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Saturday 14 April 2018

In Memory of James Francis Charles Titheridge 1897 – 1918

Today we remember James Francis Charles Titheridge who died 100 years ago today aged 20.

James Francis Charles Titheridge


James was the six times great grandson of John Titheridge and Ann Quallatt of Cheriton, his ancestors were the Titheridges of Kilmeston.  James was born in the September quarter of 1897, the only son of James Titheridge and Gertrude Moss Midwinter. James’s mother Gertrude was from Hartley Wintney, Hampshire a small village 8 miles east of Basingstoke and it is in this village James was born.

In 1891 James’ father worked as a footman, in 1901 he was a servant and in 1911 he was a butler. The family moved around as James found employment with different employers. In 1901 the family were living at 5 Amity Terrace, Wimbledon, Surrey and in 1911 they were living at Rose Cottage, Holme Lacy, Herefordshire. Holme Lacy is a small village 6 miles south east of Hereford. By 1918 James’s parents, Gertrude and James, had moved 2 miles south to 2 West Villas, Fownhope, Herefordshire.

Military Service


James enlisted at Hereford in the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, 1st Battalion (regimental number 25489) and was quickly promoted to the rank of Corporal.  I cannot find exactly when James enlisted but he probably enlisted in early 1916 and he arrived in France about August 1917.

The 1st Battalion Shropshire Light Infantry served entirely on the Western Front and in just about every major engagement. 1914 – 1916 saw the battalion in fighting in the Ypres area. They saw service on the Somme in 1916 and at Arras and Cambrai in 1917. By the start of 1918 James had been in France for about 4 months and in January of this year, the battalion was serving with the 5th Army. On March 21st, with the battalion just about annihilated at Lagnicourt, not one combatant officer was left and only 53 other ranks came out of the action. The battalion was completely re-formed within ten days of being virtually destroyed and was back in the line at Ypres and fought continuously in the salient until late August.

Killed in Action


James is reported as killed in action on 14 April 1918, three weeks after the devastating battle at Lagnicourt. Referring to the battalion war diaries on this date the battalion were at Molenaarelst Hoek 10km east of Ypres and 3km south of Tyne Cot. The diaries do not indicate any action on this date but the circumstances of his death are recorded in a home newspaper report.

Hereford Times 11 May 1918

Roll of Honour
Killed
Corporal J. F. C. Titheridge, Fownhope
Mr. and Mrs. Titheridge, of Fownhope, formerly of Holme Lacy have just suffered the loss of their only child, Corporal J. F. C. Titheridge, King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, who was killed in France on April 14th. He was sitting just inside a dug out with a comrade when a shell dropped at the side of the entrance and blew back into the dug-out. He was hit on the head and killed instantaneously, and a man sitting next him was wounded. The Lieutenant of his company says he was a trustworthy N. C. O. and very keen at his work. Corporal Titheridge, who was an old boy of Hereford Bluecoat School, had been in France about eight months. He joined up at 18 and was 20 years of age at the time of his death. With Mr and Mrs Titheridge in their bereavement much sympathy is expressed.

His medal card shows he was posthumously awarded the Victory Medal and British Medal.

He is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, West Flanders, Belgium. The Tyne Cot Memorial is around the eastern boundary of Tyne Cot Cemetery near the town of Leper in Belgium. It bears the names of some 35,000 men of the British and New Zealand forces who have no known grave, nearly all of whom died between August 1917 and November 1918.

James is also remembered at the village memorial at Holme Lacy, Herefordshire. A picture can be seen here.

Gertrude and James 


Gertrude and James continued to live in Fownhope at 2 West Villas until their death.  James died in 31 January 1939 and Gertrude died in 14 January 1954 aged 79. They are buried in St Mary’s Fownhope. On Gertrude’s death probate (£548) was given to her niece Elsie Pavey.








They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:  
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.


Saturday 7 April 2018

Proclamation of Queen Victoria as Empress of India 1877



George Sutton Titheradge (1848 - 1916)
Famous Victorian Actor 

Proclamation of Queen Victoria as Empress of India 1877


Early in our family research we learnt that it was George Sutton Titheradge who proclaimed Queen Victoria as Empress of India. He was born in Portsmouth and lived from 1848 to 1916. He became a famous Victorian actor in England and Australia.

The information came from an article published in The Australian Dictionary of Biography. It said:
“In 1876 George joined the Chippendale Classical Comedy Company and late that year he played Hamlet at the Corinthian Theatre, Calcutta. He was the herald at Lord Lytton's durbar in Delhi and on 1 January 1877 announced Queen Victoria as Empress of India”

Delhi Durbar


The Delhi Durbar was a mass assembly organised by the British at Coronation Park, Delhi, India. It took place on 1 January 1877 to proclaim Queen Victoria as Empress of India. The Durbar was an official event attended by Lord Lytton, who was Viceroy of India, royalty from all the provinces of India and the senior British dignitaries; nearly 70,000 people attended. It was an extravaganza of pomp and ceremony.

