Tidbury family

You are in [People] [Family History] [Tidbury family]

Andrew French, Hon. Curator of the Berkshire Yeomanry Museum, emailed in January 2026 with information about Tpr Roger Tidbury. The following is an abstract of a series of emails between Rosamund Twinn (nee Tidbury), grand-daughter of Roger Tidbury, and the Museum.

The initial on-line contact, 30 December 2025:

• Private Frederick Albert (aka Roger) Tidbury
• Date of birth: 25 January 1889
• Birthplace: Hungerford, Berkshire

We have a Football medal from my grandfather (who played for Hungerford Town) with the Berks Yeomanry on the front and CRP on the back.

Rosamund Twinn (Granddaughter)

The reply by Wayne Ratcliff (Trustee and Researcher) to Rosamund:

We know a little about Trooper Fred Albert Tidbury but please feel free to correct or fill in any gaps as folk law often proves correct.

He enlisted in 3/1st Berkshire Yeomanry in November 1915 (aged 26) which was a training regiment then transferred to 1/1st Berkshire Yeomanry which was the front line regiment sometime after 1916.

I believe he would have gone to the port of Alexandria and then on to join his regiment. It’s likely he fought with them in 1917 at Garza, El Mughar and in Judean Hills up to the end of the year when the regiment was withdrawn from the line to reform and retrain as a machine gun unit.

In May 1918 they went to France, but their ship Leasowe Castle was torpedoed and sank. All but three of their regiment were rescued (99 perished but mostly from other regiments) and returned to Alexandria to refit and return to Toronto and then by train to France.

This time they succeeded, and the regiment formed two companies of 101 (Bucks & Berks Yeo) Bn Machine Gun Corp. Roger's number was 165464 Private. They fought in the last 100 days of the war between end of July to November 1918.

They were in close support on 26 August 1918 at Battle of Scarpe 51st Div Canadian Corps, 1st Army then again in September, and 31 October. Tieghem (Crossing of The Schelde) 35th Division.

He was discharged Para 392 (xvi) KR 03/07/1919 - which implies he had some illness, injury or sickness. Do you know what this may have been?

Do you have a photo of your grandfather in uniform or taken at the time in 1920's please? Also, the football medal?

CRP? on back... could it be 7th Reserve Cavalry Regiment like the one attached? The hallmark is 1915 so it’s likely for a competition in 1916 but again only guessing! and medal was issued before he deployed overseas and there are several matches noted. His training would be about 6 months so between November 1915 to May 1916? It’s likely they were in Tidworth camp. There were reports in the Reading newspapers of successful results, but not all players are named. John Arthur Lawrie was the team captain.

I’ve copied Andrew French - who is our museum Curator and he may be able to add more once you reply
Wayne
Trustee and researcher

Rosamund to Wayne (copied to Andrew):

Thank you for all this fascinating information, most of which was unknown to us. Pity about Lawrence of Arabia, but we are not unduly surprised!!

See below for photos of Frederick Albert (Roger) Tidbury.

One is from about 1905 showing him wearing his Boys Brigade uniform.

Roger Tidbury in Boys' Brigade uniform, c1905

Another is from 1909 showing Roger seated on the right, on the ground, as part of Hungerford Swifts Football Club, the original name of the current Hungerford Town FC.

Hungerford Swifts Football Club, 1909. Roger Tidbury is front right, seated on ground.

The third shows him in his military uniform and is presumably from around 1917 judging from the background, but we don't have a definitive date nor place.

From Wayne to Rosamund:

Thank you for the photos of Roger.

The photo of him in uniform is, I believe, taken in Tidworth in 1916 just before he was sent overseas. The helmet is a Pith helmet and the diamond shaped patch is to indicate he was Berkshire Yeomanry. They are all nice photos.

Tpr Roger Tidbury, probably at Tidworth, 1916.

The attached is a Silver War Badge which some call a Silver Wound Badge and Roger would have been entitled to one - just in case you've found one? On the back is a unique number and correct badge would be 518327. He was also entitled to two medals which are British War Medal and Victory medal, and they would have his name printed around the rim of medal and his number "F.A. TIDBURY 2954 PTE" - just in case you come across them.

From Ros to Wayne:

Thank you so much for your prompt and detailed information.

I am attaching images of Roger Tidbury's football medal, which looks identical to the image you forwarded to me.

Roger Tidbury's Football medal

Most of the information you have provided is completely new to us, as my grandfather died in 1941 after a work-related accident, from which he never recovered. I was born in 1954, so I never knew him. His widow (my grandmother) remarried, and she was not inclined to talk about a time when life was painful and difficult for her, so somehow, we never got to know much about him.

We knew he had served abroad, but we didn't know exactly where. However, there was a "legend" in our family, that he had some connection to Lawrence of Arabia! Obviously, we weren't too sure about this, but the information you've given us suggests that it might have been closer to the truth than we had considered possible.

We don't know whether or not we have a photo of Roger in uniform, but we shall look. We have photographs of him with other members of Hungerford Town football team, of which he was a long-standing member. I believe I also have a photo of him in bed, in hospital, but I don't know the date. I don't know whether he was injured or was ill, but I remember my mother telling me that he was in hospital during the war, recovering. I shall look for this photo, too.

Ros

From Wayne to Rosamund:

Thank you also for your reply as this is proving interesting and I enjoy learning .

Yes, the silver football medal is almost certainly for the same competition and same Berks Yeomanry team. The 7th Reserve Cavalry Regiment were based at Tidworth in Wiltshire and were a training and holding Regiment. Roger Tidbury was there and it’s here he won the silver medal.

I found the "Silver War Badge" record which confirms he would be entitled to a war pension due to some injury or illness related to war service. This gives you his enlistment date of 22 November 1915 and discharge date of 3 July 1919.

It’s not clear what the injury/sickness was but the badge was issued after the war so I think it’s something that continued after the war - so my guess would be Malaria.

I came across an article which Andrew transcribed from the newspapers North Wilts Herald - Friday 28 December 1917 p5 c3:

Wounded.— Mrs. Frank Tidbury has been notified that her husband, Corporal Frank Tidbury, Royal Berks, has been seriously wounded in the left shoulder, chest and left leg and is lying in hospital in France. Mrs. Tidbury received a letter from the Chaplain stating that he: methanol pewee through the casualty clearing station on December 7th, and got to the General Hospital quite safely, and was making very good progress. All his wounds were going on well, and no bones were broken.

Corpl. Tidbury’s two brothers, Troopers Roger and Alfred Tidbury, who are in the Yeomanry, were in the recent fighting in Palestine. A letter sent by Roger says that they both got through all right, although his horse was shot from under him. He was glad that there was not a single casualty among the Hungerford men in the Yeomanry, but they all deeply regretted the loss of their comrade, Trooper W. Chislett, of Kintbury.

This article places Roger Tidbury and his brother at the at the famous cavalry charge of El Mughar and also 2nd charge of Abu Shusheh in Palestine, as this is where Trooper W. Chislett, of Kintbury was killed. I believe it more likley it was at El Mughar cavalry charge where he had his horse shot from underneath him but it could have been either.

As for the family folk-law reference to Lawrence of Arabia - I don’t think it likely there is a strong connection as the Berkshire Yeomanry didnt fight alongside T.E. Lawrence. And Roger didn't serve in the Camel Corps as he went to France in May 1918. However, the Yeomanry and camel Corps football teams did meet so Roger may well have been within eye sight of each other? This is pure speculation and I would not take anything from this except that I’m not aware of any direct connection?

Wayne

See also:

- Return to Berkshire Yeomanry

- First World War