Spencer Hugh Pymar
The Soldier:
Spencer Hugh Pymar enlisted into the army in Norwich and was originally assigned to the Norfolk Regiment’s 3rd Battalion, with regimental number 18736.
However, he was later reassigned to the Border Regiment’s 10th Battalion and given regimental number 23206.
Whilst many soldiers were transferred between regiments during the war, what is particularly interesting in this case is Spencer’s brother Cecil Cater Pymar went in to the Border Regiment with regimental number 23205, the immediately preceding number. Given the army numbers sequentially rather than alphabetically this means the two brothers were side-by-side in service at this point.
Spencer Hugh Pymar died on active service whilst a Private in the Border Regiment’s 7th Battalion on Friday the 28th June 1916. He was just 19 years old.
His death occurred in the army field hospital, St. Omer, France where he had been struck down with meningitis, dying of trench related disease like many of his comrades.
Spencer is buried in Grave III B 7 of the Longuenesse (St. Omer) Souvenir Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France.
His name is inscribed on both of Snettisham’s war memorials and its ‘roll of honour’.
Tragically, Spencer’s brother Cecil did not survive the war unscathed, he was invalided out of the army back to the UK on the 13th December 1916 and given the ‘silver ‘war service’ badge’.
Also, Spencer and Cecil’s younger brother Reginald was too young to serve in WW1 and immigrated to Australia after it ended. Upon the outbreak of WW2 he enlisted in to the Australian Infantry to defend the country of his birth. Reginald Pymar was killed on the 22nd November 1942, in Italy (He is buried in the Caserta War Cemetery – administered by the CWWGC). Reginald’s name does not appear on Snettisham’s memorial alongside his brother Spencer’s as Cecil had moved from the village prior to the village’s WW2 fallen being added.
The man:
Spencer Hugh Pymar was born in 1897 in Tibenham, Norfolk. His birth being registered in the district of Depwade in Jan/Feb/Mar 1897.
Spencer’s parents were William John and Minnie Belle Pymar (nee Cater) who had married in Hoxne, Suffolk in 1887.
Spencer had several older siblings; Hilda Cathleen (bn. c. 1888), Nora Evelyn (bn. c. 1889), Russell (bn. c. 1894) and Cecil Cater (Cater being his mother’s maiden name – bn. c. 1895).
Prior to Spencer’s birth, the 1891 census records the family living in Earl Soham. William’s occupation is recorded as ‘farmer’.
By the 1901 census the family are living at ‘Franklin Farm’ Woodton. William is now 38 and Minnie 41. William is still a farmer. All of Spencer’s older siblings are still at home. Spencer’s name is recorded as Hugh on this census, although the age recorded (4) tallies with his age and Hugh is his middle name.
By the 1911 census the family are living at Seething Brooke, Norwich. Russell is still at home (now 17) but Hilda, Nora and Cecil have now left. Spencer is 14 and is shown as ‘unemployed’. A new younger brother, Reginald born in 1905 is recorded.
Crucially a 16 year old Cecil Cater Pymar, born Woodton in 1895 is shown in the 1911 census as residing as a ‘boarder’ at the address of Bertram and Harriet Langley , Snettisham, Norfolk. Cecil’s occupation is listed as ‘apprentice grocer’. there are 10 other boarders present all connected with this or similar trades.
This brotherly connection is believed to be that which links Spencer to Snettisham village and our memorials.
Following Private Spencer Pymar of the Border Regiment’s death, army records show his personal effects going to his mother ‘Minnie B Pymar’ clearly linking this soldier with this identity/family.
As previously stated, Spencer’s brother Cecil Cater Pymar survived the war being invalided out of the army in December 1916. He married Martha B Salmore in Norwich in 1918 (Apr/May/June).
Both Russell and Reginald survived WW1. Russell went on to be a farmer. Tragically Reginald who had immigrated to Australia joined the Australian Infantry and died fighting in Italy in 1942.
Spencer’s parents lived into old age, his mother Minnie dying in 1940 aged 81 and his father William dying in 1960 aged 97.
