Lieutenant, South Staffordshire Regiment, attached Machine Gun Corps.
Born: January 7th, 1897
Died: December 13th 1919
Age at Death: 22
Died of wounds, December 13th 1919
Son of S. Newton of Stourbridge.
A donation to the memorial statue has been made in honour of this soldier by a Bristol House Old Brightonian.
Samuel Thomas Newton
Samuel Newton was born on the 7th January 1897 in Lytham near Blackpool, Lancashire. His parents were Samuel and Mercy Newton and he had one much older brother called Edgar. His father inherited a builders’ merchants known as ‘Nine Locks’ from his own father in 1902.
Samuel Newton was a pupil at Brighton College (Chichester House) from 1912-1915. He was obviously a considerable sportsman who played football for the 1st XI and excelled at athletics. Some of his performances on the running track as recorded by the school were very notable and included a school record of 23 ¼ seconds in the 220 yards flat race.
In Easter 1915 he left Brighton College and two months later received a commission in the 5th Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment. He was initially attached the Machine Gun Corps however and served in Egypt before transferring to France in January 1916. On August 10, 1916 he was in a dugout in the frontline when a shrapnel shell burst very close to him and he sustained life-threatening, and life-changing, injuries to the lungs and back. In September 1916 he was invalided back to the Alexander and Empire Hospital in London where he was sent home in January 1917, partially recovered but suffering from permanent paralysis to his legs. In March 1918 it is clear that he recognised his wounds were permanent because he resigned his commission. During the next two years he, according to reports, remained of a ‘bright and cheery disposition’ despite his injuries but unfortunately he was still afflicted by his wounds and his condition was slowly deteriorating.
On 13th December 1919 he passed away quietly in his sleep, late casualty of the war but a lethal one nonetheless. His funeral took place on 17th December 1919 at Stourbridge Cemetery and full military honours were granted.
Source: LEST WE FORGET PROJECT, Brighton College 2014/15