Col James KNELL is buried in churchyard at Wanborough, Surrey with the inscription
“IN MEMORY OF MY/ BELOVED HUSBAND/ COLONEL JAMES KNELL/ ROYAL NETHERLAND HUSSARS/ BORN APRIL 26TH 1887/ DIED JULY 14TH 1945/ WHO GAVE HIS LIFE FOR ENGLAND AND HOLLAND”
At the time of his death Colonel J Knel of the Royal Netherlands Hussars was serving with the HQ, G.O.C. Netherlands Forces in the UK.
The address given in the Wanborough Church Burial Register is WHITELANDS HOUSE, KINGS ROAD CHELSEA. The address given for Probate in 1945 was Coniston, Caledon Road, Beaconsfield.
He also mentioned on Netherlands Field of Honour War Memorial in Mill Hill Cemetery see https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/151251586
“To Marry Again – An Interesting wedding soon to take place is that of Lady [Theodora Chevallier Gervers] MARKHAM, widow of the Artic explorer, Admiral Sir Albert [Hastings] MARKHAM (who died in October 1918) and Lieutenant James KNELL instructor of the Cavalry School Amersfort. Lady MARKHAM is Theodora, daughter of Mr F.T. GERVERS of Amat Rossshire and at her marriage to Admiral MARKHAM the wedding cake was surrounded by a model of an iceberg and of the Laert the ship in which the bridegroom had sailed with Sir George NARES’ expedition in 1875. The daughter of the marriage named Joy, married Captain W.S. M’CANN a Canadian officer in 1919.” Dundee Courier 13 June 1921.
His Obituary was published in The Times (London, England), Wednesday, July 25, 1945, Issue 50203, p.7.
A photograph of Theodora his wife is held by the National Portrait Gallery https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw62515/Theodora-Chevallier-Knel-ne-Gervers
Mr Francis Theodore GERVERS (FTG) was therefore father in law to James KNELL. FTG lived 1925 to 1935 of Little Amat, Oliver Hill, Puttenham, Surrey. There is a partially completed entry for his burial in the Wanborough churchyard.
His step daughter Joy Mary Mina MCCANN (Nee MARKHAM) is also buried at Wanborough, she died (July 1935).
“Little Amat” is thought be the original name for “Holloway Veer” which has more recently become the BUPA Puttenham Hill Nursing Home, whose website says the building was designed by Oliver Hill. When FTG died in 1935 Little Amat was sold to Walter Richard Samuel MILLER and renamed Holloway Veer.
There is a further family connection as Florence Henrika GERVERS daughter of FTG married Herbert Cecil PORTER (HCP) 6 Apr 1899 – St Jude, South Kensington. HCP lived at Wacom Edge in Wanborough circa 1915 onwards and he died in 1948 – there is a memorial to him in the Wanborough Church.
Notes
- Link to WikiTree Page (see page)