These four men fought or served during the First World War. They served in Biggin Hill, the North Sea, India and France. They all survived the War, which, given the outbreak of the so-called Spanish Flu that ended the lives of as many men and women as the War, was a miracle.
They all lived in Oxted, in Surrey.
The photo itself is interesting. It was taken by an amateur photographer who couldn’t quite centre them in the frame. Even the Kodak box cameras could be tricky to get the frame right. They are standing in line looking as though they are on parade. The soldier at the front of the line has a warm but firm face that suggests leadership. On first sight he looks as though he is holding a cigarette, but I think it might be the end of a swagger stick. The man behind has something close to a smile while the man behind him looks as though he might prefer doing something else. The last man in the naval uniform is quite serious about his part in the line-up.
The picture was taken after the War. Perhaps they were preparing for a Victory Parade. The official Parade was held in July 1919. The first Remembrance parade in Whitehall was in November 1920. There may well have been local parades in 1919. Perhaps they were getting ready for an event in Oxted. It doesn’t look like winter, so my guess is a Victory Parade. This picture was no doubt taken by a family member. If the cottages behind them could be identified, they may still be standing there, in old Oxted. I wonder if it is School Lane.
When this photo was sent to me recently, I recognised only one person. I was then told by my cousin that another was her grandfather. I was then able to work out exactly who these men were.
They are my grandfather and his three brothers in law. They all lived in Oxted before and after the First World War, although my grandfather was born in Sussex and had moved to work and board at Limpsfield as a groom on an estate in Limpsfield. Soon after he met Ada Spillett, my grandmother, and they were married before he left to serve in the Queens Regiment.
Clarence Carver signed up to join the Army in 1912. His service was in India with the Queens (Surrey) Regiment. He also saw action in Singapore when he was sent there to suppress an uprising. Clarence, known as George by his wife and family, and also in his army records, was for a while an Acting Regimental Sergeant Major, and was a Sergeant when he was discharged in 1922. That date means that the photo might have been taken later than 1919, unless Clarence was on leave.
The entry pages from Clarence (George) Carver’s military record. Notice that there is a list of his family’s names including a girl, Elizabeth born in 1916. This is the birth year of his son Kenneth. George and Ada had three sons. Whoever was recording his children’s names mistook Kenneth for Elizabeth in the transcribing! (Surrey, England, Regimental Rolls and Recruitment Registers, 1914-1947 via Ancestry.com)
Clarence is at the front of the lineup in the photo.
Behind Clarence is my great uncle Henry, the only son of Ada Willis, the first wife of Henry George Spillett. Young Henry’s mother died of cancer in Bognor and shortly after, his father remarried and moved the family to Oxted. The other two men are his half-brothers, William and George, children of Sarah Lynn.
Henry Spillett junior was called up in April 1916 while he was running the bicycle shop in Oxted High Street. He tried to delay it by appealing to the local Tribunal that assessed appeals for not being conscripted. The report in the local newspapers did not give the reason for Henry’s appeal but he was given only one week before he had to respond to his conscription. It might have been in connection with putting his business affairs in order. He was running a bicycle shop and was the local Raleigh Agent.
Newspaper cutting from the Westerham Herald reporting on that weeks Tribunal for conscription exemptions.
Henry joined the Royal Flying Corps which was a newly formed arm of the Army. It didn’t become the Royal Air Force until 1918. Henry was a Fitter, which I take to mean that he maintained the aircraft that were being used mostly for reconnaissance.
Henry Spillett’s military record in the , initially Royal Flying Corps, and then Royal Air Force. Note his service of two years in France. (UK, Royal Air Force Airmens’ Service Records 1918 -1940 via Ancestry.com)
Next in line is William Frank Spillett. He too was conscripted, and he also joined the Royal Flying Corp, but one year after his brother. Henry and Frank were obviously spotted for their mechanical skills as fitters, given that they were running the bicycle shop in Oxted High Street. For part of his service he was stationed at Biggin Hill which was not too far away from Oxted.
William Spillett’s military record in the RFC and then the RAF. (UK, Royal Air Force Airmens’ Service Records 1918 -1940 via Ancestry.com).
Last in line, looking dramatically serious, as he should do given his service history in the war, is my great uncle George Spillett, the youngest of the men. His smart uniform with pressed trousers that bear the seven creases that represent the seven oceans. He seems to be the proudest in the line-up. George enlisted in the Royal Navy as a boy, before the war broke out, in 1911. He trained on several ships but was notable for his service in the Battle of Jutland, the major sea battle in the North Sea during the First World War. He served as an Able Seaman on HMS Valiant during the Battle. It was the only battleship that was unscathed. George remained in the Navy until 1921.
George Spillett’s service record in the Royal Navy. (UK, Royal Navy Registers of Seamen’s Services, 1848-1939 via Ancestry.com)
This certainly might then date the men’s photo to beyond 1921. Without certainty, 1921 sounds about right.
I find the photo remarkable for many reasons.
- I had never seen the Spillett brothers before, other than Henry in his wedding picture
- My grandfather seems to have been close to all of them, which shouldn’t really be surprising because he lived in the same village in School Lane, just off of High Street
- They all survived action in different parts of the world during the First World War
- They were proud to be associated with their service and family connections to have this photo taken
- It is the first time that I have known so much about them as a family and their lives, because of further research, over 100 years ago
My father would have known their history, I’m certain, but never told us about it. He never discussed his uncles with us. My grandfather never discussed his brothers in law with me or others when I knew him.
It is a powerful picture that only reveals it story if you know who is in it.
With many thanks to Sue Toms for sharing this picture with the Instant Cousins blog. (From Sue Toms’ private collection 2024)