The Great War in St John’s Parish: Cavendish Avenue

World War One: Cavendish Avenue

Cavendish Avenue

66 Southside: Alfred Gibson, a major in the Essex RAMC baptised his son on 24/9/18 at St John’s.

28 Minhurst: Two members of the Doggett family volunteered with the Red Cross in WWI. Edith Kate (1896-1975) served from 1915 as a nurse at Huntly VAD hospital in Herschel Road. She was awarded 1 service bar.

Hilda Beatrice, born 1894, was initially in 1914 an auxiliary nurse in Fulbourn. In 1916 she went to the 2nd Eastern General Hospital in Brighton and then from April 1917 until March 1919 was based at a military hospital in France. She travelled to Canada in 1920 and in 1922 married George Edward Carter in New Brunswick. It was reported in the press of 30/11/1917 that Frank F Doggett, a farmer, had heard from his daughter, who was nurse in a hospital in France, that the loan of a gramophone would be much appreciated by the wounded British soldiers there. The newspaper commented “that this particular hospital has a direct claim upon the good will of the people of Cambridge for among the medical staff are our two townsmen Dr Cook and Dr Roderick.”

At the same address, Dorothy Mitchell Pumphrey, aged 23, is reported to have married Charles H Vaughan, captain in the ASC.

64 Brawley: Captain William G Roberts was summoned for driving a car with headlights on and fined 5s.

17 Hanley House: Mr William Thompson was convicted of not shading or reducing the lights or screening the window of a room on the ground floor and was fine 5s.

32 Astor House: Mrs Hankins volunteered for the Red Cross from 1915 to 1918 and was based at the 1st Eastern General Hospital.

Eleanor Isabel Hankins from 1915 was a nurse at the Huntly Hospital. She was awarded 2 war service bars.

20 Rotherwick: J D Atkinson worked as a searcher for missing wounded until 1918. This was probably the same role as the novelist E M Forster carried out – to interview the wounded in hospitals for information about fellow soldiers reported missing.

68 Talmead: Mrs Aubrey was a Red Cross volunteer from 1914-1919.

8 Deepdene: Mrs Zieglar volunteered for the Red Cross from 1916-1919 at the 1st Eastern General. This was probably Ida  b.1875, who had previously lived in Rathmore Road.

62 M J Nunns served in the 3/1st Cambs Reg.

Greycotes: Martin Alan Anderson, son of James Drummond and Frances Louisa Drummond, was a major in 211 Field Company Royal Engineers. Born 10th November 1887 he died of wounds received at fighting at Duisans near Arras on 9th May 1917. He was awarded the Military Cross.