World War II

Plane Crashes

In bad weather on the 23rd October 1942 at 1550 hrs, the Hawker Typhoon R8812, from 609 Squadron based at Biggin Hill, crashed in Forge Lane, near the brickworks. The plane's Belgian pilot, Pilot Officer Raymond Dopere, was killed instantly. 

                Hawker Typhoon of 609 Squadron

On D-Day, the 6th June 1944, a USAAF B-26 Marauder crashed in the grounds of Ashburnham Place, its bomb cargo ripping a huge crater amongst the trees and causing extensive damage to the House and surrounding properties. The plane had iced up at high altitude and spun down out of control, colliding with another B-26 in a lower formation. The other plane crashed at Ringletts Farm, Whatlington. Only one crew member managed to parachute to safety.

Enemy Action

In Ashburnham and Penhurst, there were:

8 flying bombs

67 high explosive bombs

3 unexploded high explosive bombs

740 incendiary bombs

3 oil and phosphorus bombs

2 machine gun and cannon fire attacks

and from all that only 3 civilians were injured.

The house at Frankwell Farm was destroyed by a bombing raid in 1940, the current property being built in 1994.

Men from Ashburnham & Penhurst Killed in Action

Charles Douglas Ferguson – (details not identified on www.cwgc.org)

Ernest Charles Isted – sergeant 657163 149 Sqdn Royal Air Force – died 24/7/1942

Ronald Arthur Turner – private 6401339 5th (Cinque Ports) Bn Royal Sussex Regt – died 22/5/1940

Clement Samuel Vincent Warrington – able seaman P/JX328995 HMLCT 7015 Royal Navy – died 18/10/1944

Frederick William Creasey – private 6403926 1st Bn Royal Sussex Regt – died 24/11/1941

David John Beale – private 6400575 5th Bn Royal Sussex Regt – died 27/10/1942 (photo below, flanked by his brothers Harry (left) and William (right),child unknown)

Home Guard

Being a scattered parish, those men not serving in the regular forces served with either the Ashburnham, Dallington or Bodle Street battalions of the Sussex Home Guard.

The Ashburnham Battalion

Back row, left to right: Alan Harman, John Harman, Henry Harman, Eric White, Jim Hobden, Bert Akehurst, unknown, Vic Keeley, P Isted, C Keeley, Jimmy Harman, Cliff Veness, Charles Akehurst

Middle row, left to right: G Hutchinson, Arthur White, Arch Boorman, unknown, Ted Akehurst, Bert Stevens, Bill Carter, Mr Dimpleton, Melvin Taylor, George Veness, Frank Creasey, Stan Hobden, A Pont, A Saunders, Horace Brook

Front row, left to right: Dick Harman, Ernie Harmer, Bob Harmer, G Woodward, Mr Atkins, Capt Bickersteth, Mr Turley, C Collard, S Creasey, George Whyman, Charlie Winchester

The Sixth (Dallington) Battalion of the Nineteenth (Rother) Division

Back row, left to right: Frank Young, G. Bastin, Eddie Draper, Hubert
Rogers, Edward Buss, Walter Rogers, Charlie Baker, Charlie Sindon, Percy
Keeley, Reg Starling, Dennis Baker.

Middle row, left to right: Tom Marchant, Ken Axel, Tom Simmons, Donald
Burgess, S. Crouch, Will Buss, Nelson King, Sid Martin, Dave Thompson.

Front row, left to right: Reg White, Perce Venner, Donald Kemp, Major
Hanley, C.W Lovegrove, Harold Diplock, Ron Hoad, Ben Thompson 

Absent: Ted Hobden

Some of Warbleton, Rushlake Green and Bodle Street Green Battalions of the Twentieth Division

Back row, left to right: Harry Haffenden, Will Robins, Chas Crisford, Riding Marsh, Eric Brett, Geoff Simmons, George Wickham, Arch Grimwood, Tom Hall, Jack Collins

Standing, left to right: Ken Barnes, George Avard, Eddie Holyoak, Ron Creasey, William Funnel, Daniel Hobden, Alf Barnes, Harry Dabney, Charles Henty, Don Sands, E Brooke, George Hobden, John Hobden, John Buss, - Gibb, O Avard

Sitting, left to right: Frank Pope, - Funnel, Harold Tillman, Harry Tuffs, Capt Gore, Capt Crimp, Stan Pope, Ted Cleverly, Frank Message, - Weston

On ground, left to right: Bert Mewett, Tom Churcher, Buller Baker, Joe Taylor, Les Baitup, Les Pelling, Jim Pelling, Cyril Bus, T Hume

(photo taken at Trumpetts/April Farm in Bodle Street Green c1941)

Home Guard Auxiliary Unit 

The Auxiliary Units were small bodies of men especially selected and trained to act offensively on the flanks and in the rear of any enemy troops who obtained a foothold in Britain. They used the status of the Home Guard as a cover for their real activities as the “British Resistance”.

There were 23 such units across Sussex including one in Ashburnham.

