Malvern man to take teenage son to Europe to remember Harry

Harry Sansome fought in the eight-month campaign – where about 56,000 men died and more than 123,000 were injured – with the Worcestershire Yeomanry and, 100 years on, his grandson Andrew Milton, from Malvern, along with 16-year-old greatgrandson Daniel, will travel to the Turkish peninsula in his memory.

Mr Milton, who served with the Queen’s Royal Hussars for 22 years and today works for the Territorial Army, said his cousin Jeff Sansome and his sons would also join them on the trip in 2015 – part of the four-year centenary of the Great War.

His grandfather was born at Oak Farm, Claines, in 1892 and in 1911 joined Worcester Yeomanry, aged 18.

As Trooper number 1843 he developed his riding skills at a special school in Barbourne before the regiment was mobilised at the outbreak of war on August 4, 1914.

“He died when I was 17 but he saw me join the Army,” said Mr Milton.

“He joined as a volunteer and they got called up once the war started.

“The main thing he used to mention was they went over as the cavalry but by the time they got there most of the horses had died on the boat so they ended up serving as infantrymen.”

He said the regiment joined the campaign on August 21, 1915, when they came under heavy artillery fire and his grandfather was wounded by a piece of shrapnel in his right leg.

“Gallipoli was obviously a very big battle – so many were killed,” he said.

“That’s the reason I want to retrace his footsteps.”

Chase School pupil Daniel is studying A-level history and Mr Milton said, although his son had never known his grandfather, he was keen to visit the area to get a better idea of what he faced a century earlier.

Harry Sansome left the Army in 1916 and was commended for “exemplary” military character and began work at his father’s farm.

He fathered six children and died at Oak Farm in 1982, aged 89.

“In some ways he was lucky he came out in 1916 because there was very little left of the Worcestershire Regiment by the end of the war,” Mr Milton added.

“By the end of the war there were only two officers, 16 men and two horses left.”

He said he was hoping to connect with other families who would also be travelling to the peninsula to mark the anniversary.

WORCESTERSHIRE REMEMBERS...

THOSE who gave their lives for their country in the trenches and battlefields of the two world wars and other battles will be remembered at a parade and service at Worcester Cathedral tomorrow.

The service will begin at 10am followed by a wreathlaying ceremony where a Salvation Army bugler will sound the Last Post before a two-minute silence at 11am.

The silence will be broken by the firing of a gun before a parade down the High Street where Worcestershire’s Lord Lieutenant Patrick Holcroft and mayor Coun Pat Agar will take the salute outside the Guildhall.

Worcester forces units, emergency services, Red Cross, and Scouts and Guides will march alongside veterans in the memory of those lost in bloody conflicts across the world.

Queen Street, Mealcheapen Street, St Swithins Street, High Street, Deansway, Lychgate and College Street in the city centre are expected to be closed between 10am and 12.30pm.

The parade will also close some of Swanpool Walk and Bromyard Road in St John’s between 9.30am and noon, and St Anne’s Road, Cornmeadow Lane and Claines Lane will be closed between 10am and 12.30pm.

Worcester
Parade to St John-in-Bedwardine Church, St John’s, meeting at the Scout hut on Swanpool Walk at 9.30am with service and act of remembrance at 10am.
Remembrance service at Claines Church, Claines Lane, from 10.30am.
Remembrance service at Hallow Church at 6.30pm.
Armistice service at St John-in-Bedwardine Church, St John’s, at 10.45am on Monday, November 11.
We Did Our Bit, an 11-minute film featuring stories from 11 war veterans from Worcestershire, will be shown at The Hive from 11am on Monday, November 11.

Abberley
Remembrance service at St Mary’s Church, off Suffolk Lane, from 10.50am.

Badsey
Remembrance service at St James’ Church, High Street, from 10.45am. 

Bredon
Remembrance parade to St Giles’ Church gathering at Drapers, Church Street, at 10.30am.

Broadway
Remembrance service at St Michael’s Church, meeting at the war memorial at 10.30am.

Cropthorne
Remembrance service at St Michael’s Church, Main Street, from 10am.
Doverdale Remembrance service at the war memorial from 9.15am.

Droitwich
Act of remembrance at Victoria Square at 10.45am followed by a service at St Andrew’s Church in St Andrew’s Street at 11.15am.

Evesham
Remembrance service at All Saints’ Church, Market Place, from 10.50am.
Act of remembrance at Evesham war memorial from 10.50am.

Fladbury
Remembrance service at St John the Baptist Church, Church Street, from 10am.
Great Witley Remembrance service at St Michael and All Angels Church, Witley Court, from 10.50am.
Kempsey Act of remembrance at St Mary’s Church, Lane’s End, at 10.30am.
Lower Moor Remembrance service at St Thomas’ Church, Church Lane, from 10.50am.

Malvern
Remembrance service to be held at war memorial in the grounds of Malvern Library, Graham Road, at 2pm, followed by a parade to Malvern Priory Church for a service at 3pm.
Royal British Legion service of remembrance at the Church of St Michael and St Mary, Church Street, Great Malvern, from 3pm.
Remembrance service at Christ Church, Avenue Road, Great Malvern, from 10.45am.
Remembrance service at Holy Trinity Church, North Malvern Road, Great Malvern, from 10.30am. 
Remembrance service at Little Malvern Priory, on the A4104, from 10.45am.

Offenham
Remembrance service at the Church of St Mary and St Milburg, Main Street, from 10.45am.

Ombersley
Remembrance service at Ombersley war memorial from 10.50am.

Rushwick
Remembrance service at Crown East village hall at 10.30am.

Suckley
Remembrance service at the Church of St John the Baptist, Church Lane, from 6pm.

Whittington
Remembrance service at the Church of St Philip and St James, Primrose Crescent, from 10.55am.

Wyre Piddle
Remembrance service at Wyre Piddle war memorial from 11am.