Village chimney sweep uncovers the past of former Mid Sussex school pupils killed in the First World War

David James Parker, who has been sweeping chimneys for the past 30 years, came across a memorial to the pupils at a customer’s house and decided to research the names listed there of former pupils of Warninglid School who had died in the Great War.

And what he discovered has now been included in a book called As Memories Fade, published by Libri Publishing.

The book is a compilation of stories by different authors, including David.

One of the names on the memorial that stood out for David was that of Frank Agate. David discovered that Frank joined the Royal Navy in 1900 and completed 12 years’ service before emigrating to Canada.

Frank joined the 4th Field Company, Canadian Engineers in Ottawa in January 1914 and came over to Europe to serve. He died on April 21 1917 at St Eloi, Belgium, the scene of much heavy fighting.

St Eloi was also the site of many mining operations with tunnels and chambers being dug under the German positions and filled with explosives.

Another of the Warninglid pupils, George Turville, was in the 10th Service Battalion, Hampshire Regiment.

George, with his Battalion landed at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli in 1915. He later went on to serve in one of the lesser-known conflicts, Salonika. It was during the Battle of Kustorino that George was killed on December 7 1915, the first day of the battle.

David’s research covers 18 of the 20 former pupils of Warninglid School.

David is interested in hearing from any relatives that might still live in the area at [email protected]

As Memories Fade is available from Libri Publishing priced £9.99.

O845 873 3837 or libripublishing.co.uk

David has been an instructor with the Army Cadet Force for the past 29 years and served with the Royal Observer Corps for 12 years. He had his first book published in February 2019. Called ‘Missing, The Wartime Account of Two Brothers’, the book is about Harry and William Warman from near Horsham. Harry was shot down over the English Channel on May 27 1940, his brother, William was captured in Singapore in 1942 and murdered by the Japanese on the island of Ballale in 1943.