South Staffordshire War Memorials


John Strawbridge

This man is named on the memorial in St Mary's Catholic Church, Brewood. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists 13 men named Strawbridge of whom two have the name John. None has an obvious connection with the Brewood area.

It seems more likely that the memorial refers to Ernest John STROWBRIDGE (who appears from the 1911 Census to have been known by his middle name.) John Strowbridge was born in Ugbrook nr. Chudleigh, Devon, in about 1889. He was the son of George Strowbridge, a gamekeeper, and his wife Eliza. John worked as a gardener - possibly coming to the Brewood area to work at Stretton Hall. So far, his only known connection to the area is that his place of residence on enlistment into the army was 'Stretton, Staffs.'

John served in the Coldstream Guards - his service number indicates that he joined up at the end of August, 1914. He went to France in February 1915 and would have been involved in the Battles of Loos (1915), The Somme (1916) and the Third Battle of Ypres (1917). At some point he was wounded by a gun-shot and it may have been while he was on leave recovering that he married Lucy Wall in 1916.

John Strowbridge was killed in action on 30th November, 1917, during the Battle of Cambrai, when the 2nd Coldstreams took part in the recapture of Gouzeaucourt village. He is buried in Gouzeaucourt New British Cemetery.

Private Ernest John Strowbridge, 11244, Coldstream Guards, was awarded the Victory and British War Medals and the 1915 Star.
