Ussher S Captain Indian Army
Source : The Sphere 9th Jan 1915
Ussher S Captain Indian Army
USSHER, STEPHEN, Capt., 129th Duke of Connaught’s Own Baluchis, 3rd s. of the Rev. Richard Ussher, Vicar of Westbury, Brackley; b. 52, Eaton Place, S.W., 4 Oct. 1882; educ. St. Edward’s School, Oxford, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst (20 Sept. 1901 to 30 July, 1903); gazetted 2nd Lieut., unattd., Indian Army, 27 Aug. 1902; served with the 1st Battn. King’s Shropshire L.I. (with which he went to India), 27 Aug. 1902 to 25 Feb. 1903; The Buffs, 26 Feb. 1902 to 13 Oct. 1903, and the 2nd East Lancashires, 14 Oct. 1903 to 4 July, 1904; was posted to the 129th Baluchis, 5 July, 1904, and promoted Lieut. 5 Dec. following, and Capt. 27 Aug. 1911; was Double Coy. Officer, 7 July, 1904; Off. Adjutant, 11 Nov. 1908, to 27 June, 1909, and Adjutant, 28 June, 1909, to 15 Aug. 1913; 3; was present at the Delhi Coronation Durbar (medal, 24 June, Ju 1911); went to France with the Indian Expeditionary Force, Sept. 1914, and was killed in action at Givenchy, 16 Dec. 1914; unm.
The 129th Baluchis were ordered to make an attack on the German trenches at Givenchy near La Bassée on the early morning of the 16th. Capt, Ussher was in charge of the Machine-Gun Section of the Regt. The attack at first succeeded, but later the Germans brought up two machine-guns quite close, and by this means prevented any reinforcements coming forward to assist the first attacking party which had gained the Germans’ first line of trenches. Capt. Ussher, seeing what damage the German machine-guns were doing, tried to direct the fire from his guns on to theirs, and while looking over the parapet so that he could direct the fire effectively was hit by a bullet in the centre of his forehead. He died at once without recovering consciousness, and was buried the next day at Beuvry, near Bethune. His last words before he was killed were “Keep down, keep down,” to a brother officer who was with him. The 129th Baluchis were the first Indian Regt. to go into action, and one of the men received one of the two first V.C.’s ever granted to the native troops.
Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 1