Reginald Arthur Fulford

Reginald was born on 20th January 1894 in Lockerley, Hampshire, the second son of  John and Charlotte Fulford.  John, a farmer, had been born in Whiteparish, Wiltshire, and Charlotte in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Reginald was baptised in the local parish church. In 1901 the census gives their address as Street Farm, Lockerley,  a village near Romsey in Hampshire. Lockerley is and was a small rural village where Reginald would have known everyone and they would have known him.  In 1901, at 7 years old, Reginald had an older brother Frederick (9), and a younger brother Ernest (4). He also had two younger sisters, Hilda (3) and Sybil who was 9 months old. Reginald began his education at Lockerley Endowed School, before moving on to the Eastleigh Centre. By the time of the 1911 census there was an  addition to the family with Alex (8). Frederick (now 19), along with Ernest (now 14) were both working on the farm with their father, while Reginald, aged 17, was a pupil teacher employed by the County Council. He had in fact returned to his old school in Lockerley. His other siblings were all still at school.

Reginald started his two year formal teacher training in 1912, having taken the Preliminary Examination for Certificate earlier that year, and taking the Archbishops’ Examination for Admission, but only achieving a third class pass.

Students and masters 1913–14. Copyright University of Winchester HRO 47M91W-S5-2-29

The first College exams were taken at the end of the first term. Reginald had an average mark of 57.6%, which put him 22nd in the class order of merit. By the end of his first year he had improved that position up to 16th, and by Christmas of the second year he had improved again and was placed 11th. We know from the College magazine that he represented his dormitory, Paradise Dorm, in the annual Dormitory Cup football competition, and he also represented the College. In a match against St. Cross he was mentioned ‘for his splendid work at outside-right, for this was his first appearance in the first XI.’  In the 1913 Sports Day, he was placed third in the hurdles.

In the first year at College the students were referred to as Juniors, becoming Seniors for their final year. There were many sporting competitions between the two groups of students.  Many alumni maintained close ties with the College and there were frequent competitions between Past and Present students.

At the end of his two year course Reginald was awarded D grades in Teaching, Music and Drawing and a B grade in Science. He did, however, improve on his Archbishops’ Religious Education Exam gaining a first class pass in both his first and second years.

We have no information to tell us if  Reginald took up a teaching post after leaving College or if he went straight into the army. In the Student Record Book there is no school appointment listed for Reginald, which suggests he went straight into uniform.

Reginald enlisted in the 2/4th (T.F.) Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment. We do not know the date of his enlistment. The 2/4th (T.F.) Battalion was formed on Salisbury Plain in 1914 as a home service battalion. As part of the 2nd Wessex Division some of the Regiment sailed for India in December 1914, while some remained behind in England. We know from the diary of fellow Wintonian and regimental member V. S. Manley that Reginald did not arrive in India until later. His diary entry for Thursday 13th April 1916 states:

Quetta, India (now Pakistan). Copyright unknown.

The Regiment was based in Quetta, which after partition became part of modern day Pakistan. A letter published in the Hampshire Telegraph on Friday 19th March 1915, gives us an insight into aspects of their lives while in Quetta. It was written by another teacher, Mr. Jack Clark, of the 4th Hants, to his father. He comments on the health problems that were prevalent:

He describes how some of the routine and more mundane tasks were dealt with:

The local population also provided the soldiers with other services:

In 1917 the 4th Battalion moved to Egypt, landing in Suez. They were attached to the 233rd Brigade in the 75th Division. Orders from the War Office allowed for the formation of a new division under General Allenby, incorporating Territorial Force units along with Indian Battalions.

The British Army’s involvement in the Palestine Campaign was originally to protect the strategically important Suez Canal from Ottoman and German control. Although referred to as the Palestine Campaign the land fought over included areas of modern day Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria. The force involved in this Campaign was bolstered by Anzac Troops, and the Palestine Theatre became the second largest in terms of force numbers deployed after the Western Front.

It took until October 1917 for the force to be fully established and they took to the field for the first time in the Third Battle of Gaza from the 22nd October to the 7th November, and remained in action for the Capture of Junction Station on the 13th-14th November and the Battle of Nabi Samweil (various spellings are in use including Nebi Samwil) on the 20th-24th November 1917. Ottoman Forces were entrenched on the high land of Nebi Samuel, the traditional burial place of the prophet Samuel. The position was gained late on the evening of the 21st November after fierce fighting. Several counter attacks over the next few days failed. On November 24th the battle of Nabi Samweil was over.

It is impossible to say with certainty in which action Reginald sustained the wounds that led to his death on the 24th November 1917, but the Battle of Nabi Samweil seems the most likely, and he died in the Military Hospital at Ramleh, between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. His probate record shows that he left £71 19s 10d to his mother, Charlotte, of Dairy Farm,  Cowesfield,  Whiteparish,  Wiltshire. This suggests that his father may have died since the 1911 census. The Bath Chronicle of Saturday December 29th 1917 carried a Roll of Honour that included Reginald.

The following year, on Saturday 30th November, Reginald was remembered again in the Bath Chronicle:

By the time Reginald died, his mother had moved to 41, Third Avenue, Oldfield Park, Bath, which explains the remembrance notices being posted in the Bath Chronicle. His sister, Hilda, died in Bath at the age of 84.

Reginald is buried in the Ramleh War Cemetery in Israel and commemorated on the Lockerley War Memorial at East Dean.

 

Researcher and Author: Dee Sayers

Photograph of Ramleh War Cemetery courtesy of cwgc