Cecil Aspital [Aspittle].

Cecil was born at Belsize Avenue, Woodston, Peterborough.  He enlisted in the Huntingdonshire Cyclist Battalion on 27/10/14 at their Huntingdon Headquarters in St. Mary's Street.  At the time he gave his address as 79 Belsize Avenue, Woodston, Peterborough. He was posted as a private, bugler, into the 2/1st Battalion of the HCB with the number of 312. 

Little is know about his time in the HCB, but being in the 2/1st Battalion he would have been stationed somewhere on the Lincolnshire coast - 'Coast Watching'.  He next turns up in records when he was granted Expeditionary Force leave from 16 July 1916 to 20 July 1916. =  Pte. C. Aspital 812 - Under Battalion orders 171, issued by Captain J. C. S. Musk, officer commanding 2/1st Huntingdonshire Cyclist Battalion issued at Well camp, Alford, Lincs. on 28th July 1916 at 8:00 p.m., and signed by W. L. Stephenson (Second Lieutenant and acting adjutant), orders being for the following day i.e. 29th July 1916 (Ref: 159), records indicate that he was one of the men that was granted Expeditionary Force Leave from 16-7-1916 to 20-7-1916 inclusive. At this time he was in B company.

This would imply he went to France and this is confirmed by the fact that he then appears with many other HCB men in France when he was noted as being posted to the 1st Bedford Regiment with the Army number 290199.  This data also appears on his medals.

There is some indication that his name was also noted with the spelling Aspittle.  All records in the HCB have the spelling as Aspital.

Many thanks to Paul Tillson for some of the family details on this page.  Cecil was his grandfather and remembers playing his bugle in his childhood.

 

Many thanks to Paul Tillson for this great photo of his relation in HCB uniform.

If you can help with any data on this Huntingdonshire Cyclist please contact me at huntscycles@btinternet.com

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09/04/2012

. . Martyn Smith ©