 1693, dated 7^th March 1945, having previously been reported ‘wounded and missing’, he is now confirmed as being ‘killed in action’. His death date is recorded as 4^th October 1944. He was aged 26.

It is possible to speculate that Frederick died during the Battle of Overloon, part of Operation Aintree which was fought between 30^th September and 18^th October in which 2,500 soldiers died.

It is not recorded when Frederick joined up, but the 1^st Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment was a regular army unit, part of the 231^st Infantry Brigade. Between 1940 and 1940 it fought in Malta, in August 1943 it could be found in Sicily and in mainland Italy in September 1943. On D-Day the 1^st Dorsets landed on Gold Beach as part of the 50^th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division. They fought in the Battle of Normandy, and then moved on to North West Europe until the division was withdrawn in late 1944 and used as a training division. The Battalion had 327 troops killed and 1,029 wounded.

Frederick Donald Robinett is memorialised at Mook War Cemetery in the Netherlands (Grave reference I.E. 15) For his war service he would have been awarded the War Medal 1939-1945 and the 1939-1945 Star.

5 – Desmond Joseph Thomas Hunt

Desmond Hunt was very much a local lad. He was born between April and June 1923 and his birth was registered at Chipping Sodbury. He was the only son of Worthy Hunt and Millicent Young.

Worthy Hunt was a Coal Miners Labourer having been born to Joseph Hunt and his wife Mary, and brought up in Pucklechurch in 52 Miners Cottage, Parkfield. At the time of Desmond’s birth Worthy was working in the Parkfield Colliery, a family occupation, as on the 1911 census his Father Joseph was a Coal Miner Hewer, Worthy and his brother Mecshach were coal miners labourers and Abednego and Leslie were working labouring above ground. The colliery unfortunately closed in 1936 due to rising water levels. Worthy himself was part of a very large local family, having brothers Cecil, Mecshach, Abednego, Leslie, Joe, Harry, Stanley and Gilbert, as well as one sister Sarah. The brothers, with their cousins were enough to make their own football team and famously played a match against the Pinker Family, who were equally as large. Local people remember the match, but not the result!

Desmond and his family were very much part of the church. Desmond was a choirboy and his father was the Churchwarden. He attended school at Mangotsfield Primary, and then from 11 years old, North View Boys School. That school was one of those Victorian Schools which took both boys and girls, but they were educated separately going in their own doors at opposite ends of the building, and never even allowed to cross the white line down the middle of the playground and playing field. He left there at 14 to go and work in the factory at Mardens Factory at Fishponds, travelling there daily by train from the station at Mangotsfield, to the station at Fishponds, right near to the factory.

During the Second World War, he joined The Royal Armoured Corps, ‘A’ Squadron, the First Derbyshire Yeomanry with the number 9751163. The Royal Armoured Corps was created on 4^th April 1939 from cavalry and tank regiments.

The Derbyshire Yeomanry was a light reconnaissance unit, which had originally been raised for home defence. It was eventually sent out to Tunisia in late 1942. There it was the reconnaissance regiment of the 6th armoured division, fighting at Medjez el Bab. It also fought at the Kasserine Pass and Foundouk, finally reaching Tunis on March 1943.

Desmond is reported to have died on 28th August 1943 aged just 20, as the result of an accident. The family were told that he had drowned. In his military record the incident was reported on 17^th September 1943 to the War Office Casualty Branch, having originally been on Casualty list 1241, and before that shown on casualty list 1237 as missing on 28^th August 1943. He was originally buried near to where he died, but his body was eventually moved to lie in the Bone War Cemetery, Annaba, a seaport city in the north-eastern corner of Algeria. The inscription on his grave reads: ‘Beautiful memories of him will for ever live in the hearts of his Mum and Dad’

For his service to his country he was awarded the War Medal 1939-1945, the Africa Star and the 1939-45 Star.