James Alexander Box, was the owner of The King's Arms during the Great War. History of Brasted in Kent

My great grandfather, James Alexander Box, was the owner of The King's Arms during the Great War.

I was just googling to see where The King's Arms, Brasted was and came by chance on your website.

I thought you might be interested to see a photo of my great-grandfather and his two sons. Jim, the eldest (my grandfather) had the same name as his father and served in the Royal Field Artillery. Bill, the younger, had migrated to Australia before the war and served in 15 Bn, AIF.
After the war, my great grandfather (who had already spent some time in Australia with his son before the war), migrated and a few years later brought his wife and younger children to join him.

I was wondering if you had any information about the Box family during their time in Brasted? Please leave a message in the Brasted Forum if you have information.

My grandfather had been gassed during the war and he later lived and worked in Papworth Everard, Cambs. until his death in 1926. My grandmother died a few years later, leaving three young girls as orphans. Their aunts and uncles sent them to live with my great grandparents in Brisbane in 1933.

Incidentally, I was surprised to read the article on your site about George Marchant. I grew up and spent most of my life in Chermside and as a schoolboy, spent many happy hours playing cricket on one of the many wickets that are carefully tended on that wonderful park given by Mr Marchant to the community. In later years, I often ran through the park, walked the dogs along with countless others. He also established the Garden Settlement, now called Wheller Gardens, in Gympie Road, which is a wonderful complex caring for the ill and elderly.

I should perhaps have explained how I heard of the Kings Arms and Brasted.

I was researching my great uncle's AIF war records and found that on 14 January 1918 he had notified the Army that his father (as his next of kin) had moved from their former address at 9 Lewisham Road, Greenwich and the new address was the Kings Arms.

I was curious to find out more about the family in England if possible.

Of the three young girls who were orphaned and sent to Australia, my mother and one of my aunts have died but the oldest of the sisters is now 94 years, widowed and in a retirement home. She has had reasonable health but fell two weeks ago and has become very frail since.

The reason I was researching my great uncle's records was because he was one of the civilians captured and killed by the Japanese in New Ireland in WWII. The Japs produced, after the war, a list purporting to show 1053 men said to have gone down on the Montevideo Maru on 1 July 1942. That story cannot be disproved but a Jap Rear Admiral was tried and executed for murdering another group of Australian civilians on New Ireland later in the war. He had admitted that offence so there was no question of his guilt. If you are interested, you might like to read the account in "The Kavieng Massacre".

The alleged sinking was one of the atrocities more or less covered up during and after the war. However, if true, it was Australia's greatest maritime disaster ever. A great number of these men were born in Britain as well so it a disaster for families in both countries. I think that it would be even less well known there.

Public pressure finally caused a war memorial to be dedicated in Canberra on 1 July this year and I made a point of attending to remember a great uncle who had died before I was born but who has been remembered by my family all these years.

I was amazed that at a dinner the day prior to the dedication, there were 600 attend and the ceremony the following day was attended by a very large crowd of family members, some from as far away as Norway.

George Marchant born in Brasted invented a bottling machine & his soft-drink business became the largest in Australia Click Here

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