Portslade's Daughters: Uncovering Women's Wartime Sacrifices
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1. Introduction: The Unsung Heroes of Portslade
Portslade, a significant western suburb within the city of Brighton and Hove, experienced the profound and multifaceted impacts of both the First and Second World Wars.1 While often perceived as less strategically critical than larger industrial hubs, its geographical position and the presence of key local infrastructure meant its residents, including women, faced considerable dangers and hardships throughout these conflicts. The Portslade War Memorial, a dedicated garden of remembrance, stands as a central commemorative site for those who perished during the Great Wars. It lists 243 names for the First World War and 45 for the Second World War.2 However, a closer examination of these public records, which predominantly utilize surnames and initials, suggests a primary focus on male military personnel, a common characteristic of war memorials from these periods.
The contributions and sacrifices of women during wartime have, for a considerable time, been less formally recognized or extensively documented compared to those of their male counterparts. Women undertook indispensable roles, both in uniform through various auxiliary services and on the home front, engaging in work that was often "undreamed of in peacetime".4 Their efforts spanned a wide spectrum, from providing crucial medical services and engaging in munitions production to managing transport, performing vital clerical duties, and participating in civilian defense efforts.8 Despite their critical involvement and the inherent dangers of their wartime duties, the ultimate sacrifice of these women, particularly those who lost their lives, has frequently been overlooked in traditional historical narratives and public commemorations.
This report endeavors to meticulously document and honor the Portslade women who gave their lives in wartime. It aims to provide available details of their roles, the specific circumstances of their deaths, and how their sacrifices are remembered within local and national historical records. By bringing these stories to light, this research seeks to contribute to a more complete and inclusive understanding of Portslade's wartime history, ensuring that these women and their profound contributions are not forgotten.
2. Women in Service: Beyond the Front Lines
During both the First and Second World Wars, British women formally joined a variety of auxiliary services, significantly expanding their roles beyond traditional domestic spheres. These organizations included the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS), the Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF), the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD), and the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY).8 While these roles typically did not involve direct combat, they were frequently fraught with danger. Women served in capacities such as nurses, mechanics, drivers, telegraphists, cooks, and even participated in highly secretive intelligence operations, particularly within organizations like the FANY.8 Nationally, the scale of female sacrifice in uniform was substantial; over 1,400 women associated with the British Armed Forces died in the First World War alone, and hundreds more in the Second World War, including 102 WRNS members killed in action and 52 FANY members who died on active service.8 These figures underscore the significant and often under-recognized toll on women in uniform.
Case Study: Sarah J. Clements (First World War)
Sarah J. Clements represents a documented Portslade woman who served and died during the First World War. Born in Portslade in 1892, she joined the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD), a crucial organization that provided medical support to the war effort.13 VAD nurses worked tirelessly in military hospitals both at home and abroad, tending to countless wounded and sick soldiers.8
The records indicate that Sarah Clements was invalided home on June 27, 1919, and tragically passed away on November 9, 1919, at the age of 27.13 While the specific cause of her death is not explicitly stated as a direct combat injury, her invalidation and subsequent death shortly after the official end of the war (the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918) strongly suggest that her demise was a direct consequence of her wartime service. The period immediately following the First World War was marked by the devastating global Spanish Flu pandemic, which disproportionately affected young adults and was greatly exacerbated by the crowded conditions of wartime, troop movements, and weakened public health systems. This makes the Spanish Flu a highly probable cause of death for Sarah Clements, mirroring the fate of another VAD, Phyllis O'Donnell, who died of Spanish Flu in December 1918.8 This particular instance highlights that "giving one's life" in wartime extended beyond direct enemy action to include the significant threat of disease, an insidious danger that was particularly prevalent for medical personnel like VAD nurses. This broader understanding of wartime casualties challenges a narrow definition of sacrifice and emphasizes the pervasive and diverse risks faced by women in service, even in non-combatant roles. It also suggests the importance of examining post-war deaths of service personnel as potentially war-related, as the long-term health consequences of service could manifest well after hostilities ceased.
Sarah Clements is formally remembered on the Imperial War Museums' "Lives of the First World War" project, a national database that provides details of her service and death.13 This national resource is invaluable for identifying women who served and died, often filling critical gaps in local records that may be less comprehensive.
