Famous people

Frederick Henry Troake, GC (1896-1974)

Frederick Henry Troake, born 4 September 1896 in Uplowman, was a private in the 2nd Battalion, The Dorsetshire Regiment and was awarded the George Cross for his actions in September 1921 at Nilambur, India.

Nilambur is in the Malapuram district in South India where in the 1920’s there was a number of uprisings against the British. Whilst it was not a memorable period in British history when fighting “rebels” it did create a number of heroic actions by British soldiers at the time.

In fact Frederick Troake was awarded the “Medal of the Military Division of the British Empire Medal for Gallantry” for his actions in the 1921 Malabar Campaign and appeared in the London Gazette of 2 June 1923. This order was subsequently subsumed into the George Cross when it was created in September 1940. As the 2nd Dorsets remained overseas until after the Second World War all four that achieved this award were presented with the George Cross rather than the EGM.

The medal was awarded to Private Troake at Buckingham Palace on 29 February 1947.

More details on the campaign can be found on the following link:

http://www.keepmilitarymuseum.org/malabar.php?&dx=1&ob=3&rpn=george_cross&sid=662fc9de86abf2d9e5521e8aedcdfd87

 

Seth Ward (1617-1689)

Seth Ward was an English mathematician, astronomer, and bishop

He was born in Hertfordshire and was one of the original members of the Royal Society of London. He was appointed master of Trinity College, Oxford, but not having a statutory qualification he resigned in 1660.  King Charles II appointed him to the livings of St Lawrence Jewry in London, and Uplowman, Devonshire in 1661. He also became a dean of Exeter cathedral.

There is no information to show that he resided in Uplowman.

Further details on his life and his picture can be found on:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Ward_(bishop_of_Salisbury)

 

Sir John Steevens (1855-1925)

Sir John Steevens served in the military as a Major General and was awarded the KCB (Knight Commander of The Most Honourable Order of the Bath) and the KCMG (Knight Commander of The Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George).

He was the Commandant of the Royal Ordnance Corps. and served in the Anglo-Zulu wars in 1879. He died at Chieflowman and is buried at the church in Uplowman.

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