Shrubb F J Pte 14121 4th Coldstream Guards
Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 1
Shotton R H Leading Seaman 203871 HMS Hawke Royal Navy
Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 1
Short A F Rfn 2563 17th London Regiment
Short A F Rfn 2563 17th London Regiment
Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 1
Scot S A Captain 5th Royal Irish Fusiliers
Scot S A Captain 5th Royal Irish Fusiliers
SCOT SKIRVING, ARCHIBALD, Capt., 5th Battn Royal Irish Fusiliers, yr. s. of Robert Scot Skirving, M.B., of Sydney, N.S. W., by his wife, Lucy, dau. of the late Trefferson Hester, M.D.; b. Sydney, New South Wales, 7 Sept. 1884; educ. Sydney Grammar School; Eton House, Tonbridge; and the University of Sydney, at which last he graduated as M.B. and C.M. in 1911 with high honours, being the second man of his year. A resident medical officer in the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney till 1913, he proceeded in that year to England to take the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons, but on the outbreak of war at once volunteered for active service. He had previously joined the University Scouts in 1907, and the 2nd Australian Infantry Regt. in 1909, transferring from the latter in the following year to the N.S.W. Scottish Rifles, which became the 25th Australian Infantry under the new regulations, and after being temporarily attached to the Black Watch was given a commission as Lieut. in the Royal Irish Fusiliers, 4 Sept. 1914, and promoted Capt. 2 Dec. following. He died 9 Aug. 1915 (on board the hospital ship Valdivia), from wounds received near Suvla Bay, and was buried at sea five miles south of Imbros Island. The letters of his fellow officers show him to have been as able and keen in his military duties as he was capable and distinguished in his profession of medicine.
Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 1
Ronald J M Captain 2nd East Kent Regiment
Ronald J M Captain East Kent Regiment
CAPTAIN J. M. RONALD East Kent Regiment Aged 38
April 23rd, 1915
Sixth son of Robert Bruce Ronald and of Fanny Ronald, of Pembury Grange, Tunbridge Wells. Monitor, 1894. Football XI, 1893-4• R.M.C., Sandhurst, 1895 Married, in 1903, Evelyn Crosthwait, and leaves a daughter.
Captain Ronald received his Commission in the Buffs in 1906 ; he got his Company in 1900, and was Adjutant from 1904 to 1907. He served with the 2nd Battalion in the South African War, and took part in the relief of Kimberley and the battles of Paardeberg, Poplar Grove, and Dreifontein, being twice slightly wounded. He received the Queen’s Medal with four clasps, and the King’s Medal with two clasps. He retired from the Army in 1912, but resumed service as a Railway Transport Officer on August 6th, 1914, and rejoined his Regiment the following March. He was shot through the head and instantaneously killed on April 23rd, 1915, about a mile from Wieltje Farm.
Source : Harrow Roll Of Honour 1914-1919 Vol 2
Dixon C M Major 16th Lancers
Dixon C M Major 16th Lancers
MAJOR C. M. DIXON
16th (THE QUEEN’S) LANCERS
CLIVE MACDONNELL DIXON, of Chapelgarth, Stokesley, Yorkshire, was the eldest son of Sir Raylton Dixon, Ship Builder, of Gunnergate Hall, near Middlesborough, and of Lady Dixon, daughter of Robert Walker, M.D. He entered the School in 1884, left in 1887, and was gazetted to the 16th Lancers, then stationed at Lucknow, in 1890.
He saw service in the Chitral Campaign of 1895, receiving the Medal with Clasp, and went with the Indian Contingent to South Africa, on the outbreak of War in 1899. During the siege of Ladysmith he was A.D.C. to Sir George White, and Camp Commandant. He served through the whole War, was awarded the Brevet rank of Major, and received the two Medals with eight Clasps.
When this War was over he resigned his Commission, but immediately on the outbreak of War with Germany, Colonel MacEwen applied for Major Dixon to be his Second in Command, and he crossed to France with the Regiment in August, 1914.
He took part in the Retreat from Mons, and the Battles of the Marne and of the Aisne. He was mortally wounded when in temporary command of the 16th Lancers, who were gallantly holding their own in the trenches, against the enemy’s attacks, near Ypres, on November 5th, 1914. Age 45. He was mentioned in Despatches of January 14th, 1915. The following are extracts from letters from the General Commanding the Brigade, his Colonel and brother Officers :-
“It was a grand and gallant action, and gave one more proof of his splendid spirit. I never can tell you what good work he has done here, both in his skill and capacity in handling troops and in his grand constancy and cheerfulness in our moments of anxiety.” “I sent in his name for gallantry, on the second day of the Mons Battle, for carrying out of action, under a heavy shell fire, a man of the 18th Hussars, whose horse was shot-a typical act on his part.” ” He was adored by everyone, Officers and men. One of the finest characters I ever came across. He was a very fine soldier and did not know the meaning of fear.”
