Lieutenant, Sherwood Foresters (6th Battalion)
Born: October 23rd 1897
Died: October 24th 1917
Age at Death: 20
Died of wounds, France, October 24th 1917
Grave reference IV.L.4 Wimereux Communal Cemetery, France.
Son of Montague & Ada Groves of Salisbury, Rhodesia, South Africa.
Brighton War Memorial.
A donation to the memorial statue has been made in honour of this soldier by Anthony Whitestone (Housemaster 1987-1996).
As the last Housemaster of Chichester House (boys), I would like to honour the memory of Richard Groves, and all the other gallant young men of Chichester House who left the school never to return. With profound gratitude.
A donation to the memorial statue has been made in honour of this soldier by AN ABRAHAM HOUSE Old Brightonian.
Obituary Brightonian XV December, 1917
R.Groves entered Chichester House in April, 1912. He was always a keen soldier, and had he stayed longer at the College would have been a senior N.C.O. in the O.T.C. As it was, he reached the rank of Corporal, and, with characteristic keenness became big drummer. After leaving the College, he was working for a time at the Brighton Railway Works. When of age to join up, he was gazetted to the Sherwood Foresters in December, 1915, and went to France in October, 1916, and fought in the Battle of Messiness Ridge in June, 1917. In July he gained his second star, and was mortally wounded on October 18th, while supervising repairs to a bench under heavy shell fire.
Richard died of these wounds on October 24th, 1917.
Richard Groves
Richard Groves was born in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe) on 23rd October 1897, the only son of Montagu and Ada Groves. The Family appears to have continued to live there throughout his childhood before returning to England and settling in 10 Buckingham Road, Brighton. It appears that he received a commission into the 6th Battalion, ‘Sherwood Foresters’ (as the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire regiment is known) shortly after leaving school. However, very unusually for one so young he also married one Ida Mary during this period and it was to be a widow Ida, rather than his parents, who inherited his small estate of £137 on his death. He was later attached to the 11th Battalion, ‘Sherwood Foresters’ and it was while serving with this unit at the Third Battle of Ypres that he sustained the wounds from which he was to die in a military hospital on 24th October 1917. He is buried in the Commonwealth War Graves section of Wimereueux Communal Cemetery where his grave, has a personalised inscription ordered by his parents which reads:
‘Beloved & only son of Montague & Ada Groves Rhodesia’
Source: LEST WE FORGET PROJECT, Brighton College 2014/15
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