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Old 19-05-14, 19:16
Jill Jill is offline
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Default (7) Herbert Thomas Cordery, Private 5644 1st Life Guards & 6th Dragoon Guards

7th of the Old Boys of my school to lose his life in WW1.

Born in 1886 in Reigate, Surrey to Thomas and Alice Cordery, the family moved to Haywards Heath in West Sussex sometime between 1891 and 1901. In 1901 they were living in New England Road and Herbert was working as a painter’s lad, probably with his father who was a house painter. By 1911 he had already joined the Army and was a Lance Corporal in the cavalry, serving in India. His father had died so his mother was living with Herbert’s sister Eveline and her husband.

Herbert had left the Army before 1914 and at some point had worked at Cane Hill Mental Hospital as he is remembered in a book which lists him working there as an employee of London County Council, the book also says he probably died near La Bassee, France. He died on 15 Feb 1915 aged 29. Some time earlier he had written the following letter home, which was printed in the Mid Sussex Times:

"I can't describe it out here...It is nothing else but murder. Of course there is a lot of work done by aircraft...our division has done a lot of good work since we have been out here. We have been fighting day and night for nine days; it is nothing to walk over dead Germans. The heads seem to think that it won't last much longer. I hope so because it means such a loss to England. There is not use much for cavalry, we go into the trenches and stop there for a day or two. Our regiment has lost about eight men, but a lot have been wounded. We must not grumble as it is the infantry who suffer. The Germans cannot stand our artillery especially [illegible] Battery, the one with our Brigade...we are getting plenty to eat but we don't get much time to cook it. The Ghurkhas won’t stop in the trenches: it is too cold for them. They keep getting out and charging. The villages are all deserted out here. All our transports are done by m[ules?] - it is marvellous because they come nearly up to the firing line. I believe we are fighting the main army, but they will have to draw on them to defend their own country and that will give us a rest for a time. We want it too, we are nearly all rags. There are lots of spies out here, they are the people who give us away. We have captured a lot of them. My troop officer was shot through the neck, but it was his own fault as he came out of the trench."

He is buried in plot II. 3. C at Ypres Town Cemetery Extension.

Herbert’s mother Alice was sent the War Gratuity of £6 and his back pay of £2 6s 1d.

Last edited by Jill; 19-01-15 at 18:36. Reason: effects/gratuity
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