“He was acting most gallantly at the time he was shot, rallying some French who were next to us, and behaving in the splendid way that always stamped him as the very best. The example set is one that all might envy.”
And one of the men of the Regiment, writing home to his mother, said: “Major Dixon ran along the trench, telling us to stick it out and show what we were made of, and, as all of us were very fond of him, we did stick it out. ”
He was a keen sportsman and, also, a successful artist. He exhibited several large pictures at the Royal Academy. He married, in 1898, Lilian, daughter of John Bell, of Rushpool Hall, Saltburn, and Algiers, and had six children.
De Pass F A Lt VC Indian Army
De Pass F A Lt VC Indian Army
LIEUTENANT F. A. DE PASS VC
34th PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR’S OWN POONA HORSE
FRANK ALEXANDER DE PASS was the second son of Eliot Arthur and Beatrice de Pass, of Queen’s Gate Terrace, London.
He entered the School in 1901 and passed third into the R.M.A., Woolwich, in 1904. He obtained his Commission in the Royal Field Artillery in January, 1906, and was promoted Lieutenant in 1909. In this year, his Battery being stationed in India, he applied for and obtained a Commission in the 34th Poona Horse. In November, 1913, he was appointed Orderly Officer to the Chief of the Staff in India, with the local rank of Captain, but rejoined his Regiment on the outbreak of War and accompanied it to France in September, 1914.
He was killed near Festubert, in French Flanders, on November 25th, 1914, under circumstances which are described in the following report written two days later by the captain in command. For his conduct on this occasion he was subsequently mentioned in Despatches in January, and again in May, 1915, and was awarded the Victoria Cross in February, 1915. Age 27.
Report of the Captain in Command of Detachment of 34th Poona Horse:- “On arrival in the trenches at 4 am. on the 23rd, it was discovered that the enemy had driven a sap up to the parapet of that part of the trenches allotted to the Poona Horse. The enemy had blown in the main parapet and a breach of eight feet in length existed, leaving the trench exposed to rifle fire from the sap.”
“A troop was told off to hold the breach pending daylight, when a careful inspection could be made, with orders to erect a traverse at once, to cover themselves from rifle fire.”
“Lieut. de Pass asked permission to have the defence of this breach placed under his orders. The request was granted. As soon as it was daylight the O.C. Detachment Poona Horse inspected the breach, and, in order to ascertain what was in the sap called for a volunteer to enter and proceed along it toward enemy’s lines.”
“Sowar Abdullah Khan volunteered and entered the sap. He returned and reported that the enemy had erected a sandbag traverse about ten yards from the trenches at a point where the sap makes its first bend, and that a man with a rifle was at a loop-hole. At 8 a.m. the enemy commenced throwing bombs into our trenches from their side of this loop-holed traverse. This continued all day and caused several casualties.”
“Early on the morning of the 24th, Lieut. de Pass, accompanied by Sowars Fateh Khan and Firman Shah, entered the enemy’s sap, and, proceeding along it, Lieut. de Pass placed a charge of gun cotton in the enemy’s loop-hole, and fired the charge, completely demolishing the traverse and rounding off the bend sufficiently to expose the sap for some thirty yards to our rifle fire. While this was being done the enemy threw a bomb at Lieut. de Pass’s party, which fortunately missed and exploded behind them. “This action of Lieut. de Pass stopped all bomb throwing by the enemy during the 24th, and its effect can be better gauged by the fact that there was only one casualty that day, compared with six the day before, and nine the day after, when, under cover of darkness on the night of 24-25, the enemy replaced their loop-holed sandbag traverse.”
“The same day Lieut. de Pass, accompanied by a trooper of the 7th Dragoon Guards, went out in broad daylight and brought in a sepoy of the 58th Rifles, who was lying wounded in the rear of our trenches, at about 200 feet distance. Lieut. de Pass did not ask permission to do this but acted on his own initiative. Lieut. de Pass again volunteered to enter the enemy’s sap and blow up the traverse, but permission was refused.”
