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New Blackmore Vale, December 10, 2021
blackmorevale.net
History
For whom the bell tolls: The tough life Tragedy and hard times dogged the life of a much-loved village vicar. From the bankruptcy of his parents to a battle with malaria, life wasn’t easy. But his death, caused by a church bell in front of a party of schoolchildren, in St Andrew’s Church in Okeford Fitzpaine, was perhaps one of the most extraordinary tales of all. ROBERT WELLAN tells his story... The Reverend William Russell Ware Mortimer, WRWM, was born in Bristol in 1889 to William Henry and Edith Mortimer, who were married in 1886 in Bedminster. The couple had four children, Gladys, WRWM, Dorothy and Sydney. It was during this time the family tanning business was in trouble. William was subject to a Receiving Order in 1897 and in 1898, a series of notices appeared regarding bankruptcy proceedings. By 1901, William was living in Bath, separated from his family, and is described as ‘living on own means’. He died in 1902. Our man, WRWM, had been taken in by the wider Mortimer family and at age 22, he was single and a Clerk in a Wholesale Stationers’ In 1912, WRWM began theological training at St Boniface Mission College in Warminster. A natural sportsman, WRWM represented the college in cricket and football. In 1916 WRWM was ordained a priest. In 1919 he married farmer’s daughter Stella Tansley and the couple travelled to British Guiana, modern day Guyana, for five years where WRWM was on missionary training and in 1924, their first child, Mary. The couple both suffered ill health abroad, and were reported to have succumbed to malaria. Later it was reported that “ill health compelled him [WRWM] to return to
TRAGEDY: A report on the death is featured in The Ringing World from August 1957 and, below, St Boniface Mission College in Worchester and, right, a note to the vestry
England”. A second child, a son, Roger was born in 1932. In 1944 WRWM became the Rector at Okeford Fitzpaine and former parishioners remember the couple fondly. Sunday School pupil Helen Sherwood said: “I remember my parents telling me that when my sister was born
Rev Mortimer visited. He sat in the front room talking to mum, and was given a cup of tea and offered a biscuit, to which he replied ‘I won’t have one now, but I will take several for later’ and proceeded to fill his trouser pockets’. Greta Fudge and her late
husband, Joe, were the last couple that WRWM married in May 1957. Greta lives in Marnhull and said: “WRWM was a lovely man, a bit scruffy and his wife was a nice lady, who taught me the piano.” On Sunday, July 21, 1957, tragedy struck when WRWM
