Selected Biographies

Reeve, Albert Edward – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 5.12.1901.[1]  Parents: Charles William Reeve (Gardener) [see details below] and Sarah Elizabeth Hannah [née Rising].  Family Connections: Brother to Frank William Charles Reeve [b1899], Albert Edward Reeve [b1901], William Charles Reeve [b1905], Stanley Frederick Reeve [b1913]; also, nephew of Alfred Reeve [b1884], James Reeve [b1890], Thomas Gilbert Reeve [b1893] and George Reeve [b1895].  Home: Hall Street, Long Melford [1915], 107 Melford Road, Sudbury, Suffolk [1990].  Married: Louisa Florence Ann Spratt in 1926.  Service Record: No definitive military record has been found.  Died: Sudbury, Suffolk on 19.1.1990.[2]

Reeve, Alfred – Born: Belchamp St Paul, Essex in 1884.  Parents: Charles William Reeve (Farm Bailiff) and Elizabeth [née Chambers] (Straw Plaiter).  Family Connections: Brother to Charles William Reeve [b1876], James Reeve [b1890], Thomas Gilbert Reeve of Long Melford [b1893] and George Reeve [b1895]; also, uncle of Frank William Charles Reeve [b1899], Albert Edward Reeve [b1901], William Charles Reeve [b1905] and Stanley Frederick Reeve [b1913].  Home: St Catherines Road, Long Melford (1891), Highlanders Farm, Long Melford (1901), 2 Ladywell Road, Lewisham, London (1911).  Occupation: Agricultural Labourer (1901), Police Constable (1911).  Service Record: No definitive military record has been found.

Reeve, Charles William aka William Charles[3] – Born: Belchamp St Paul, Essex on 16.6.1876.[4]  Parents: Charles William Reeve (Farm Bailiff) and Elizabeth [née Chambers] (Straw Plaiter).  Family Connections: Father to Frank William Charles Reeve [b1899], Albert Edward Reeve [b1901], William Charles Reeve [b1905] and Stanley Frederick Reeve [b1913]; also, brother of Alfred Reeve [b1884], James Reeve [b1890], Thomas Gilbert Reeve of Long Melford [b1893] and George Reeve [b1895], and brother-in-law of Frederick Rising [b1887], Edgar Charles Rising [b1897], Herbert Edward Rising [b1899] and Tom Howe [b1881].  Home: Church Street, Belchamp St Paul, Essex (1881), St Catherines Road, Long Melford (1891 and 1901), Little St Marys, Long Melford (1911), Hall Street, Long Melford [1915], The Laurels, Greenstead Green, Halstead, Essex [1918], 79 Melford Road, Sudbury, Suffolk (1939).  Occupation: Agricultural Labourer (1891), Groom and Gardener (1901) to [1915], Jobbing Gardener (1939).  Married: Sarah Elizabeth Hannah Rising of Long Melford in 1899.  Service Record: Charles enlisted on 9.2.1915 as Dvr.61265 with 90^th Field Company, Royal Engineers, being discharged on 8.4.1915 as ‘medically unfit, not likely to become an efficient soldier’.  The foregoing notwithstanding, he was conscripted on 6.6.1917 as an Aircraft Mechanic with the Royal Flying Corps, transferring on 1.4.1918 as Pte.83917 to the Royal Air Force, receiving his discharge in April 1920.[5]  Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 1958.

Reeve, Charles William – Born: Sudbury, Suffolk on 15.3.1886.[6]  Parents: George Reeve of Belchamp St Paul, Essex [Brickyard Labourer] and Sarah Ann [née Samsum] of Long Melford.  Family Connections: Cousin of Arthur Sansum [b1891], James Sansum [b1894], George Sansum [b1896] and Fred Sansum [b1902].  Home: Orchard Place, Cross Street, Sudbury, Suffolk [1886], 5 Bridge Foot, Sudbury (1891), 54 Cross Street, Sudbury [1901], 43 Mill Lane, Sudbury (1911), 16 Humphrey Road, Sudbury (1939).  Occupation: Errand Lad (1901), Butcher [1901], Gas Stoker (1939).  Married: Emma Martha Cooke in 1905.  Service Record: Charles enlisted in October 1901 as Pte.5514 with 3^rd [Militia] Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, joining the Regular Army in November 1901 as Pte.5911 of the Suffolk Regiment.  He was discharged in 1902 being found to have given a false age at enlistment.  No definitive record can be found to suggest that he served during the First World War.[7]  Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 1964.

