Henry Rufus Reed
was born in 1888 in Buxted, Sussex; his birth registered in
Uckfield District in the March quarter of that year. He was known as Harry rather
than Henry and so I shall refer to him as Harry from now on. He was the youngest
of six children born to William and Louisa Reed, his siblings being Louisa (born in 1876), William Reed (1878), Herbert Norman
Reed (1880), Helena Reed (1882) and Florence Reed (1883). At the time the 1901
census was taken, Harry was living with his parents and Florence
at Bineham Farmhouse in Chailey. He is recorded as a 13 year old scholar and
his father noted as a domestic coachman. In fact William Reed was head coachman
to the Blencowe family at Bineham mansion.
Nurse Edith Oliver
was obviously quite close to the Reed family and a number of photos of them appear in her album. A page of photos shows Bineham farmhouse (with William Reed senior and his wife just visible in the foreground)
and photos of Herbert Reed with his nieces and nephews. Other photographs depict
Louisa (Louie Reed) and her mother together and Mrs Reed in fancy dress costume. There
are also autographs and verses that were written by Louie and Herbert. A photograph
in the possession of the Reed family also shows Edith with Mr and Mrs Reed and Louie.
Herbert Reed certainly
did not serve during World War One and I have not researched his brother William. Harry
though, did serve with the Royal West Kent Regiment and is mentioned in Chailey’s parish magazine. In June 1916 it notes that Driver H R Reed is serving with the Royal Field Artillery in England and then,
five months later, that he is a private with the 1/4th Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment (a Territorial Force battalion)
in Egypt. This information is then repeated up until February 1917 after which
his name ceases to appear.
The National Archives
records Henry R Reed and notes two numbers for him: 5167 and 201994. The first,
four digit number, would have been the original number allocated to him when he joined the territorials (probably in mid 1915)
and the second number was that issued to him when the Territorial Force was re-numbered in early 1917. There is no mention of a Royal Artillery connection.
The 1/4th Royal
West Kent Regiment spent the First World War in India fulfilling garrison duties, and it seems likely that Harry stopped off
at Egypt en route and sent word back to his family that he was there. This information
found its way into the parish magazine but does not appear to have been updated once he landed in India.
Back in Chailey
there was sadness and joy for the Reed family. On 4th January 1916, The Sussex
Express carried news of Herbert’s death, noting that he had been an invalid for the past ten years. He was 36 years old and was buried at Chailey Parish church. Edith Oliver was among the mourners and a
photo of Herbert’s grave also appears in her album.
The following
January there was happier news however, when Helena Reed married Charles Colbourn at Chailey.
The East Sussex News covered the story on Friday 2nd February:
"WEDDING. The marriage was solemnised at the Parish Church on Saturday
by special licence of Corporal Charles Colbourn, Royal Sussex Regiment, and Miss Helena Reed, second daughter of Mr and Mrs
Reed of the Farmhouse, Bineham… the bridegroom is home on ten days’ leave from France. Later in the day
the happy couple left for London where the honeymoon is being
spent."
Nurse Oliver’s
album contains a line drawing of a castle by a Lance Corporal C Colbourn and this is almost certainly Charles Colbourn. An entry by his sister-in-law Louie appears on the same page.
I had wondered
for a long while whether C Colbourn was a patient of Nurse Oliver’s but I think it is more likely that he was asked
to leave his mark as a friend rather than as a patient. His medal card (he served
with the 1/5th Royal Sussex Regiment) gives no indication that he received a Silver War Badge and whilst this is not conclusive
evidence by any means that he was not wounded or did not fall sick during his time in the army, other evidence points to the
fact that he was Helena Reed’s fiancé or husband. Happily, both Charles
Colbourn and Harry Reed survived the First World War.
Sources and Acknowledgements
- Chailey Parish Magazine
- England and Wales,
Civil Registration Index 1837-1983
- The National Archives: Medal Index Card
- The Sussex Express
- East Sussex Daily News
- I am indebted to Rachel Bushell, Charles Colbourn’s and Helena Reed’s great granddaughter,
for contacting me and providing me not only with additional information about her family but for sending me some quite splendid
photos of them as well
