St. Thomas a Becket Church, Framfield

[johncrowner]

I am trying to find out when Rev. Norman Trewby was vicar of this church. I believe it was in 1930's to 40's. I have had no response from the church office, does any one know, please?.

[jann]

Hi,

An obituary for Norman Trewby appears in The Times on Nov. 28, 1938. 

"The Rev. Norman Trewby who died on Nov. 24 at the age of 70 was until recently Rector of Ripe Sussex to which he had been presented by Hertford College, Oxford in 1925."

From 1912 to 1925 he was Headmaster at Preston Grammar School.

The Obit does not mention St. Thomas a Becket Church or Framfield.

Jann

[johncrowner]

Thanks Jann. I got the idea that he was  the vicar at Framfield, from the war memorial there 'John Preston Trewby........son of Rev.Norman and Mrs. Maria Trewby of Framfield' John died 14.12.39 in which case I would have expected the memorial to say 'son of the late Rev............ Perhaps he had retired to Framfield! Thanks for your help.   John

[jann]

Hi,

The last line of  Norman Trewby's obit (1938) states: "He left a widow".  Strange that it didn't mention a son who died in 1939.

I broadened the search and found a death notice for Maria Jane Trewby.  Died 5th Oct. 1963 aged 84 (I think, not real clear) of Framfield, Uckfield, Sussex.  Widow of Norman Trewby.

Jann

[Bilge]

I am sorry I may have misled you. I was assuming that as it said upon John's memorial that the Rev TREWBY of this Parish I assumed that it was Framfield & Ripe.

However having carried out a number of searches of my own I have found this I have no idea as to wether it is the same person.

http://www.ww1.pgsassociation.org.uk/

The Memorial Window remains in place in the School buildings in Moor Park Avenue.  The bronze Memorial Tablet which was in the School Hall and is now in Preston Minster lists 44 Old Boys and one Master who gave their lives in the Great War.   Unlike the Memorial for 1939 -1945, there is no supporting biographical information.   As 2008 would see the 90th anniversary of the Armistice I thought, many months before the web-site was launched, that I could use my extensive pupil data-base to compile suitable biographical back-up.  I also somewhat mistakenly thought that only a few hours work would be needed to prepare a print-out suitable for those attending the Remembrance Service in 2008.

The Hoghtonian came into being in December 1913 (H12-1913) under strict instructions from the Head Master that it was to be produced by the boys without expecting input or time consuming support from any member of Staff.    Running in parallel was the Old Boys’ Magazine which was launched in December 1910 (OBM12-1910).   On the outbreak of war the six year-old Association put itself into suspended animation for the few weeks the war was expected to last -“home by Christmas” was the national attitude.   The boys with help and support from the Head Master and members of the Staff began to collect information on Old Boys in the Services.  The Lancashire Daily Post on Monday, 12th October 1914 carried the following:  “PRESTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL (To the Editor of the “Daily Post”) Sir,- May I ask the hospitality of your columns in order to beg of your readers who are acquainted with old Preston Grammar School Boys who have enlisted to send me their names that they may be put on record by me.-Yours, &c, NORMAN TREWBY, Headmaster, Grammar School, Preston. October 9th.”

[serendib]

It seems that after the Rev Norman Trewby died in 1938 and his son John was killed in action in 1939, his wife Maria and daughter Diana moved to Southview, Framfield, Sussex. Maria died there in 1963. Diana was a teacher at Framfield Primary and at Waldron Primary. She died around 2000.
My father knew the Trewby family when he was growing up in Ripe in the 1920s and 1930s.