Peddle family

Stop number BLUE 10: To the right of E Carter you will see the headstone for the Peddle family and the memorial inscription for Charlie Neighbour.

Peddle grave

Read the story below and when you are ready to move on click on the dot/circle for P Wingrove.


Peddle grave	Cows in High Street (SWOP HWS20851)

Mary Ann Peddle nee Cross (1843-1917)

I am Mary Ann Peddle, a widow, and I was born in Oxfordshire in 1843 and my grave is on the upper path along with that of my husband and his first wife Eunice who died when she was 45 after 19 years of marriage and 7 children.

I only had one surviving child with William and that was Andrew (whose family thankfully survived the war) but I had my work cut out with the sons and daughters of my husband's first family, many of whom are still living in the area, although George emigrated to Australia, well Tasmanis to be more precise. Sadly four of William’s grandchildren will be killed in WW1, the last three after my own death in April 1917 – so I will only know about Charlie who will be killed in Mesopotamia in January of 1917 when he is 19.

Although Charlie is the only one actually mentioned by name on the family headstone (look at the back) the inscription under my name at the bootom of the stonesays ‘also of four grandsons of the above who made the supreme sacrifice’. And here they are:

Charles Neighbour 1899 – Jan 1917 - the son of Fanny nee Peddle and Herbert Neighbour, aged 19 years and 10 months. Although we all lived near one another in Brook Street when he was growing up his family later moved to Desborough Avenue. This was where Mr Shelley employed him as an apprentice in carving for four years. Charlie enlisted in the Royal Warwicks in March 1916 and went to Mesopotamia in September of that year. He was their only son and is greatly missed.

George Peddle 1892- Oct 1917 - the son of George Peddle and Caroline nee Hearn. He was born in Australia, enlisted in the Austrlain army and was killed in Belgium, aged 25.

George William Peddle 1898 - Dec 1917 - the son of Isaac Peddle and Kate nee Cutler, aged 20. You can read a bit more about George at Charles Rose's grave on the Orange trail.

Charles Frederick Rose 1886 - Feb 1918 – the son of Charles and Eunice Ellen Rose nee Peddle, aged 31. His CWGC grave is here in Wycombe cemetery in E Uncon and you can read his story on the Orange trail. Sadly Charles and Eunice also lost his brother Francis William Rose (William) in 1916 but his death was unrelated to the war. Francis William and his father Charles are also buried in the cemetery.

We Peddles were dairymen and grocers and we were allowed to pasture our cows on the Rye, leaving them there during the day and then letting them wander back home along the High Street in the evening. Like most shopkeepers in High Wycombe during WW1, we no doubt did our best to provide provisions for the VAD Hospital in Benjamin Road. In 1916 we would have been supporting the war effort in any way we could – but of course we were still unaware of the tragedy which would shortly befall the family. I’m rather glad that William wasn’t alive to see it.


Mrs Peddle researched by Sally Scagell and Margaret Anderton FLAHG, performed by Mary Edwards, Buckinghamshire Family History Society	Memorial to Charlie Neighbour

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