Hugh Theodore STEBBING (1887-1946)

Hugh Theodore Stebbing (1887-1946) was the husband of Flora Orchard who had become friendly with the Sladden family when she first moved to Badsey in about 1905.

Hugh was born at Southsea, Hampshire, the elder of two children of Frank C Stebbing, a chaplain and naval instructor in the Royal Navy, and his wife, Edith M.  Hugh was educated at Marlborough and then joined the regular army.

On 12th August 1915, whilst on home leave, Captain Hugh Theodore Stebbing married Flora Muriel Orchard in the Devonport district of Devon.  On the outbreak of war, he had first gone overseas to France in October 1914.  Their only child, Hilary Muriel, was born on 28th August 1916 in Evesham.  He was at that stage in Bombay, having been invalided there from Mesopotamia with typhoid.  In a letter of 24th June 1917, Mela revealed that Hugh had sent a wire to Flora asking her to join him in India, but she was unable to do so because she could not get a passport.

At the time of the 1939 register, Flora and Hilary were living at 32 Mutley Road, Plymouth.  Hugh died in Brixham Hospital on 5th June 1946 and Flora died at Brixham in 1974.