Stone W N Captain VC 3rd Attd 17th Royal Fusiliers

CAPTAIN W. N. STONE, V.C.
Royal Fusiliers
Aged 25
November 30th, 1917
Fifth and youngest son of Edward Stone, Solicitor, and of his wife, Emily Frances Stone, née Miéville.
Pembroke College, Cambridge, 1910.
On leaving Cambridge went to Regina, Canada, and afterwards to Toronto, where he studied land surveying.
Captain Stone returned to England from Canada on the outbreak of the War and joined the Inns of Court O.T.C. in November, 1914. The following month he went to the R.M.C., Sandhurst, and was gazetted to the 3rd Royal Fusiliers in May, 1915. He became Lieutenant in March, 1916, and Acting Captain in the following November.
He left for France in September, 1915, and four months afterwards was appointed Acting Staff Captain to the 5th Brigade H.Q.
He was killed in action between Bourlon Wood and Mœuvres, during the Battle of Cambrai, on November 30th, 1917, and for his conduct on that day was awarded the Victoria Cross.
The following appeared in the “London Gazette Supplement,” February 13th, 1918-
“The King has been pleased to approve of the award of the Victoria Cross to the following Officer: Lt. (A/Capt.) Walter Napleton Stone, late R. Fusiliers. For most conspicuous bravery when in command of a Company in an isolated position, 1000 yards in front of the main line, and overlooking the enemy’s position. He observed the enemy massing for an attack and afforded invaluable information to Battalion Headquarters. He was ordered to withdraw his Company, leaving a rearguard to cover the withdrawal. The attack developing with unexpected speed, Captain Stone sent three Platoons back and remained with the rearguard himself. He stood on the parapet with the telephone under a tremendous bombardment, observing the enemy, and continued to send back valuable information until the wire was cut by his orders. The rearguard was eventually surrounded and cut to pieces, and Captain Stone was seen fighting to the last, till he was shot through the head. The extraordinary coolness of this heroic Officer and the accuracy of his information enabled dispositions to be made just in time to save the line and avert disaster.”

Source : Harrow Memorials Of The Great War Vol 5 1914-1918

CAMPBELL, CHARLES, 2nd Lieut.. 11th (Service) Battn. The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regt.), yst. s. of the late Lieut. Charles Campbell, Assistant Paymaster in the Army Pay Department, by his wife, Rose (-); b. London, 10 June, 1892; educ. privately, and at the Stationers’ School, Hornsey, N.; was a Traveller; volunteered for active service soon after the outbreak of war, and enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps in Oct. 1914; served with the Expeditionary Force in France from 1915; received a commission, and was gazetted 2nd Lieut. Royal Fusiliers in Dec. 1917; took part in some severe fighting during the retreat from St. Quentin and died at Amiens 20 April, 1918, of wounds received there by the bursting of a shell. Buried in the Cemetery of St. Pierre. His Commanding Officer wrote: “He had been through some hard fighting, and had always shown himself a gallant officer. He is a great loss to his men and to the battalion.” Unm.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

BURLING, WILLIAM GEORGE, Private. No. 69803, 1st Battn. (2nd Foot) The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regt.), s. of William Albert Burling, of 21. Rigby Street. Colne, by his wife, Alice Mary, dau. of William Denney, of Gosfield, co. Essex b. Forest Gate, co. Essex, 2 Jan. 1899; educ. Colchester, and Colne: was a Weaver: enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers 7 May, 1917; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from 28 Jan. 1918, and was killed in action at St. Waast 6 Nov. 1918. Buried at La Vallée. St. Waast. His Commanding Officer wrote: “Your dear son was one of our best men and very popular. He bravely did his duty on all occasions, and it grieves me very much to lose him,” and his Sergt.: “He was one of the best in the platoon, and we all miss him greatly. He died doing his duty bravely, like a man, when we were in a particularly tight corner.” Unm

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

BROWN, ERNEST WILLIAM, Private, No. 11309, 1st Battn. (7th Foot) The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regt.), s. of Charles William Brown, of Ilopton, Thetford, by his wife, Mary; b. Shepdham, co. Norfolk, 27 Sept. 1885; educ. Council School there; was a Butcher; enlisted 31 May, 1916; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from the following Dec.; was reported missing after the fighting at Ypres 31 July, 1917, and is now assumed to have been killed in action on or since that date. He m. at Shipdham, 26 Dec. 1908, Zoraida (Church Road, Brandon, co. Suffolk), dau. of Arthur Eastick, and had three sons: Alec Charles, b. 4 April, 1910; Stanley Eastick, b. 24 Sept. 1912, and Ernest Frank, b. 2 July, 1917.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

BRADBERRY, CYRIL CHRISTOPHER DAVID, Private, No. 2630, D. Coy., 24th (Service) Battn. (Sportsman’s) The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regt.), elder s. of the late Rev. Thomas Christopher Bradberry, M.A., Curate of Hayton and Talkin, by his wife, Edith Alice (Garth Foot, Castle Carrock, How Mill, Carlisle), dau. of the late George Sedgwick; b. Longton, co. Stafford, 25 June, 1893; educ. Grosvenor College, Carlisle, and Brompton Secondary School; joined the Sportsman’s Battn. of the Royal Fusiliers 15 Jan. 1915; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from Nov. 1915, and was killed in action at Beaumont Hamel 13 Nov. 1916. His Captain wrote: “He died bravely fighting for King, Home and Country.” Unm.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

