Asterby and Goulceby Remembers

A life of giving and service... affectionately known locally as ‘The Doctor’...

A former naval captain and doctor who served in WWI and WWII; awarded the DSO (Distinguished Service Order) in 1949 and received an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 1941; this is his story....

Captain Cordeaux was born Edward Cawdron to Lieutenant Edward Kyme Cordeaux of the 4th Lincoln Regiment (becoming a Colonel later) and Hilda Eliza Agar in the parish of Great Coates on 24th July 1894 and died suddenly at home at Goulceby House on the 8th June 1963.  He married Marjorie Holmes and they had 4 sons together. 

The Cordeaux family had a tradition of public service.  His brother, Colonel J.K. Cordeaux was a Member of Parliament for Nottingham Central.  His sister, Miss Phyllis Cordeaux of Brackenborough Lawn (near Louth) held senior positions in the Red Cross, Girl Guides and Women’s Institute movements.  He was only a few months old when he left Great Coates and moved to Brackenborough Hall and a few years later, moved to Brackenborough Lawn and this became the family home.  He joined the Royal Navy in 1907, a fellow sailor was the Duke of Windsor (formerly King Edward VIII).

He spent his life in public service and had a distinguished career naval career during WWI and WWII following an education at the Royal Naval Colleges at Osborne and at Dartmouth.  He served in the Navy from 1907 to 1929.  During 1914 to 1918 WWI he fought at the historic Battle of Jutland and at the Dardanelles.  He became a qualified gunnery specialist in 1919.  In 1927 until he retired until 1929 he became a Lt. Commander at the Royal Naval Staff College. 

In 1929 he took up medicine.  Qualifying in London, his medical career included service as a house surgeon and casualty medical officer at the Middlesex Hospital, followed by general practice at Southwold in Suffolk.  During his time there, he was also Chief Officer for the Fire Brigade, associated with the Red Cross and with the Civil Defence. 

When WWII broke out he re-joined the Navy with the rank of Commander and was promoted to Acting Captain in 1940 and served at Dunkirk, where he was awarded the D.S.O (Distinguished Service Order).  He was also awarded the O.B.E. in 1941 for his service in the Thames Estuary during WWII. The O.B.E. was part of the King’s birthday honours on 1st July 1941 were awarded to all 3 services prominent in building up Britain’s home defences and presented 23rd September 1941 at Buckingham Palace.   The D.S.O. was awarded for rescuing a Czech pilot whose aircraft came down in the sea off Sheerness in 1942 (he was also awarded the Czechoslovak Air Force Pilots Badge).  He also spent 5 years as a Captain of a flotilla in the Thames Estuary, two years as a Captain and Chief Administrative Staff Officer to Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Tovey.

There are numerous private papers of Captain E.C. Cordeaux held in the Imperial War Museum covering a period from May 1912 to October 1945.  These papers covering his service on HMS Lapwing (1st Destroyer Flotilla) at the Battle of Jutland and HMS Royal Eagle at Dunkirk in 1940.  There is also a detailed and descriptive eye-witness account of the Suvla Bay Landings, a letter giving his views on the Altmark incident in 1940, an Admiralty Casualty Card for injury during an air raid in 1942 and WWII Christmas cards from HMS Wildfire and no 310 Czech Squadron RAF.  https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1030007072

For 20 years prior to his death in 1963, he moved to Goulceby becoming a doctor at a Horncastle practice.  For this he was commonly and affectionately known as ‘Dr. Cordeaux’.

In 1947 he was a member of the Horncastle and Rural District Council, sometimes the Chair, and Vice Chair of the Horncastle magistrates.  He was also Group Controller for the Civil Defence in North Lincolnshire, a member of the Church Assembly and of the Diocesan Trust and Board of Finance. 

Since 1950 he had been a diocesan lay reader and a member of the Church Assembly for the Diocese of Lincoln. From 1952 he was Deputy Lieutenant of Lincolnshire and a member of the Sheffield Regional Hospital Board until his retirement shortly before his death.  Eight years prior to his death, he was appointed Justice of the Peace for Lindsey and sat on the Horncastle Bench, also becoming vice-chair.  He was also a former Chair of the Grimsby Hospital Management Committee and was Assistant County Medical Officer for the North Lincolnshire branch of the British Red Cross society.

In 1955 (eight years prior to his death), he was appointed Justice of the Peace for Lindsey and sat on the Horncastle branch, of which he was Vice Chair.

In April 1963 (shortly before his death), Captain Cordeaux along with all the Sheriffs from all the counties of England and Wales had an official ceremony at Clarence House with the Queen Mother and the Duke of Gloucester.  He was appointed ‘High Sheriff of Lincolnshire’ for the coming year.  This position allowed him to host and be in charge of arrangements for any Royal visits to the county.  Both his father, Colonel E. Kyme Cordeaux and his father-in-law, Mr. William Bennett where former Sheriffs in 1925 and 1909.  Captain Cordeaux died on the 8th June 1963, aged 69.

Captain Cordeaux and his beloved wife Margorie are both buried in the old Goulceby graveyard (unable to locate the graves in the records, albeit there are 2 close together which are unreadable).  Captain Cordeaux’s service was held at St. Peter’s Church Asterby.  The little church was apparently filled to capacity and villagers lined the pathway to pay their last respects.  The villagers who stood outside under the shade of the trees were able to hear the service through loudspeakers.  There was also a memorial service at Lincoln Cathedral for Captain Cordeaux.  He left a number of bequests to local organisations, including Asterby and Goulceby Parochial Church Council, various locals and many others.

Mrs Marjorie Cordeaux also appeared to have a notable public service in the area.  She was a key figure in both local churches (Asterby and Goulceby) and ran the Goulceby Sunday school for 25 years.  She was chair of the local Women’s Institute and president of the Louth Branch of the Royal College of Nursing.  Marjorie died peacefully on the 25th September 1975, aged 80, at ‘The Cottage’ Goulceby after a short illness.  She was the daughter of Sir henry Bennett, who was 6 times Mayor of Grimsby. 

There are 2 known memorials in both Asterby and Goulceby churches. 

Goulceby All Saints Church: https://slha.org.uk/tag/edward-cawdron-cordeaux

This was compiled by Diane De Halle, Clerk to Asterby and Goulceby Parish Council, following research during 2026 on the Asterby graveyard and extensive information received via Lincolnshire Archives to locate further records on WWI and WWII to update the website: https://asterby-goulceby.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk/parish-information/asterby-goulceby-remembers/1  

Special thanks to the Resource Centre at the Lincolnshire Family History Society and Lincolnshire Archives at Lincolnshire County Council for all the information obtained on WWI and WWII.

Lincolnshire Family History Society – records & newspaper articles

Imperial War Museum – private papers

Society for Lincolnshire History & Archaeology – memorial

Images obtained include:

• Copy of Baptism
• Probate notification
• Louth Standard 19.4.63 – Lincolnshire’s new High Sheriff
• Skegness Standard 12.6.63 – Big Loss to the County
• Horncastle News 14.6.63 – His death was a loss to all the county
• Horncastle News 14.6.63 – Village tribute to Dr. Cordeaux
• Louth Standard 14.6.63 – Tributes to ‘The Doctor’
• Sleaford Standard 14.6.63 – A big loss to the county
• Skegness Standard 18.12.63 – Captain Cordeaux left estate of £114,312