Private Ernest Alfred Stockbridge
| Date of Birth | 28 May 1877 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 42 |
| Date of Death | 1 July 1917 |
| Service Number | 203058 |
| Military Service | 1st Battalion East Surrey Regiment |
| Merton Address | Swiss Cottages, Cranmer Road, Mitcham |
| Local Memorial | Mitcham War Memorial |
Additional Information
Ernest Alfred Stockbridge was born to on 28th May 1877 to parents William who worked as a Carpenter and Rachel (nee Roberts.) His parents had married on 14th November 1868 at St. Lawrence Church in Morden and by the time Ernest was born they already had three children. William, Arthur and Ethel: Further children followed: Lillian, Mabel and Mildred. The family lived in London Road Morden.
Ernest married Alice Maud Mary Hill at St. Peter and St. Paul Church in Mitcham on 4th September 1898. His occupation at the time was listed as a Carpenter. The young couple set up home in Central Road, Morden and Ernest took what work he could find, ranging from a general labourer, house painter and Carpenter.
The census of 1911 show Ernest and Alice having been married for 13 years and living at Swiss Cottage, Cranmer Road, Mitcham, with four children: Dorothy 12, Hilda 9, Ernest (jnr) 6 and Donald 4.
Alice died in 1914 aged 37 leaving Ernest with four children under the aged of fifteen.
Early the following year he marriage Ethel Amelia Denner and she moved into Swiss Cottage. Humphrey was born in 1916, and when he was baptised in the August the Occupation listed for Ernest was a Munition Worker.
Ernest enlisted in Wimbledon and Joined the 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment as a private and given the service number 203058.
This battalion served on the Western Front during World War I, fighting in major battles like the Somme, Arras, and Ypres. They also briefly served in Italy in 1917 before returning to France later in 1917. The battalion was part of the original British Expeditionary Force and saw action from the early days of the war, including the Retreat from Mons. During 1917 the battalion was involved in the battles of Arras and Third battle of Ypres known as (Passchendaele)
Ernest was killed in Action 18th July 1917 during heavy fighting on the front line
No known grave for Ernest, but his name appears on Mitcham War Memorial, and he is also Commemorated at Arras Memorial Pas de Calais, France
Upon Ernest’s death his widow Ethel was left with four stepchildren and her own son aged just one.