This month, Paul Chiddicks shares a selection of quirky genealogy gems and introduces his new ‘transcription corner’ – do you have any humorous or cringe-worthy transcriptions to share?
When we start researching our family tree we often set out with the romantic idea of finding connections to royalty. If not royalty, maybe a hero, or even a connection to an iconic moment in history – we will come to some examples of these a little later. However, what we perhaps don’t consider is the impact of uncovering a really devastating family story that impacts the lives of so many family members. Lorna Young discovered one such tragic story, that has left its own mark on the lives of those involved and the generations that followed.
Lorna’s story concerns her great-uncle, Ben Stroud, who was playing in a local village cricket match between Upton Grey and Crookham in Hampshire, on 19 August 1933. Ben opened the batting for Upton Grey with his friend Charles Toomer, and they had reached 57-0 when tragedy struck. Ben was at the non-striker’s end when the Crookham bowler delivered a well-pitched ball to the batsman, Charles Toomer. Charles timed the ball well, too well in fact, and he hit the ball hard, straight back in the direction of Ben at the other end. The ball was heading directly towards Ben and would have hit him full in the face, so he instinctively turned to avoid it and the ball hit the back of his neck. Ben went down immediately and was rendered unconscious. He was taken to Odiham Hospital by car but tragically died on the way. He was aged just 21.
Lorna’s father, who was twelve years old at the time, witnessed the accident, having been taken to the match riding on the back of Ben’s motorbike. Even more devastating, Ben’s fiancé Peggy was also at the match, keeping score, and would have witnessed the awful scene. Ben lived in Weston Patrick, not far from Upton Grey, with his parents and two sisters. He was a member of a number of village clubs and was very well-known and popular in the area. His funeral was attended by a large gathering, including many individuals and representatives from organisations that Ben participated in. Ben’s story is one of heartbreak, devastation and loss. A young man just starting out in life, full of hope, excited for the future, a future that was so cruelly taken away on that awful day in August 1933. We can never know how his loved ones would have felt at such a devastating loss, it’s almost beyond comprehension to think how this terrible accident would have affected them. A y
