Ashtead War Memorials - The Reddick Brothers

In the December Quarter of 1888, a marriage was registered at Epsom of Arthur Reddick [born Bookham registered in the same office 9/1863, son of Henry born Cobham circa 1823 & Mary Ann Reddick born Stoke circa 1828], carpenter/wheelwright, and Eliza Partridge [birth registered Crediton, Devon, 9/1866]. They had three sons, all born at Ashtead: Stanley [birth registered Epsom 3/1890], Percy [birth registered Epsom 3/1892] & Sydney [birth registered Epsom 3/1895]. Arthur Reddick’s name appears in an Ashtead Street Directory for 1910/11 on Ottways Lane between The Haven and Poplar Cottages.

Percy Reddick
By 1911, Percy aged 19 had become a “Plate caster”. Following the outbreak of World War I he signed up for duties with the East Surrey Regiment, apparently at Wimbledon, and was allocated a service number T7588 later changed to 200695. Having been transferred to The Queens (Royal West Surrey) Regiment, however, he became Private T/243255.

The 1/5th Battalion, The Queens had been at Guildford in August 1914 as part of Surrey Brigade, Home Counties Division. On 29 October 1914, the Regiment went to India, staying there until December 1915 (December 1914 - January 1915 with Lucknow Brigade, 8th (Lucknow) Division. Transferred in April 1915 to Allahabad Brigade in same Division. Transferred in November 1915 to 12th Brigade in 12th Indian Division). Sent to Mesopotamia, May 1916, 1/5th Royal West Surreys transferred with 12th Indian Brigade to 15th Indian Division.

Percy probably became a member of the Regiment in 1916 to engage with the Turks in Mesopotamia. He would have been involved in the advance to fighting on 28/29 September 1917 that resulted in the capture of Ramadi. The War Diary records on 30 September 1917 that the health of the battalion had been severely tested by the previous fortnight’s operation, 102 other ranks having been admitted to hospital since it marched out of Karradah exclusive of sick and wounded. 124 soldiers were hospitalised in Bagdhad and the bald statement “Died”, 13 October 1917, in Soldiers Died In The Great War suggests that Percy was one of those who succumbed to disease before burial in Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery.

Further details of the campaign may be found in The Long Road to Baghdad by Edmund Candler, “Late Official ‘Eye-Witness’ in Mesopotamia”, which was published in 1919. An offensive had been opened on 13 December 1916 leading to the capture of Baghdad from the Turks in March 1917. In September of that year it was decided to occupy Ramadi in order to complete a blockade of the enemy from the south, cutting off a road from the Lower Euphrates by which supplies were getting through to the Turks. “On the morning of the 29th the 12th Brigade resumed the attack on Aziziyeh Ridge. Very gallantly, in the face of well-directed fire and against repeated counter-attacks, the 39th Garhwalis, the 90th Punjabis and the Queens carried the last outlying defences of the Turks on our left.”

Sydney Reddick
In 1911 Sydney was only 16 and a “Garden Boy” but a service number of 2837 (later 201008) suggests that Sydney preceded his brother, Percy, into the East Surrey Regiment. He too was transferred although, in his case, to the London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) – initially 26th Battalion (Bankers), subsequently 1st Battalion – with a fresh number, 229611.

Whilst 1st Battalion, London Regiment, had been part of 17th Brigade in 6th Division at the outbreak of WWI, it moved in the Brigade to 24th Division on 14 October 1915. It seems likely, however, that Sydney did not become a Fusilier until the following year and had landed in France, with 26th Battalion, 4 May 1916. He could have been involved in the battles of Delville Wood & Guillemont on the Somme and, in 1917, Vimy Ridge, a phase of the Arras offensive, followed by Messines, Pilkem Ridge, Langemarck (the two latter battles having been phases of the Third Battles of Ypres) and the Cambrai Operations (the German counter attack). 1918 saw the Battle of St Quentin and, over 24/25 March, the Actions at the Somme Crossings with Gough’s 5th Army. Soldiers Died In The Great War records that Sydney “Died of Wounds” on 25 March 1918, the second day of action at the Somme Crossings, presumably having been injured before expiring in a Casualty Clearing Station. After the Armistice, remains were brought in from graves on the battlefield for re-interment at Gommecourt Wood New Cemetery, Fonquevillers. http://inmemories.com/Cemeteries/gommecourtwood.htm The photo of Sydney's headstone in Gommecourt Wood New Cemetery, Foncquevilliers, France, was provided by Alan Regin. Note that his rank is Serjeant, not Sergeant as on the Ashtead memorials.

The fact that their father, Arthur, had been a wheelwright could suggest that he was one of the tradesmen employed by the Wyatts in Rectory Lane. As reported in Proceedings of the Leatherhead and District Local History Society, Volume 6, No. 9, at the bottom of page 6, a group there were active bell-ringers and the name of Sydney Reddick himself appears in the The Central Council of Bell Ringers’ Memorial Book of Church Bell-Ringers Who Fell In The Great War, 1914-1918

For more on this source see https://cccbr.org.uk/rolls-of-honour/great-war-memorial-book-1/

One of the Reddick family appears in a group photograph on page 114 of A History of Ashtead.

text by Brian Bouchard: if you can add to this page please contact the editor
page added 26 May 2009: 28 Nov 17