Illustrated Chronicle
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Heslop's Local Advertiser 16/07/1915
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Hilton Cummins Gustard was born January 3rd 1884 at Newbottle, near Houghton le Spring, County Durham, one of 11 children, all of whom survived, 7 sons and 4 daughters. His father, also native of Newbottle, Thomas Gustard, was born May 5th 1858 and married Mary Cummins born at Bishopwearmouth February 27th 1858, in the district of Houghton le Spring in 1881. They spent a short time in Scotland but had moved to 5, Spring Gardens South at Newbottle with their 5 children by 1891, where Thomas worked as a coal miner. When Hilton was 17 years old he worked below ground as a labourer at the colliery, his brothers Thomas (15) and Ernest (13) were pony drivers below ground. Thomas, Mary and their unmarried children moved to 25, Ridley Street, Felling, near Gateshead in about 1902. Hilton in 1903 married, in the district of Gateshead, Jessie Simpson of Felling, born 1887 and was living at 72, Ridley Street in 1911 with her and their daughter Mary Jane, his wife’s mother and 2 unmarried sisters. He worked as a hewer at the local colliery, their second child, Hilton Cummins Gustard Jnr was born in 1913.
On the outbreak of war Hilton Cummins Gustard enlisted at Gateshead in 1914 assigned as Private 2760 Durham Light Infantry, 9th (Territorial Force) Battalion, D Coy. The battalion as part of the Northumbrian Division moved to Boldon Colliery in early August, then Ravensworth Park returning to Newcastle-upon-Tyne by October. Once mobilisation the battalion along with the other territorials left for France as part of the British Expeditionary Force landing at Boulogne April 17th-18th 1915, Private Gustard joined his regiment in the field April 20th. The Germans attacked Ypres in Belgium April 22nd and without any, “nursery” training the brigades of the 50th Northumbrian Division were rushed into battle on the Belgian salient around St. Julien and the Graavenstaff Ridge. Constant German attacks during April and May forced the division to withdraw towards Ypres. May 14th the 9th Battalion was transferred to the 151st Brigade, 50th Division, late May 1915 the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th battalions were part of the forces that slowed down the German assault at Bellewaarde Ridge in the last battle of the Second Battle of Ypres and remained on the salient until 1916
Private 2760 Hilton Cummins Gustard was killed in action July 4th 1915 aged 31 years, his body interred at Kemmel Chateau Military Cemetery, West Vlaanderen, 8 kilometres south of Ypres, Belgium, grave L78.
Not having left a will, his widow Jessie living at 14, Wallis Street, Felling, was granted probate in the sum of 54 pounds 11 shillings, August 12th 1915. She also received all monies due to him, a pension for herself and their children, his awards of the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal, sent to her at 61, Howe Street, Sunderland Road, Gateshead and commissioned an inscription to be added to his military headstone, it reads, “Death Is The Gate Of Life”.
Jesse Gustard nee Simpson never remarried, she died in the district of Gateshead in 1967 aged 80 years.
Hilton and Jesses’s daughter Mary Jane born 1908 married at Gateshead in 1929 to Gordon Hughes Hodgson with whom she had a son Gordon Hughes Hodgson Jnr born August 24th 1930 and died in 1994 aged 64 years at Wigton, Cumberland, widow Marjory. Gordon Hughes Hodgson Snr and Mary Jane Hodgson nee Gustard died a few months apart during the 4th quarter of 1996.Their youngest son Hilton Cummins Gustard married at Gateshead in 1937 to Margaret Gladys Wood born November 21st 1915 at Tynemouth, Northumberland and with whom he had one known child, Hilton Gustard born at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1943 and who died June 28th 2010 at Newbiggin by the Sea, Northumberland. Hilton Cummins Gustard died at Gateshead in 1991 aged 78 years, his wife Margaret Gladys Gustard nee Wood aged 76 also died in 1991.
Hilton Cummins Gustard’s father Thomas of 13 Havelock Street, Felling Gateshead, died September 19th 1931 aged 72 leaving the sum of 191 pounds 11 shillings 5 pence to his widow Mary Jane and (spinster) daughters Elizabeth Ann, Mary Jane and Florence Gustard. His mother Mary Jane Gustard nee Cummins died June 8th 1938 at Felling aged 79 years.
During WW1 6 of the 7 Gustard brothers would have been old enough to serve however as 70% of all WW1 military records were destroyed during the blitz of WW2 not all details exist.
Hilton’s eldest brother Henry born 1883 joined the Durham Light Infantry as Private 2328 and later having transferred to the Machine Gun Corp as Private 155289 he served in France as of June 28th 1915 and on the Western Front for the duration of the war, recipient of the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. He died at Romford, Essex in 1942 aged 59 years.
Thomas Gustard Jnr born 1886 served with the 18th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers as Private 274 and was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme in France, July 1st 1916. Recipient of the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Matthew Gustard born 1892 enlisted September 6th 1914 and was assigned as Private 2411 Durham Light Infantry. Having served overseas he was later transferred, no longer fit for front line duty, to the 2nd N. F. A. Royal Army Medical Corp as Private 388623. Discharged April 3rd 1919, aged 27 years 5 months under King’s regulations 392(xvi), 'no longer physically fit for service'. Awarded Silver Badge B162635 also recipient British War Medal and Victory Medial. He married Elizabeth Mary Booth, September 25th 1918 and died December 31st 1949 at Blackpool, Lancashire, aged 57 years.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
His death was reported in Heslop's Local Advertiser 16/7/1915:
"Pt. Hilton Cummings Gustard, D. Company, 9th Battalion D.L.I., in France, on July 4th, aged 31 years. Husband of Jessie Gustard, of 14 Wallis Street, Felling.
Hilton Cummins Gustard is remembered at Windy Nook on W95.01 and W95.02 at Gateshead on G39.004 and at Heworth on H92.03, H92.04 and H92.07
