James Row Mayes (born 7^th Sept. 1853, Stody) and his wife Elizabeth (born 1854, Wood Norton) had nine children. James himself was the fourth of eight children born to John and Mary. A tall man with a long beard he was quiet and gentle, starting work as a butcher and then becoming a *teamster on a farm. [*A teamster was one who drove a team of horses.   The large horses were used to plough the fields and to pull wagons. ] 

Elizabeth would have had a hard life bringing up nine children and is remembered as being very strict and stern. Like many of her generation, and beyond, children were not allowed to speak unless spoken to. The front room was always clean and tidy and probably used ‘for best’. Her home was furnished with large heavy chairs and cupboards of ornaments.

The 1911 census states that by then three of the nine children had already died – Arthur William at the age of 9 (born 1879, christened 21/4/1879, died 1888), Charles less than 1 year old (in 1890 but christened 3/8/1890) and another we were unable to identify.

Of the remaining 6 children James Matthew worked as a groom (in 1891), Gertrude was in service (1911), Edward Stephen and Elizabeth May were scholars (in 1891) and Hubert George Row was a farm labourer (in 1911) and his brother Ernest Charles (in 1911) a groom.

In 1911 James Row Mayes is shown as a horseman and despite the family moving to Thornage in about 1876 they are now living in 5 rooms in Sharrington. There are only two sons living at home now – Hubert and Ernest – the two brothers who were to both join the Essex Regiment and die for their country.

The eldest son, James Matthew may have started working life as a groom but became a bricklayer’s labourer. He married Elizabeth (Lily) Sampher in 1904 and lived at California houses in Wells next to the Sea, having 3 children.

Gertrude stayed in service, working for a family called Vicary in Melton Constable. By 1897 she worked for a family called Storey in Norwich and the tale goes she became pregnant by the son. Her daughter, Kate Elizabeth Storey Mayes was born in 1898 and lived with her grandparents, firstly in Thornage and then Sharrington. A happy ending though Gertrude married Ernest Clark, in Farnham, Surrey and their daughter married Edward Mansfield, a carpenter. She was to have eight children. It is due to her youngest child – Eileen Smith that we are able to fill in a lot more information about the Mayes family.

Elizabeth (known as Bessie) married Ephraim Armiger an agricultural labourer from Sculthorpe in 1908. Living in Dunton-cum-Doughton at Church Meadow they had 13 children. Two of the boys may well have been named after their mother’s youngest brother – Ernest (b.1913) and Charles (b. 1920).

Hubert (often referred to as Herbert in the records) was in the Essex regiment, a Private (service number 4447). Sent home due to wounds sustained during fighting he was listed as dying ‘at home’ – meaning in the U.K. He actually died on the 25^th April 1916 in the 1^st Eastern General Hospital, Cambridge and was buried in Sharrington churchyard on 29^th April, aged 35. [This does contradict his great niece Eileen’s understanding that Herbert did not see service abroad].

Parts of the 1^st Eastern General hospital were built on a former cricket field belonging to King’s and Clare colleges. A series of pre fabricated wooden huts with up to 1,700 beds; officially the 1st Eastern had 151 Officer beds and 1,191 Other Ranks beds. Operating theatres and other facilities were here with the open air wards and use of sunlight and saline baths for treatment attracting a lot of attention. Pending the building of this extra facility the wounded had been in the hospital headquarters in Trinity College, with beds in the Leys School and in the grounds of Trinity College. Medical and nursing staff of Addenbrooke’s Hospital also worked on this site and various wards of Addenbrooke’s ended up being considered an extension of the 1st Eastern. Between 1914 and 1918 more than 80,000 casualties were brought here by train with horrific injuries caused by machine gun fire or because of inhaling poisonous gas. For nearly five years there was a relentless stream of horse drawn and motorised ambulance bringing patients from the railway station. Along with deliveries of supplies such as food, coal, medicine and laundry. Today the site is the Cambridge University Library.

Hubert’s grave in our churchyard is that of him and his younger brother – Ernest Charles. Alongside that of their parents, James Row who died 9^th June 1933 aged 80 and his wife Elizabeth who died 19^th December 1938 aged 84 years. Eileen has the two memorial plaques that were issued to the next-of-kin of all British and Empire service personnel who were killed as a result of the war. Made of bronze and popularly known as the ‘Dead Man’s Penny’ 1,355,000 were issued.