Born in Coddenham, Suffolk, Lummis was the oldest of seven children born to George Murrell Lummis (1860–1912) and Louisa Sparrow (1854–1933).[2] After leaving school at the age of 14, Lummis worked as a clerk in a Magistrates' Clerk's Office in his hometown of Coddenham before enlisting, aged 18, in the 11th Hussars as a trooper in 1904.[3] By 1911 he was a Lance Sergeant and became responsible, amongst other duties, for the editing of the 11th Hussars' regimental journal.[3] At that time he met the survivors of the Charge of the Light Brigade who had gathered for a reunion. In 1912 he endeavoured to create a complete and accurate roll of the men who had served in the 11th Hussars in the Crimean War.[4]
After the War ended, he remained in the Army, serving in India, Britain and Ireland. He was appointed Adjutant and Quarter-Master in the Army School of Education in India, returning to England in 1925,[3] rejoining his regiment on 14 October.[5] He was promoted to captain on 21 January 1928,[6] and on 9 December 1930 he reached the retirement age for service,[7] remaining in the reserve of officers for a further five years.[8] On leaving the Army he researched the other four Light Brigade regiments which had also taken part in the Charge of the Light Brigade.[4]
Ministry
Lummis was ordained deacon in the Church of England in 1930.[3] Moving back to his home county of Suffolk, his first living was at St Matthew's church, Ipswich, followed by other appointments in the county, including Rural Dean of South Elmham.[3] In 1955, he became a Canon of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.[3] After retirement, he went to live in Barnham Broom in Norfolk, though he continued in the ministry, holding various part-time appointments in nearby parishes, and acting as Rural Dean of Higham.[3]
Although his main interest was military history, he also wrote two books on English parishes. He was also active in the Suffolk Institute of Archeology and the Suffolk Preservation Society.[3][4] Throughout his life, he shared his work with others, encouraging them to continue work that he had started. In his 98th year, he appeared in a BBC television programme, Timewatch, recounting his memories of meeting survivors of the Charge of the Light Brigade.[3] He was the first honorary president of the Crimean War Research Society[12] and chaplain to the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association, whose membership is made up exclusively of recipients of those awards.
Victoria Cross archive
Lummis' interest in Victoria Cross recipients started when he was a schoolboy in the 1890s. He built up an archive of the service records and final resting places of Victoria Cross holders, summarising the results in a pamphlet. However, Lummis perceived short-comings in his work and encouraged David Harvey to continue and develop it, making his archives available to him. The result was Harvey's seminal book Monuments to Courage.
Charge of the Light Brigade archive
Lummis' first regiment, the 11th Hussars rode in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. Whilst editing the regimental journal, Lummis met and interviewed many surviving members of the Charge.[1][3] (The last veteran of Balaklava died in 1927)[13] Hearing about the 1875 reunion when over 2000 men claimed to have taken part, he set about preparing a roll of those who charged, soon fleshing the list out with biographies. Over his lifetime, this built into a major archive, acknowledged as a major source by Lawrence W. Crider for his book, In Search of the Light Brigade.[14] Lummis was also the co-author, with Kenneth G. Wynn, of Honour the Light Brigade, which was published when he was 83 years old.[4]
Rorke's Drift research
Padre George Smith of Rorke's Drift was the subject of a book by Lummis
It is unclear when his interest in the Zulu Wars developed but his 1978 book Padre George Smith of Rorke's Drift was a detailed analysis of the part played by Smith in the famous battle of Rorke's Drift during the Zulu War of 1879. The book showed that Smith's involvement in the defence of the mission station had been seriously overlooked in favour of the more famous participants, such as John Chard and Gonville Bromhead, who had won Victoria Crosses during the action. Padre Smith is depicted in the centre of Alphonse de Neuville's famous 1880 painting 'The Defence of Rorke's Drift' distributing ammunition to the defenders.[15]
Legacy
His collection of artefacts (including many photographs) and his archives from his Victoria Cross and Light Brigade research were deposited with the Imperial War Museum[16] and the National Army Museum. When the Royal Mail produced a series of stamps in 2006 commemorating the Victoria Cross, they featured photographs and artifacts from the Lummis archive at the National Army Museum.[17] His tape-recorded memoirs, covering the period 1904–1919, are in the Imperial War Museum sound archives.[18] His notes and papers on the histories of Norfolk parishes (1931–1967) went to the Norfolk Record Office.[19] His Crimean War archives were shared with Dave Harvey, Ken Horton, Glenn Fisher, Andrew Sewell, Roy Mills,[20] and Edward James Boys.[20] Since Lummis' death in 1985, the Crimean War Research Society has awarded the Canon Lummis Trophy annually for original research into the Crimean War.
