Category Archives: Wars

Lt. W. H. M. Simpson

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William Herbert Mostyn SIMPSON was born in June 1893. He was the son of William Francis Joseph Simpson, who was the grandson of calico printer William Simpson, who had married Emily Cranmer in 1818, and had inherited the Cranmer estates which included the Canons and Park Place.

At the outbreak of war in August 1914, W. H. M. Simpson joined up and was granted a commission as a lieutenant in the East Surrey Regiment. He was amongst the first of the British Forces to see action in Belgium, and was mortally wounded at Wolferghem, dying five days before Christmas Day 1914. He is buried at the Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website. A memorial stone is in the parish churchyard, near the family tomb which is close to the entrance of the church.

The shock of his death was such that his mother became seriously ill, and was confined to a wheelchair. His parents left Mitcham before the end of the War and sold Park Place.

Source : Eric Montague’s Mitcham Histories : 11 The Cranmers, The Canons and Park Place pp 131-132.

From the Mitcham and Tooting Mercury, 1st January 1915:

DEATH OF LIEUT. SIMPSON

Another well-known and respected name in Mitcham has to be added to the already long list of those who have given their lives for King and Country. Last week, news was received of the death of Lieutenant W.H.M. Simpson, elder son of Mr W.F.J. Simpson, which took place in the Boulogne Military Hospital from wounds received in battle. Lieut Simpson was only 21 years of age.

Mrs Simpson received the following letter from the Roman Catholic Chaplain :-

“Dear Madam,

I regret to inform you that Lieutenant Simpson was brought in dangerously wounded last night, 18th inst. He asked for a priest immediately, and I found him in full possession of his faculties, and wearing his rosary medal and crucifix. I heard his confession and gave him all the sacraments. I called again this morning at 7:30, after my mass, but he was sinking rapidly, and passed away peacefully whilst I was saying the prayer for the dying. The poor boy had been shot through the neck and the spine, and did not suffer much. He made a most beautiful death, asking pardon of God for all his past life, and offering up his young life in accordance with God’s holy will. May God give you courage and strength to bear this cross, and I should not forget him in Holy Mass.

Yours in sympathy,
Peter Grobel, Chaplain to the Forces.”

The Simpson family is one of the oldest in Mitcham, having first resided here in 1690.

His death was reported in national newspapers:
Newcastle Journal – Wednesday 23 December 1914

Lieutenant W. H. M. Simpson (died of wounds on December 19, in hospital at Boulogne) was gazetted to the 3rd Battalion East Surrey Regiment September 6 of this year. He was the eldest son of Mr W. F. J. Simpson, of Mitcham, Surrey.

Surrey Mirror – Friday 25 December 1914

SIMPSON—Died of wounds Dec. 19th, at Stationary Hospital Boulogne. Lieut. W. H. M. Simpson, East Surrey Regt., eldest son William F. J. Simpson, Mitcham, aged twenty-one.

Dramatic Re-Appearance of Mitcham Man

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From
Mitcham Tooting Mercury
2nd October, 1914

As stated last seek, there were at least two Mitcham men on the boats sunk by the German submarines in the North Sea, viz., W. J. Richardson of Marian road Lonesome, and T. B. Smith, of Tamworth Cottage, Commonside East. The former was on the Aboukir, and the latter on the Cressy. Neither of their names appeared in the official list of those saved, and though nothing has been heard of the man Richardson, Smith made a dramatic reappearance on Sunday evening. Enquiries at the Admiralty on Saturday evening led to the worst fears being entertained, and the family had practically given up all hope of seeing the boy again, when, on Sunday evening, he arrived home. The nature of the surprise and pleasure at the home-coming can be imagined, if not described.

When seen by a representative of the “Mercury,” the gallant “Jack” was looking the worse for his experience, though, as a matter of fact, be was still feeling the effects of the ordeal through which he had gone. The agonising cries when the boat went down and we were all in the water, he stated, were something awful and I only hope I shall never have such an experience again. “Don’t you want to go back?” asked our representative. “Oh, yes I want to have a smack at the Germans. I must have something for my money, you know.”

The gallant tar confirmed the published reports about the disaster, and explained that the first they on the Cressy knew anything was amiss was when someone shouted “The Aboukir’s gone.” Shortly after the first alarm was raised, a torpedo struck the Cressy, and the boot immediately began to sink. At the time he was on duty as a stoker, and he and his mates kept the fires going until further effort was useless and then went on deck. Only a few minutes elapsed before the Cressy went to the bottom. For two hours and a quarter we was swimming about in the water, … feeling much exhausted when picked up by a Dutch trawler and taken to Holland. A Dutch fishing smack turned tail on us.

“We sunk a German submarine,” he proudly exclaimed. “We were treated very well in Holland and could not have been treated better at home.” The survivors on the trawler were taken some distance inland, and then brought back to Flushing on Saturday, where they embarked for Chatham, arriving there on Sunday morning. Stoker Smith was a seaman for six years, and, strange to relate, his first voyage was on the Cressy, which then went to South African waters. From there he went to Malta, and, while at that station, the Messina earthquake occurred, and for the plucky assistance he rendered on that occasion, he was awarded the Italian medal. His father was in the Army, and saw some fighting in Pekin in 1899, while a brother is with the Allied Forces in France. As to how he is getting on it is impassible to say, inasmuch as no word has been beard of him since he left England in August.

With regard to Richardson, he leaves a widow and five little children.

See also Loss of HMS Aboukir, Cressy and Hogue

Richardson, W. J. is on the Mitcham War Memorial

For more details on W.J. Richardson, see the Mitcham War Memorials blog