I often wonder how many people living on a particular road know where the name of that road came from. Roads such as Buckingham Drive, Childs Road, Richardson Crescent and many more were named after people important to the history of the village. I will be setting up a section of my Hethersett History Project to look at the derivation of roads in the village.
For now I will explain a little about three of the roads on the new development.
A few years ago a sub committee of Hethersett Parish Council was put together to suggest names for new roads to South Norfolk Council. I was a member of that group, being on the parish council at that time. We made a number of suggestions which included historical professions connected with the village and I touched on this in a previous blog. Then we suggested the names of men commemorated on the village war memorial who have not been already remembered via road names and this is the category that the three roads I am going to discuss this morning falls into.
A further suggestion was to name roads after bats following a survey in the village which identified species native to Hethersett.
The three roads I mentioned a few days ago were Beaumont Crescent, Blake Close and Bartram Close. These all refer to soldiers who lost their lives in the First World War.
Beaumont Crescent is named after Horace Beaumont. Stoker Horace Beaumont of the Royal Naval Reserve was lost at sea on 12th December, 1918, aged 37. As well as being commemorated on Hethersett War Memorial he is also remembered on the Chatham Naval War Memorial. The 1901 census shows that Horace was born in Mulbarton but was living with his uncle and aunt in East Carleton. His mother Ellen had died and he and his father, Robert, were sharing his uncle's home. At the time of death his next of kin was his sister May Smitherman who was living in Deal Kent.
Horace died when his ship was torpedoed by a German U Boat. Horace was part of the crew of Merchant Fleet Auxiliary Vessel Eleanor which was engaged in taking a consignment of mines, depth charges and other munitions from Immingham on Humberside via Falmouth to Malta. When passing to the south of the Isle of Wight it was struck by a torpedo without any warning. The vessel sank within two minutes. All but one crew member was killed. The wreck of the boat is now a recognised grave site. I need to do a little more research on Horace to find out what his actual connection with Hethersett was.
Blake Close is named after Private Frederick Stephen Blake of the 7th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment who was killed in action on 14th May 1917, aged 35. He is also remembered on the Arras Memorial in France. The Hethersett Parish Magazine reported his death in these words.
Frederick Stephen Blake 2/5Yorks Regt, son of Mr and Mrs Blake, Hethersett, who has been missing since May 14th, 1917, is now reported to have been killed in France on that date.
The son of William James and Elizabeth Blake of Cann's Lane, Hethersett, Frederick was born in Little Melton in 1882 and in the 1901 census is shown as aged 19, a stock feeder on a farm.
His name is remembered on the Arras Memorial to the missing, as one of the many with no known grave. Many thousands of soldiers fighting on the Western Front were never found or identified. It is quite common in war cemeteries to see the words "A soldier of the Great War Known Unto God."
The Bartram name is a very well known one in Hethersett. Bartram Close particularly remembers Private Robert John Bartram of the 11th Battalion Essex Regiment who died on 21st April, 1917, aged 35 and is buried in Wimereux Communal Cemetery. Robert was the son of Mr and Mrs James Bartram of Hethersett.
He was born in Ketteringham in 1884 and was previously in the Norfolk Regiment. It is likely that he served in the Norfolk Regiment before joining the Essex Regiment. In keeping with many other soldiers, home county did not always mean home regiment and often individuals were transferred between regiments to, amongst other things, make up the numbers.
There is no record of Robert dying from wounds or being killed in battle, so it is highly likely that he was taken ill and hospitalised. From 1914, Wimereux was an important hospital centre and, until June 1918, used the communal cemetery for burials. Once again this suggests Robert died in hospital.
Finally this morning just a word about this blog and where it appears as I know some people are receiving it up to three times via Facebook. That will happen if you subscribe or follow more than one of the sites on which I post.
Firstly I put the posts on my own website at www.peterowensteward.weebly.com. This is the best place to visit if you want to read all my blogs posted during lockdown. I then copy and paste them to my own Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/peter.steward.940
Then it goes on my own Facebook pages for Hethersett and Hethersett Herald which you can find at: https://www.facebook.com/Hethersett-Herald-196216690775010/ and https://www.facebook.com/Hethersett-538701989484851/
I also post on a site for Heather Gardens and Kett's Meadow at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1246543348821575/
Until recently I have also posted on the "All Things Hethersett - Freedom of Speech Allowed" which is obviously an incorrect name as I have been banned from posting or commenting on this site until June 7th which really makes a nonsense of their claim to allow "freedom of speech." Once I am de-banned (is that a word?) I will not be using it again. My posts are designed to, hopefully, help people to learn a little more about our village and its history and also to help bring a touch of sunshine into the lives of people who cannot get out in these difficult times. There is nothing about my column that is racist, political or libellous. Obviously I have been banned for sending them too many posts.
Having said that I would like to thank all those hundreds of people who have sent me lovely messages of support. One of my favourite remarks was from a lady, I won't embarrass her by naming her, who said I brought a touch of sunshine to her laptop.
Each time I put a blog online the comments and likes come literally within what seems to be seconds. I love reading all the responses and comments and respond to as many as possible.
No Steward Stroll yesterday due to the cold and at times wet weather. Did manage a two mile quick walk but took no photographs. No stroll today either as we are planning to return to the tennis court. That will, however, give me the chance to take some photographs of Easton Park and explain its close connection with Hethersett in a blog which I will post later today.
Next week myself and Anne will be trying something different. I have got the You Tube bug after posting a couple of videos of the VE Day celebrations in Karen Close. We are looking to put together some short videos on various aspects of Hethersett history and life. I will be producing a short script for her to deliver whilst I take the video footage. Her voice is much more pleasant than mine. If everything works we will post that on You Tube bearing in mind that we can only do the outside of the church at the moment and will have to return for part two inside the church once lockdown is over and the building is open again. If this works we will do videos for other parts of the village and I'm very happy for suggestions of areas and/or subjects you feel would make good subjects.