William Norman Jenner was born at Newick
on 25th March, 1893. He and his sister, Susan (born 3rd April, 1891) were the two children of
Norman Jenner's second marriage to Ellen Maria Braysher, who was born at Chailey in 1861. At the time of their marriage Ellen
Maria was living at Oxbottom which lies to the south of Newick and roughly mid-way between Hickwells and Beechland House.
William’s father Norman, ran
a butcher's shop on The Green, Newick, having moved there from Brighton with his first wife, Sarah Anne (nee Penny), sometime between 1881 and 1891. The shop was
next door to the present butcher's, in what is now a pharmacy. Sarah died
on 10th April 1889 and William married Ellen Braysher the following year, their marriage registered at Lewes district
in the June quarter of 1890.
Ellen Maria died at Oxbottom on 26th February
1896 aged 35 and Norman died at Newick Cottage Hospital on 14th October the same year. He was
51 years old. The orphaned William (aged three) and Susan (aged five) were
taken in by their grandmother, Susan Braysher, and lived with her and Ellen's sister and brother-in-law, Frances and George
Constable at Oxbottom in a small two-bedroomed cottage.
William Jenner appears first
in Chailey Parish Magazine in January 1916 in a list of specially attested men (as Jenner,
William N) and in a line entry which states: Jenner, Sapper W, RE, England. He had enlisted at Brighton with the
Royal Engineers on 1st November
1915 and was given the service number 136676 and the rank
of driver.
On 27th April 1916 he arrived in France as part of 446 Field Company, Royal Engineers.
The following month, Chailey Parish Magazine noted, Jenner, Sapper W, RE, France.
Nothing is known of his service over the
next two years but on 28th
September 1918 he was injured when the mess cart he was driving overturned
between Nurlu and Moislaines (approximately 12 miles west of Albert on The Somme). William
was thrown into a shell hole and injured seriously enough to be admitted to hospital the following day. He remained there for the next six weeks, finally being discharged two days after the Armistice was signed.
On 26th November 1918 William
joined 447 Field Company via “REBD” (which possibly stands for Royal Engineers Base Depot) and seems to have remained
with this company until discharged at Chatham in April 1919 (he had returned to England the previous month on account of long
service). His discharge papers note his address as Allington Road Newick.
The following year, on 27th October 1920, William married Mary Anne Turner at Nutley. The couple had met when they were both ‘in
service’ at The Hall, Nutley. His occupation was then given as electrician and
his address as Eltham.
William Jenner subsequently worked
as a clerical officer for Woolwich Borough Council and died at Plumstead on 18th August 1971 at the age of 78. The
undated photo on this page, courtesy of Christopher Jenner, shows Driver William Jenner with his then fiancee, Mary Anne
Turner.
Sources & Acknowledgements
- Chailey Parish Magazine
- England and Wales, Civil Registration Index: 1837-1983
- 1901 Census of England & Wales
- I am indebted to Christopher Jenner, William’s grandson, who has provided me with much information about his
family. William’s service record is held at the National Archives in Kew, reference WO 363/J215
