39 Adolphus W Sharp

Lieutenant Engineer: Royal Navy Adolphus, at the age of 55, was the oldest Avening man to die in the First World War. Born in the village in 1860, he was named Adolphus William Clutterbuck Sharp, the son of William, who in turn, was the eldest child of Robert and Elizabeth. In the 1861 and 1871 census returns, he is shown living with his grandparents next door to the Sawyers Arms (later The Institute - now demolished) on Tetbury Hill. Ten years later, he had moved to Bristol Road, Gloucester as a boarder, and worked as an engine fitter and turner. He married Mary Kimber at Southampton in 1890 and they lived in Portsea in 1891, by which time he had joined the Royal Navy. His occupation was described as an engine room artificer. Living with them at the time of that census, was Mary's mother Charlotte G. Kimber who was born in Painswick. Adolphus and Mary had a daughter in 1892 and she was also named Charlotte. By 1901, the family had moved to Portsmouth where Adolphus was a Royal Navy artificer engineer. We are unable to locate the family in the 1911 census but we have found his death in the National Archives. His death was registered in the 2nd quarter of 1916 in the Portsmouth Registration District. We have also been able to locate a summary of his will, in which he leaves all to his wife Mary, then living at Victoria Road, Southsea. He was 55. As you can gather, no service record can be found for Adolphus but we have traced his medal roll where he is awarded the British Medal. In that roll, we learnt that at some time he was commissioned and the medal award was to an engineer lieutenant. His medal was presented to his wife. We do not know where he was buried or if he is named on other War Memorials. We have been unable to locate any relatives. The Sharp family of Avening were not immune to further tragedy, as in July 1917, they lost Percy Sharp, Adolphus' cousin, the son of Mark Sharp who was William's younger brother (see Roll of Honour No. 19).