Selected Biographies

Prentice, Charles Arthur – Born: Sudbury, Suffolk on 23.10.1899.[1]  Parents: James Charles Prentice (Gardener) and Eliza [née Hartley] of Long Melford.  Family Connections: Brother to Robert Ambrose Prentice [b1889], Frederick Prentice [b1893], George Harcourt Prentice [b1896] and Ernest Alfred Prentice [b1898].  Home: Brundon Lane, Sudbury, Suffolk [1899], St Catherines Road, Long Melford (1901), 22 Goldsboro Road, Wandsworth Road, Lambeth, London (1911), Military Barracks in India (1921), 105 Wandsworth Road, Lambeth [1925 to 1939].[2]  Occupation: Cleaner [1918].  Military Record: Charles was conscripted on 6.2.1918 as Dvr.253373 with 211st Battery, Royal Field Artillery, posted to India from 1919 and seeing action in the Waziristan Campaign before being discharged as Gnr.1017388 in 1934.  He enlisted in the Territorial Army as a Sapper with the Royal Engineers in 1936.[3]

Prentice, Charles William – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 5.7.1879.[4]  Parents: Samuel Prentice (Agricultural Labourer) and Eliza [née Whittle].  Home: Hall Street, Long Melford (1881), St Marys Street, Long Melford (1891), Park Terrace, St Marys Street, Long Melford [1897].  Occupation: Errand Boy (1891), Painter [1897].  Military Record: Up to 1897 Charles was a volunteer with 3^rd [Militia] Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, enlisting in June of that year as Rfn.5223 with 4^th Battalion, Rifle Brigade [The Prince Consort’s Own], receiving his discharge as medically unfit due to dementia six months later.[5]  Died: He was admitted as an inpatient of the Suffolk County Asylum at Woodbridge from 15.1.1898 until his death on 12.8.1899.[6]

Prentice, Ernest ‘Alfred’ – Born: Sudbury, Suffolk on 4.2.1898.[7]  Parents: James Charles Prentice (Gardener) and Eliza [née Hartley] of Long Melford.  Family Connections: Brother to Robert Ambrose Prentice [b1889], Frederick Prentice [b1893], George Harcourt Prentice [b1896] and Charles Arthur Prentice [b1899].  Home: Brundon Lane, Sudbury, Suffolk [1898], St Catherines Road, Long Melford (1901), 22 Goldsboro Road, Wandsworth Road, Lambeth, London (1911), 105 Wandsworth Road, Lambeth [1915] to [1920], 72 Bond Street, Kennington, Lambeth [1930 to 1932], 36 Sibton Road, Carshalton, Surrey (1939).  Occupation: Wheelwright [1915] to (1939).[8]  Married: Elizabeth Rose Swan in 1920.  Service Record: Alfred enlisted on 20.9.1915 as Spr.2904 with 3/2^nd London Divisional Engineers, transferring as Spr.556235 to 423^rd Field Company, Royal Engineers and posted to France from 27.5.1917 as part of 55^th [West Lancashire] Division.  This division saw action at the Battles of Pilckem Ridge and Menin Road Ridge in the summer of 1917.  It may have been around this time that he was transferred to 104^th Field Company, Royal Engineers, as part of 24^th Division.  This unit also served on the Western Front, and he still appeared to be on its muster roll when he was discharged in June 1919.[9]  Died: Sutton, Surrey in 1977.

Prentice, Frederick W. – Born: Sudbury, Suffolk on 20.3.1893.[10]  Parents: James Charles Prentice (Gardener) and Eliza [née Hartley] of Long Melford.  Family Connections: Brother to Robert Ambrose Prentice [b1889], George Harcourt Prentice [b1896], Ernest Alfred Prentice [b1898] and Charles Arthur Prentice [b1899].  Home: Gaol Lane, Sudbury, Suffolk [1894], St Catherines Road, Long Melford (1901), 22 Goldsboro Road, Wandsworth Road, Lambeth, London (1911), 103 Wandsworth Road, Lambeth [1915], 99 Chatteris Square, New Kent Road, London [1917], 105 Wandsworth Road, Lambeth [1920] to (1939), 201 Battersea Bridge Road, Battersea, London [1945 to 1965].[11]  Occupation: Lift Porter (1911), Kitchen Porter [1915], Hospital Kitchen Porter and Cook (1921 to 1939).  Married: Charlotte Collins in 1914.  Service Record: Frederick was conscripted on 11.12.1915 as Rfn. S/18166 with 3^rd Battalion, Rifle Brigade [The Prince Consort’s Own], posted to France from 28.8.1916 and transferring to 16^th [Service] Battalion, Rifles as part of 117^th Brigade, 39^th Division.  He saw action during the Somme Offensive of 1916, returning to England on 26.1.1917.  He was reposted to the Western Front, transferring briefly to 10^th [Service] Battalion, Rifles, then on 11.5.1917 to 3^rd Rifles as part of 17^th Brigade, 24^th Division.  While in trenches near Wytschaete on 8.6.1917 he received a wound to his right arm, severe enough for him to be invalided home.  On 21.2.1918 he was transferred to 5^th [Reserve] Battalion, Rifles and posted briefly to Ireland.  He went absent without leave en route from Tipperary to London on 12.4.1918, surrendering himself to the police on 29.5.1918 and being sentenced to 28 days detention.  To be given such a lenient sentence in wartime, suggests that there were mitigating circumstances.  Upon his release he was transferred as Rfn.861143 to 33^rd [City of London] Battalion, London Regiment returning to Flanders until 11.11.1918 as part of 41^st Brigade, 14^th [Light] Division, receiving his discharge in February 1919.[12]  Died: Wandsworth, London in 1975.

