Genealogical war memorials of Bournemouth’s fallen
Neuve Chapelle: March 12th, 1915
Introduction
Tales from the Front (28) recounts the life of Cecil Reginald (‘Tom’) Noble, a native of Victorian Bournemouth, who fought in World War I. In civilian life, a decorator, Noble saw greater opportunity as a professional soldier. In 1910, he enlisted with the 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade. This took him to India, where he served for a few years. On return, Acting Corporal Noble went to France, where he showed conspicuous gallantry at Neuve Chapelle. This earned him a posthumous Victoria Cross.
Tales from the Front (28): family progress
Bournemouth’s opportunity
By marrying in Bournemouth, Noble’s father, Frederick, deviated from family tradition. Not only had he left East Coker, but he had married a woman born far away. The Nobles had dwelt for several generations in East Coker, a village near Yeovil. They worked as skilled craftsmen: blacksmiths, cabinetmakers, painters. Their wives came from nearby. As a third son, Frederick may have had to look elsewhere. In Bournemouth, a place of continuous construction, he would have found many opportunities for employment in painting and decorating. Here he met his future wife, a woman born in Sussex, also attracted by Bournemouth’s appeal. A butcher’s daughter, she and her husband ‘both alike in dignity’ moved around: Boscombe, Springbourne, Malmesbury Park. By 1911, they had prospered, for Frederick had become an employer. In 1915, the media crashed into this world of steady improvement, praising their lost son, splashing their faces on newspaper pages.
Early promise
According to newspaper accounts, Noble had done well at school, where he won a drawing scholarship. The Royal College of Art in South Kensington exhibited two of his works. He attended St Clement’s Boys’ School in Springbourne. For several years, he attended the Springbourne Wesleyan Sunday School. In his teens, he may have worked with his father. His military service record shows his occupation at enlistment as a decorator. This may have had insufficient interest for him, as he joined the army and went to India. His service here may not have gone beyond the parade ground, but it had danger. He received an inoculation against typhoid. On returning to England in the autumn of 1914, he visited his parents in Bournemouth for two days, after which he went to France with the Rifles. In early March came the appalling events at Neuve Chapelle followed by official despatches.
Tales from the Front (28): the wire
Majesty
The London Gazette
Wednesday, 28th April, 1915
‘His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to approve of the grant of the Victoria Cross to the under-mentioned Warrant Officer, non-commissioned officer, and men for their conspicuous acts of bravery and devotion to duty whilst serving with the Expeditionary Force:
9665: Company Sergeant-Major Harry Daniels, 2nd Battalion, The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort’s Own).
3697: Acting Corporal Cecil Reginald Noble, late 2nd Battalion, The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort’s Own).
For most conspicuous bravery on the 12th March, 1915, at Neuve Chapelle. When their battalion was impeded in the advance to the attack by wire entanglements and subjected to a very severe machine-gun fire, these two men voluntarily rushed in front and succeeded in cutting the wires. They were both wounded at once, and Corporal Noble has since died of his wounds.’
Myth
Within a year, Noble’s deed had entered legend, shaped by comrades’ memories and popular retellings. ‘Ten Heroes of Neuve Chapelle’ told the story from Daniels’s memories about ‘… his chum, Corporal Noble. The two men had been inseparable on all the dangerous duties of patrol work at night. “The best chum I’ve ever had, the bravest man I’ve ever known!” was Daniel’s tribute to his friend. “Come along, Tom!” Daniels cried above the storm of bullets. “We must go.” They got a pair of wire-cutters, then shook hands, and went forth on their heroic adventure.’ The account concentrates on Daniels. ‘Then hearing a gasp he called out: “What’s up, Tom?” His chum had done his work well, and had stuck to his clippers with as grim determination as Daniels. His voice, very faint, came back: “I am hit in the chest, old man.” These were Noble’s last words.’
Man
In fact, Noble’s last moments occurred in a field hospital, so, somehow, stretcher bearers must have recovered him from under the wire. The press preserved fragments of the real man, publishing two extracts from letters written home. Although the 2nd Rifle Brigade had served in India’s cool, hill country, Noble found a difference in climate when he stood in the French trenches. ‘It is nothing but mud and water; water up to our armpits, but the boys still keep on smiling, and take it as a matter of course.’ Despite this phlegmatic attitude, political matters disturbed him. Strikes and attempts to destabilise British society disgusted him. He compared ‘one man giving his life for his country, and the other trying to make trouble at home’. He saw a simple solution: ‘they should be strung up and shot’. The extracts preserve an establishment attitude towards British life.
Memory
Press reports which appeared soon after the battle established Noble as a Bournemouth hero. Schoolmasters and others from his youth added weight to a process whereby Noble might become a focal point for the town to define its identity. Later enthusiasm qualified him to receive a blue plaque affixed to 175 Capstone Road, Malmesbury Park, described as his birthplace. Yet other documents question this claim. The family may have lived at 172 on this road. In addition, his service record places his birthplace within the parish of St John’s, part of Boscombe. According to the 1891 census, taken just before his birth, the family lived on Tower Road, Boscombe. The family may not have reached Malmesbury Park before 1914, by which time Noble had gone to India. Noble became a hero for all Bournemouth to celebrate, regardless of historical accuracy. Nothing matters beyond his bravery that day at the wire.
Tales from the Front (28): aftermath
Noble’s father lasted not long after his only son. He passed away in 1916. According to the record, he left a modest estate, an indication that he had achieved success. In 1921, to make ends meet, Noble’s widowed mother took lodgers into Capstone Road. She lived until days before the end of World War II, having increased the sum she had received from her husband. The only other family member, Noble’s sister, married a Post Office draughtsman and left an estate much greater than the bequest from her mother. The Nobles, therefore, gave good account of themselves. The 2nd Battalion, The Rifle Brigade had had a difficult time at the battle. After Noble’s death, however, the war diary reported little activity for the rest of the month. In April, they experienced a typical pattern of torrential rain, movement from trenches to billets and back, shelling, sniper fire and casualties.
Takeaway
Tales from the Front (28) has celebrated the life and exploits of Cecil Reginald (‘Tom’) Noble (1891-1915). A professional soldier, sprung from several generations of craftsmen, he volunteered to serve his country, first in India, then in France. He displayed conspicuous and selfless bravery that earned him the Victoria Cross, but also brought him darkness. Afterwards, Bournemouth adopted him as a symbol—an act of civic remembrance shaped as much by genealogy and myth as by fact.
‘Tales from the Front’
A collection of personal stories honouring the natives of Victorian Bournemouth who gave their lives on the battlefield and the regiments with which they served. Blending social and military history with genealogical insight, it explores their roots, families, occupations, and the ultimate sacrifices they made for their country.
The posts weave genealogical data together with eyewitness accounts found in war diaries, contemporary press coverage, and official military histories. The series offers a powerful and intimate portrait of Bournemouth’s wartime heroes offset with live accounts of battlefield action.
Serving as a companion and continuation of Victorian Bournemouth, Tales from the Front forms part of News from the Past: History for the Rest of Us.
References
For references and engagement, please get in touch. Main primary sources: here and here (subscriptions needed). For War Diaries, go here. See also here. The featured picture shows an imagined scene—genealogical information based on available sources.
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