{"id":183,"date":"2016-11-29T16:02:58","date_gmt":"2016-11-29T16:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/rochesterborstalfirstworldwar\/?p=183"},"modified":"2016-11-29T16:02:58","modified_gmt":"2016-11-29T16:02:58","slug":"woodgate-lionel-streatfeild-1888-1914","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/rochesterborstalfirstworldwar\/2016\/11\/29\/woodgate-lionel-streatfeild-1888-1914\/","title":{"rendered":"Woodgate, Lionel Streatfeild (1888-1914)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lionel Streatfield Woodgate was born on 11 June 1888 in Rochester, on Star Hill the home of his parents, Ernest and Edith.\u00a0 Ernest Woodgate worked as a solicitor.\u00a0 Edith was a \u2018Rochester lady\u2019, according to the Dover Express<\/em>, a member of the Streatfeild family of Chiddingstone<\/a>, near Tunbridge Wells.\u00a0 Ernest\u2019s family were from the same area, being the Woodgates of Penshurst<\/a>. \u00a0However, both Edith and Ernest were born in London, and they got married at St Matthew\u2019s, Bayswater on 8 February 1877.<\/p>\n

Ernest followed his father, William Woodgate, into the legal profession.\u00a0 William [Senior] was listed on the 1851 Census as being a solicitor, a farmer of 70 acres and an employer of 6 labourers.\u00a0 Ten years earlier, however, William Senior and his family (pre-Ernest) had been living in St Pancras. \u00a0Ernest died in 1896 of heart disease on a visit to Littlehampton with Edith and the family, when he was aged 51.\u00a0 At that point, he was serving as the Mayor of Rochester.<\/p>\n

Ernest was the cousin of Major-General Sir Edward Prevost Woodgate, who had been in command of the King\u2019s Own Royal Lancaster depot, before dying at Spion Kop during the South African Wars.\u00a0 \u00a0William Francis Woodgate and Anna Allnutt were the parents of William Senior and Henry Arthur Woodgate, who was Sir Edward\u2019s father.\u00a0 The family appear to have been living at Tonbridge Castle (presumably in the then new mansion attached to it)<\/a> around 1800.\u00a0 Henry Arthur was the rector of Belbroughton Holy Trinity Church in Worcestershire.\u00a0 \u00a0Lionel appears to have been a distant relative of both Lucy Deane Streatfeild<\/a> (by marriage), one of the first female factory inspectors, and Noel Streatfeild, the author<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 1881, the Woodgates were living at 13 Star Hill with Catherine Streatfeild, Edith\u2019s mother.\u00a0 13 Star Hill has since been demolished, and was roughly where the bus stop on the Star Inn side of Star Hill is (2016). By 1891, however, the Woodgates were living in Dover, where Ernest was working as a solicitor and a JP.\u00a0 Lionel\u2019s eldest brother, William Ernest Streatfeild, was 13, Hamilton was 10, Violet was 5 and Lionel was 2.<\/p>\n

Lionel was educated at Bradfield College<\/a>, near Reading, which had a further Rochester connection through the actor Dame Sybil Thorndike being a fan of the Greek Theatre offered by the school in a chalk pit in the nearby village<\/a>.\u00a0 Lionel is listed on the 1901 Census as being a boarding pupil at Bradfield.\u00a0 By 1901, the rest of the Woodgates were living again at 18 and 20 Star Hill.\u00a0 Hamilton, then aged 20, was an articled clerk about to follow his father into the law. \u00a0William Ernest had died the previous year, aged 23, whilst serving as a Lieutenant in the 2nd<\/sup> Battalion of the King\u2019s Own (Royal Lancaster), having been injured at Vryheid on 11th<\/sup> December 1900.\u00a0 William Ernest had joined the Regiment in 1897, and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1899.<\/p>\n

After Bradfield, Lionel went to Sandhurst Military College, following in the footsteps of William Ernest and Sir Edward on his way to join their Regiment.\u00a0 Lionel\u2019s first appointment was on 8 February 1908 as 2nd<\/sup> Lieutenant in the Royal Lancaster Regiment (the King\u2019s Own).\u00a0 In the 1911 Census, he was still in this role, but was in India, serving at the Havelock Barracks in Dilkusha, Lucknow.\u00a0 His promotion to Lieutenant would follow on 7 October that year.<\/p>\n