A report at the time in the Illustrated London News gave the following description
“The Viceroy, who was accompanied by Lady Lytton and his daughters, ascended the dais and took his seat on the Imperial throne. The heraldic trumpeters sounded a flourish, and the Chief Herald, read the Imperial Proclamation in English; a translation in the Urdu language was read by the Foreign Secretary to the General Government of India. A salute of one hundred and one guns was fired by the artillery, and a feu de joie by the infantry. The Viceroy then delivered his speech, explaining the motives and consequences of this great political act. The National Anthem was played by all the military bands.”

Paintings of occasion by Prinsep can be seen at this link

 Conflicting stories


Nowhere was George Sutton Titheradge mentioned in the newspaper or other historical accounts of the event and I began to doubt the accuracy of my information. I found numerous images of the durbar, one showed the herald but he did not look like George. Later I found another picture with the label “The Imperial Assembly at Delhi: The Chief Herald (Major Barnes) Reading the Proclamation”. You can see it at this link . So if Major Barnes was the Chief Herald how did George fit in with this story?

In some old Australian newspapers from 1903 I found others questioning whether George, really had had the honour of proclaiming Queen Victoria Empress of India at the Delhi Durbar. The story quoted Mr Robert Howlett who said “In October 1876 I was stationed at Lucknow as trumpeter in the 13th Hussars, and I received instructions to proceed to Umballa for the purpose of being attached to the 11th Hussars, as I had been selected to act as one of the heralds at the Durbar at Delhi. Every other cavalry regiment in Bengal was also required to send a trumpeter.  At Umballa, we rehearsed the flourish of trumpets. In December we went to Delhi, and were attached to the staff of the Viceroy (Lord Lytton), who was present at the proclamation of the Empress at Delhi on January 1. The proclamation was read by Major Barnes, of the Native Cavalry, who was a clever linguist. He read the proclamation in English, Persian and Hindustani.”

Something was wrong with our original story about George. It was one of those puzzling queries I kept coming back to and it is only recently that I have sorted out the mystery.

Proclamation at Calcutta


The clue came in an English newspaper reference that said the formal proclamation took place on New Year’s Day 1877 at Calcutta, Bombay, Madras and Delhi.

An article in an Australian newspaper gave the answer,George read the proclamation not at the big Durbar in Delhi but at another proclamation in Calcutta:

The Express and Telegraph (Adelaide, SA) 8 January 1903. 

“Mr. F. H. Pollock, lessee and manager of the Theatre Royal, Adelaide, said: "Titheradge and I went out from England together for the season at the Corinthian Theatre, Calcutta, just before the durbar in 1877. He was leading man, and I was managing. Titheradge was a fine elocutionist, and he was chosen by Lord Lytton, who was then Viceroy of India, to read the proclamation. The appointment caused a lot of jealousy. Titheradge after wards received a parchment roll from the authorities at home. It was signed by Queen Victoria, and expressed her Majesty's thanks for his services at the durbar. Titheradge read the proclamation from a platform erected on the Midan (an open space), in the presence of-a-vast crowd. Every person in our theatrical company had a ticket for a seat close to the platform. This was at Calcutta not Delhi.”

A picture of the occasion can be found at this link .

George Suttton Titheradge’s Personal view


George Sutton Titheradge
(1848 - 1916)
Some newspaper interviews with George later in his life confirmed that he read the proclamation at Calcutta.

Evening News (Sydney NSW)  12 June 1897

“While I was in India I had a very curious experience. I was engaged by the Indian Government as the Herald to read the proclamation of Her Majesty as Empress of India at Calcutta. It was the first time I had ever spoken in the open air. I have often won bets since about the number of people I have addressed at once, as the largest theatre only hold from 3000 to 4000 people. I always win. I should say there were at least 200,000 people present including troops.”

Sunday Times (Sydney NSW) 29 June 1913

 “It is with, a feeling of pride, that I recall the fact that it was my voice which pronounced the words proclaiming Queen Victoria to be the Empress of India. Hanging on the wall of my study, is a framed testimonial, presented to me by the Government of India, in honour of the occasion, and whenever my eye falls on it pleasant memories of my roving past float before me. It is the one link that binds me to a land where I spent many happy years.”

The testimonial referred to above read "Under command of his Excellency the Viceroy and Governor-General this certificate is presented in the name of her most gracious Majesty Victoria, Empress of India, to George Sutton Titheradge Esq, in recognition of his distinguished service as herald at the Durbar held for the Proclamation of the Imperial title at Calcutta, on January 1, 1877."