Reeve, Cyril Edward – Born: Sudbury, Suffolk on 25.2.1923.[8]  Parents: Dennis Edward Reeve (Cowman) [see details below] and Kate Elizabeth [née Mills].  Family Connections: Brother to Dennis William Reeve [b1918] and David John Reeve [b1930]; also, brother-in-law of Leslie George Gardiner [b1926].  Home: 10 High Street, Long Melford (1939), 15 Westgate Street, Long Melford [1948].  Occupation: Iron Moulder (1939).  Married: Violet Hester Bethell in 1946.  Service Record: Cyril was a member of the Local Defence Volunteers in Long Melford, being part of ‘H’ Company, 10^th Battalion, Suffolk Home Guard when it was formed in August 1942, while waiting for his call-up to the Army.  His name is recorded in the official tribute to the organization entitled The Lion Roared his Defiance, photographed in and around Long Melford in 1944.[9].  Cyril was conscripted in November 1944 as Pte.14868747, being placed initially with N^o.53 Primary Training Wing, General Service Corps for assessment and training, before being transferred to 7^th Battalion, King’s Own Scottish Borderers at the end of the year.  His battalion had been seriously mauled during Operation Market-Garden in the previous September, losing over 650 men, either killed or captured at the Battle of Arnhem.  As part of the Airbourne Division Cyril would have received specialist training, spending two months in Norway in the summer of 1945.  After a brief stay in England, Private Reeve was posted to Germany to join the British Army of the Rhine, serving as part of the occupying force until April 1946.[10]  Died: Long Melford, Suffolk on 29.1.1997.[11]

Reeve, David John – Born: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk on 10.11.1930.[12]  Parents: Dennis Edward Reeve (Cowman) [see detail below]       and Kate Elizabeth [née Mills].  Family Connections: Brother to Dennis William Reeve [b1918] and Cyril Edward Reeve [b1923]; also, brother-in-law of Leslie George Gardiner [b1926].  Home: 10 High Street, Long Melford (1939).  Service Record: No definitive military record has been found.  Died: Colchester, Essex on 11.5.2014.

Reeve, Dennis Edward – Born: Belchamp Otten, Essex on 10.8.1892.[13]  Parents: Daniel Reeve (Horsekeeper on Farm) and Ellen [née Chapman].  Family Connections: Father to Dennis William Reeve [b1918], Cyril Edward Reeve [b1923] and David John Reeve [b1930]; also, father-in-law of Leslie George Gardiner [b1926].  Home: Manor Farm, Belchamp Otten, Essex (1901), Gridleys Farm, Belchamp Otten (1911), 10 High Street, Long Melford (1939).  Occupation: Agricultural Labourer (1911), Head Horsekeeper, Thatcher and Milker on High Street Farm, Long Melford [1916 and 1917], Cowman (1939).  Married: Kate E. Mills in 1916.  Service Record: At the Melford Military Service Tribunal in March 1916 Dennis’s employer George Deeks, applied for his exemption, which was granted for six months.  A second attempt by Deeks in October to have the period extended, was granted on the condition that a substitute be found to take his place in the Army.  This condition may not have been met because in February 1917 Deeks again arguing the importance of Reeve to the running of his farm; this appears to have persuaded the panel to let the existing condition stand but with the proviso that he joined the Long Melford Volunteer Training Corps.[14]  It is not known if such a substitute was forthcoming, or if his certificate remained valid until the end of hostilities, however no definitive military record has been found to suggest otherwise.  Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 1983.

