Caistor St Edmund – War Memorial (J. Derek Corrould Warren)

J. Derek Corrould Warren is one of the names listed on the war memorial in Caistor St Edmunds.

John Derek Corbould Warren, who was known as Derek, was born in Surrey in 1899, the son of the Rev. John Corbould Warren of Caistor Hall and Agnes Elizabeth Corbould Warren. This was a wealthy family, and although the father was the vicar, he was actually also the Lord of the Manor and owner of much of the village. There was a set-up at the time where the land-owner could appoint whatever vicar that they wanted, hence his appointment was likely partly self-awarded. But, more about him in another post, as he was one of the most important figures in the village over the last century.

Derek was killed at the age of 18 following a riding accident whilst training at Sandhurst, dying at Surbiton Cottage Hospital on 10 July 1917. His name doesn’t appear on the Commonwealth War Graves web-site, likely because the circumstances of his death meant that his body could be brought back to be buried in the churchyard at Caistor St Edmund. He joined the army early on during the war, serving as a cadet at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst. It must have been a difficult day for his father, the Reverend John Corbould Warren, as when he conducted the service at the unveiling of the war memorial in 1922, he knew that his son’s name was on it. Derek was his only son, although he had a daughter, Enid, who later married and lived at Caistor Hall.