Samuel Cudworth

Enlisted into the Sherwood Foresters at the start of the war then transferred to RMLI on 16/09/1914. He embarked for Gallipoli on 17/11/1914 and landed 28/02/1914. Died of typhoid fever in hospital in Mudros, Greece.

Mansfield Chronicle Advertiser: 15/07/1915: photograph. Letters from Mrs Stride who had billeted the boys during their training were printed. Writing on 6th July 1915, Louisa Stride wrote to his mother to sympathise with her loss, not only of Tom Cudworth but of his brother Sam who died from enteric fever on 19th June 1915. The brothers had been billeted with Mrs. Stride during their time in Hampshire. Tom, it was claimed, would have been awarded the Victoria Cross had an officer survived to witness his bravery. “Castle House, Titchfield, “July 6th, 1915. “My Dear Mrs. Cudworth, – I scarcely know how to express our feelings to you in this dark and sorrowful hour. I know how your dear mother’s heart is breaking over the loss of your darling boys. If we can feel it so much who learned to love them in so short a time. Oh, may God, in Whom your dear boys trusted, comfort and sustain you. I am pleased to be able to give you news of dear Tom’s [1] bravery that would have made all the world proud of him had his officers lived. You may perhaps have heard Tom and Sam speak of their chum, Frank Hartley,they used all three to come to our home together. Poor Sam wrote and told me that Frank had been hit, and last Friday [2nd July 1915] morning I received a card saying he had just arrived in England, and was being sent to Haslar Hospital. On Sunday [4th July 1915] we went to see him, and anxious to get some news for you. Poor boy, he burst into tears when we told him the news of Tom and Sam, for he did not know. They were quite all right at the time he was wounded. Then he went on telling us how Tom and an old soldier at Tele Kepe climbed the precipice and pulled up the whole of their company by rope one by one, while bullets were falling all around them, all their officers being killed or wounded. He says Tom would surely have had the Victoria Cross had he lived. They then went to Sedul Bahr, where Frank was shot. That was the last he saw or heard of them. Mr. Stride and I read the account where the men were pulled up by ropes by a nameless hero; depend upon it, it was the work of poor Tom, only there were no officers to bring him forward. I must also tell you his chum said every one of their company so respected Tom that what he said was law, his life was so straight before them. What a glorious character to leave behind, and how great will be his reward. Truly we can say he had given his life for many. Dear Mrs. Cudworth, try and find a little comfort in knowing that although your dear boys cannot come to you, you can go to them. They are gone a little before, but will wait for you on the other side. Please convey that deepest sympathy to his young wife and tell her how brave he was.” Above newspaper article is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918