Reeve, Dennis William – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 22.8.1918.[15]  Parents: Dennis Edward Reeve (Cowman) [see detail above] and Kate Elizabeth [née Mills].  Family Connections: Brother to Cyril Edward Reeve [b1923] and David John Reeve [b1930]; also, brother-in-law of Leslie George Gardiner [b1926].  Home: 10 High Street, Long Melford (1939).  Occupation: Agricultural Labourer (1939).  Married: Hilda May Hale in 1952.  Service Record: Dennis was a member of the Local Defence Volunteers in Long Melford, being part of ‘H’ Company, 10^th Battalion, Suffolk Home Guard when it was formed in August 1942.  His name is recorded in the official tribute to the organization entitled The Lion Roared his Defiance, photographed in and around Long Melford in 1944.[16]  Died: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk on 20.12.2003.

Reeve, Eric Wordley – Born: Abbey Wood, Kent on 8.4.1901.[17]  Parents: Robert Reeve (Blacksmith) and Eliza Ann [née Brown] of Long Melford.  Family Connections: Brother to Joseph Robert Reeve [b1899] and William Harold Reeve [b1903].  Home: 12 Vincent Terrace, Lower Abbey Road, Erith, Kent (1901), 3 Chancelot Road, Abbey Wood, Plumstead, Kent (1911) to [1937],[18] 250 Middle Park Avenue, Woolwich, Kent (1939), 49 Ackers Street, Manchester, Lancashire (1939).  Occupation: Laboratory Assistant (1939).  Married: Sarah Green Crawford in 1929.  Service Record: Served on the SS Sampan in1920.  Died: Greenwich, Kent on 21.4.1979.[19]

Reeve, Frank William Charles – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 13.11.1899.[20]  Parents: Charles William Reeve (Gardener) [see details above] and Sarah Elizabeth Hannah [née Rising].  Family Connections: Brother to Albert Edward Reeve [b1901], William Charles Reeve [b1905], Stanley Frederick Reeve [b1913]; also, nephew of Alfred Reeve [b1884], James Reeve [b1890], Thomas Gilbert Reeve [b1893] and George Reeve [b1895].  Home: St Catherines Road, Long Melford (1901), living with Charles and Elizabeth Reeve (grandparents) at Highlanders Farm, Long Melford (1911), Hall Street, Long Melford [1915].  Service Record: No definitive military record has been found.  Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 1932.

Reeve, George – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk in 1895.  Parents: Charles William Reeve (Farm Bailiff) and Elizabeth [née Chambers] (Straw Plaiter).  Family Connections: Brother to Charles William Reeve [b1876], Alfred Reeve [b1884], James Reeve [b1890] and Thomas Gilbert Reeve of Long Melford [b1893]; also, uncle of Frank William Charles Reeve [b1899], Albert Edward Reeve [b1901], William Charles Reeve [b1905] and Stanley Frederick Reeve [b1913].   Home: Highlanders Farm, Long Melford (1901, 1911).  Occupation: Grocer’s Errand Boy (1911).  Service Record: No definitive military record has been found.

Reeve, Herbert Lewis – Born: Newmarket, Suffolk on 2.8.1898.  Parents: Herbert Reeve of Foxhall, Suffolk (Inspector of Police) and Harriet [née Rutherford].  Family Connections: Brother to Horace Edgar Reeve [b1899] and Sidney Lancelot Reeve [b1900].  Home: Queens Road, Sudbury, Suffolk (1901), Police Station, King Street, Sudbury, Suffolk (1911), 2 Albert Crescent, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk [1968].  Occupation: Labourer [1917].  Married: Ellen Martha Hayward in 1921.  Service Record: Herbert enlisted on 26.2.1917 as No.225984 with the Royal Flying Corps, being promoted to Aircraftsman First Class in the following August.  On 1.4.1918 he was transferred to the Royal Air Force.[21]  Died: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk on 30.3.1968.[22]