The Ashburnham Patrol was made up of six members:

Eric Wilcox, a farm manager at Hooe

Joe Parsons, a local farmer

Eric Johnson, who farmed Boreham Farm

Joe Norris, who farmed Kitchenham Farm

Victor Dibben, a farmer from Hailsham

And Harold Pitcher, another local farmer

Harold Pitcher was later replaced by Ron Hart, a naval man from Hooe.

Their first hideout was in Pannelridge Wood, off Lakehurst Lane. There were problems however with damp and people finding the hideout, so it was blown up and a new hideout was made in Hogstye Wood.

The new hideout was built by the Royal Engineers as an underground Nissan hut. It included a 50 foot long concrete tunnel as an emergency exit which came out in the bank of a stream.

The hideout contained bunk beds, food, water, ammunition and plastic explosives. In addition there were two small underground stores nearby containing extra food and ammunition.

The Ashburnham Patrol, together with the Crowhurst Patrol, were responsible for a mock attack on the Canadians stationed at Battle Abbey. The sentry was overpowered and the Commanding Officer taken prisoner, as well as dummy charges being attached to vehicles and fuel supplies. The Canadians didn’t like being made to look stupid and, in revenge, beat up the local Home Guard at the Chequers Inn, thinking them responsible!

World War I

The Great War Roll of Honour

Ashburnham church displays a Roll of Honour showing all the men of the village who fought in the Great War, together with those that gave their lives.

The Roll has been transcribed at http://www.sussex-opc.org/ParishDetails/EastSussex/Ashburnham/AshburnhamRollOfHonour.htm

Men from Ashburnham & Penhurst Killed in Action

William Avard - private 44974 2nd Bn Lincolnshire Regt - died 11/4/1918

Frederick William Carter - private 13908 8th Bn Suffolk Regt - died 28/9/1916

Henry Cooper - (details not identified on www.cwgc.org)

Alex William Creasey - lance corporal SD/901 2nd Bn Royal Sussex Regt - died 4/10/1916

Alfred Harmer - private TF/2108 B Coy 1st/5th Bn Royal Sussex Regt - died 8/7/1915

George Hilder - private 203438 1st/7th Bn Middlesex Regt - died 10/4/1917

Stephen George Hobday DCM - lieutenant 3rd Bn Toronto Regt of Canada - died 8/10/1916

Walter James Hobday – private 24th Bn Victoria Rifles of Canada - died 16/6/1916

Sidney Fred Marchant – gunner 147068 396th Seige Bty Royal Garrison Artillery – died 12/12/1918

Thomas Henry Mills – private L/10348 2nd Bn Royal Sussex Regt – died 9/5/1915

Percy Parrott – private G/8872 11th Bn Royal Sussex Regt – died 2/4/1918

Ernest John Rooker – private L/7866 2nd Bn Royal Sussex Regt – died 9/5/1915

Frederick George Stubberfield – private TF/2611 1st/5th Bn Royal Sussex Regt – died 8/7/1915

Ernest Turner – (details not identified on www.cwgc.org)

Frank Turner – (details not identified on www.cwgc.org)

Charley Winchester – private SD/752 C Coy 16th Bn Royal Sussex Regt – died 14/10/1918

Napoleonic Era

The threat of French invasion during the Napoleonic era necessitated a rudimentary home guard to be formed. As well as the Sussex Militia raised at this time, there was also the Sussex Troops of Gentleman and Yeoman Cavalry.

The Ashburnham Troop was raised on the 27th June 1798, subsequently disbanded in 1802 then reformed on the 17th November 1803. The Troop was finally disbanded by 1824.

The muster roll for persons enrolled in the Troop on the 1st August 1808 included the following:

Charles Lamb, Captain, enrolled 19/12/1803

Hon C Ashburnham, Lieutenant, enrolled 8/8/03

K Mosley, Cornet, enrolled 8/5/1807

From Ashburnham parish:

J L W Tatlow, enrolled 22/7/1806

Kd Phillips, enrolled 31/7/1803

Wm Pennington, enrolled 21/6/1803

John Smith, enrolled 21/6/1803

and 48 others from outside Ashburnham parish. 

The Battle of Hastings

As well as the Domesday Book evidence that Ashburnham was plundered by the Normans prior to the Battle, there is strong speculation that Town Creep, 'Mercredsburn' as it was known, was the site of the Malfosse part of the Battle of Hastings.

The Malfosse, the 'evil ditch', was where the fleeing Saxons rallied and killed many of the Norman knights after they had been lured into a hidden ditch.

A contemporary source, Orderic Vitalis, describes this in his Ecclesiastica Historia as such:

 "When the Normans saw the English flying they pursued them relentlessly through the whole night till Sunday, to their own harm. For by chance long grasses concealed an ancient rampart, and as the Normans came galloping up they fell, one on top of the other, in a struggling mass of horses and arms."

The long deserted hill fort of Town Creep would fit the 'ancient rampart' description well, but the site of the Malfosse incident has never been proven.