Vincent Francis Stapleton-Bretherton 1889 - 1982

Rainhill Hall west aspect c 1905

Heathfield House, Fareham, Hampshire

Vincent was born on 19th Dec 1889 at Fareham, Hampshire, the youngest son and 12th child of Frederick Annesley and Isabella Stapleton-Bretherton.  He was educated at Beaumont and between 1908 to 1910 at afterwards at Stonyhurst College.  From there Vincent matriculated to Liverpool University.

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Military Service during WW1

Sept. 1914 - joined the (St Helens) West Lancashire Field Company of the Royal Engineers. Commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant.

Jan. 1915  - arrived in France

Dec. 1917 -  promoted to Acting Major

Mentioned twice in despatches Jan & May 1917

Jan 1918 - awarded the Military Cross (see medals below) - “for valuable service in connection with military operations in the field”

Picture courtesy of Michael Ledson

Memoirs of Evelyn Blucher (sister of Vincent) who was interned in Berlin during 1914-18

‘Berlin - April 1918 - I took up a paper and read the description of the fighting that had taken place near Givenchy from the 9th to the 14th April; how on the 11th and 12th the West Lancashire Territorials had saved the situation, but that their losses had been so fearful that they had to fall back on the engineers of the regiment as infantry reserves (Vincent’s regiment; and he was in fact an engineer) ….
I telegraphed to ask if anything had happened to Vincent. On April 28 I received a wire saying “Vincent has a broken leg and is expected to be well enough to be moved to London from France in six weeks’ time.”…. how grateful I was for this good news, and I think no one ever before rejoiced more of a broken leg than I did over my brother Vincent’s.’


Vincent Francis Stapleton-Bretherton died in Chichester on 4th July 1982 aged 92.

The Times March 2nd 1982 p22 Col b (Thanks to Worthing Reference Library)