Prentice, George Harcourt – Born: Sudbury, Suffolk on 14.10.1896.[13]  Parents: James Charles Prentice (Gardener) and Eliza [née Hartley] of Long Melford.  Family Connections: Brother to Robert Ambrose Prentice [b1889], Frederick Prentice [b1893], Ernest Alfred Prentice [b1898] and Charles Arthur Prentice [b1899].  Home: St Catherines Road, Long Melford (1901), 22 Goldsboro Road, Wandsworth Road, Lambeth, London (1911) 105 Wandsworth Road, Lambeth [1915 to 1951].  Occupation: Telegraph Messenger (1911), Sailor [1912 to [1945], Steward at the Naval and Military Club in Piccadilly [1947].[14]  Married: Catherine Dorothy Burgess in 1927.  Service Record: George enlisted in September 1912 as Boy Sailor N^o. J20532 with the Royal Navy.  He served on the dreadnought battleship HMS Centurion throughout the First World War seeing action at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916.  He was awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in 1930 while serving as Petty Officer N^o. M/39549 on the mine laying cruiser HMS Adventure.  His service continued into the Second World War where he acted as Fleet Mail Officer when stationed off Sierra Leone in West Africa aboard the light cruiser HMS Caroline. He was promoted to the rank of Warrant Master-at-Arms in 1943.[15]  Died: Lambeth, London on 6.10.1951.[16]

Prentice, Robert Ambrose – Born: Sudbury, Suffolk on 12.9.1889.[17]  Parents: James Charles Prentice (Gardener) and Eliza [née Hartley] of Long Melford.  Family Connections: Brother to Frederick Prentice [b1893], George Harcourt Prentice [b1896], Ernest Alfred Prentice [b1898] and Charles Arthur Prentice [b1899].  Home: Station Road, Sudbury, Suffolk [1889], 49 East Street, Sudbury (1891), St Catherines Road, Long Melford (1901), 60 Priory Road, Clapham, London [1904], 28 Dynevor Road, Stock Newington, London [1919 to 1924].  Occupation: Cycle Repairer [1904].  Married: Mary Maria L. Wilcox in 1916.  Service Record: Robert enlisted in 1904 as Pte.8354 with 3^rd [Reserve] Battalion, Essex Regiment, transferring as Pte.8240 to 2^nd Essex and posted to France from 24.8.1914 as part of 12^th Brigade, 4^th Division.  The Battalion saw action at the Battles of Le Cateau, the Marne and the Aisne in 1914.  On 20.1.1915 he was transferred as Acting/Cpl. M/36435 to the Mechanical Transport Section of the Army Service Corps.[18]

Notes – [1] Baptism Register 27.12.1899, St Peters Church, Sudbury, Suffolk. [2] Some address from the Electoral Roll. [3] Royal Artillery Attestation Record [ref:1017388] and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [4] Baptism Register 7.9.1879, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. [5] Chelsea Hospital British Army Service Record [WO 97].  [6] Commissioners in Lunacy, 1845–1913. Lunacy Patients Admission Registers, [ref: MH 94/34].  [7] Baptism Register 27.12.1899, St Peters Church, Sudbury, Suffolk records his date of birth as 4.1.1898, however both the Admission Register 1.4.1901, the 1939 Register and the Death Index all record the birth date as 4.2.1898. [8] Some addresses taken from the Electoral Rolls for Lambeth. [9] For details of the 423^rd Field Company’s involvement in these phases of the Third Battles of Ypres see War Diary [WO 95/2916/3] and for 104^th Field Company’s movements see War Diary [WO 95/2199/2].  He is recorded as Alfred Ernest Prentice on his Army documents see Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363], Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329], and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  He is also recorded under this name at his wedding see Marriage Register 23.10.1920, St Annes Church, South Lambeth, London.  [10] Baptism Register 27.4.1894, St Peters Church, Sudbury, Suffolk. [11] Some addresses taken from the Electoral Rolls for Lambeth and Battersea. [12] For details of the various battalion’s movements Frederick’s period at the Front see War Diaries [WO 95/2586/1 for 16^th Rifles], [WO 95/2206/1-2 for 3^rd Rifles] and [WO 95/1895/4 for 33^rd City of London].  See also his Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363], Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329], and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [13] Date of birth from his RN Record. [14] West London Press 31.10.1947.  [15] Royal Navy Registers of Seaman’s Services [ADM 188/688/20532].  See also his Medal and Award Rolls [ADM 171/112 and 171/202].  For notification of his promotion see the Supplement to the London Gazette 2.6.1943, p.2424. [16] National Probate Calendar.  Image courtesy of Norman Woodhouse. [17] Date of birth from the Baptism Register 1.11.1889, St Peters Church, Sudbury, Suffolk. [18] For details of 2^nd Essex’s movements see War Diary [WO 95/1505/1].  Address from the Electoral Roll for Stoke Newington.  See also his Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363], Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329], and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].