The Commemoration Gap for Women in Service
The Portslade War Memorial, while honoring numerous individuals, lists 243 names for the First World War and 45 for the Second World War, predominantly using initials.2 The single fully named Second World War casualty explicitly mentioned is male.2 This contrasts sharply with national figures, which indicate over 1,400 women died in the First World War alone.8 The format and content of the Portslade memorial, therefore, appear to reflect a traditional focus on male military combatants. Women who died in service, even those with direct connections to Portslade like Sarah Clements, may not be explicitly named or easily identifiable on such local public memorials. This pattern is consistent with a broader historical trend of under-commemoration for women's sacrifices. For example, women listed on Brighton's St. Peter's Parish Roll of Honour were often recorded simply as "Women," without rank or title, further illustrating this historical oversight.8 This observation points to a systemic bias in how wartime sacrifices were publicly acknowledged and recorded. To fully understand Portslade's female war dead, researchers must look beyond traditional local memorials to national databases, such as the Imperial War Museums' "Lives of the First World War" 3, and specialized local archives 14 that may contain more detailed individual records.
3. The Home Front: Civilian Lives Under Threat
The home front in Portslade, and the wider Brighton & Hove area, was far from a safe haven during the Second World War. The region was significantly impacted by German Luftwaffe bombing, with Brighton alone experiencing 56 recorded air attacks between July 1940 and February 1944. These raids resulted in a total of 198 fatalities and 357 serious injuries across the broader area.17 While Brighton itself may not have possessed the heavy industrial infrastructure that made other cities primary targets, Portslade Power Station and Gasworks were specifically identified as Luftwaffe targets.18 This designation meant that Portslade was not merely subjected to incidental "jettisoned bombs" aimed at other areas, but rather faced direct and strategic bombing, placing its civilian population in immediate peril.18
The dangers on the home front were constant and pervasive, extending beyond direct enemy action. For instance, a British Blenheim Mark I bomber crashed at Mile Oak, Portslade, in March 1940, resulting in the deaths of its male pilot and navigator.20 This incident, though not caused by enemy fire, demonstrates that even non-combat-related incidents could occur locally with fatal consequences. Furthermore, the land around Mile Oak Farm continued to yield unexploded ordnance even into the 1950s, highlighting the enduring hazards of wartime.20
Case Study: Mrs. Alice Ford (Second World War)
Mrs. Alice Ford stands as a tragic example of a direct civilian casualty in Portslade during the Second World War. Aged 35, she was killed on October 8, 1940, when her home, Tile Cottage, Rectory Gardens, was completely demolished by a high explosive bomb during an air raid.19 This devastating incident was part of a larger raid in the area that involved four high explosive bombs and machine-gun fire, also resulting in injuries to six other people.19 Mrs. Ford's death tragically illustrates the immediate and indiscriminate threat posed by aerial warfare to ordinary civilian lives and homes in Portslade, highlighting that the home front was, for many, a literal battlefield.
Other Civilian Incidents Affecting Women
Beyond direct fatalities, other incidents underscore the pervasive danger to women on the home front. During a bombing raid near the Imperial Laundry on Old Shoreham Road, "eight of the girl workers were cut by the flying glass".19 While these injuries did not result in fatalities in this specific instance, they demonstrate the significant risks faced by women working in industries that became targets or were affected by nearby explosions. The Portslade Gasworks itself sustained a direct hit 19, further indicating the industrial nature of some targets within Portslade that placed civilian workers, potentially including women, at considerable risk.
This analysis of Portslade's civilian vulnerability reveals a crucial aspect of its wartime experience. While Brighton as a whole endured widespread bombing 17, Portslade's industrial sites, such as the Power Station and Gasworks, were specifically identified as Luftwaffe targets.18 This means that civilian casualties in Portslade, particularly women in their homes or workplaces, were a direct consequence of the strategic importance of these local facilities. This refines the understanding of civilian casualties in the broader Brighton & Hove area, highlighting Portslade's specific vulnerability and the direct link between its industrial presence and the danger faced by its residents. It underscores that the "home front" was a literal battlefield for many, and that women, as primary caregivers and often workers in local industries, were directly exposed to these dangers.
