Augustus George Partridge was born on 27th December 1888, in Notting Hill, Middlesex.  He was the son of a coach painter.

He was ordained at Farnham Caslte in 1920 and Priest in 1921 in the Winchester Diocese .  He was Curate of St Mary’s, Southampton between 1920 and 1923.  It was the preacher at his ordination service who urged the desirability of ministers doing a term of service for the church overseas, so Mr Partridge applied to be the Vicar of Booysens, Johannesburg, South Africa and was there between1923 and 1925. In 1926 he was asked by the Bishop of Lebom to be his Chaplain for a year at Lourenço Marques in Mozambique.

He was then appointed by Bishop Every of Argentina to a temporary Chaplaincy in Santos, Brazil. 1926-29, Mr Partridge then answered the call to go to the loniest island on the earth to be a Missionary inTristan de Cunha in the Diocese of St Helena.  It was recorded in a newspaper article that when Mr Partiridge sailed out to Tristran Da Cunha on the Canadian Pacific Liner, Duchess of Atholi, on 4th January 1929, he took with him presents of an harmonium and half a ton of flour from the King and Queen.   Together with others supplies of clothing, biscuits, sugar, tea, chocolate, soap, matches, cricket sets, gramaphones and books that were destined for the lonely islanders.  He arrived on 24th February. He would remain ion the island until 1932.

On his return he wote a book entitled Tristan Da Cunha,

Augustus was inducted into the Parishes of Apethorpe and Woodnewton  by the Bishop of Peterborough, Rt Rev C M Blagden.  The service was held at St Leonard’s Apethorpe on 23rd September 1935, and tea was provided by Sir Leonard Brassey and served in the village hall. He found that Woodnewton parish church was in need of some money and eventually in 1937 that he sent a letter to the Church Times in a desperate Plea for Help. Read the letter here. Obviously, his letter proved successful as he was able to purchase  many religious artefacts, which are still in the church today.  They were very ornate and sympathetic to his strong Catholic faith.

From Woodnewton, Augustus was asked to go to Holy Trinity, Drybrook, in the Forest of Dean. He was instituted and inducted by the Bishop of Gloucester on Monday, 4th March 1940.

From Drybrook, Augustus moved to South Shields as the Vicar of St Jude’s parish Church.  It was only three weeks after his induction that he was taken ill and died in hospital on 1st December 1943.

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