Daisy - Growing up
in a Sussex Village 1897

... apparently drowned but discovered in a dry ditch with a pebble placed in its mouth; Edward VII, the King of England, glimpsed on a mysterious visit; a `dangerous' German prisoner-of-war on the loose and the entire British Cabinet meeting in secret session in a clandestine village location in an attempt to end the war in 1918.

Is this a fictional thriller?

These are just some of the true-life incidents that occurred in the outwardly serene Sussex village of Hurstpierpoint between 1897-1918. Fact is certainly stranger than fiction and this amazing secret history is revealed in the pages of a memoir written over a decade ago by a ninety-year-old Sussex woman who lived through those experiences.

Daisy: Growing Up in a Sussex Village 1897-1918, by Eva Daisy Ellis (née Randell) is published by The Hurst History Study Group (ISBN 0-95443746-1-4). Illustrated with over 30 pages of photographs from the period, the book is edited and introduced by Daisy's son, well-known historian and novelist, Peter Berresford Ellis.

Born in Hurstpierpoint in the last years of the Victorian era, Daisy Randell, on reaching her 90th birthday, which she celebrated in Hurst, was persuaded by local historian, David Robinson, to write an account of her life growing up in `The Village' during those fascinating years until, in January, 1919, she left it to seek her fortune in London.

When Daisy died in London in December, 1991, one month away from her 95th birthday, she left the manuscript to her son. Daisy was buried in the family' grave in Holy Trinity Parish Church, Hurstpierpoint, the first time the historic graveyard had been opened for a burial in forty years. Copies of her manuscript were presented to David Robinson and to the Sussex Archaeological Society's library at Barbican House, Lewes. Thanks to the Hurst History Study Group, it is now published for the first time.

Daisy's family, the Randells, were a well-known Mid-Sussex family and her branch traced a direct descent in the area for over fifteen generations.

Daisy's memoir, told with humour and a sharp eye for detail, is a unique document, bringing local history to life and recalling incidents, fascinating facts and a host of Hurstpierpoint characters long forgotten.

But it is not only local history that makes the memoir so unique but international figures are encountered. We have glimpses of Prime Minister David Lloyd George wandering on Woolstonbury Hill, scattering top secret Cabinet papers in the wind while his distracted secretary, Miss Stephenson, tries to retrieve them.

Danny Mansion was the country residence for Lloyd George during the latter part of the 1914-18 War and it was there that the Cabinet approved the conditions of the Armistice. Because her father was a local Liberal Party man, Daisy and her sisters were invited to the balls and galas at Danny Mansion to meet the famous Prime Minister.

Even before the War, Edward VII used to visit Danny and Daisy was a member of the `Danny Daisies', the local stoolball team captained by Miss Mary Campion whose father owned Danny Mansion.

Above all, Daisy's memoir brings to life the loves and tragedies facing ordinary Sussex people in a way that no academic historical account could. Her first love, a young Hurst shop assistant was handed a `white feather' because he hesitated to volunteer to fight in 1914. He joined up and a few days after kissing Daisy `goodbye' at Hassocks Station, he was killed in France.

We learn of her family's shock at hearing of the death of Daisy's own brother in Palestine a few days after they had all celebrated the Armistice and what they thought was an end to slaughter. It was a shock that brought about the death of her mother a few weeks after receiving the news.

She recounts some of the tales of her grandfather, who was termed by newspapers of the time as `The Grand Old Man of Hurstpierpont', who was a repository of local history and able to recount tales of the family's fascinating history and involvement with Sussex life. When journalists went to interview him on his 99th birthday, he regaled them by singing songs of the Napoleonic Wars.

Daisy's great-great-grandfather had served with Wellington's Army through the Peninsular Campaign before returning to Hurst in 1816 to become parish clerk. Her great-grandfather was printer, publisher and Hurstpierpoint's first postmaster.

Here is a book not only for those interested in local Sussex history but those who want to know what life was really like for people living during that era of tremendous change.

Information can also be obtained from David Robinson, 6 Hurst Gardens, Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex BN6 9ST. Tel. 01273 833436.

Editor, Peter Berresford Ellis, can be contacted on Tel. 020 7263 0581.