Case Study: Lucy Ford (First World War - Indirect Casualty)
Lucy Ford, a Portslade woman, represents another facet of wartime sacrifice, often less visible in traditional casualty lists. She died in 1918, six weeks after giving birth to her sixth child, despite her husband having returned from the war unscathed.21 The Portslade History Blog notes that "wartime conditions proved a greater strain for her than war service seemed to have been for her husband".21
Lucy Ford's case is a poignant illustration of the severe indirect impact of wartime on civilian health and well-being. The pervasive stress, food and fuel shortages, disruption to schooling, and the general hardships of the home front could exacerbate existing health conditions or lead to premature deaths.4 This was particularly true for women, who often bore the primary responsibility for managing households and caring for families amidst deprivation. The Mass Observation Archive at The Keep, for instance, contains diaries and personal accounts that capture the "thoughts and emotions of British people during the war years" 22, offering invaluable qualitative insights into these daily struggles and anxieties. Lucy Ford's death, while not a direct result of bombing or military action, highlights the significant, often unrecorded, toll of wartime conditions on civilian women. This expands the definition of "giving their lives" to encompass the often-invisible burden of war on civilian health and mental well-being, highlighting a category of casualties that is frequently under-recorded in official war statistics but represents a significant part of the human cost of conflict. It emphasizes the need for historians to look beyond official casualty lists to understand the full impact of war on a population.
4. Commemoration and Historical Records
The Portslade War Memorial serves as a central point of local commemoration, listing 243 names for the First World War and 45 for the Second World War.2 The memorial typically provides only surnames and initials, with the single fully named Second World War casualty explicitly mentioned being male.2 This presents a notable contradiction and gap when compared to the identified Portslade women casualties, such as Sarah J. Clements and Mrs. Alice Ford, or the broader national figures of women who died in service.8 The significant omission or lack of explicit identification of female names on this primary local memorial suggests that many women who "gave their lives" were not included or easily recognizable, reflecting a broader historical trend of under-commemoration for women's sacrifices. This disparity highlights a significant gap between official, publicly visible commemoration and the actual, broader impact of war on the female population. It suggests that the criteria for inclusion on such memorials historically prioritized combatant status, overlooking the diverse ways women "gave their lives" through service-related illness or civilian casualties. This is a common pattern in war memorialization across the United Kingdom and calls for a re-evaluation of how wartime sacrifice is defined and commemorated, advocating for more inclusive historical narratives that acknowledge the full spectrum of human cost, particularly for women whose contributions and deaths were often less visible in traditional military-focused records.
Discussion of Other Local and National Archives as Sources
To uncover a more complete picture of Portslade women who died in wartime, researchers must consult a variety of local and national archival sources:
The Keep (East Sussex and Brighton and Hove Record Office): This institution is a crucial local archive, housing extensive records pertaining to East Sussex and the city of Brighton & Hove.14 It provides public access to valuable genealogical websites such as Ancestry and Find My Past, which include census returns (e.g., the 1901 Census for Sarah Clements 13), the 1939 Register, civil registration indexes, and military records.16 These resources are indispensable for cross-referencing information and uncovering detailed personal histories of individuals connected to Portslade. Furthermore, The Keep holds the Brighton Second World War Book of Remembrance, which lists approximately 800 military and civilian casualties.26 Given Portslade's status as a suburb of Brighton, this book may contain additional names of Portslade women who perished.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC): The CWGC plays a vital role in commemorating servicemen and women, as well as members of certain civilian organizations, who died in service or due to war-related causes.27 It also maintains records of civilian deaths in the United Kingdom resulting from enemy action.28 While general searches may not immediately highlight Portslade women 29, targeted searches for identified individuals like Sarah Clements or Mrs. Alice Ford are crucial for confirming details and identifying official recognition. Portslade Cemetery itself contains 39 Commonwealth war graves, predominantly from the Second World War 31, indicating that some war dead are interred locally, though their gender is not specified in the available information.