Reeve, Horace Edgar – Born: Sudbury, Suffolk on 23.10.1899.[23]  Parents: Herbert Reeve of Foxhall, Suffolk (Inspector of Police) and Harriet [née Rutherford].  Family Connections: Brother to Herbert Lewis Reeve [b1898] and Sidney Lancelot Reeve [b1900].  Home: Queens Road, Sudbury, Suffolk (1901), Police Station, King Street, Sudbury, Suffolk (1911), Police Station House, Mildenhall, Suffolk (1939), The Railway Tavern, Stoke-by-Clare, Suffolk [1956].  Occupation: Clerk [1917], Police Sergeant (1939), Publican [1956].  Married: Doris Colley Perry in 1922.  Service Record: Horace was conscripted on 29.11.1917 as Pte.557176 with 16^th [County of London] Battalion [Queen’s Westminster Rifles], London Regiment, being transferred as Gdn.24031 to the Coldstream Guards on 18.4.1918, joining 3^rd Battalion in France in late November of that year.  He received his discharge in 1919.[24]  Died: Stoke-by-Clare, Suffolk on 29.9.1956.[25]

Reeve, James – Born: Belchamp St Paul, Essex on 8.1.1890.[26]  Parents: Charles William Reeve (Farm Bailiff) and Elizabeth [née Chambers] (Straw Plaiter).  Family Connections: Brother to Charles William Reeve [b1876], Alfred Reeve [b1884], Thomas Gilbert Reeve of Long Melford [b1893] and George Reeve [b1895]; also, uncle of Frank William Charles Reeve [b1899], Albert Edward Reeve [b1901], William Charles Reeve [b1905] and Stanley Frederick Reeve [b1913].  Home: St Catherines Road, Long Melford (1891), Highlanders Farm, Long Melford (1901), 11 Cliffview Road, Lewisham, London (1939).  Occupation: Manager of a Men’s Hosiery Department (1939).  Married: Beatrice Emily Hewitt in 1913.  Service Record: No definitive military record has been found.  Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 1968.

Reeve, Joseph Robert – Born: Abbey Wood, Kent on 28.6.1899.[27]  Parents: Robert Reeve (Blacksmith) and Eliza Ann [née Brown] of Long Melford.  Family Connections: Brother to Eric Wordley Reeve [b1901] and William Harold Reeve [b1903].  Home: 12 Vincent Terrace, Lower Abbey Road, Erith, Kent (1901), 3 Chancelot Road, Abbey Wood (1911) to [1922], 7 Florence Road, Abbey Wood, Plumstead [1939 to 1970].[28]  Occupation: Steam Hammer Driver (1939).  Married: Kate L. King in 1925.  Service Record: No definitive military record has been found.  Died: Abbey Wood, Kent on 31.12.1970.[29]

Reeve, Robert Ÿ Born: Borley, Essex in 1872.  Parents: William Reeve of Cavendish, Suffolk (Gardener) and Elizabeth [née Wordley].  Family Connections: Father to Joseph Robert Reeve [b1899], Eric Wordley Reeve [b1901] and William Harold Reeve [b1903].  Home: Brook Hall Road, Borley, Essex (1881, 1891), 12 Vincent Terrace, Lower Abbey Road, Erith, Kent (1901), 3 Chancelot Road, Abbey Wood (1911) to [1937].[30]  Occupation: Blacksmith (1891), Blacksmith at the Royal Arsenal (1901, (1911).  Married: Eliza Ann Brown of Long Melford in 1895.  Service Record: No definitive military record has been found.

