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Clifford Charles Horace Twiss, known as Horace, was born in Beverley the 22 Jan 1879 and baptised on 5 Mar 1879 at Anlaby Church, the son of Edward Curtis Twiss, the Stipendiary Magistrate for Hull, and Fanny Maria (nee Ringrose). Horace had two brothers, Edward Francis, born 1876, and Arthur Montague (Monty), born 1881, and a sister, Bertha Mary Isabel, born 1884. The family lived in New Walk, Beverley. He was educated at Shrewsbury School, where he was Head Boy and went on to read Classics at Christ Church, Oxford.
Horace married Constance Margaret Isabella Palmes, on 20 Sep 1904 at St Martin's Church, Scarborough. His bride was the daughter of the Venerable James Palmes, Archdeacon of the East Riding of Yorkshire and his wife Annie Augusta (nee Champney). In 1905 Horace joined the Indian Education Service as a tutor at the Rajah's College (Aligarh College), Uttah Pradesh. Later he became assistant master at Mayo College, Ajmere, Rajasthan, a fine teaching establishment known as the 'Eton of the East'. Horace and Constance had two children, a daughter, Cynthia Eve Twiss, born at Mount Abu, Rajasthan in 1907 and a son, Peter Michael Palmes Twiss, who died aged three in 1915. Mrs Constance Twiss of Ajmere, Rajasthan died aged 39 on 27 Aug 1914. Horace returned to England in October.
In India, Horace served as an officer the in the United Provinces Light Horse. The East Yorkshire Regiment was recruiting at Hull and within a month of his arrival home he joined the 12th Battalion, with the rank of Captain. The following August he was appointed Adjutant, a post he held for eighteen months.
Horace was transferred to the 13th Battalion (4th Hull Pals - known as T'Others) and promoted to Major. In Sep 1917 he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and became Commanding Officer of the 13th Battalion until it was disbanded at Ecurie, near Arras in Feb 1918. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in the New Year's Honours List in 1918. Following a short spell of home leave, he was posted as Commanding Officer of the 15th/17th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment (1st Leeds Pals) in Mar 1918. The Germans launched their Spring Offensive, Operation Michael, on 21 Mar 1918 and Horace was captured at Moyenneville, near Arras on 27 Mar. He saw out the rest of the war as a prisoner of war, firstly at Rastatt (south of Karlsruh) then at Stralsund (near Rostock on the Baltic). He arrived home in Beverley on Boxing Day 1918.
Horace returned to Mayo College until 1929 when he finally came home and settled in Sheringham, Norfolk. Horace re-married, on 24 Oct 1933, Mrs Winifred Mary Wellesley. During the Second World War, Horace commanded the local Home Guard and Winifred was Assistant County Director of the Norfolk Red Cross. They moved to The Friary, Roydon, near Diss in 1943. Horace died suddenly on 13 Feb 1947 aged 68.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |