Edward Jeffrey Watson-Smyth

Acting Captain (second lieutenant) Edward Jeffrey Watson-Smyth 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards was killed in action aged 21 on 27th August 1918.

Known as Teddy he was born 27th October 1896 the son of William Douglas Watson-Smyth and his wife Ethel Jeffery (Renton) of Wadhurst Castle, East Sussex. They had married in 1891 and at the time William’s address was Edwins Hall, Woodham Ferrers which had been gifted to him by his father. The Watson-Smyths were a very wealthy land owning family and William served as a county justice of the peace. Unusually Edward was baptised twice once privately in London and then at Wadhurst. Sadly Teddy’s mother died on 4th November a few days after his birth and was buried at Wadhurst. Teddy was born at 54 Chester Square, Belgravia and was registered without a given name on the same day that his mother died.

By the time of the 1901 census he was living, aged four with his grandmother in Guildford. His father died 9th February 1918.

Teddy was educated at West Downs School, Winchester, a prep school, following which he attended The Royal Naval College at Osborne on the Isle of White. The 1911 census has him as a naval cadet there aged 14. This college occupied Osborne House, Queen Victoria’s favourite residence which was given to the nation by her son Edward VII. The college was set up in 1903 as a junior officer training school for the Royal Navy. Cadets entered at 13 and would expect to go onto Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth at a later stage to train as a Royal Navy officer.

He subsequently had to leave the college due to failing health but by 1914 he was sufficiently recovered to allow him to enter the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. He was gazetted to the Coldstream Guards as lieutenant in 1915 and later as an acting captain. He was posted to the Western Front in July of that year but was invalided home in 1916. He rejoined his battalion in October 1917.

He inherited Edwins Hall in Woodham Ferrers when his father died on 9th February 1918 although it is unlikely that he was able to enjoy his inheritance as he was killed six months later.

Teddy is mentioned several times in fellow officer C P Blacker’s memoir of his war time experiences entitled “Have You Forgotten Yet”. On his return from a course Blacker learned that Teddy and another officer had been killed on 27th August and another officer mortally wounded during an engagement that formed part of a comprehensive battle later called the 2nd Battle of Bapaume although their battle took place around St Leger about five miles north of the town, which they never saw.

The battle continued from 21st August until 3rd September 1918. The battalion attacked in three waves on 27th August. Although they had been told that the area they were to attack was not heavily defended their attack was met by heavy machine gun fire from close in front. No.1 company in the third wave, like the two waves before them was stopped and heavy casualties suffered. The following day the Germans withdrew but too late for Teddy who was killed on the 27th.

Blacker describes “Teddy” Watson Smyth as ” a young looking and intensely sociable man of middle height. He was well off to the point of opulence and had extravagant tastes in food and dress. Parcels of many weights and shapes would arrive for him by most posts which contained such luxuries as hams, tongues and foie gras, cakes and biscuits, assorted chocolates and more. There was much entertainment of people serving in other companies, battalions and regiments. On most evenings people came to dinner. To this meal we usually sat down late and from it we rose late - sometimes not till after eleven. Watson-Smyth had an active and genial but trivial mind. He especially liked gossip. There would be effusive anecdotes about fashionable people - about their witticisms, parties, indiscretions and affairs with one another. Christian and nicknames were mainly used, so that, if you did not move in the relevant circle, you did not know who was being talked about”

Blacker’s account suggests a rather class divided officers’ mess.

Teddy is remembered on several war memorials. He is recorded on the war memorial at the entrance to St Mary’s Churchyard and on the First World War Memorial Plaque in the church. He is named on the Wadhurst War Memorial and on a plaque in Wadhurst Church to his mother and him. He was also mentioned on the war memorial for his old school West Down. However the school closed in 1980 and the monument was saved by Sir Peter Scott, an old pupil and son of the sculptor who made it, and transferred to the Slimbridge Wetlands Centre in Gloucestershire, founded by Scott.

He is buried at The Mory Street Cemetery which contains sixty six Commonwealth burials.

He left an estate amounting to £40,963 equivalent in 2024 to around £1.7 million. Other members of his family continued to live at Edwins Hall until the outbreak of the Second World War.

Teddy’s older brother George also enlisted and served as a captain in the 13th Hussars and was severely wounded in France in 1915 and as a result lost a leg but survived the war. However he was severely affected by his wartime experiences which resulted in the failure of his marriage and eventually the loss of his fortune including the family seat Wadhurst Castle.