Cecil Sefton
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- Military History
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Cecil was born in 1891 at Doncaster and was the son of William Frederick, a brewery commercial traveller and Sarah Jane Sefton and the brother of John 1886 , Jeannie b1884, Charles Chester b (died of wounds 31/3/1918), Sidney b1888, Percy b1890 (killed in action 22/8/1918) and Doris Irene Sefton b1893. Both William born in 1857 and his wife Sarah Jane born 1859 were born in Spalding, the family moved to Doncaster in the 1890's and their first five children were born there. Around 1895 they finally move to the Newark area and in 1896 their daughter Doris is born in the town. In the 1911 census the family are living at 9 Spring Gardens Newark , William is shown as head of the family 54 years and a commercial traveller in the brewery trade, he is living at the address with his wife Sarah Jane and their children, Cecil ,Doris and Sydney. The family later moved to Maple Dene Lime Grove Newark. The family must have been proud when following the outbreak of war four of their sons joined the colours in order to fight in the war, however their pride would soon turn to grief as Cecil was killed in action in France on 5th July 1916. Thankfully their next son to serve Sydney who enlisted on 13th November 1915 was to be discharged from the 4th bn London Scottish Regiment due to medical reasons on 3rd July 1916. Further tragedies were to come, when first Charles Chester died of wounds on 31st March 1918 and then Percy was killed in action on 22nd August 1918 , a terrible toll had been dealt on this family from which they would possibly never fully recover.
Cecil enlisted and served in the 3rd Public Schools Bn, he was killed in action by shellfire on 5th July 1916 and is buried in Gorre British and Indian cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, grave reference II e 2 The following is an extract from the Magnus School, Newark, diary of the 'Great War' :- Wednesday 5 July 1916: Cecil Sefton, youngest son of William F, a brewery travelling salesman and Mary Jane of ‘Maple Dene’, Lime Grove, was killed by a shell at 10.30 this morning. Lieutenant Stuart Rawson wrote: ‘We have lost one of the cheeriest and best workers one could ever hope to have.’ Cecil was 25, educated at the Magnus, went on to work in a gentleman’s outfitter’s, was an active member of Newark Rowing Club; and, like three of his four brothers, volunteered to fight. He had been in France with the 20th Battalion (Public Schools) Royal Fusiliers since November 1915. Bill and Mary Sefton had much more grief to bear before this War was over. Private 5605 Sefton is remembered in the British and Indian Military Cemetery in the hamlet of Gorre near Bethune and on the Newark Rowing Club Memorial.
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