Hello,

Thank you for visiting this site.

Having published my book on Sevenoaks War Memorial, I’m now researching the town and its residents during the First World War. Please do get in touch if you have a connection to Sevenoaks during 1914-1918 – did your ancestor fight, nurse, work in factories or support the war effort in another way?

I would love to hear any stories you might know and build a detailed picture of how the conflict affected the ordinary people of Sevenoaks. Please either leave a comment below or email me at matt@sevenoaksww1.org

I hope to hear from you.

Matt

7 thoughts on “Getting in touch”

  1. Harry Hodgson Cripps, Sevenoaks, Masterton, NZ. Harry is the son of Thomas Cripps and grandson of Isaac Cripps from Sevenoaks Kent. Isaac Cripps settled in NZ and purchased his farm in 1857. Quite a journey to get here! He named the farm Sevenoaks, decendants (my husband)and I still live and work the farm today and it is still called Sevenoaks.

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    1. Hi, My name is Robin Norvill (nee Barke). Also a descendant of Isaac Cripps. Daughter of Beverly McDonald, daughter of Elsie Carmen, daughter of Frederick G Carmen, son of David Carmen married to Maryanne Cripps daughter of Isaac Cripps and Sarah Rigelsford who emigrated to the Auckland Islands and subsequently settled in the Wairarapa,

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  2. Harry Cripps was my great uncle he had one brother and two sisters , I remember uncle harry telling me the story of how my uncle donald died at the age of 14

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  3. Nurse May Benson was my great-aunt and I met her a couple of time when I was a child. May had 5 brothers, my grand-father was the youngest. Four of them participated to the World War 1 in Russia, Turkey and France. My grand-father was injured at the ‘Bataille de la Somme’ near a town named ‘Albert’. May Benson and her brothers were orphans and had been adopted by their aunt and uncle Alice & Henry Andrews leaving in Sevenoaks. I can share what I know about this family. Do not hesitate to contact me. After WW1, my grand-father settled in France and so I am french.

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  4. Wonderful postcards, just one question. Looking at some electoral rolls for the 1800s for my great-great grandfather, his abode is given as The Vine or Near The Vine, Sevenoaks. Was it a house or an area, difficult to tell from the pictures. I note there is a restaurant called the Vine now.

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    1. Thanks for your comment. The Vine refers to a general area centred around the historic cricket ground rather than one address, although some homes incorporated the name, such as Vine Court etc. Do you have any more information on your great great that would help locate him? You can email me at matt@sevenoaksww1.org

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  5. I wonder if Air Mechanic Diamond mentioned in the Chronicle is the same one I found in a record for a concert party held by No.11 Squadron at their aerodrome in France in August 1916. He performed a monologue ‘When I Lay Down My Tools’. Audience reception is not recorded…

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