My Great Grandmother’s lover
Reginald was the son of George Henry Newbold and Agnes Stancliffe. He was born in the spring of 1883 and baptised at St Modwen, Burton upon Trent 23 May. The Newbold family lived in Branstone Road and George worked as a painter.
Reginald worked as labourer before enlisting into the Coldstream Guards, regimental number 3128, on 5th Dec 1899 in Burton on Trent. He attested for 7 years with the colours followed by 5 years in the reserves. Reginald was described as 5 ft 9 ¾ inches tall with a fresh complexion, grey eyes and light brown hair. He joined the 3rd Battalion of the Guards in London on the 9th December.
On the night of the 1901 census Reginald was at St George’s Barracks, Orange Street, St Martin-in-the-field (the site is now occupied by the National Portrait Gallery) where he was erroneously recorded as Richard Newbold.
He spent the whole of his army service in London, Caterham and Aldershot. During the first 4 years of his service Reginald spent around 7 months in total in hospital being treated for S.T.D.s. The longest continuous hospital stays were for 73 days and 58 days with Gonorrhea. In May 1902 he was admitted to hospital with Enteric Fever (Typhoid) and was in hospital for 60 days. The final hospital entry was for 17 days in February 1903 when he was treated for Gonorrhea. In August 1903 he learnt to swim and passed his swimming instruction.
By late 1904 Reginald had taken up with Charlotte (Lottie) Welch, a young farmer’s daughter from Purton Stoke near Cricklade in Wiltshire. Charlotte fell pregnant and Reginald abandoned her. Their son, Percy, was born at 3 Woodchester Street in Paddington on 31st August 1905. Charlotte ensured that Reginald was named as Percy’s father on the birth certificate through the simple expediency of presenting herself as Mrs Newbold (the father of an illegitimate child had to be present at registration in order to be named). Percy’s birth was registered under the name of Percy Reginald Leopold Newbold.
Reginald was granted service pay class II of 4d per day on 21st August 1906. Service pay was given for performing extra duties e.g. cook, groom or Officer’s servant. Although not stated it is almost certain it was for the latter in Reginald’s case. The 3rd Battalion was due to go to Egypt at the end of September. As Reginald’s time with the colours was coming to an end he was posted to the 2nd Battalion on 15th September.
Reginald was discharged from the colours on 4th December. The following day he joined the Army reserve section B. He completed his first period of service in December 1911 after serving 5 years in the reserve.
By 1911 both of his parents had died and the census shows him living with his siblings and an aunt at 57 Trent Street, Burton on Trent. His occupation is given as furnaceman. He was probably working for a brewery as on his later service record it states Occupation Group 7 (Brewery labourer). Group 7 was Food.
Reginald re-engaged for the duration of the war on 25th May 1915 and on 31 August embarked at Southampton to join the 3rd Battalion in France. The 3rd Battalion was part of 1st Guards Brigade, Guards Division.
On the 5th January the following year Reginald joined the 7th (Guards) Entrenching Battalion in the field. In January 1916 the Entrenching Battalion was employed on the second-line trenches, and in constructing gun emplacements for the artillery. Reginald was only in the Entrenching Battalion for a few weeks. On 8th February he joined the Cadet School in Blendecques as Servant to Captain Claude Stewart Jackson. Blendecques is near Saint-Omer in northern France. As his Servant, Reginald would have received a personal allowance from Captain Jackson.
Reginald had a weeks leave to England between 17th and 24th October 1916.
Reginald went with Captain Jackson to the Guard Division HQ on 23rd January 1917 and from there to the 3rd Battalion in the field on 11 Sept 1917. On 1st July 1917 his Professional Pay was increased to Class 1 at 6d a day. Captain Jackson was killed by a sniper’s bullet whilst having a leg wound dressed on 9th Oct 1917. He has no known grave and is remembered on Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing.
Reginald was given leave to England from 7th to 21st November 1917.
He attended Army Infantry Training School in the field in March 1918 rejoining the Battalion on 18th of that month.
Reginald was appointed servant to Major-General Robert James Bridgford, King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, General Officer Commanding (G.O.C.) of 31st Division on 2nd April. He went with Major-General Bridgford to 32nd Division on 9th May, remaining as servant to the G.O.C. 32nd Division when Major-General Bridgford was replaced by Major-General Thomas Stanton Lambert, East Lancashire Regiment, on 31 May 1918.
On 31st August Reginald was admitted to a field hospital with pleurisy. From there he was sent to the hospital in Rouen where his illness was described as a mild case of pleurisy. On the 4th he embarked H.M.H.S. Guildford Castle for transfer to England. In England it was found that the emaciated Reginald had T.B. and on 14th he was recommended for discharge.
In the month preceding his admittance to hospital the 32nd Division had served with the Canadian Corps at the Battle of Amiens (8 – 11 August) and with the Australian Corps at the Battle of Albert (21-23 August) when the 32nd took Herleville. On the day that Reginald was admitted to the field hospital (31st) the Australian Second Division captured Mont St Quentin.
He was discharged from the army as unfit for service (100% disablement) on 3rd October 1918 (Tubercle of left lung). On 16th it was noted “Sanatorium treatment very urgently required”. Two days later a 100% pension was approved. His discharge was signed off on 24th October.
Reginald died on 23rd November and is buried in Burton on Trent Cemetery. The Burton Observer and Chronicle of 30th November reported:
MILITARY FUNERAL IN BURTON.
Military honours were accorded the funeral of the late Private Reginald S. Newbold, Coldstream Guards, of 57, Trent Street, Burton, which took place at the borough cemetery on Wednesday. The deceased, who was gassed in France about two months ago, was sent to hospital at Glasgow, thence to the Burton Sanatorium. He underwent an operation at the Infirmary last week, but, unfortunately, this did not prolong his life, as had been hoped, and he passed away three days later – last Saturday morning. The mourners were the Misses Florence and Lilian Newbold (sisters), Corporal Leslie Newbold (brother), Mrs Fred Cliffe, Mr. H. Webster, and Mr. W. Austin. A firing party was sent down from Whittington Heath Barracks, Lichfield, and led the cortege from the deceased's home to the cemetery. The service in the Cemetery Church and at the graveside was read by the Vicar of Burton (Rev. H.B. Freeman, R.D.)
Curiously there is no mention of his sister Agnes, who received his war pension, being present at the funeral.
The family, and perhaps even Reginald himself, attributed his death to him having been gassed. T.B. is a bacterial infection and is not caused by gas inhalation. It is possible that psychologically he believed the onset of his chronic cough was the result of having inhaled gas. “The powerful emotions attached to the exposure itself inspire strong beliefs that frame interpretations of subsequent ill health [Jones, Edgar et al. “Enduring beliefs about effects of gassing in war: qualitative study.”]