Captain Philip George Stockley

Philip George Stockley was born in India on 15th October 1869 to parents Henry a military man and mother Jean nee MacKenzie. He was baptised on 18th November 1869 in Kirkee Bombay, India. At the time of his birth, he had one older brother called Hugh. In 1871 the family had returned to England and were living in Wales at Oystermouth, Glamorgan. Philips father Henry aged 34 was listed as a Captain in the Royal Artillery and all four members of the family were listed as being born in India.

In 1872 Philip had a younger sister Mary whose birth was registered in Somerset. At the time of her baptism in October of that year the family were living at Hill House, Winterbourne in Gloucestershire.
Two years later his sister Elizabeth was born, and her birth was registered in Peshawar, India.

By 1881 Philip aged 11 and older brother Hugh aged 13 were now back in England and pupils at St. Johns College New Bedford Road, Luton. His two sisters aged 9 and 7 were listed as boarders in Norfolk.

Later Philip and his brother Hugh went to Wellington College, Murray House.

On leaving Wellington College he went to Tasmania, and in 1889 to South Africa. Philip served with the South African Police in the Matabele War, with the Rhodesian Police in the Mashona War and with Thorneycroft’s Mounted Infantry in the South African War.

In 1895 he married Lilian Julian Webb, (who had adopted the name Cynitha). They then moved to Umtali (now Mutare) where their daughter Dorothy was born in 1896.

The Stockley's separated later that year: Cynitha to take up a career in journalism and writing and Philip to participate in the Boer War.

When War broke out in 1914, Philip was in Australia, where he threw up his employment and came home at once, arriving in January 1915; An old friend helped him obtain a commission in the East Yorkshire Regiment. He was appointed machine-gun officer, but anxious to obtain more active service he volunteered to go to Somaliland in the spring of 1916. Philip departed England on a ship called Kashmir travelling to Aden, Yemen. His intended place of residence was listed as Somaliland.

Unfortunately, camel riding aggravated an old internal complaint, and he was invalided home in the Autumn. He died 12th February 1917 aged 47 at Hull Royal Infirmary, the headquarters of the regiment, after only a few days’ acute illness. Philip and buried in St. Lawrence Churchyard Morden and his name also appears on a Roll of Honour at Wellington College. A memorial service was held on Tuesday 24th October 1922 and Philip’s name was again mentioned.

Thinking Philip had been killed in the Boer War, Cynitha remarried. Her husband was Joseph Byrne (1870-1945), an Irish doctor in New York; their son Patrick was born there in 1905. Cynitha died in London in January 1936, having gassed herself in her apartment. Her death was reported in newspapers around the world. The coroner returned a verdict of death by gas poisoning ‘whilst of unsound mind’ She is buried in Sheringham, Norfolk.