DAVID MORGAN tells the story of Ernest Saunders’ bravery in battle
We are at that time of year when the sight of poppies begins to focus people’s thoughts on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
Boy soldier: Ernest Saunders was in his teens when he joined up in 1914
That was the moment in 1918 when the guns across Europe, and beyond, fell silent for the first time in more than four years, after the signing of the Armistice brought relief for millions.
Stories about the fighting in the Great War, what later became known as World War I, were shared by the survivors, some telling of heroic deeds. Many, though, could only outline some of the horrors which the troops in the trenches had to endure.
Not all remembrance stories ended in tragedy. Sometimes, it was a soldier or sailor, and sometimes an airman, who survived the slaughter but whose deeds were more quickly forgotten than those who died.
Very often, this was because many of those who served and survived never wanted to relive their experiences.
The archive of Croydon Parish Church, now Croydon Minster, contains the following records. On Saturday April 3, 1897, infant Ernest James Saunders was brought for baptism. The Saunders family had lived in Croydon for a while. Ernest’s parents, William, a plumber, and Hannah had been married in the same church in September 1883 by the curate, Rev George Lewis.
Ernest was their fourth child, after William, Edith and Thomas. Their fifth child, Dorothy, was born four years later.
Mentioned in dispatches: Saunders’ success against the snipers made it into the newspapers
In the 1911 census, the Saunders family was living in West Street. William, by then aged 46, was working as a prepayment collector for the local gas company. Hannah, 47, kept house.
Their five children were still living with them. Their eldest, William, aged 19, was a plumber. Edith, 17, was a dressmaker. Thomas, 15, was a cashier with a clothing outfitter. Ernest, 14, and Dorothy, 10, did not have anything recorded to indicate their occupation.
When Ernest Saunders left school, he was employed in the Borough Engineer’s Office. His first day there was November 22, 1912. Being taken on with a job at the council when you left school would have meant a lot to him and his family.
With the outbreak of war in August 1914, Ernest responded instantly to the call to serve his country, joining the Surrey Yeomanry as a trooper. He served in France, Belgium and Italy, surviving all that the world war could throw at him.
He was later attached to the 10th Royal West Surreys.
On March 20, 1917, Ernest, barely out of his teens, found himself at the centre of the conflict. He and two others were on a cavalry patrol near to St Quentin, east of Amiens, when they came under sniper fire.
One of Saunders’ comrades was hit, together with his mount. They were in real danger of being captured, or killed. Saunders thought he had spotted where the snipers were concealed, so dismounted and hid his horse.
Saunders crept up on the enemy position. There was a “sharp exchange of shots”. The military records do not disclose how many snipers there were, but Saunders’ conduct caught the attention of the officer in charge of the patrol noted Saunders’ selfless bravery, as he and his two colleagues escaped, albeit one of them wounded.
Saunders was mentioned in dispatches and recommended for an award.
Almost at the very end of the war, on Saturday November 9, 1918, a special meeting was held at Croydon Town Hall.
The Mayor of Croydon, Alderman Howard Houlder, proudly related the details of Saunders’ valour. He recorded the gratitude he felt that one of their own employees had performed such an act of bravery. He hoped that coming events would allow Saunders to return to his civil employment, along with the thousands of others who were serving in the forces.
Loud applause was heard in the chamber at the conclusion of the mayor’s remarks.
A further ovation broke out when Lieutenant Colonel Thompson, the officer commanding troops in Croydon, stepped forward to pin medals on Saunders’ chest.
There in the Town Hall Chamber, councillors and staff, some of whom might have known Ernest Saunders from before the war, looked on in awe as the young man, still only 21, had returned home from serving his country with outstanding bravery.
Saunders did get back into civilian life. On May 21, 1919, he married Ivy Raisin in St Saviour’s Church, and they set up home at 149 Queens Road. His occupation on his wedding certificate was given as “clerk”.
Wedding day: how the records from the Minster archive help trace Ernest Saunders’ life story
By 1921, the young couple were enjoying parenthood with their daughter Audrey Joan. The Census shows Ernest was still working at the Town Hall, but by 1939, Saunders had exchanged his desk at the Town Hall for the waters of the Central Baths, Scarbrook Road, where he and Ivy were named as baths superintendent and matron. Possibly, they took over from the earlier custodians Mr and Mrs Halstead.
I wonder if Ernest Saunders’ medals have been passed down through the family?
The story of Ernest Saunders is a reminder about how “ordinary” men and women managed under extreme conditions of warfare, and coped in peacetime.
But not all were as lucky as Private Saunders.
If you would like a group tour of Croydon Minster or want to book a school visit, then ring the Minster Office on 020 688 8104 or go to the website on www.croydonminster.org and use the contact page
Some previous articles by David Morgan:
- Cranmer and Croydon’s part in the Book of Common Prayer
- Croydon Commander with friends in high Admiralty places
- The church fire that consumed a thousand years of history
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