Reeve, Sidney Lancelot Ÿ Born: Sudbury, Suffolk on 21.12.1900.[31]  Parents: Herbert Reeve (Inspector of Police) and Harriet [née Rutherford].  Family Connections: Brother to Herbert Lewis Reeve [b1898] and Horace Edgar Reeve [b1899]; also, brother-in-law of Farrance Thomas Glazin [b1892].  Home: Queens Road, Sudbury, Suffolk (1901), Police Station, King Street, Sudbury (1911), 14 Raglan Gardens, Watford, Hertfordshire (1939), 70 Cornwall Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk [1956].  Occupation: Warrant Officer in the Royal Air Force (1939).  Married: Gertrude May Glazin of Long Melford in 1920.  Service Record: No extant military record has been found; however, Sidney is recorded as serving with the Royal Air Force at his marriage in 1920.  It was probably through his friendship with Farrance Glazin that he met Glazin’s sister Gertrude, strongly suggesting that he was serving with him in the RAF at the end of the Great War.  He remained in the service through the inter-war years and as Cpl.337185 was commended for his actions in the Waziristan Campaign of 1925, being granted a commission as a Flying Officer in 1941.[32]  Died: Ipswich, Suffolk on 25.12.1956.[33]

Reeve, Stanley Frederick – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 22.8.1895.  Parents: Charles William Reeve (Gardener) [see details above] and Sarah Elizabeth Hannah [née Rising].  Family Connections: Brother to Frank William Charles Reeve [b1899], Albert Edward Reeve [b1901], William Charles Reeve [b1905], Stanley Frederick Reeve [b1913]; also, nephew of Alfred Reeve [b1884], James Reeve [b1890], Thomas Gilbert Reeve [b1893] and George Reeve [b1895].  Home: Hall Street, Long Melford [1915], 79 Melford Road, Sudbury, Suffolk (1939), Miravis, Woodhall Road, Sudbury [2003].  Occupation: Butcher’s Journeyman (1939).  Married: Ethel E. Nice in 1941.  Service Record: No definitive military record has been found.  Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 2005.

Reeve, Thomas Gilbert – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 13.12.1892.[34]  Parents: Charles William Reeve (Farm Bailiff) and Elizabeth [née Chambers] (Straw Plaiter).  Family Connections: Brother to Charles William Reeve [b1876], Alfred Reeve [b1884], James Reeve [b1890] and George Reeve [b1895]; also, uncle of Frank William Charles Reeve [b1899], Albert Edward Reeve [b1901], William Charles Reeve [b1905] and Stanley Frederick Reeve [b1913].  Home: Highlanders Farm, Long Melford (1901, 1911), 98 Cumberland Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex (1939) to [1959].  Occupation: Agricultural Labourer (1911), Railway Ticket Collector (1939).  Married: Lucy Jessy Morgan in 1916.  Service Record: Thomas was conscripted on 17.11.1915 as Pte.R/19652 with 11^th [Service] Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps, later being transferred to 21^st [Service] Battalion [Yeoman Rifles], KRRC; both units seeing action on the Western Front.  In September 1918 he was issued with a Silver War Badge, receiving his discharge the following year.[35]  Died: Southend-on-Sea, Essex on 5.10.1959.

Reeve, William Charles – Born: Horseheath, Cambridgeshire on 31.7.1905.[36]  Parents: Charles William Reeve (Gardener) [see details above] and Sarah Elizabeth Hannah [née Rising].  Family Connections: Brother to Frank William Charles Reeve [b1899], Albert Edward Reeve [b1901], William Charles Reeve [b1905], Stanley Frederick Reeve [b1913]; also, nephew of Alfred Reeve [b1884], James Reeve [b1890], Thomas Gilbert Reeve [b1893] and George Reeve [b1895].  Home: Little St Marys, Long Melford (1911), Hall Street, Long Melford [1915], 7 Bassant Road, Woolwich, London (1939).  Occupation: Police War Reserve (1939).  Married: Dorothy Emily Spratt in 1928.  Service Record: No definitive military record has been found.  Died: Sudbury, Suffolk on 12.11.1981.

Reeve, William Harold – Born: Abbey Wood, Kent on 6.3.1903.[37]  Parents: Robert Reeve (Blacksmith) and Eliza Ann [née Brown] of Long Melford.  Family Connections: Brother to Joseph Robert Reeve [b1899] and Eric Wordley Reeve [b1901].  Home: 3 Chancelot Road, Abbey Wood, Plumstead, Kent (1911), 8 Olive Road, Dartford, Kent (1939).  Occupation: Carpenter and Joiner (1939).  Married: Louisa Ellen Maltby in 1928.  Service Record: No definitive military record has been found.  Died: Gravesend, Kent in 1983.

