Cecil Walter Bullivant
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
Walter (also known as Cecil Walter or Walter Cecil) was the eldest child of Frederick Bullivant and his first wife Mary Elizabeth (née Bottomley). His father Frederick was born in Kirton, Nottinghamshire, in 1865, the son of Thomas and Mary Bullivant. He was baptised at Kirton Holy Trinity on 5 March 1865. Mary Elizabeth was born in Derbyshire in about 1869, the daughter of John and Hannah Bottomley (née Bower), and was baptised at Barlborough, Derbyshire, on 7 February 1869. In 1871 the family was living on East Parade, Whitwell, Derbyshire, with Hannah's parents, Samuel and Mary Bower. Frederick and Mary Elizabeth were married in the parish church, Whitwell, on 24 July 1889 (J/A/S Worksop), and had at least four children who were all born in Whitwell: Charles Wilfred (k/a Wilfred) b. 12 April 1890 (reg. Worksop), Walter b. 1891 (reg. Mansfield) and Herbert Lawrence b. 14 July 1893 and Violet Margaret b. 1895 (births reg. Worksop). Frederick and Mary Elizabeth have not yet been traced on the 1891 Census. Their first child, Charles Wilfred was born later that year. His mother Mary Elizabeth died in 1897 (J/F/M Worksop) and his father married secondly Maria Newbert (or Newboult) Bennett at Kirton Holy Trinity on 26 March 1900. Maria was born in Kirton in 1876, the daughter of Elizabeth Bennett, and baptised at Kirton Holy Trinity on 3 December 1876. In 1901 Frederick (36), a woodman's labourer, and Maria (24) were living on East Parade, Whitwell, with three of Frederick's children. Wilfred (10), Herbert (7) and Violet (5). The second son Walter was living at the Manor House, Kirton, (probably multi-occupancy), with his grandparents Thomas Bullivant (63), a road labourer (Rural District Council), and his wife Mary. By 1911 Frederick was working as a farm labourer, and he and Maria were living at Barnby Moor, Retford, with Herbert a groom (domestic) and Violet. Also in the household was a boarder, George Loughton (51), a farm labourer. Wilfred was a waggoner on a farm and living in Willingham nr. Gainsborough, with William Ancliff, a farm foreman, and his wife Sarah. Walter was a farm servant living in Walkeringham nr. Gainsborough, in the home of Annie Rudkin (50) single a housekeeper and Eva Rudkin (17) single a general domest servant. Herbert later emigrated to Canada. All three sons were an ideal age for the recruiting campaign, “Your country needs you”, in 1914. All three answered the call, Walter with the Sherwood Foresters, Herbert with the Canadian Expeditionary Overseas Force and Charles Wilfred with the Royal Field Artillery serving in France and Palestine. His father Frederick died in 1921 (A/M/J East Retford). His widow Maria was probably living in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, in 1939 when the England & Wales Register was compiled, a maid in the household of Ellen Hammsford (b. 1856), a single woman of independent means who also employed a companion housekeeper. Maria died in 1949 (A/M/J East Retford). Of Walter's surviving siblings: Charles Wilfred served in the 44th Bty Royal Field Artillery during the war (see 'Extra information'). He married Sarah Metcalfe (b. 12 March 1893) at Retford Register Office on 3 February 1917, three months before he was sent overseas. They had a daughter, Audrey Winifred (b. 1 July 1917, later Anderson, d. 2001). Charles was discharged from the army in February 1919 to Station Road, Sutton cum Lound, Retford. In 1939 when the England & Wales Register was compiled he was working as a colliery electric pump attendant (underground) and living with his wife and daughter in Ranskill, Nottinghamshire. Charles died in 1946. Herbert Lawrence emigrated to Canada before the war and attested on 10 November 1914 (55150). He gave his occupation as footman and named his father, Fred, of Barnby Moor, as his next of kin. He has not yet been traced after the war although there is a record of a Herbert L Bullivant (42, b. 1893), a valet, last address the Ritz Hotel, London W1, sailing from Southampton on 28 September 1935 bound for New York. Violet Margaret died in 1927 (J/F/M East Retford).
Walter's two brothers, Herbert Lawrence and Charles Wilfred, survived the war, but it was a different story for Walter who enlisted at Retford and served in 'D' company, 2nd battalion Sherwood Foresters (number 15049). The 2nd Battalion was part of the British Expeditionary Force, which landed in France in September 1914, and went straight into the bitter fighting on the Aisne. Walter's death was presumed for official purposes to have occurred on 15 September 1916. He died probably at the Battle of the Somme as his name appears on the Thiepval memorial which commemorates the missing of the Somme who have no known grave. Walter received three medals posthumously. 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and WW1 British Victory Medal inscribed '15049 Pte W Bullivant.'
CWGC additional information: 'Son of Mary Elizabeth and the late Frederick Bullivant. Born at Whitwell Derbyshire.' He is named on both Sutton cum Lound and Ranskill war memorials. Ranskill memorial book:- 'Cecil Walter Bullivant – joined 1914 – killed France 1916 aged 23 – Notts & Derby Regt – Son of Mary Elizabeth and the late Frederick Bullivant - commemorated Thiepval Memorial.' Registers of Soldiers' Effects (Walter Bullivant): his father Frederick was his sole legatee. WW1 Pension Ledgers Index Cards (Cyril Walter Bullivant): named his father Frederick Bullivant and stepmother Maria Bullivant. His older brother Wilfred attested in December 1915; he was 25 years 8 months old, living in Rampton near Retford, and working as an attendant at an asylum. He transferred to the Army Reserve on 8 December 1915 and was mobilised on 15 October 1916 (185708, Royal Field Artillery). He embarked Southampton on 17 May 1917, then from Marseilles on 27 June disembarking Alexandria on 6 July 1917. He later served in France and probably returned to the UK in January 1919 and was discharged from the army on 10 February. He was discharged to Station Road, Sutton cum Lound. A letter from Wilfred was published in an unknown newspaper (possibly the Worksop Guardian), 'Christmas in Palestine': "In Palestine at Christmas in 1917, we were in the position we had occupied before the fall of Jerusalem; We had just finished our Christma dinner, four of us, out of the 1lb tin of bully beef and two biscuits, and we did not know if there would be any tea at all. We had come straight off the desert into the mountains in our khaki drill uniforms and shorts. Camels were bringing rations up. They were all right in the desert, but roads in the hills did not exist, they were only tracks, and the camels could hardly travel at all on the slippery wet clay. So we were always miles ahead of rations. It was a miserable, wet and cold day, everything dripping wet and mist and rain hanging about all round. We had no Christmas mail, we had it about April. I remember seeing an old tree laid rotting in a grove of evergreen oaks. I saw the Sergeant-Major and asked if some of us could go and get some for a fire. He said we could so about a dozen of us went with saws and ropes. We cut some good long logs, tied our ropes to them and hauled them off to our gun positions. We were soon cutting and splitting logs, and we weren’t long before we had a grand fire. The only wood we had to burn usually were the boxes that rations came in. Our officer came and gave us each a packet of 10 cigarettes. Soon we were sitting round the fire telling tales and yarns, singing carols and thinking of all at home till about midnight. We turned in then. It rains for four and five days and nights at a time, during the wet season there, from September to March. I think that was the most unpleasant Christmas I ever spent or want to spend. - Mr W Bullivant, ex-gunner C Battery, 268th Brigade, RFA” Original research by Colin Dannatt
