Lewin Palmer (1893-1944)

Post date: Aug 24, 2016 1:21:2 PM

Lewin was born in Wateringbury in the 3rd quarter of 1893 the 3rd child of Alfred and Mary Palmer, living at the Stables, Orpines where his father was a coachman. In the 1911 census there were two other families of Palmers living in the village (Latter's Buildings and Pizien Well). Of the 6 siblings 3 (Lewin, Frank and Roland) were boys and 3 girls ( Violet, Agnes and Ida).

Lewin is frequently mentioned as a prize winner at school in the school log, winning class prizes in 1902 (Std1) and 1903 (Std 2 lower), winning the Headmaster's prize in 1905 and 1907. In 1906 it is not clear if he or George Fisher won the Queen Victoria Memorial essay prize but Lewin's essay was reproduced in the October 1906 edition of the Wateringbury Boys School Magazine (to be found in Kent Archives, reference B385/25/14) and he was awarded a silver watch for it.

By the 1911 census two of his siblings had left home and Lewin was a clerk in a grocers.

He enlisted into the Royal Engineers (RE) as sapper 77403 in November 1915 by which time he was a Post Office clerk living in Caterham Valley. He was 5 feet 7¹/₂ inches tall with a 35 ¹/₂ inch chest when fully expanded. On recruitment he was assessed as being a proficient telegraphist and initially posted to Fenny Stratford Signal depot, Bletchey. His brother Roland was in the West Kent Yeomanry.

By 1916 he was in East Africa with the 64th Divisional signals company of the RE. Unfortunately the RE Musuem only has their war diary for 1914. It was from East Africa he wrote in October for the Wateringbury Boy scouts magazine The Badge. Also on his service file is a letter dated 13/12/1916 from a Miss May Barber of 12, Chanders Road, Harrow enquiring as to his health as she had heard from his mother that he was ill at the Stationary Hospital, Voi, East Africa with malaria fever. In the vicar's list throughout the war. Britain was chasing, unsuccessfully, the German General Lettow-Vorbeck in East Africa.

The vicar lists him in those serving in May 1916 and again in January 1917 where he is noted as being overseas and having been sick but having recovered.

In December 1917 his personal service file records that he is granted a furlough from 22nd December to 31st December to spend at The Torrington, Mereworth. He was fit for duty and had returned from East Africa.

After 3 years and 160 days service he was discharged on the 17th April 1919 with an initial pension of 27 shillings and 6 d. a week being 100% permanently disabled with a fracture of the thigh and patella. His address on discharge was the Torrington, Mereworth.