“About 3 p.m. on the 25th the bomb-throwing by the enemy became worse, and Lieut. de Pass went to the head of the sap to supervise repairs to our defences, which had been seriously impaired. He endeavoured to shoot the enemy’s sniper through a loop-hole, and in so doing was himself shot through the head. I consider that Lieut. de Pass’s conduct throughout was most intrepid, and that his actions were a magnificent example to the men of the Detachment.”
The Official record of the services for which he received the Victoria Cross was as follows:-Lieut. Frank Alexander de Pass (Killed), 34th Poona Horse.
“For conspicuous bravery near Festubert on the 24th November, in entering a German sap and destroying a traverse in the face of the enemy’s bombs, and for subsequently rescuing, under heavy fire, a wounded man who was lying exposed in the open. Lieutenant de Pass lost his life on this day in a second attempt to capture the aforementioned sap, which had been re-occupied by the enemy.”
* Private C. Cook, who, for this, was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
Source : Memorials Of Rugbeians Who Fell In The Great War Vol 1
Davies G 2nd Lt 24th London Regiment
Davies G 2nd Lt 24th London Regiment
SECOND LIEUTENANT G. DAVIES
24th (COUNTY OF LONDON) BATTALION, THE LONDON REGIMENT (THE QUEEN’S), T.F
.GRIFFITH DAVIES was the eldest surviving son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Davies, Downhurst, Ealing.
He entered the School in 1907, left in 1911, matriculated at Exeter College, Oxford, and was in France, reading for honours, when War broke out. Returning as soon as the completion of the French mobilisation permitted, he joined the 24th Battalion London Regiment and went on active service with it in March, 1915. He was shot through the lower part of the body when getting his platoon into trenches in an exposed position under fire in bright moonlight, on April 29th, and died in Hospital at Béthune on May 1st, 1915. Age 22.
His Colonel said :-“He was doing well in every way, giving a good example of coolness under fire, and having a good influence generally.”
Source : Memorials Of Rugbeians Who Fell In The Great War Vol 1
Curtler F G O Lt 2nd Worcestershire Regiment
Curtler F G O Lt 2nd Worcestershire Regiment
LIEUTENANT F. G. O. CURTLER
2n BATTALION THE WORCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT
FREDERICK GWATKIN OLDHAM CURTLER was the only son of Frederick Lewis and Nannie Gwatkin Curtler, of Bevere House, Worcester. He entered the School in 1907, and left in 1909. He obtained a Commission in the Special Reserve in 1912, and went with the First Expeditionary Force to France at the beginning of the War. He was present at the Retreat from Mons and in the Battles of the Marne and of the Aisne, and in the first Battle near Ypres. He was killed in action near the village of St. Julien, on October 21st, 1914. Age 21.
A man of his Company describing the action in which he fell wrote of
him in the following terms:-“I cannot see any mention in the papers of one very brave young Officer, my Platoon Commander. We were ordered to advance across some open country in face of the enemy’s guns. We kept on, losing many of our comrades, until within range of the German rifles, when we were ordered to dig ourselves in. I dug head-cover for myself and Mr. Curtler, as he was running from place to place with orders, and in doing this he was shot. We have lost one of our best Officers and a true British soldier.”
Source : Memorials Of Rugbeians Who Fell In The Great War Vol 1
Cumming L B Lt 1st Black Watch
Cumming L B Lt 1st Black Watch
LIEUTENANT L. R. CUMMING
1st BATTALION THE BLACK WATCH (ROYAL HIGHLANDERS)
LEWIS ROBERTSON CUMMING was the eldest son of John Fleetwood Cumming, J.P., of Aberlour, Strathspey, by his marriage with Beatrice Gordon Bryson Kynoch.
He came to the School in 1906, and left in 1910. He entered the R.M.C., Sandhurst, in 1911, and was gazetted to his Regiment in 1912, and promoted Lieutenant in May, 1914.
He went to the Front with the First Expeditionary Force in August, 1914, and fought in the Retreat from Mons and the Battles of the Marne and the Aisne. He was Scout Officer of the Regiment, and at the Battle of the Aisne his duties were with the Colonel at Headquarters. Things were not going too well, and many casualties caused the Colonel to go forward. Lieutenant Cumming collected a few men and went with a supply of ammunition to the firing line. He succeeded in getting this distributed, but was killed immediately afterwards, on September 14th, 1914. Age 22.
His Major wrote:-“We have lost a very promising and gallant comrade, who had done splendid service to the Regiment in the very trying time we have had since Mons.”
Source : Memorials Of Rugbeians Who Fell In The Great War Vol 1