Person

Alfred Morris Gelsthorpe, the son of John and Annie Gelsthorpe, was born in Pinxton, Derbyshire on 26 February 1892. He had seven brothers and five sisters, but after the death of his father in 1896, the family split up and at the age of nine Morris was living in a St Anne’s Society Home for Children in Redhill, Surrey with two of his brothers. After King’s School Canterbury he went to Hatfield College, Durham University and got a Doctorate of Divinity. Whilst there, he joined the Senior Division of the University Officer Training Corps and, on 23 October 1914, was commissioned into the 8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry (DLI) as a second lieutenant.

Alfred landed in France on 4 May 1915 but was invalided home with trench fever shortly afterwards. In October 1915 he was one of the officers who started a training school for machine-gunners at Belton Park in Lincolnshire. He was later attached to the Artist’s Rifles (21st Machine Gun Corps) and was promoted to temporary lieutenant in command of 151 Machine Gun Company in 1916 . He was later promoted to acting captain and commanded 207 Machine Gun Company. In April 1917 he was promoted to captain and, later in the year, was wounded during the Battle of Passchendaele. At some time, Gelsthorpe was made and acting major. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and mentioned in despatches. Alfred’s company was then sent to Mesopotamia [Iraq] and, in the autumn, was involved in the little known Battle of Sharagat. For this he was mentioned in despatches on two more occasions.

After relinquishing his commission in 1919 Alfred was ordained as a deacon and, the following year, became a priest, and served as curate of St Gabriel’s Church in Bishopwearmouth until 1923. In that year he was accepted as a Church Mission Society missionary and served At Akwa in Nigeria, becoming principal of the Training College from 1928 until 1932. The following year he was consecrated as assistant to the Bishop on the Niger and in 1938 was appointed as assistant to the Bishop in Egypt and the Sudan. In 1945 Sudan was made a separate diocese and he became bishop until he resigned in 1952. During that time he married Doctor Edith Victoria Elfrida Whidborne in Khartoum. In 1952 he and his wife returned to England and was given the living at Bingham, in the Diocese of Southwell, in Nottinghamshire. He was also Assistant Bishop of Southwell until he retired in 1963. Around 1920, Gelsthorpe compiled a book about 207 Machine Gun Company – from which the image comes, though little is known about the book.

His award of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) was gazetted on 5 April 1918 and the citation reads:

“For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. While he was completing most elaborate arrangements in an advanced position for a machine-gun barrage on the following morning, the enemy attacked during the night under a most intense barrage. He immediately got all his guns into action with great effect, and made a personal reconnaissance forward to see if he could use them to better advantage. His teams suffered heavy casualties during this attack , but he carried out his full barrage programme on the following morning under a heavy bombardment. He showed qualities of leadership and initiative of the highest order, and his example of courage and contempt of danger had the most inspiring influence on his men”.

Alfred’s archive relating to his time as a missionary, can be found at Birmingham University, Special Collections:
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/cadbury/archives/index.aspx

The DLI collection at Durham County Record Office includes notes on his military career and on his “life and times” (D/DLI 7/249/1-2):
http://www.durhamrecordoffice.org.uk/article/10527/Search-the-Catalogue

Civil Parish: Bishopwearmouth Without

Birth date: 26-Feb-1892

Death date: 22-Aug-1968

Armed force/civilian: Army

Residence: St Anne’s Society Home for Children, Redhill, Surrey (1901 Census)
24 Clairview Road, Streatham, Surrey (1911 Census & London, England, Electoral Registers, 1918 & 1927)
24 South Street, Highfields, Doncaster, Yorkshire (West Yorkshire, England, Electoral Registers, 1913)
St Gabriel’s Vicarage, Bishop Wearmouth, Sunderland (Mundus Gateway 1919)
St Mary’s & All Saints Vicarage, Bingham, Southwell, Nottinghamshire (Mundus Gateway 1953)

Education: St Anne’s Society Home for Children, Redhill, Surrey
King’s School, Canterbury
Hatfield College, Durham University

Religion: Church of England

Organisation membership: Wearmouth Lodge, Order of Freemasons (England, United Grand Lodge of England Freemason Membership Registers, 1921)
Founder Member of Toc H

Family: Father: John Gelsthorpe
Mother: Annie Gelsthorpe (nee Kendall)
Siblings: Harold Stuart, Frank Ira, Kate Olive, Ida Rowena, Lawrence, Bernard, Sydney Osborne, Rebecca, Walter Oliver, John Norman, Mabel Angela & Frances Mildred Gelsthorpe
Wife: Edith Victoria Elfrida Gelsthorpe (nee Whidborne)

Military service:

8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry
Artist's Rifles
Captain

Medal(s): Distinguished Service Order
Mentioned in Despatches (3)
1914-15 Star
British War Medal
Victory Medal

Memorial(s): Artists Rifles Regimental Roll of Honour and War Record 1914-1919
Durham University 1914-18 Roll of Service

Gender: Male

Contributed by John Edwards