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Claude Victor Sainsbury Skrimshire (1878-1964)

Claude was born on 28th September 1878 in Birmingham - the location could be described as an “accident” owing to his father’s itinerant occupation as a “Clerk in Holy Orders”. Claude was baptised in St Phillip’s Parish Church on 15th June 1879 (later it became Birmingham’s Cathedral). It is of interest to note that at the time members of the great unwashed would have received a ticking off by the officiating cleric for having exposed their child for nearly 9 months to denial of admittance at the Pearly Gates. Sickliness cannot be presented as an excuse in this case as there should have been even more urgency to have him baptised.

By the time Claude became an undergraduate at Cambridge his Norfolk born father had moved on to being a Cannon at Llandaff Cathedral in Wales. His mother had been born in Cambridge.

Claude attested for service in South Africa on 18th January 1900 when he measured 5 ft 6½ inches in height and weighed in at 11½ stone. His service record gives his South African service dates as 11th February 1900 to 3rd May 1901 which included the journey there and back. He was awarded the QSAM with a “South Africa 1901” Clasp plus the three State Clasps, “Cape Colony”, “Orange Free State” & “Transvaal”.

Although he was discharged shortly after returning from South Africa he later joined the Royal Garrison Artillery and the 1911 Census found him residing at Gun Club Hill Barracks, Kowloon, South China as a Lieutenant in the Hong Kong & Singapore Battalion of the Royal Garrison Artillery.

In early August 1915 he was posted to France as a Captain in the 33rd Siege Battery*, Royal Garrison Artillery and by the end of the Great War had been promoted to Major.

The 1921 Census found Claude still a serving Major in the RGA and lodging with a Professor of Music & family in Dovercourt near Harwich.

In 1935 at the age of 57 he married 56 year old Hilda C Owens – needless to say they never had any children. The 1939 Register found them living at Godfrey’s Farm in the New Forest. Claude's occupation was given as a "Retired Major (RGA)".

Claude passed away at Swanage, Dorset on 2nd June 1964 aged 85 and left an estate valued at only £116.

* The Imperial Museum: Microfilm copy of an enlightening ms diary (78pp), of an unknown Major, covering the service of 33rd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA), attached to I Corps (First Army), supporting 9th Division in France and Belgium (August - November 1915), starting with their movement to Tilgues near St Omer (August 1915), relieving 19th Siege Battery just south of the La Bassée Canal, with descriptions of the Cuinchy-Givenchy area, bombardments, including 1,150 rounds fired in three days (September 1915), an inspection by Haig and Kitchener, with particular reference to the Battle of Loos and his pride in the Battery's results, running low on shells, news of the retreat from Hulluch, 'shutting down' a fourth German Battery, deteriorating weather, air observation (October 1915), a German gas attack being repulsed, and reproducing extracts from German Intelligence summaries found on a captured German staff officer concerning their withdrawal in face of the Russian Army and its damaging effect on the German war effort. The diary was kept in the papers of a junior officer, G J Alexander, later Lieutenant Colonel, who had served in 33rd Siege Battery RGA.

This photograph shows the Freedom ceremony, which took place in the Guildhall on the same day as the distribution of the stoups.

Skrimshire will be in there somewhere.

One of a series of five large photographs, acquired directly from a descendant of Captain G.F. Whitmore, commander of the Service Company (on the far right in the first image).






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Attached is an example of the "Freedom" certificate presented to the Cambridge Volunteers. It is a big thing, nearly 30" high in ts frame.
Presented to Christopher Graham.


A Cambridge graduate, he became a minister, and was a naval chaplain from 1906. He earned a single BWM and was decorated with an OBE for his WW1 service.



Pete

Neville wrote "This photograph shows the Freedom ceremony, which took place in the Guildhall on the same day as the distribution of the stoups. Skrimshire will be in there somewhere."

We are looking for somebody with a well formed chest - his 11 and half stone for only 5 feet 6 and half inches was mainly in his chest (rather than his belly) as relaxed it measured 37 inches and puffed up it measured 39 and a quarter inches - well above the minimum required for a soldier - I wonder if he was a Cambridge blue behind the oars.

Regarding the original owner of one of the other extant Stoups - Henry Arthur Jerwood, we again enter the ecclesiastical world. He was born in Little Bowden in Northamptonshire where his father was the Vicar. He retuned to University after his service in SA and was awarded his BA in 1902 which after the requisite 3 years and some cash became a MA. During the intervening years he took Holy Orders but did not live long enough to serve as a Chaplain in WW1. His 1909 probate indicates he became a missionary: