Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Mrs S. Wardle. The War Diary for this day records that after relieving the 1st Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment on the 2nd June, the Battalion were in trenches at Wieltje, quiet day, casualties two men killed and five were wounded.

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Coalville Times article - Friday June 25th, 1915:

Whitwick Soldier's Last Letter - Reported killed after five weeks in France.

News has, unfortunately, been received of the death of Pte. Ernest Tugby, of the D Company, 1st Battalion Leicestershire Regiment, within five weeks of his landing in France. He was 21 years of age.

A letter dated June 7th from an officer has been forwarded to Tugby’s parents who reside at Leicester Road, Whitwick, stating that on that date he was killed in action by a shell. Death was quite painless and instantaneous. “During the time he was with us,” said the writer, “he always did his work well, was cheerful and popular with his comrades. Please accept my deepest sympathy.”

The bereaved parents have written to the War Office for official confirmation but at the time of our inquiry this had not been received.

The last letter written by Tugby was one to his father dated May 26th. Having acknowledged a letter and gift with which he said he was very pleased, he says: “I shall never forget receiving it. I got it in the middle of a heavy shelling. We were working in the open digging, and our artillery had been letting them have it, when they opened fire on us. One shell burst close to us, but did no damage, just catching three of our chaps but not hurting them much. My word, dad, you wouldn’t believe with what a force they explode and the heat from them is terrific. The officer had just told us that they were going to bombard and that if they fell close, we were to run for cover. And we took him at his word. We were laughing and talking together and all at once we heard something come screaming through the air – (you would be surprised to hear them coming, but it’s true) – and someone shouted ‘Look up.’ Some ran, but I took an old soldier’s advice and dropped down flat, and as soon as it had gone off, I got up and ran for cover. I don’t think I ever ran so fast in my life before. Taking it on the whole it is not so bad. We have 2 hours in the day and two in the night digging to make the cover more secure. The country is a sight. It is all cut up and it is that hot in the day time that you sweat doing nothing. At the back of our trench we hear a cuckoo every morning and it makes us wonder if there is a war on, till boom, then you know, because your head is between your knees very quickly. It is terrible when they start shelling. It shakes the earth. There is a village behind our lines which is often shelled and the people are still there. At the time of writing this, I am in the trenches, but we come out tonight (Tuesday) for a rest. The regiment on our right lost about 30 men last night. It was just like hell let loose. I shall remember Whitsuntide. Many a man turned his eyes towards England yesterday and thought of the young chaps enjoying themselves with the girls, but that’s all they are fit for, not to take a man’s part. Thank God I am doing my part and if I have got to go under, I shall do it with a good heart. You can take it from me that our airmen are marvellous. They earn the V.C. every time they go up; they simply know no fear. It will make a bit of difference with Italy starting, but we have not won yet. But we are going to win. The food we get in the trenches is a lot better than what we used to get at Portsmouth.”

Tugby, writing to other friends in a letter dated May 6th, stated that he had arrived in France after a rough passage. He continued: “It was a sight to see the waves. They seemed as big as the ships. There were four or five other regiments besides ours. To hear them talk here you would die of laughing. I am sure I shall never understand them as long as I live. There are some fine sights here and it is beginning to look something like a war now. It is jolly hot too, but on the whole there is nothing to grumble at. The food is not bad and there is enough of it. I don’t expect I shall be here long, as we shall have to be getting a bit nearer the front. I will let you know when I have been in the firing line. I will catch one of the bombs and send you one if it won’t go off. We are only allowed a letter a day, so I shall not be able to write to you every week, but I will write when I can.”

Coalville Times article - Friday July 2nd, 1915:
Memorial Service at Whitwick Church for two local men killed in action - An Impressive Service.

A memorial service was held at the Whitwick Parish Church on Sunday morning for Lance-Corpl. H. S. Burton and Pte. E. Tugby, two Whitwick soldiers who have been killed in action. The Citizen Corps of Coalville, Whitwick and Thringstone, with the Whitwick Holy Cross Band and boy scouts also attended, and there was a large congregation, the church being packed. The flag was flying over the church at half-mast. At the foot of the altar were placed two wreaths, composed of evergreens, tied with ribbons of the national colours. The hymns sung included, “Jesu, lover of my soul,” “On the resurrection morning,” and “For ever with the Lord.” At the close of the service, the organist, (Mr R. West) effectively played the Dead March, the congregation standing meanwhile, and after this, two of the Whitwick boy scouts, Buglers James Richards and Albert Williamson from the altar steps sounded “The Last Post,” which was followed by the singing of the National Anthem.

