Peterborough & The Great War

Biography

Roger Tyrrell Hazelwood was born in Kirton, nr Ipswich, Suffolk on 15 February 1895 to parents William and Julia.  In the 1911 Census, Roger is listed as living with his parents at Walnut Tree Farm, Levington, near Ipswich, working on his father’s farm. At the time he also had a brother and sister. His parents had four further children making Roger one of a family of seven siblings.

Roger trained at HMS Ganges, the Royal Navy’s training establishment at Shotley, Suffolk. He joined Ganges as a Boy Sailor in April 1912. He signed up for 12 years service on his 18^th birthday as an Ordinary Seaman. He was promoted to Able Seaman in July 1914 and joined HMS Warspite on 1 April 1915, where he served until his discharge on 11 November 1919. Roger would have participated in the 1916 Battle of Jutland, during which time the ship was hit two dozen times by enemy fire.  Roger was awarded the 14/15 Star, British War and Allied Victory medals.

He married Emily Harris in 1925. Emily was born in Cerne Abbas, Dorset, they met whilst he was working as a groom, and she a cook, at Broke Hall, Nacton, Suffolk. They had a son, Edward (1926) and a daughter, Daphne (1927) and five grandchildren.

In 1939 Roger was working as a farm stockman and the family were living at Martin’s Farm, Gipping, Suffolk.  Roger died in Samford, Suffolk in September 1970, aged 75.

A framed picture of HMS Warspite stood on the couple’s sideboard throughout Roger’s lifetime.

HMS Warspite was a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship, the sixth warship of the Royal Navy to carry the name. Her thirty-year career covered both world wars and took her across the Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Pacific Oceans.  http://bit.ly/2DfoRJC

Family photograph of Roger’s grandchildren of Nicholas and Sharon Goddard and great grandaughter Chloe Smith. With kind permission from Sharon Goddard.