Name
Seamont Archibald Bigg
1886
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
03/08/1916
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Lance Corporal
4838
Hertfordshire Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
BROWN'S ROAD MILITARY CEMETERY, FESTUBERT
II. C. 12.
France
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
4 Coy Hertfordshire Reg' Territorials’ Memorial, Hitchin, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour, Hitchin, Kimpton Village Memorial, Kimpton St Peter & St Paul Church, Kimpton, All Saints Church War Memorial, St Paul’s Walden, Whitwell Village Memorial, Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford
Pre War
He was the son of Edmund and Mary Anne Bigg, born in 1886 and was baptised in the Church of St. Peter & St. Paul, Kimpton on the 11th July 1886.
In 1891 the family were living in Church Lane, Kimpton and consisted of parents Edmund (37), working as a agricultural labourer, Mary Anne (38) and children: Bertram C (16), Horace F (15), Eva R (12), Cloie S (6), Seamont Archibald (4) and Stella B (1).
By 1901 the family were living in Whitwell, Edmund still working as a farm labourer. Their children present were Simon (17) – missing from the previous census, Stella and Ivy (5) – born since the last census.
Seamont married Sarah Ann Bigg (née Spicer) in 1906 and they had 2 children: Beatrice Annis Spicer (b 20/2/1905 before marriage, which was in 1906) and Horace Frederick Bigg (b 25/3/1907who was baptised in the Church of St. Peter & St. Paul on the 5th May 1907.
In 1911 they were living at The Dovecot Near Priory Farm, Little Wymondley, Stevenage. The census recorded that they had been married 5 years with both children living.
His home was in Whitwell when he enlisted in Hertford. His Regimental number was 4838 suggesting that he enlisted after 19th April and before 24th May 1915
Wartime Service
Seamont did not go to fight until sometime in 1916.
The 1st Battalion Hertfordshires was part of the 118th Brigade in the 39th Division. According to the Regimental history, in the spring and summer of 1916, they were not involved in any important engagements. At the beginning of March they were at Ebbingham a few miles east of GHQ at St. Omer and for the next few months were probably used in support, relief and to provide working parties where necessary for other units situated nearer the front. This would account for men being killed in the area of Festubert between May and early August and north of Ploegsteert in mid-August 1916.
He was killed in action on 3 August 1916 when they were in the trenches near Festubert. He was buried in Plot II, Row C, Grave 12 of the Browns Road Military Cemetery, Festubert, Pas de Calais, France.
Additional Information
After his death £2 11s 2d was authorised to go to his mother and later a war gratuity of £3 was paid to her.
His pension records give his widow Sarah Ann Bigg’s address as The Green, Kimpton, Welwyn as Seamont’s next of kin. She received his back pay, after charges, of £2 5s 9d, authorised 16 November 1916. She was awarded a pension of 18s 6d per week from 12 February 1917, to be reviewed when the first child became 16 and to end when Horace became 16. Then £5 war gratuity of £5, was authorised on 16 September 1919
Seamont was brother-in-law to Edward Spicer who is also named on the Whitwell and St Paul's Walden Memorials.
Brother Harold Frederick served as Gunner 1220 with Royal Field Artillery from 1900-1912 including 6 years in India. Great War service with RAF as Private 188028 from 20 May 1918 to 9 Dec 1919 and discharged from Reserve 30 Apr 1920.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer, Neil Cooper
David C Baines, Jonty Wild
