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Jasper "Jack" Huggett
British Army 1st Battalion Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment
from:72 Donald Road, Croydon
My grandfather, Jasper Huggett, volunteered for the Army at the age of 19 on the 14th November 1914, enrolling into the 1st Battalion, The Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment. He arrived in France two months later on the 22nd January 1915 and was initially stationed at Le Havre base for a week before entering the trenches in the Cuinchy area.
He was present at the battalion's actions on 10th March (Neuve Chapelle); 9th May (Aubers Ridge) and 28th May (Festubert), before being wounded in action on the first day of the Battle of Loos (25th September 1915. The wound was sufficient for him to be invalided home on the 2nd October, from Le Havre to Southampton aboard the Asturius.
Jasper had recovered sufficiently to attend a Buckingham Palace garden party on 22nd March 1916. Between the 3rd July 1917 and January 1919 Jack served with the Labour Corps (Unit 326, HS Works Co.) as a carpenter. Jack Huggett was discharged to the Class Z Reserve on 14th March 1919.
During the Second World War, Jack served with the Royal Engineers as a Sapper (Reg. No. 1917269), he was abroad between the 13th May and 14th December 1940 in Iceland with the NWEF. He enlisted on 18th January 1940 and was discharged on 13th May 1941.
It is known that five of Jack's brothers also fought in the Great War; William (Joe) served with the 17th Royal Fusiliers and was killed in action on the Somme on 27 July 1916; Richard enlisted into the Army on 27th July 1915 and served during the Great War with the 6th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. He was discharged (due to sickness) on the 19th February 1919; Leonard Huggett served with the 1st Battalion, Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in Mesopotamia; Percy served with the 12th (Bermondsey) Battalion, East Surrey Regiment and was awarded a DCM during operations at Flers, on the 15th September 1916 and John enlisted into the Army Cyclist Corps 22nd November 1915, giving his name as Jack and age as 19 years and 2 months, when in fact he was only 16 years and 5 months old. He went overseas on 19th December 1916 to Salonika and remained there for the nearly 3 years, returning to the UK on 2nd July 1919. John was discharged on 29th August 1919.
Jasper was born on the 4th November 1895 at 13 Oakwood Road, Thornton Heath, West Croydon to Daniel and Annie Huggett. He first went to Boston Road Infants School on 5th June 1899, before joining the Boys school from 6th April 1903 until 26th March 1909, when he left to become a labourer.
Daniel and Annie had 13 children in total (Daniel also having 6 children from previous marriages). By 1911 the family had moved to 72 Donald Road, West Croydon. Jasper became engaged to Hilda Emmeline Lane (born 2nd August 1896) on 21st May 1918 and they married in St. John's Church, Red Lion Square, Holborn, London on 9th January 1921. Jack and Hilda initially lived at 33 Lime Grove, New Malden, Surrey for ten years raising three children, Peggy, Peter and John.
The family later moved to 16, Ebbisham Road, Worcester Park but were forced to move from there to rented accommodation in 1935 when they moved to 4, Carlton Crescent, North Cheam, Surrey, the house that became his home for the rest of his life. Jasper died at home on the 17th February 1957 of chronic bronchitis and cardiac failure at the age of 61 years. He was buried in Cuddington Cemetery, Worcester Park.
