August 1917

Death of The Rev. A. E. Clark-Kennedy

In August Ewhurst residents were saddened to hear of the death of their former rector, The Revd. Archibald Clark-Kennedy. He had been rector from 1898 – 1913, following a career in the Royal Navy, but had remained in the village after his retirement. He had been instrumental in starting Boy Scouts in Ewhurst and was a District Commissioner. During the war, he had played an active part in the Surrey Volunteer Regiment, commanding the Hurtwood Company, covering Cranleigh, Ewhurst and district.

The funeral took place on the 8th August at Ewhurst with semi-military honours. The Surrey Advertiser carried a long report of the funeral and list of mourners and noted “The coffin was covered with the Union Jack and The Hurtwood Company 6th Battalion Surrey Volunteer Regiment under the command of Lieut. Campbell Taylor furnished the Guard of Honour and lined the pathway on either side from the church to the grave…. The remains were carried to their last resting place by brother officers in the Volunteers, Captain Hinton of the Welsh Regiment, the adjuncts Lieutenants Campbell Taylor and Gibbons, H. J. Thomas, G.H. Coe and J.W. Savage. At the conclusion of the committal sentences a firing party under Sergt. Maj. Smith stood at attention and Drummer Hobbs from the Queens Depot, and Acting Corporal Battersbury sounded ‘The Last Post’. The Boy Scouts under Scout Leader Walter Denyer were also in attendance.”

Knighthood for Sir Dugald Clerk

The engineer, Dugald Clerk, who lived at Lukyns was awarded a knighthood on the 24th August for his war work. Clerk worked on early gas, petrol and oil engines and had invented the Clerk (two stroke engine) in 1881. During the war he was the Director of Engineering Research at the Admiralty and also served on the Trench Warfare Advisory Panel and was a member of the Ministry of Munitions Inventions Department

News from the Front

Sergt. James George Dedman had been reported as Missing in the Miraumont area on the 28th February, but it was not until November that his parents learnt that he had died in August. Under the heading ‘Village Hero’s’ the Surrey Times reported “Mr and Mrs Dedman, Winterfold Cottage, Albury Heath have just received news that their eldest son Sergt. J Dedman, The Queens, died of wounds on August 28th, while a prisoner of war in Germany. He was reported missing on Feb 28th last.  Sgt Dedman who was nearly 24 years of age joined the Queens, the month following the outbreak of war and went to France in December 2 1914. He had been twice wounded before he was taken prisoner and leaves a young widow. Mr and Mrs Dedman’s second son [Frank] was killed at Arras last Dec and their youngest and only remaining son Pte. R [Richard] Dedman is in Egypt.”