WWI soldier to have his name added to war memorial in Chichester

Private John Charles Boniface from the 9th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment, was only 17 when he died in France in 1915

Author: Karen Dunn, Local Democracy ReporterPublished 7th Oct 2024

A soldier who died during World War One is to have his name inscribed on the Chichester War Memorial.

Private John Charles Boniface, of the 9th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment, was only 17 when he died in France, on September 28 1915.

While he is honoured at the Loos Memorial, in France, and on the Felpham Memorial, he was missed from the one in Chichester’s Litten Gardens.

After the omission was pointed out by a relative, Chichester City Council submitted a planning application to the district council asking permission to add his name.

Pvt Boniface was the son of John and Ada Amy Boniface, who lived at 2 Chermside Villas, The Broadway, Summersdale.

He was born in 1898.

A design statement submitted with the application said: “The proposed work is considered necessary in order to commemorate the sacrifice of another serviceman with a Chichester connection who gave his life in the Great War.

“The proposed work will be undertaken by a specialist contractor by means of traditional methods and will have no affect on the structural integrity of the memorial nor will it alter the appearance of the memorial or its surroundings.”

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