Blackmore. Remembrance 100. Twenty-one days. Twenty-one names. (16) Ernest Maynard

Ernest Albert Maynard
War Memorial: Place and inscription Blackmore War Memorial: L/Corp. E Maynard Essex. Church window: Ernest A Maynard. Ongar & District War Memorial Hospital Roll of Honour (Blackmore) as E A Maynard [ERO A10815].
Rank: Lance Corporal
Regiment: Bedfordshire Regiment "A" Coy. 8th Battalion (formerly 27282 Essex)  Service No: 33237 [CWGC]
Service Details: Enlisted: Warley. [WFA] Medal card shows roll ref for Victory/British medals as K/2/104 B11 p. 744.  No reference to L/cpl rank. [Ancestry.com]
Personal and family information: The Baptism Register [ERO D/P 266/1/11] confirms that Ernest Albert Maynard was baptised on 4th May 1890. His parents were George, a builder, and Emma. Ernest Albert Maynard is recorded in the Sunday School ‘Scholars’ Admission Book’, baptised May 4 1890 [ERO D/P 266/28]. In the 1901 census Ernest Maynard was living in the Chelmsford Road with his parents, George and Emma,  and 4 older children: Fred W, Joseph H, Eleanor and Edgar. In 1911 census his parents lived in Chelmsford Road, Blackmore. George, a bricklayer born Blackmore was aged 62, and Emma, his wife of 40 years, born Mile End, was 58 years old. In the 1911 census Ernest Maynard (then aged 21) was a “domestic gardener” living with his sister Gerlinda [Gertrude] Sankey (aged 26) and her husband, William Sankey (aged 28, a “groom domestic”) at Ivy Cottage, Stondon Massey.  William Sankey is recorded on the War Memorial as coming through the war.  Ernest Maynard worked in the garden at Stondon Massey Rectory before going to war.  George Maynard died, aged 63, and was buried at Blackmore on 20th March 1912 [Burial Register –original in Church Safe]. Revd. Edward Reeve, Rector of Stondon Massey, was a keen recorder of events during the First World War. He wrote [source: ERO T/P 188/3]: 7th February 1916 Gardeners of military age who can pass the medical tests will now of course be unknown.  William Penson, gardener at Stondon Rectory, went in November 1914 to do his part.  He was engaged for some five months at Stratford, and then proceeded for a rather longer period to Chelmsford where he was employed in guarding Marconi Wireless electric apparatus, and in patrol work of divers kinds.  More recently he has been removed to Manningtree. His place has been filled by Ernest Maynard, a Blackmore lad who has been learning under him, but he too will now be in request for home service. 7th March 1916 Our younger garden helper, Ernest Maynard, has now been called up, and is to join his company for duty on March 15th at Epping. 6th July 1917 We have received news of the death of Ernest Maynard killed on the French Front, formerly a helper in the Rectory Garden.  It appears that he was attached to a Machine Gun which was doing good service when a shell burst among those manning it, killing most of them instantaneously.” Reeve kept a number of letters relating to local men serving on the Western Front. Two letters relate to Ernest Maynard [ERO D/P 98/28/18] 1.            A black edged letter “Fingrith Hall Road, Blackmore. July 13 [1917] The Rev Reeve Dr Sir. so sorry to write to tell you the sad news of the death of our dear brother Ernest Maynard who was killed in action June 27. Mother has received a very nice letter referring to his noble death also that he was buried in a cemetery.  Yours truly J H Maynard” 2.            a second letter, dated 8th August 1917 “Dr Sir. Thankyou very much for letter received so sorry but we were unable to answear before as Mother was waiting the captains letter so I have enclosed same My brother was in the Essex drafted to the Bedfords and he was also a Lewis gunner untill he met his death again thanking you for your kind letter. Yours truly J Maynard”. Reeve noted on the letter, “He was hit by a shell and died instantly. Buried at the British Cemetery at Philosophe. G W Brewster. Captain”. [ERO D/P 98/28/18] Revd. Reeve records that Ernest Maynard “joined at Epping in March [1916] the 12th Essex” [ERO T/P 188/3 f745] Following the War Revd Reeve wrote of the deliberations of names to be included on the War Memorial at Stondon Massey: “The six names are all that we could fairly include, though Ernest Maynard, a Blackmore lad who worked in the Rectory garden here up to the time of enlisting, was well known, and almost eligible; and Fred Garnham, who fell in the Mons retreat, had been brought up in the village, but had married and joined from Radley Green, Writtle.  R J Ellis was living at Norton [Mandeville] when he died, but was included as being a true Stondon lad, and with his old parents still in the parish” [ERO T/P 188/3 f860-863] His name is not recorded on the Essex Regiment Museum database. [Essex Regiment Museum]. Following the war his mother always laid a wreath at the War Memorial every Armistice Day to his memory [Mary Coller].
Date of Death: 27th June 1917
Age: 27
Where died: Killed in action  [WFA]
Place of Burial or Commemoration: I. S. 19. Cemetery: Philosophe British Cemetery, Mazingarbe.  [CWGC]
List of Sources: Ancestry.com, Mary Coller “Blackmore My 1920s Wonderland”, Church Safe with grateful acknowledgment to the Vicar and churchwardens, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Essex Record Office, Western Front Association