At the outbreak of the war, Lionel served as a Lieutenant with the 1st<\/sup> Battalion (4th<\/sup> Foot) in the King\u2019s Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment), and was with the British Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders.\u00a0 His service was courageous, but ultimately short-lived.\u00a0 The Kent and Sussex Courier <\/em>wrote about how Lionel was in charge of the machine gun section during the extremely heavy fighting at Le Cateau<\/a>, and of the high regard with which he was held by his fellow soldiers.<\/p>\n

He left \u00a3130 6s 6d to his mother, who was listed as living at 20 Star Hill<\/a> in Rochester.\u00a0 Edith applied for the 1914 Star<\/a> in respect of her son.<\/p>\n

Lionel died on 8 September 1914, at the age of 26, and is buried in the Montrueil-aux-Lions British Cemetery in Aisne, France.\u00a0 Lionel\u2019s page on Every Man Remembered can be found here<\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a0Lionel is also remembered with his family on the family memorial in St Margaret\u2019s Churchyard, Rochester<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ancestry<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ancestry.com.\u00a0England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966, 1973-1995<\/em>\u00a0[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.<\/p>\n

Original data:\u00a0Principal Probate Registry.\u00a0Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England<\/em>. London, England \u00a9 Crown copyright.<\/p>\n

Ancestry.com.\u00a0British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920<\/em>\u00a0[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.<\/p>\n

Original data:\u00a0Army Medal Office.\u00a0WWI Medal Index Cards<\/em>. In the care of The Western Front Association website.<\/p>\n

Find my Past <\/strong><\/p>\n

1901 Census RG 13\/1141<\/p>\n

De Ruvigny\u2019s Roll of Honour, 1914-1918.<\/p>\n

Fold3<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gradation List of Officers, p.1303a, Ancestry.com.\u00a0UK, British Army Lists, 1882-1962<\/em>\u00a0[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.<\/p>\n

Original data:\u00a0The Official Army List. The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey, England.<\/p>\n

British Newspaper Archive <\/strong><\/p>\n

Derby Daily Telegraph<\/em>, Saturday 5 September 1896, p.<\/p>\n

Dover Express<\/em>, Friday 18 September 1914, p.<\/p>\n

\u2018The death of Lieutenant Woodgate\u2019, Kent and Sussex Courier<\/em>, Friday 25 September 1914, p.2<\/p>\n

Kent and Sussex Courier, <\/em>Friday 25 September 1914, p.5<\/p>\n

Manchester Evening News<\/em>, Friday 18 September 1914, p.3<\/p>\n

Others<\/strong><\/p>\n

E.I. Carlyle, rev James Faulkner, \u2018Woodgate, Sir Edward Robert Prevost (1845-1900)\u2019, in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography<\/em>, eee ed. H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison (Oxford: OUP, 2004); online ed., ed. David Cannadine, 2004, http:\/\/www.oxforddnb.com\/view\/article\/29922 (accessed November 29, 2016).<\/p>\n

Woodgate family tree: https:\/\/www.geni.com\/people\/Henry-Woodgate\/6000000005438500912<\/a><\/p>\n

John Streatfeild<\/strong><\/p>\n

1851 Census, Class:\u00a0HO107<\/em>; Piece:\u00a01492<\/em>; Folio:\u00a0296<\/em>; Page:\u00a041<\/em>; GSU roll:\u00a087821<\/em><\/p>\n

Ancestry.com.\u00a01851 England Census<\/em>\u00a0[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.<\/p>\n

Hamilton S. Woodgate<\/strong><\/p>\n

1901 Census, Class:\u00a0RG13<\/em>; Piece:\u00a0724<\/em>; Folio:\u00a080<\/em>; Page:\u00a012<\/em><\/p>\n

Ancestry.com.\u00a01901 England Census<\/em>\u00a0[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.<\/p>\n

William Ernest Streatfeild Woodgate<\/strong><\/p>\n

Find my Past: Anglo-Boer War records 1899-1902<\/p>\n

British Newspaper Archive: \u2018Deaths from Wounds and Disease\u2019, Reading Mercury<\/em>, Sat 22 December 1900, p.6<\/p>\n