Great War ended the lives of many great men

The sadness of this loss was felt keenly a century ago this week at the funeral of Eastbourne army officer Robert Francis Malcolm Gee who was laid to rest in Ocklynge Cemetery.

The second lieutenant died in Netley Hospital from head wounds suffered in action on October 18 at the age of just 20.

A former Eastbourne College pupil, he had entered Trinity College at Cambridge before answering the call of his country.

Meanwhile, an active eel hawker shocked family, friends and residents by dropping down dead at just 38 years old.

Alfred George Apps, who lived in Cinque Ports yard in Rye, was the subject of an inquest at the East Sussex hospital in Hastings 100 years ago this week.

His widow gave evidence during the hearing to tell the borough coroner, a Mr W J Glenister, that her husband had left home early one morning to catch the train to Hastings to get his hands on some slippery eels and was expected back at 4pm that afternoon.

But he never made it home again, dropping dead on his way back despite being an active and healthy man.

Wounded Belgian soldiers were continuing to convalesce in Battle with The Argus reporting that “they walk about the town imparting quite a military aspect to the principal streets”.

The arrival of the Belgian soldiers had brought the best out of the people in Battle with the Very Rev E R Currie ironically granting the Red Cross Society the use of the Church Hall as an emergency room. The Committee of the Mountjoy Institute had also granted soldiers use of their building for use of their games.