Rupert Edwin Penfold Grimley

 

Location: All Saints Church,  Church Lane, Ellington, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE28 0AU

Details on Cross:

RUPERT EDWIN PENFOLD GRIMLEY
14th BATT. LONDON ATT.
7th BATT. GORDON HIGHLANDERS
Pte 313035
DOW 31.7.1918

Text type (e.g. hand-written, GRU tags, carved): IWGC Tags.

Cross dimensions (millimetres please)
Shaft Height: 1140 mm
Cross beam width: 595 mm, positioned 195 mm from the top of the cross. The cross beam has pointed ends.
Width of wood: Vertical shaft 66 mm, cross beam 70 mm
Thickness or depth: Vertical shaft 23 mm, cross beam 30 mm

Other information

Mounting to wall: Hook in wall, cross tied to it with plastic ties. Placed above entrance to a stairwell. This can be seen in the photo on your web site – approx. 1/3 from right of image and half way up. It now has a ‘Tower of London’ poppy attached to it with the poppy stalk being inserted behind the plastic tag. This poppy was presented in memory of three other men. See photo: Grimley_04

Detailing:

Evidence of use in field (earth marking, cracking, staining, shrinkage): The shading on the shaft differs along its length (darker towards the top).

Surface insertion depth (into ground if apparent): Approx 400 mm

Finish (varnish, paint, oiled, unfinished etc): It appears that the shaft may have been varnished as there is a reasonably clear colour difference showing the depth the cross was inserted in the ground.

 

Condition (cracked, paint peeling, woodwork, damage etc): Generally good condition.

The cross beam has some signs of greyish ‘paint’ and black lettering (unreadable). Possibly in line with it reportedly being made from an old signpost?

 

Notes and observations:

 

Name tag is damaged, being broken off after the G of the surname.

There is a memorial to those who fell in the Great War near the church gate. See photo: Grimley_01

There is a framed memorial to three men from Great Stukeley – see note above re poppy and photo: Grimley_04

There is a Roll of Honour to men of Ellington who served in the Great War, including RUPERT EDWIN PENFOLD GRIMLEY. Beneath this Roll of Honour are references to other men who fought in the Great War and World War Two.

The citation for RUPERT EDWIN PENFOLD GRIMLEY reads:

RUPERT EDWIN PENFOLD GRIMLEY

Born 1900, Died 31 July 1918 aged 18

Rupert was the only son of the reverend Arthur Lee Grimley and Mrs Amy Matilda Grimley and was born in 1900 in the old (now demolished) vicarage in Ellington.

He enlisted in Huntingdon and joined the 14th Battalion London Regiment (London Scottish) as a Private holding the service number 313035.

Rupert died of wounds on 31st July 1918. His comrades marked the spot with a cross which they made from an Ypres sign post. This cross, with Rupert’s name and number can be seen hanging over the steps to the left of the organ in this church. The church, All Saints Ellington, which his father was the vicar of Ellington from 1897 – 1933.

Rupert is buried in Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wilmille, France, Grave Reference XVII. B. 17.

Terlincthun British Cemetery is situated on the outskirts of Boulogne.

There is a picture of the Cemetery below this citation.

CWGC
GRIMLEY, RUPERT EDWIN PENFOLD
Rank: Private
Service No: 313035
Date of Death: 31/07/1918
Age: 18
Regiment/Service: London Regiment (London Scottish)

14th Bn. attd. 1st/7th Bn. Gordon Highlanders
Grave Reference: XVII. B. 17.
Cemetery: TERLINCTHUN BRITISH CEMETERY, WIMILLE
Additional Information: Son of the Rev. Arthur Lee Grimley and Mrs. Amy Matilda Grimley, of Ellington Vicarage, Huntingdon.

Lives of the First World War

Roll of Honour

Survey Data and photography courtesy of Keith and Lyn Edmonds
Date of survey: 4th May 2017