Felpham's Fallen

Felpham’s Fallen was a project undertaken by the Felpham Village Conservation Society History Heritage and Archive Group in 2018 to commemorate the centenary of the 1918 Armistice.

William Walter Bailey

William was born on the 1 November 1874. He was one of six children born to Ephraim and Phoebe Bailey who lived in Pagham. His father was an agricultural labourer as were all of the male children. William’s mother Phoebe died in March 1885, aged 49 when William was 10 years old.  William’s father moved the family to lodge with William’s sister during the 1890s, possibly to help with William in view of the loss of his mother, and most likely to help with the financial situation. William became an agricultural labourer following in the footsteps of his father and brothers.

William Charles Baxter

William Charles Baxter was born in 1894 in Thurso, Caithness, Scotland the most northerly town on the British mainland.

His father, William, born in Peckham, London, in 1871 had married Charles (sic) Ann Mcgowan, also born in 1871, at Knockandu, Morayshire.  William was a Chief Officer with H.M. Coastguards.

William had one older brother, 3 younger brothers and a younger sister, Dorothy, all of whom were born in Scotland.

In 1901 William & Charles (sic) were resident in the civil parish of Bervie, Caithness.

George Bridger

The 1911 census for Slindon shows George BRIDGER, Head of the family aged 43, married, working as a Carter on a farm, and thet he was born in Yapton Sussex;

His wife was Edith Bridger,age 43, they had been married for 22 years 7 months 7 days, she was born in Landport Hants,

In 1911 they had five children. George aged 16 an Assistant Carter on a farm born in East Grinstead Sussex.  There were two daughters born in Woking Surrey and a daughter and son both born in Slindon

They were all living at 66 Court Hill Slindon Arundel

Edwin Leslie Flexman

Edwin Leslie Flexman was born in 1889 at Fulham and was the first child, of six, of William James and Matilda, formerly Croucher.  

Census records for 1871 to 1891 show William James (Snr) as being born in Chelsea about 1861 and Matilda in Strood Kent about 1869 although different places & spellings are given for them both.  Edwin appears on the 1901 census together with his mother but not his father.  By 1911 his father is resident in Sussex but Edwin and his mother are still in London.

William Richard Norris

William Norris

The son of Richard and Edith Norris, William, a regular soldier, had enlisted at Bognor into the Hampshire Regiment at age 18 on the 11th August 1908. Prior to that, his occupation had been ‘gardener’. His enlistment document shows he signed for 7 years in the Army and 5 years in Reserve.

William Bertram Norton

William was born in Hampshire on the 17 December 1895. His parents were Albert and Francis Norton and his father worked as a carpenter. They moved often during William’s childhood years, as many had to in search of employment. The family lived in Gosport, Portsmouth and Bosham, before settling in Felpham. At age 16 William was living in Bosham and was employed by his father as a carpenter apprentice.

Charles John Watson

Charles was born in Felpham on the 3 October 1886. His mother Fannie Watson was a widow and in 1901, Charles 14 and his sister, Nora 16 were living with their mother at 3 Gordon Terrace, Felpham. Fannys, mother, Mrs Elizabeth Wakeham was also living with them, together with two lodgers. As a widow, the additional income from lodgers, would probably have been necessary at that time. (Census 1901 and 1911)