Village Sons Remembered

Tonight local residents will gather at Royal Holloway to remember those sons of Englefield Green who gave their lives to protect the liberties we have been celebrating this Magna Carta anniversary year. This event also aims to raise funds for the Village Sons Remembered project, a project to create a new war memorial, one that names the fallen, for Englefield Green.

Museum volunteer Callum Pears has been looking at some of the stories that this memorial will help preserve, stories that start with casualty listings from the local newspaper.

‘Down with the HMS Formidable’, Fredrick Hector Hastings:

Fredrick Hector Hastings died when the HMS Formidable was sunk by German U-Boat U-24 in the English Channel on the 1 January 1915. He had served in the Royal Navy for nine years and at the time of his death, was at the rank of Leading Stoker.

HMS Formidable was a pre-Dreadnought class ship that had been afloat since 1901, with construction beginning in 1898. Early in the ship’s career, HMS Formidable was originally in service in the British Mediterranean Fleet. Later, the Formidable was recommissioned to serve in the British Home Fleet in 1909. The Formidable was again recommissioned to serve in the Atlantic Fleet in 1913 but was again returned to the Home Fleet, placed in the 5th Battle squadron, later that year and had her crew reduced.

At the outbreak of war the Formidable was charged to ensure the safe transportation of the British Expeditionary Force to France. Upon the successful completion of this, the Formidable was charged to protect the English Channel against enemy action until later being recommissioned from the South East to the North to protect Britain from a feared German invasion. Being once again recalled to the Home Fleet in the south of Britain, patrolling the Isle of Portland in the South West, the Formidable was sunk after an overnight exercise in rough conditions by a German U-Boat. German sub activity had been reported in the area, however due to the conditions of that night, it was not believed enemy subs could attack.

At 02:20 in the early morning of January 1st 1915, German U-Boat U24 struck the Formidable’s boiler causing the ship heavy damage. At 03:05 the Formidable was hit again, with the ship beginning to sink as a result. Captain Noel Loxley went down with his ship, seeing to the crew and their successful evacuation. The ship was the third British loss of the First World War and the second to be sunk by German action. Its captain and 512 of its 780 crew were lost.

It is likely that Hastings was serving on the Formidable for some time before 1913 as he survived the reduction in crew. It could be argued that he was placed on the ship at the outbreak of war, however due to his occupation as a stoker, he would have been serving on pre-dreadnought classed vessels for most of his career. Therefore it is easy to imagine that he may have served on the Formidable for the majority of his naval career. As the first German torpedo struck the Formidable’s boiler, it is likely that Hastings was killed in the initial attack.

‘Brother Killed and Wounded’, E. J. Liddiard

Sgt. E. J. Liddiard, the son of Mr and Mrs Liddiard of Alexander Road Englefield Green was killed in action near Loos, during the battle of Loos in 1915. He died on the first day of fighting, 25th September, in the largest engagement of purely British forces of the First World War.

Another son, Sgt. L. F. Liddiard, was injured in the same battle but survived his injuries.

The brother in law to the two Liddiard brothers, Corporal G. C. Maidment, had also suffered injuries when two of the ships he had served on, a troopship off the coast of France was sunk by a mine and a hospital ship the ‘Anglia’ which was sunk by the Germans in the English Channel.

The Battle of Loos was the largest battle of the so called ‘new army’, volunteer forces not professional soldiers. It was also the first battle in which the British employed the use of poison gas against the enemy. The Battle of Loos was part of the first major Allied offensive against the Germans of the First World War, it was unsuccessful, failing to break the German army. A combination of poor artillery coordination and poor communication between the army and high command, led to devastating losses for the British and a lost opportunity to force the Germans into retreat. The heaviest loses were recorded on the first day of fighting, the 25th September, the day when Sgt. Liddiard was killed in action.

‘Killed in Action’, E. Woodison

Private Woodison was killed in France on the 28th July 1914, the first day of fighting. Previously being reported as missing, Private Woodison was later declared as killed in action in January 1915. It was believed that Private Woodison was killed in the heavy fighting to dislodge German troops from their defensive positions, which his company successfully did.

With no actual detail given on the precise battle that Private Woodison was killed, it is difficult to speculate on the events leading to his death. It can be guessed that Woodison was involved in early action against German forces on the French-Belgian border to try and prevent German forces invading France and attempt to force the Germans out of Belgium. Judging from the heavy fighting detailed, it was likely one of earliest skirmishes as this was the point in time when fighting was the fiercest, unlike later in 1914 and beyond, when warfare was bogged down in trench warfare.

Callum is continuing to explore the stories behind local wartime casualties and more of his research will be posted here in the near future.

To learn more about the fallen of Englefield Green or to make a donation to the Village Sons Remembered project please visit their website.