Related Biography

Gardiner, Leslie George – Born: Ipswich, Suffolk on 23.10.1926.[38]  Parents: Arthur W. Gardiner (Plumber and Hot Water Engineer) and Emily [née Beaumont].  Family Connections: Son-in-law of Dennis Edward Reeve [b1892] and brother-in-law of Dennis William Reeve [b1918], Cyril Edward Reeve [b1923] and David John Reeve [b1930].  Home: Ascot Drive, Ipswich, Suffolk (1939), 42 Rosehill Crescent, Ipswich [1947], 1 Blackfriars, Sudbury, Suffolk [2002 to 2003].[39] Married: Phylis Edna Reeve [d1966] in 1947[40] and Zelda Phelps [née Cohen].  Service Record: Served in the Royal Armoured Corps at the end of the Second World War.  Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 2003.[41]

Notes – [1] Date of birth taken from his father’s military record – Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363].  [2] Date of death from the National Probate Calendar.  [3] Recorded as William Charles Reeve on the UK Census for 1901 and 1911, Army and RAF records, and the 1939 Register. [4] 1939 Register.  [5] The medical examination from his Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363] states the reason for his discharge as having double hallux valgus, i.e., a painful deformity of both big toes.  See also his Soldiers’ Documents and Pension Claims, First World War [WO 364], and his Air Member for Personnel and predecessors: Airman’s Records [AIR 79/761].  [6] 1939 Register.  [7] Chelsea Hospital British Army Service Record.  [8] 1939 Register. [9] Published by Marten & Son, Ltd., of Market Hill, Sudbury, Suffolk in 1946.  [10] For background information on the KSOB during the Second World War see https://www.kosb.co.uk/history/world-war-two. [11] My thanks to Audrey Wreford of Sudbury for permission to use selected photographs and for supplying additional information.  [12] 1939 Register.  [13] 1939 Register. [14] For the Tribunal’s rulings see Suffolk and Essex Free Press 29.3.1916, 25.10.1916 and 28.2.1917.  [15] 1939 Register.  [16] Published by Marten & Son, Ltd., of Market Hill, Sudbury, Suffolk in 1946.  [17] 1939 Register.  [18] Electoral Roll. [19] [Dreadnought Seaman’s Hospital Admissions and Discharges for 18.12.1920].  Date of death from the National Probate Calendar.  [20] Date of birth taken from his father’s military record – Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363].  [21] Royal Air Force Muster Roll 1918. [22] National Probate Calendar.  [23] 1939 Register. [24] First World War Pension Claims [WO 364]. [25] National Probate Calendar.  [26] Baptism Register on 16.3.1890 for St Andrews Church, Belchamp St Paul, Essex.  [27] 1939 Register.  [28] Address from the Electoral Roll.  [29] Date of death from the National Probate Calendar.  [30] Address from the Electoral Roll.  [31] Date of birth from the 1939 Register for Watford, Hertfordshire, however the banns for his marriage to Gertrude Glazin record his date of birth as 31.12.1899; see Banns of Marriage Register 23.5.1920, St Andrew’s Church, Southall, Middlesex. [32] See article entitled ‘The Waziristan Campaign’ in Flight magazine 26.11.1925; also see London Gazette 18.7.1941, p.4126. [33] National Probate Calendar.  [34] 1939 Register.  [35] Medal Roll [WO 329] and Medal Index Card [WO 372], and Silver War Badge [WO 329] [ref:B331468].  [36] Date of birth taken from his father’s military record – Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363].  [37] 1939 Register.  [38] 1939 Register.  [39] Electoral Roll. [40] ‘A Melford Bride’ Suffolk and Essex Free Press 30.1.1947.  [41] My thanks to Audrey Wreford of Sudbury for permission to use selected photographs and for supplying additional information.