Imperial War Museums (IWM): Beyond the "Lives of the First World War" project, which was instrumental in identifying Sarah J. Clements 3, the IWM holds extensive collections of records and images, including the "Women's War Work Collection".3 These resources could provide further contextual information or help identify additional individuals who contributed to the war effort and lost their lives.
Mass Observation Archive: Housed at The Keep, this unique archive comprises diaries and personal accounts from the war years, capturing the "thoughts and emotions of British people" during the conflict.22 While not a direct list of casualties, these personal narratives offer invaluable qualitative insights into the daily struggles, anxieties, and indirect tolls of wartime on women, complementing the more formal official records.
This demonstrates that a comprehensive understanding of local wartime history, particularly for underrepresented groups like women, necessitates a collaborative and integrated research methodology. It requires moving seamlessly between local community records and national historical collections to piece together fragmented narratives.
Highlighting the Work of Local Historians
The efforts of local historians are paramount in unearthing and preserving these vital narratives. Judy Middleton, a prominent local historian, has made significant contributions to this field through her publications, including "Hove and Portslade in the Great War" 4 and, more specifically, "A History of Women's Lives in Hove & Portslade".6 These works are invaluable for understanding the broader context of women's experiences, including their "contribution to war-work in both of the [wars]".6 Her meticulous research exemplifies the importance of specialized local inquiry in uncovering marginalized histories. The success of Judy Middleton's work exemplifies this integrated approach, highlighting how dedicated local historians can bridge these gaps in historical understanding.
Furthermore, community initiatives such as "Fresh Start Portslade" are actively engaged in celebrating and preserving local history, including projects related to Portslade's heritage.32 Their recent acquisition of a grant for the "Portslade history - 1066 to 2066" project and their plans for a "pop-up, sessional, Portslade Museum" 35 indicate a strong commitment to preserving and sharing local stories, which holds the potential for further discoveries about women's wartime experiences and sacrifices. These local history groups and digital archives are now crucial in correcting historical oversights and ensuring a more inclusive historical record.
5. Conclusion: Remembering Their Legacy
The research undertaken to identify Portslade women who gave their lives in wartime reveals a nuanced and often under-recognized aspect of the town's history. While comprehensive lists remain elusive, specific individuals have been identified, each representing a distinct form of wartime sacrifice:
Sarah J. Clements (First World War): A Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurse, born in Portslade, who was invalided home in June 1919 and died in November 1919.13 Her death, highly probable due to illness contracted during her service, such as the Spanish Flu, exemplifies the hidden toll of disease on women in auxiliary services.
Mrs. Alice Ford (Second World War): A civilian resident of Portslade, tragically killed on October 8, 1940, when her home in Tile Cottage, Rectory Gardens, was demolished by a German bomb.19 Her death starkly illustrates the direct dangers faced by civilians on the home front, particularly in areas like Portslade with identified industrial targets.
Lucy Ford (First World War): While not a direct casualty of combat or bombing, her death in 1918, attributed to the "greater strain" of wartime conditions 21, highlights the significant indirect health toll of the home front on women, especially those managing families amidst deprivation and hardship.
These individual stories, though few in number from the available information, are powerful microcosms of a larger national narrative where thousands of women died in service or as civilians, performing essential but often dangerous work.8 Their sacrifices extend beyond the conventional battlefield to encompass disease, direct enemy action on the home front, and the profound, often unacknowledged, health impacts of prolonged wartime conditions.
The limited explicit representation of women on local war memorials, such as the one in Portslade 2, underscores the ongoing and critical need for dedicated historical research to uncover and acknowledge their full contributions and sacrifices. Resources like The Keep, the primary archive for East Sussex and Brighton & Hove 14, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission 27, Imperial War Museums' projects 3, and the invaluable work of local historians such as Judy Middleton 6 are crucial in piecing together these fragmented narratives. Furthermore, community initiatives like Fresh Start Portslade play a vital role in preserving and sharing local heritage, offering avenues for future discoveries and recognition.32 By continuing to research, document, and share these stories, the women of Portslade who gave their lives in wartime can finally be given the recognition they deserve, thereby enriching our collective memory and providing a more comprehensive understanding of these pivotal historical periods.
Table 1: Identified Portslade Women Wartime Casualties
Portslade's Daughters: Uncovering Women's Wartime Sacrifices
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