Herbert Strangward 1895 - 1917

Herbert Strangward was another son of Thomas and Lucy Strangward, born August 12th 1885, in Pontefract, West Yorkshire. He grew up in Pontefract and became a publican. First he kept the Ship Inn in Castleford, then the Bentley Hotel, Bentley, near Doncaster and was then persuaded to move to Lowestoft by his younger brother Arthur who already lived there. He kept the Clapham Hotel in Lowestoft and stayed here for many years.

He was married to Edith Shillitoe, known as Edie. As he got older and his wife died, he moved to Hornsea where his only son, Geoffrey Strangward lived. Herbert died in the 1970s.

Herbert's descendants

Geoffrey Strangward was their only child born about 1920. He became a pharmacist, moved to Hornsea and married Margaret in 1947 and had three children. Jeremy, who has never married or had children, Jocelyn and Nicola. Both the daughters have married and have children of their own. Geoffrey did quite a bit of family history research before he died and Ronald Strangward, Geoffrey's cousin passed his notes to me. They were very helpful in starting me off with information on the Strangward family line.

After the war, when he retired, Herbert moved to Hornsea where he lived with Geoffrey and his wife Margaret. He died during the 1970s in Hornsea.

Herbert Strangward as a young man in a formal photograph

Anne Senior remembers one story about Herbert from the second world war.

Lowestoft was heavily bombed during WW2 and Herbert had moved his family out of the town to a village called Pakefield that was close by along the coast. He would keep the pub open during the evening and then cycle home along the coast road, taking the evenings takings with him.

One night. Herbert was ambushed by three young men , soldiers, who had decided to rob the next person who came along. They had no idea he had the takings with him. They robbed him and he was seriously injured - bashed over the head and was in hospital . Someone heard the shouting and when they approached the soldiers pretended to be the ones helping him up.

There was a later court case and the three soldiers were convicted of robbery. The story was reported in the Lowestoft Journal. The soldiers were sent to the front and had several strikes of ‘the cat’. Later, when Herbert was better and had returned to work, they went to the Clapham Hotel and apologised and said they would never do anything like that again. Herbert apparently bore them no ill will, bought them a round of drinks and wished them well.