Captain Charles Eustace Fishbourne

Charles Eustace Fishbourne was born on the 15^th January 1885 in Llandyssill, Montgomery, Wales. He was the son of Reverend Edward Alexander Fishbourne and Harriet Fishbourne. He was educated at St. George’s, Windsor, and Malvern College¹.

He was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Engineers on the 21^st December 1904. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 23^rd June 1907. His military service saw him completing survey work in Uganda and later with the London Traffic Commission. He retired from the military on the 4^th January 1913 and became the Assistant General Manager at the London General Omnibus Company¹.

At the outbreak of the Great War he re-joined the army and served with the 9^th Field Company, Royal Engineers. He went to the front on 21^st August 1914¹

On the 18^th November 1914 he was wounded at Ploegsteert Wood¹. Known as “Plugstreet” by those who served in the Great War, Ploegsteert is in Flanders and about eight miles south of the infamous Ypres battlefields. As a result of his wounds he was invalided home¹.

In 1915 he was promoted to the rank of Captain². He was appointed the Adjutant of the Royal Engineers Reserves at Chatham¹. Due to his service he was mentioned in Field Marshal Sir French’s Despatch of 14 January 1915³.

On 10^th June 1915 he died at Field House, Ledborough Lane, Beaconsfiel Buckinghamshire^4/5. The cause of his death was “spotted fever” that contracted at Chatham^1/6. Spotted Fever is an old name for meningococcal meningitis

On Saturday 12^th June 1915, Charles Eustace Fishbourne was buried in the churchyard at All Saints, Gresford, Wrexham, in a service conducted Archdeacon Fletcher⁵. The reason for this is that at the time of his deat his father, Reverend Edward Alexander Fishbourne was the Vicar at Saints, Gresford⁶. During this funeral service he was accorded full military honours⁶.

Records show that Charles Eustace Fishbourne was awarded the Victory medal, British Medal, 1914 Star, and that he was mentioned in despatches in 1915⁸.

Charles Eustace Fishbourne left a wife, Mary Elizabeth Fishbourne, and two sons, Patrick Alexander Fishbourne, born 10^th February 1913, aged 1 on the death of his father, and Charles Michael Eustace Fishbourne, born 2^nd November 1915, after his father’s death. His family were residing at 89, Overstrand Mansions, Battersea, London at the time of his death¹

Charles left a will and an estate of £6330 4s 5d⁴.

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Great War Graves at All Saints, Gresford

Also see Charles Eustace FISHBOURNE by Mavis Williams.

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Sources:

1. Ancestry.co.uk, Entry for Fishbourne, Charles Eustace UK, De Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour 1914- 1929, [Online Subscription Service]
2. The London Gazette, Index to the London Gazette, Vol.1 1915, page 81
3. The London Gazette, Supplement to the London Gazette 17^th February 1915, Issue 29072, Page 1656 [Online] http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29072/supplements/1656
4. Principal Probate Registry, Entry for Charles Eustace Fishbourne, Probate date 11^th December 1915, Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England, London, England
5. Gresford Burials 1887 – 1944, Entry for Charles Eustace Fishbourne 12^th June 1915, number 823, page 103, Gresford Parish Registers volume 29 (microfilm), Reference PD/34/1/563, Wrexham Museum & Archives, Wrexham.
6. The Wrexham Advertiser and North Wales News, Saturday 12th June 1915, Wrexham Museum & Archives, Wrexham
7. The Wrexham Advertiser and North Wales News, Saturday 19th June 1915, Wrexham Museum & Archives, Wrexham
8. Army Medal Office, Charles Eustace Fishbourne, WW1 Medal Index, Western Front Association
9. Grave photographs by John Davies.