Stanley was the eldest surviving son of William Henry Hoe and his 2nd wife Gertrude Wingate. Stanley Edmund was baptised on 11th August 1898, in Gainsborough Lincolnshire. In the 1911 England census, Stanley is the eldest of 4 children at home and attending school. On the 4th August 1914 Britain declares war on Germany. At first only men aged 18-41 [Click to continue…]

Frederick was born on 10th October 1880 and baptised in St Stephen’s, South Shields, on 29th March, 1882. His parents were Thomas (TH103) Wouldhave and his wife Louisa formerly Blair. Thomas and Louisa had married in Gateshead in April 1869 and they lived in South Shields. Thomas was born in Leeds in 1838, his father, Thomas (TH101), was a cabinet [Click to continue…]

Alfred George Drake (1894-1915), a Corporal in the 8th Battalion of the Rifle Brigade, was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously. An extract from The London Gazette 21 Jan 1916 records 'For most conspicuous bravery on the night of 23 Nov 1915 near La Brique, France. He was one of a patrol of four which was reconnoitring towards the German lines. [Click to continue…]

Culbert's direct connection with the war began with his enrollment in the R.O.T.C., in which he rose, before the end of his senior year, to the rank of captain. Before that year ended, he left college to enter the U.S. Marine Corps training school at Quantico, Virginia. Here he received his commission as second lieutenant (M. C.), August 27, 1917, [Click to continue…]