Elizabeth, then known as Nellie, was the granddaughter of a Scottish missionary who had administered to the poorest of the poor in South India for fifty years http://www.britishempire.co.uk/article/faithandfamily.htm. Her home was therefore in the Palani Hills of South India where she was born. Educated at Ancaster House, Bexhill-on-Sea in England, [Click to continue…]

Arthur Hagger – died in France 27th March 1918 Buried in the Crucifix Corner Cemetery, Villers-bretonneux, France. Commemorated on Clock Tower War memorial, Coalville, Leicestershire. Northumberland Fusiliers, rank Private, Service No. 267297. Born 1897 in Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire the son of Arthur Hagger and Agnes Priscilla (nee Sharp). [Click to continue…]

Hilton Digby Ronald Rayment was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on 12th September 1914, the son of Queenie Rayment, a 22-year-old unmarried immigrant from Chilworth in Surrey, England. He grew up in Tauranga attending Otumoetai School and Tauranga District High School where he excelled at sport, rugby and rowing in particular and played rugby for both [Click to continue…]

Frank (as he was known within the family) was a very quiet unassuming man. He never talked about his army service experiences. It was only after his death that we obtained a copy of his WW2 service record and began to piece together what he had done. The "Recce" only existed for a relatively short period: they were formed in 1941, became part of the [Click to continue…]