The service was conducted by the Vicar (Rev. T. W. Walters, M.A.), who preached an impressive sermon, from the text St. John 11c. 32v. “Lord, if Thou hadst been here my brother had not died.” He said they had come together that morning, not for the first time, to keep in remembrance some of the men who had fallen in the war now raging on the Continent. Since they met together there before two things had happened. First of all they had witnessed the huge casualty lists published daily. At first they were small and came only rarely, but when the lists came as they had been doing during the past four or five weeks, they began to realise the greatness of the fight in which they were engaged. And part as a result of the publication of those casualty lists and as a result of the cry of the men who are fighting for us in France and in Flanders, the nation, the empire was awakening. During the past few days they had witnessed, as it were, the stirring of a mighty giant and knew that they would soon see it fully awake and using its great power to the fullest extent. Alongside this mighty empire of ours during the last 44 years, ever since the close of the last Continental war in 1871, they had witnessed growth and development in men and in power of another great empire which had become so powerful in the centre of Europe that it had persuaded itself that it could easily master the other mighty empire that existed alongside it – the British empire. And it was more easily for it to persuade itself of that because it thought that the British empire had fallen asleep. We never suspected that the German empire was making such preparations and were preparing such instruments of war to be levelled against us and at last the day came. The day that had been toasted and which the enemy had been praying for arrived, and war was declared. Yet we went for about for weeks and months in a false sense of security. Now the nation was realising that unless something wonderful could be done in the way of supplying our men with the munitions they require, something awful would happen to this island home of ours. We were living today in the most critical days since the year 1066, the time of the Norman conquest, when a hostile force landed near Hastings and took this island from the English. In less than ten years the Normans spread over the land and got a bull from the Pope declaring that it was illegal to place in high positions in the church of this land any man who could be proved to be an Englishman. He must be a foreigner, a man who had come with conquering armies from Normandy, and if the Germans came to England in these days – if it would be very much the same. We should lose everything and the vast majority would lose their lives also. Foreigners would fill all the leading professions, take all positions of trust, and we should be trodden underfoot and become the serfs of the land as our forefathers were the serfs of the Normans for a few centuries after the last invasion and conquest of this island. The people were beginning to realise that and so this great giant, the mighty British empire was moving itself. Every man who was worth calling a man was saying that there was not going to be another invasion of this island, and if they could not go out to fight on the battlefield they were fighting in the great industrial army at home. When they looked at the vastness of the war they could not realise it. During the whole of the 19th century it was estimated that the wars in Europe cost four thousand million pounds, but this amount would soon be put in the shade by cost of the present war. If they went on at the present rate, in 12 months from now, this war would have cost the British people no less than one thousand, one hundred million pounds. All the wars of the 19th century only cost a little over three times that amount. This war was also taking men at a terrific rate. Already Great Britain had lost five times as many officers and seven times as many men as were lost during the whole of the Boer war, and, apparently, they were only at the beginning. They could not say how long it was going to last. They asked themselves what was the cause of it? The answer was not Christianity: not anything that is good, but the ambition – that was the sole word that could describe it – the ambition of a man, or a small class of men in Central Europe. It seemed a shame and the blackest crime in history that one man, or one man with a few supporters, should have such immense and awful power that they could plunge not only their own country but the whole world in such an awful state as this.

Section damaged and unclear –

So he was pleased that a large number had gone from Whitwick and more would go he felt sure. But two who were from Whitwick had gone to their long lost home. Both were well known in Whitwick. They were both scholars in the church school, and one was apprenticed to the teaching profession in their school. He was working in London when the war broke out and being touched as hundreds of thousands had been touched, he offered his services for his country, was sent out to France, and there in that glorious company of thousands who had fallen, he fell, and now lay buried in a foreign land. The other was much younger, just over 21 years of age. He landed in France on his 21st birthday. Little did I think, continued the preacher, when I spoke to him in April last in Leicester Road, as I wished him goodbye that that would be the last time that I should speak to him. He was a member of our men’s service here and on the 28th of last month, he wrote me a very beautiful letter. I thought I would just read you a line or two from the letter I received. He said, ‘I am sorry if I am wasting your time but I must say a word about the Sunday services. As there are five Sundays in this month I expect you will have a mixed one – he referred to the combined service on every fifth Sunday – When I was in civil life I used to think they were grand, but now that I am in the army and away from home I think of these services Sunday after Sunday with loving memories, and as circumstances will not permit me to be with you in person on these afternoons, I am with you in mind.’ And then he goes on to ask me if I will send him a prayer book and report of the men’s service. These things were being parcelled up to send to him when the news came that he had been killed. On June 7th, a Monday, a shell came and burst near him. He was killed instantaneously, and so Ernest Tugby goes in the glorious company of thousands more buried in a foreign land with his other brother from this parish, Lance-Corporal H. S. Burton.

(The remaining section of the article is ripped and missing.)

Coalville Times article - Friday November 5th, 1915

Parish Church

A small polished brass tablet has been placed on the wall at the west end of the church, to the memory of Private Ernest Tugby, who was killed in action June 7th, 1915. The inscription is as follows:

“In loving memory of Private Ernest Tugby, of the 1st Leicestershire Regiment, who was killed in action in France, June 7th, 1915. Greater love hath no man than this.”

The tablet has been made and engraved by Mr R. E. Swinfen of Nottingham, an old Whitwick resident, the expense being defrayed by the members of the Men’s and Women’s Service at the above church of which the deceased soldier was a highly respected member. At both morning and afternoon service on Sunday last the Vicar made most appropriate reference to the tablet and the hero soldier in whose memory it has been erected.

Coalville Times article - Friday June 7th 1918

IN MEMORIAM

In loving memory of Private Ernest Tugby, of the 3rd Leicesters, killed in action, June 7th, 1915.

From Clara

IN MEMORIAM

Coalville Times article - Friday June 6th, 1919

In affectionate remembrance of Private E. Tugby, killed in France, June 7th, 1915.

“In a land of strangers our loved one lies,
Not one of us near to bid him good-bye,
But the angels of heaven are guarding his soul,
Till we meet him again, at the call of the roll.”

From Mother and Dad.

Research undertaken and submitted (including photograph from the Coalville Times) by Andy Murby 5/9/2017