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My three-times great grandmother Anne Tippins may never have known about the relatives I’m going to tell you about, despite having lived in England roughly at the same time and being only first cousins once removed. But both sides of the family were born in very different circumstances; while my branch remained country folk till well into the 20th century, the other side of the Tippins family decided to move about other towns in England, probably looking for a place to settle. Several of them even went as far as Canada and Australia.

John Tippin's jacket, decorated with all the medals he won for shooting (Colchester Rifle Club).

Luke R. Tippins was born in the village of Kimbolton, in Herefordshire, in late 1858. He was the ninth and penultimate child of William Tippins (1815-1895) and his wife Mary Ann, née Ricketts (1817-1886). The family had lived for some time in the picturesque village of Lyonshall before moving to Kimbolton. Some time before 1861 the family settled in Leominster, where their youngest was born. It’s highly unlikely that William’s wages would have been enough to feed such a large family; in fact two of his children died quite young. All in all, however, the family was able to progress, and Luke turned to teaching as a way of making ends meet. In 1881, when he wasn’t quite 22, he is listed in the census as a teacher in a boys’ school in Westerham, Kent. Curiously, his elder sister Anne is also working there as a housekeeper.

It is not known how Luke came to grow an almost feverish passion for guns. He was probably a natural shot, a quality which he obviously passed on to his son John, judging from the latter’s numerous medals he won for shooting. In May 1882 Luke’s sister Anne decided to marry; she and her husband moved north, to Liverpool, where sadly she died only a year after just three days short of her wedding anniversary.

Calvaire Essex Military Cemetery in Belgium, where John Tippins is buried with 217 of his comrades.

At more or less the same time that Anne was getting married, Luke met a young woman called Rose Ellingham. The couple soon got engaged, although this was not the first time in her life that Miss Ellingham had become close to a man. In May 1882 she had decided to break off her relationship with one Albert Edward Sanders, a station clerk.  Upon learning of Rose’s engagement to Luke Tippins, Albert started to behave in a threatening way towards Luke. Even after their marriage, Luke and Rose remained in Westerham, but Sanders’ threats also continued. One Saturday evening in November 1882, the couple were returning home when they noticed a shadowy figure lurking near their cottage. The man, positively identified as Albert Edward Sanders, ran off into the darkness, but Luke decided to follow him. Trapped, Sanders fired two shots from the gun he was carrying, at which time Luke took out his own gun and fired as well; Sanders fired back a third time, hitting Luke on the left side of his chest, just inches above his heart; fortunately, his pocket watch and buckle prevented the shot from being fatal. A fourth shot hit him on his upper right arm. Undaunted, Luke Tippins then shot at Albert, who was now  seriously wounded, and then returned to his terrified wife. Not one to give up easily, Sanders shot at them a fifth time, but the couple quickly escaped the scene to the safety of their cottage.

Luke had been wounded, and for some time he was seriously ill; Sanders meanwhile dissappeared for a time, knowing he was probably being searched by the police, but two weeks later he was found in London, suffering from a severe gunshot wound in his shoulder. The case was soon after taken to court. The defense claimed that Albert E. Sanders had not gone to the Tippins’ home with intent, but had only shot his gun in self-defense. He was found guilty, and he was recommended to mercy for his wounds and had already spent five months in prison; nevertheless he was sentenced to 10 years. I have no idea of what became of him after he was sent to prison.

After the whole ordeal, Luke and Rose centred on having a small family. In late 1884 their daughter, also called Rose, was born. In 1887 the couple was blessed with the birth of their only son, John, who inherited his father’s love of fire arms.

Not long after, Luke decided to retire from teaching. Shooting was his only interest, and he became a gunsmith, going as far as becoming a founding member of the Colchester Rifle Club. In 1910 he published The Rifleman’s Companion; a contemporary report states that “The author is well known as a skilled international shot, who has very exceptional facilities for experimental work. His knowledge of applied science, joined to long experience of rifle-making, has placed him in the front rank of rifle experts. The new book is practical, while not neglecting such knowledge of theory as is essential for useful practice, and shows the rifleman how to get the best work out of his weapon.”

By then, the family had settled in Mistley, in Essex; Luke’s daughter Rose had trained to become a teacher in Whitelands Training College in Chelsea. By 1908 she had progressed to become headmistress at Horsley Cross C.E. School in Mistley, before she changed to another school in 1914. From 1925 onwards she was the headmistress of Wrabness School in Manningtree, Essex. Meanwhile, her only brother John had already become an excellent shot. He too joined the Colchester Rifle Club founded by his father. Throughout his short life he won a huge amount of prizes and medals in recognition for his shooting abilities.

John Tippins shortly before his death.

In 1914, when World War I broke out, John Tippins enlisted in the army as a corporal, probably thinking that his shooting skills might help the war effort, and that he’d soon be back home before long. It was only weeks into the war when he was tragically killed near Comines-Warneton, in Hainault (Belgium); while he was fetching a can of water for the Maxim gun he was working, an enemy bullet penetrated his body and he died soon thereafter. Corporal John Tippins was only 28. His remains were buried along with those of his comrades in Calvaire Essex Military Cemetery in Belgium. Another 217 bodies are buried on the site.

John’s death must have been a terrible blow for Luke, Rose and his sister. His mother Rose died in 1925, and was survived by her husband for 14 years, dying in 1939, the same year another very killing war erupted. Luke’s only daughter Rose, being the last of the family, died a spinster in Colchester, Essex, in 1959, at the age of 75.

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