Great Torrington Remembers
Lieutenant Arthur Ernest Lillington Rudd
Arthur Rudd was born and baptised in Great Torrington in 1889 to Bertice and Lucy Rudd, both of whom were also Torringtonians by birth. Details of their early life are difficult to report on as there are no records from the 1891 census or school records. However, the 1901 census does provide us with some information. At this time, Arthur is 11 years of age. The family make their living from the gloving trade with both parents having their occupations related to this trade; Bertie as a “glove cutter silk” and Lucy as a “glove manufacturer”. The family is made up of four more children, all daughters. These being Kathleen, age 8; Jeanette, age 4; Ethel, age 1 and a newborn who has no name registered. The family’s address is listed as 10 New Street, Great Torrington.
There is also information available to suggest the family is affluent. As well as the family members listed in the property in the 1901 census, there are also two servants in the household. Sarah Nancullus, age 34, is listed as a “monthly nurse” and Florence King, age 13, is a “general servant domestic”. Both are recorded as having Great Torrington as a birthplace. The second piece of information is from a press cutting relating to a bicycle accident in the town. Although not directly related to the Rudd family, the article mentions that the victim of the collision was rushed to the North Devon Infirmary by a motor car “kindly lent by Mrs Rudd, of New Street, Torrington” [1]. This commodity would have been rare at the time and only available to the ‘better off’. The final piece of information would be from Arthur’s education.
Records show that Arthur Rudd was educated at the prestigious boarding school, Cranleigh School, in Surrey. Arthur appears on the school’s Roll of Honour and his mother is listed amongst the donors for the Cranleigh School War Memorial Fund on 4th December 1920. It noted that she pledged thirteen pounds.
Details of Arthur’s life between his schooling and we he enlisted are limited. We know that he held a Master’s Certificate in the Merchant Service prior to the war [2]. We also know that he enlisted early in the hostilities as his name appears on the town’s Roll of Honour, published in the North Devon Journal [3]. At this point he held the position of ‘Sub-Lieutenant’, although this appears to have been a temporary rank until it was officially confirmed on 1st September 1914 [4].
In May 1917, Lt. Rudd was serving on the HMT Bracklyn. In peace time the 303 ton ship was owned by the Brooklyn Fishing Co. in Fleetwood and had been built by J. Duthie Torry SB Co. in Aberdeen. However, at the outset of the war the ship was requisitioned and modified into a minesweeper.
Trawlers were widely used in both world wars as they were perfect for naval operations due to their robustness. Moreover, they could be simply transformed for minesweeping duties. Reports show that the Bracklyn hit and was sunk by a mine that had been laid by German submarine UC 1 on 11th May 1917 off the Norfolk coast east of Yarmouth. 11 crew members, including Lt. Rudd perished.
Arthur’s death was reported in the North Devon Journal on 17th May 1917. He was described as “a high-minded gentleman, and his passing is deeply lamented by a large circle of friends and acquaintances” [5]. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission note that Lt. Rudd had been awarded the Order of St Anne, which is a Russian medal awarded for distinguished service in the military, although I have been unable to corroborate this. At the time of his death, his next of kin, his mother, was still living at Palmer House, New Street; Arthur never married as has no direct family line. As well as being remembered on the Great Torrington war memorial, Arthur Rudd is also remembered on the Chatham Naval memorial in Kent.
[1] Western Times. August 31st 1917. ‘News of the West’.
[2] North Devon Journal. May 17th 1917. ‘Lieut. Rudd, of Torrington, Killed In Action’.
[3] North Devon Journal. October 8th 1914. ‘Great Torrington’s Roll of Honour’.
[4] The London Gazette. December 4th 1914. ‘Admiralty, 2nd December 1914. Royal Navy Reserve.
[5] North Devon Journal. May 17th 1917. ‘Lieut. Rudd, of Torrington, Killed In Action’.
Palmer House, Great Torrington
Wreck site of HMT Bracklyn