William Lummis married Agnes Templeton (1897–1976) in 1919[3] and was the father of Lieutenant-Colonel Eric Templeton Lummis (1920–1999) of the Suffolk Regiment and a World War II military historian.
Selected works
Honour the Light Brigade (with Kenneth G. Wynn), J. B. Hayward and Son, 1973, ISBN0-903754-03-7
First Lieutenant Edward St John Daniel. The Tragic Story of the Only Officer to Forfeit the VC; Journal of the Orders and Medals Research Society, December 1969, pp 100–102.
The Churches of Bungay (with Ethel Mann), British Publishing Company, 1950
Kesgrave. A short guide to church and parish, W. E. Calver, 1937
Notes and references
^ abRoy Dutton, Forgotten Heroes: The Charge of the Light Brigade, InfoDial Ltd, (2007) - Google Books pg. 4
^ abThe Lives of the Light Brigade: the E. J. Boys Archive
March 18, 2023
william, lummis, canon, william, murrell, lummis, june, 1886, november, 1985, british, military, historian, most, noted, research, conducted, victoria, cross, charge, light, brigade, rorke, drift, william, murrell, lummiscanon, lummisborn4, june, 1886coddenham. Canon William Murrell Lummis MC 4 June 1886 2 November 1985 was a British military historian most noted for the research he conducted on the Victoria Cross the Charge of the Light Brigade and Rorke s Drift 1 William Murrell LummisCanon W M LummisBorn4 June 1886Coddenham SuffolkDied2 November 1985 aged 99 years NationalityUnited KingdomOther namesCanon William Murrell LummisOccupation s Soldier Church of England clergymanKnown forMilitary history Contents 1 Military career 2 Ministry 3 Historian writer researcher 3 1 Victoria Cross archive 3 2 Charge of the Light Brigade archive 3 3 Rorke s Drift research 4 Legacy 5 Selected works 6 Notes and referencesMilitary career Edit William Lummis c 1904 Born in Coddenham Suffolk Lummis was the oldest of seven children born to George Murrell Lummis 1860 1912 and Louisa Sparrow 1854 1933 2 After leaving school at the age of 14 Lummis worked as a clerk in a Magistrates Clerk s Office in his hometown of Coddenham before enlisting aged 18 in the 11th Hussars as a trooper in 1904 3 By 1911 he was a Lance Sergeant and became responsible amongst other duties for the editing of the 11th Hussars regimental journal 3 At that time he met the survivors of the Charge of the Light Brigade who had gathered for a reunion In 1912 he endeavoured to create a complete and accurate roll of the men who had served in the 11th Hussars in the Crimean War 4 By the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914 he was Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant the youngest in the British Army He served on the Western Front throughout the War taking part in the Retreat from Mons and seeing action in Flanders 4 He was commissioned in 1916 and transferred to his county regiment the Suffolk Regiment serving with the regiment s second battalion for the remainder of the war 3 He was awarded the Military Cross for bravery on 21 23 August 1918 during the Second Battle of the Somme 3 He commanded the battalion on 23 October 1918 at its last First World War action the Battle of the Selle when it took all its objectives 3 After the War ended he remained in the Army serving in India Britain and Ireland He was appointed Adjutant and Quarter Master in the Army School of Education in India returning to England in 1925 3 rejoining his regiment on 14 October 5 He was promoted to captain on 21 January 1928 6 and on 9 December 1930 he reached the retirement age for service 7 remaining in the reserve of officers for a further five years 8 On leaving the Army he researched the other four Light Brigade regiments which had also taken part in the Charge of the Light Brigade 4 Ministry EditLummis was ordained deacon in the Church of England in 1930 3 Moving back to his home county of Suffolk his first living was at St Matthew s church Ipswich followed by other appointments in the county including Rural Dean of South Elmham 3 In 1955 he became a Canon of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich 3 After retirement he went to live in Barnham Broom in Norfolk though he continued in the ministry holding various part time appointments in nearby parishes and acting as Rural Dean of Higham 3 Lummis ran Boy Scout troops from 1909 firstly at Shornecliffe and later at Aldershot in India and at Ipswich and Kesgrave until the late 1930s In 1948 he was re commissioned as a Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class with the Suffolk Army Cadet Force 9 and in 1950 became a lieutenant also in the Suffok ACF 10 and continued to serve until his retirement in 1954 11 Historian writer researcher EditAlthough his main interest was military history he also wrote two books on English parishes He was also active in the Suffolk Institute of Archeology and the Suffolk Preservation Society 3 4 Throughout his life he shared his work with others encouraging them to continue work that he had started In his 98th year he appeared in a BBC television programme Timewatch recounting his memories of meeting survivors of the Charge of the Light Brigade 3 He was the first honorary president of the Crimean War Research