Postcard Of The Men Of The 21st Royal Fusiliers In Ashtead Street

Postcard Of The Men Of The 21st Royal Fusiliers In Ashtead Street

Postcard Of The Men Of The 21st Royal Fusiliers In Ashtead Street. Sent To Mrs C J Swears, Totnes, Devon 31st Dec 1914.

A photographic postcard of the men of the 21st Royal Fusiliers (4th Public Schools Battalion) The Street, Ashtead, Surrey.

Sent to Mrs C J Swears, Pudavine, Totnes, Devon on the 31st Dec 1914

The message on the postcard reads.

Dearest Mother I sent off some drill books for Daddie and some semaphore cards for Dodi the other day. I hope they arrived all right. The trains were very late on Monday, and it was about midnight when I got here.

Love to all, Hugh.

Hugh Miller Swears as born in South Kensington, London in 1894. He as the only son of Charles and Jessie Swears. He had two sisters younger sisters, Marjorie and Dorothy.

On the outbreak of the First World War Hugh enlisted in the 21st Royal Fusiliers (4th Public Schools Battalion) and was billeted with the battalion in Ashtead, Surrey. They moved to Woodcote Camp, Epsom, early in 1915 and having been promoted to sergeant, went to France with the battalion on the 14th Nov 1915.

He was commissioned into the Machine Gun Corps on the 20th Apr 1916 and was attached to D Battalion The Tanks Corps.

He was killed in action on 11th Apr 1917 during the first attack on Bullecourt, in The Battle of Arras. age 23. He is commemorated on The Arras Memorial and also on the family grave at St. Mary’s Churchyard, Dartington, Devon.