Pat Reed of Helensburgh in Scotland was in possession of a cup
presented to her great-grandmother Emily Rundle-Woolcock. Pat kindly
offered to donate the cup to add to the collection of 25th memorabilia
held by Russell Ridout.
Pat did not know the history of why her
Great-Grandmother was presented with it. She was born Emily Corfield
Rundle on 22/4/1864, married to Thomas Cleave Woolcock on 18/10/1888.
She died died on the 29/4/1934. Emily lived mainly in the UK, but spent
some years in early Rhodesia. She was also a published author of several
books - 'The Bible Punchers : or Shifting the Batteries', 'Engineers,
Halt!', 'Two Artillerymen or Light in Darkness', 'A Romance of the Veldt
'and 'In Rhodes Land'.
The Cup is 6 ½ inches high, with a
circumference of 14 inches and the flanged base is 17 ½ inches. The
diameter of the base is 5 ½ inches. It was made from EPNS by James
Deakin & Sons of Sheffield. (see
http://www.silvercollection.it/ENGLADEAKIN.html).
Perhaps the
following explains the connection to the 25th Londons.
The 25th Londons visited Sussex a number of times for training,
Battle 1908, Houndean Lewes 1909, Malling Farm, Lewes 1910, Rye 1911,
St. Leonards 1913, Rye 1914. After the outbreak of war was declared the
1/25th were mobilised and took up war stations on the South Coast for a
week in Aug 1914. The 2/25th took up war stations on the South Coast in
Nov 1914, headquarters Lewes, until April 1915. As the cup was presented
at Christmas 1914 it was possibly in appreciation of her hospitality to
the 2/25th.
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