Old Eds that gave service to King and Country during WW1

[Ged]

Maybe an ancestor of yours?  Any knowledge of Old Eds that gave service during The Great War please let me know, it will be treated with respect and discretion and will be most appreciated, to [e-mail]  Thanks!

[Sean]

For those of you that haven't been in on the emails:

Eric Ballad (he also wrote a book on the History of Nuneaton RFC) & Chris Holland have produced a Roll of Honour of all Nuneatonians who fell in World War 1. Some of them are Old Eds and the lists are available to download. More info here:

branches.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/nuneaton/nuneaton-world-war-1-roll-of-honour-project

From that roll of honour the following are listed as being commemorated at King Edward VI Grammar School, there was a memorial board in the school hall, not sure if it's still there:

Pte. Charles Arthur ASH
L/Cpl. Tom BURROW
Pte. Edward Kenneth Leslie CROSS
2nd Lt. Philip Henry Burt FITCH
Pte. John ('Jack') GARRATT
Pte. Benjamin HOWARD
Pte. Roy Spencer ILIFFE
2nd Lt. Alan Edward JOSEPH
2nd Lt. Andrew Ronald KNOX
Lt Col. James Meldrum KNOX DSO
L/Cpl. Bernard Robert LEWIS
2nd Lt. Kenneth Selby WATERS - Youngest son of Rev. S.G. Waters, Vicar of Meriden + formerly Headmaster of King Edward VI Grammar School

[Sean]

The attached image is from the Coventry Evening Telegraph (then called the Midland Daily Telegraph) dated 11th May 1915

Attachments:

[Ged]

Excellent thank you Sean. I have a copy of David Patterson's 'Leeke's Legacy' in which there is a roll of honour of KEGS old boys that sadly died in the Great War as it was known then. This and your, Eric and Chris's information give me something more to go on. JB and I checked the names on the roll of honour from School (now in the heritage centre in Avenue Road according to Gren) against the honours and officers of the club boards in the club but none matched exactly. I hope to at least have a page in the match programme at our re-union on 20th Sept Vs Old Laurentians to commemorate the Old Ed's that fell in WW1 including of course Roy Spencer (George) Iliffe, I note George was his father's name too. I have done some research at the National Archives in Kew, reading some harrowing diaries written by officers on the front, it was sometimes the case that as regiments suffered tragic loss of both officers and ranks; battalions were amalgamated in to other regiments. Whether or not this was the case with George Iliffe and the 1st Battalion Canadian Rifles I will try to find out.

[Ged]

I read in a 1981/82 fixtures pocket booklet on the Club History page:
The club was founded on 18th February, 1910, and commenced its activities the following September.
The first elected officers and committee of the club were as follows:-
Club Captain : G Rollaston
Hon. Secretary : E Walford
Hon. Treasurer : H. N. Lilley
Committee:
Messrs. C.H. Cartwright, S.O. Currin, F.P. Daft, W.J. French, R.S. Iliffe, H. Pipe and C. Sturgess.

R.S.Iliffe was truly a founder of the Old Eds and I propose we will respect his memory at our gathering in September in this year the centenary of the outbreak of war.

[Ged]

I looked for the WW1 Roll of Honour board originally displayed in the school at the heritage centre at the week-end but it isn't on display. It may be in storage and I will look again but if anyone knows of its whereabouts would you let me know? The centre is open to the public so for the historians among you it has some fascinating artifacts and is well worth a visit. Thanks Ged

[Ged]

The board is where it should be, hanging in the former school hall now library. Thanks Don and Gren.

[Sean]

The Roll of Honour at branches.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/nuneaton/nuneaton-world-war-1-roll-of-honour-project has been updated and the following have been added to the list as being commemorated at King Edward VI Grammar School:

L/Cpl. Horace Henry BRIGGS
2nd Lt. Frederick Albert BROCK
Pte. Wiliam Henry ENSOR
Pioneer. Amos Henry FAIRBROTHER
Cpl. Sidney David HARRISON
Pioneer. George Henry Liggins HARVEY
Pte. John Alfred HOPKINS
Pte. Kenneth Paling MORRISON
Sgt. Edgar Richard PALLETT

[Ged]

Is anybody aware of surviving members of Roy Spencer Iliffe's family. Roy emigrated to Canada according to my sources where he joined up with the Canadian 1st Regiment; his parents George and Caroline lived in Newdigate Street Nuneaton. Roy's father George was a member at Nuneaton Cricket Club for over 50 years. If you know of any Iliffes in the area, or further afield, please let me know. Thanks. Ged

[Jim]

FYI. My own father is named Roy George Iliffe. Roy Spencer Iliffe was my father's uncle. My middle name is Roy. I emigrated from England to Canada in 1981.
Jim Iliffe

[Ged]

Nov 12, 2014 18:15:44 GMT Jim said:

FYI. My own father is named Roy George Iliffe. Roy Spencer Iliffe was my father's uncle. My middle name is Roy. I emigrated from England to Canada in 1981.
Jim Iliffe

Hi Jim,
Thanks for that.  If you send your address to me via my email [e-mail] I'll send you a copy of a booklet we put together with your great uncle Roy a focal point.  We now have a memorial to Roy at the Old Eds, I'll send you a photograph of that too.  Roy was a founding father of the Old Eds in 1910, the Nuneaton News came to our memorial event, again Roy was a focal point, and there is a double page article in the 23rd October 2014 edition.

Regards
Ged O'Neill

[Sarah Iliffe]

I'm a great niece of Roy Spencer Iliffe
Jim Iliffe is my cousin 💜
We pray for his father, my uncle Roy George Iliffe who passed on 11/11/16 X 💜

[Ged O'Neill]

Dear Sarah,
Apologies for not responding sooner, please accept and pass on to Jim my own and The Old Eds' condolences on the passing of your uncle Roy George, nephew of one of our founding fathers Roy Spencer Iliffe. 

Ged O'Neill 
President
Nuneaton Old Edwardians

P.S. I can report that the Club is in good health and we have established a Junior Academy to ensure the Club reaches it's 200th Anniversary in 2110.