BOUGHTON, FREDERICK WILLIAM, Private, No. 29013, 8th (Service) Battn. The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regt.), s. of William Boughton, of Wellington Road. Eye, by hs wife, Julia, dau. of George Nobbs, of Alburgh: b. Eye, co. Suffolk, 1 Feb. 1884 educ. National School there; enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers 27 March, 1915; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from the following July: was reported wounded and missing after the fighting on 27 Nov. 1917, and is now assumed to have been killed in action on or about that date: unm.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

Boote J A L/Cpl 68857 24th Royal Fusiliers

BOOTE, JOHN ARTHUR, L.-Corpl., No. 68857, 24th (Service) Battn. The Royal Royal Fusiliers (City (City of of London London Regt.), only s. of John Henry Boote, of 47, Hillfield Avenue, Hornsey, London, N., by his wife, Edith Mary, dau, of Thomas Powell, of Burton-on-Trent; b. Hornsey aforesaid, 2 July, 1898; educ. there, and at Owen’s School, Islington, N., where he matriculated; was a Clerk at Barclay’s Bank; enlisted in Aug. 1916; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from Oct. 1917, and was killed in action near Arras 25 Aug. 1918. Buried at Behagnies; unm.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

BIRD, CLEMENT EUSTACE, 2nd Lieut., 9th (Service) Battn. The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regt.), yst. s. of the late Henry Bird, by his wife, Maud Katharine (Morrab Terrace, Penzance), dau. of the late Capt. T. R. Stawell, 38th Regt.; and brother to Private H. G. Bird and L.-Corpl. R. de B. Bird (see Vol. IV., pp. 13-14); b. Millbrook, co. Cornwall, 24 Nov. 1897; educ. Cathedral School, Exeter; joined the 2/4th Devonshire Regt. 1 Dec. 1914; left for India on the 21st of that month; quickly attained the rank of Sergt., and was gazetted 2nd Lieut. Royal Fusiliers 16 Nov. 1915, when he returned to England; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from July, 1916; was wounded on the Somme in Oct., but after two months rejoined his regiment; took part in the Battle of Arras, and was killed in action at Monchy-le-Preux 28 June, 1917. Buried in the Military Cemetery there; unm.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

Bentley A F J Pte 61686 17th Royal Fusiliers 

BENTLEY, ARTHUR FRANCIS JOHN, Private, No. 61686, 17th (Service) Battn. The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regt.), 8. of Arthur Charles Bentley, of Wood Green, N., by his wife, Ellen, dau. of James Cutts; b. Wood Green, London, N., 23 March, 1891; educ. there was a Cloth Spreader; enlisted 13 June, 1916; served with the Expeditionary Force in France from 10 Nov. following, and was killed in action 30 Nov. 1917. He m. at St. Michael’s, Bowes Park, N., 10 June, 1916, Emma (10, Green Brae, Tottenhall Road, London, N), dau. of Frederick Eaton; s.p.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

Balbirnie J V E 2nd Lt 23rd Royal Fusiliers

BALBIRNIE, JOHN VICTOR ELPHINSTONE, 2nd Lieut., 23rd (Service) Battn. The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regt.), only surv. s. of the late Hugh De Vaux Balbirnie, Doctor of Medicine, by his wife, Rosa Katherine, dau, of the late Squire Heaton, of Sheffield: b. Upper-thorpe, Sheffield, co. York, 30 May, 1887; edue. Central Secondary School, Sheffield; was in the Sheffield Banking Company, Ltd..; volunteered for active service, and joined the 31st Royal Fusiliers in Feb. 1916; served in 6th and 32nd Royal Fusiliers from Oct. 1916; trained in the 15th (Artists’ Rifles) Officers’ Cadet Battn. at Romford in Sept. 1917; received a commission 51st (Grad.) Battn. (Newmarket) and was gazetted 2nd Lieut. Royal Fusiliers in Jan. 1918; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from Sept. 1916, till July, 1917, also from Aug. 1918, and was killed in action between Daignes and the Canal du Nord 7 Sept. 1918. Buried where he fell, near the village of Dernicourt.

His Commanding Officer wrote: ” He fell when most gallantly leading forward his men. He was such a promising officer, a great favourite with us all, and we miss him so much,” and a brother officer “…..This caused a check, and your husband, upon getting to know what had happened, immediately took entire charge, and urged the men to proceed. He, too, exposed himself, and was shot through the head, and killed instantly ……your husband’s death was caused by his devotion to duty, and by his prompt action he kept up the morale of the remaining men.”

He m. at Sheffield, 26 Dec. 1917, Isabella Elizabeth (2, Ashgate Road, Sheffield), dau. of the late Thomas (and Elizabeth) MacDonald, of Liverpool, and had a son, John Patrick Elphinstone, b. 3 Feb. 1919.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5