Society 12 and chaplain to the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association whose membership is made up exclusively of recipients of those awards Victoria Cross archive Edit Lummis interest in Victoria Cross recipients started when he was a schoolboy in the 1890s He built up an archive of the service records and final resting places of Victoria Cross holders summarising the results in a pamphlet However Lummis perceived short comings in his work and encouraged David Harvey to continue and develop it making his archives available to him The result was Harvey s seminal book Monuments to Courage Charge of the Light Brigade archive Edit Lummis first regiment the 11th Hussars rode in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War Whilst editing the regimental journal Lummis met and interviewed many surviving members of the Charge 1 3 The last veteran of Balaklava died in 1927 13 Hearing about the 1875 reunion when over 2000 men claimed to have taken part he set about preparing a roll of those who charged soon fleshing the list out with biographies Over his lifetime this built into a major archive acknowledged as a major source by Lawrence W Crider for his book In Search of the Light Brigade 14 Lummis was also the co author with Kenneth G Wynn of Honour the Light Brigade which was published when he was 83 years old 4 Rorke s Drift research Edit Padre George Smith of Rorke s Drift was the subject of a book by Lummis It is unclear when his interest in the Zulu Wars developed but his 1978 book Padre George Smith of Rorke s Drift was a detailed analysis of the part played by Smith in the famous battle of Rorke s Drift during the Zulu War of 1879 The book showed that Smith s involvement in the defence of the mission station had been seriously overlooked in favour of the more famous participants such as John Chard and Gonville Bromhead who had won Victoria Crosses during the action Padre Smith is depicted in the centre of Alphonse de Neuville s famous 1880 painting The Defence of Rorke s Drift distributing ammunition to the defenders 15 Legacy EditHis collection of artefacts including many photographs and his archives from his Victoria Cross and Light Brigade research were deposited with the Imperial War Museum 16 and the National Army Museum When the Royal Mail produced a series of stamps in 2006 commemorating the Victoria Cross they featured photographs and artifacts from the Lummis archive at the National Army Museum 17 His tape recorded memoirs covering the period 1904 1919 are in the Imperial War Museum sound archives 18 His notes and papers on the histories of Norfolk parishes 1931 1967 went to the Norfolk Record Office 19 His Crimean War archives were shared with Dave Harvey Ken Horton Glenn Fisher Andrew Sewell Roy Mills 20 and Edward James Boys 20 Since Lummis death in 1985 the Crimean War Research Society has awarded the Canon Lummis Trophy annually for original research into the Crimean War William Lummis married Agnes Templeton 1897 1976 in 1919 3 and was the father of Lieutenant Colonel Eric Templeton Lummis 1920 1999 of the Suffolk Regiment and a World War II military historian Selected works EditHonour the Light Brigade with Kenneth G Wynn J B Hayward and Son 1973 ISBN 0 903754 03 7 Padre George Smith of Rorke s Drift Wensum Books Norwich Ltd 1978 ISBN 0 903619 21 0 First Lieutenant Edward St John Daniel The Tragic Story of the Only Officer to Forfeit the VC Journal of the Orders and Medals Research Society December 1969 pp 100 102 The Churches of Bungay with Ethel Mann British Publishing Company 1950 Kesgrave A short guide to church and parish W E Calver 1937Notes and references Edit a b Roy Dutton Forgotten Heroes The Charge of the Light Brigade InfoDial Ltd 2007 Google Books pg 4 Lummis Family History a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Obituary Canon W M Lummis The Times 19 November 1985 pg 18 Issue 62299 col G a b c d e Harvey David 1999 Monuments to Courage Victoria Cross Headstones and Memorials Vol 1 1854 1916 K amp K Patience No 33139 The London Gazette 5 March 1926 p 1651 No 33393 The London Gazette 12 June 1928 p 4020 No 33668 The London Gazette 9 December 1930 p 7890 No 34230 The London Gazette 10 December 1935 p 7955 No 38440 The London Gazette Supplement 22 October 1948 p 5676 No 40150 The London Gazette Supplement 16 April 1954 p 2364 No 41071 The London Gazette Supplement 14 May 1957 p 2931 Crimean War Research Society home page Brighton Terry Hell Riders The Truth About the Charge of the Light Brigade p xxi 2004 Viking ISBN 978 0 670 91528 6 Crider Lawrence W In Search of the Light Brigade 2004 Eurocommunica Publications ISBN 978 1 898763 12 3 de Neuville s The Defence of Rorke s Drift Imperial War Museum accession nos 12142 47934K 16863 Commemorative stamps Imperial War Museum accession no 9098 Lummis William Murrell fl 1931 1967 Anglican Clergyman detail from the National Register of Archives The National Archives Retrieved 2008 07 25 a b The Lives of the Light Brigade the E J Boys Archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William Lummis amp oldid 1144557050, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
