Townend F W Captain Royal Engineers

CAPTAIN FRANCIS WHITCHURCH TOWNEND (1900-1). Royal Engineers.

Born 10th July, 1885. Third son of the Rev. A. J. Townend, Chaplain to the Forces. On leaving Dulwich he passed into the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, at sixteen and a half years of age, where he played in the Football XI. He was gazetted to the Royal Engineers in January, 1904, and after two years at the S.M.E., Chatham, he went to India, being attached to the 3rd Sappers and Miners. He was a well-known Army cricketer, having several times represented the Royal Engineers at Lords, and played for the Bombay Presidency and the Indian Army.

He was promoted Lieutenant in 1906, and went with the Indian Expeditionary Force to France in October, 1914, being promoted the same. month to Captain. He belonged to the 35th Divisional Signal Company, and was attached to the Dehra Dun Brigade throughout the battle of Neuve Chapelle. He was engaged in laying telephone cables after his brigade had taken the enemy trenches when he was wounded, at Rue. du Bois, and died within twelve hours at the Casualty Clearing Station on 29th March, 1915, being buried at Bethune. A motor driver wrote the following account of the incident. “After dinner I commenced a letter, but was interrupted by a shell bursting somewhere in the vicinity and a man yelling for bandages. Of course I rushed to see if I could be of any use, and found that the shell had burst right in the midst of a party of Indian Engineers, who were laying telephone wires. I was late in starting, owing to my letter, and all the Indians were being attended to when I arrived on the scene. However, I saw someone in the shell-hole, which was on the side of the road opposite from where the men had been hit, and so had escaped notice. In it was the white officer of the Indians, Captain F. W. Townend, who appeared to have his legs half buried in the débris. He told us to attend to the others first, as he was all right, and then as we moved him we saw that he was standing on the stumps of his legs! Both had been shot off at the knee. (I’m telling you this story, horrible as it is, because of the extraordinary courage, the man showed such courage as I’ve never seen before, and hardly imagined. It’s worth while bearing the horror of it to realise that we are officered by such men.) He was perfectly conscious and calm, and spoke as though he were a medical officer and someone else the victim. He looked at his legs as we moved him on to the stretcher, and asked me quietly to tie something tight round both thighs to stop the bleeding. There were two Royal Army Medical Corps men with us, and they attended to the subsequent first aid. They discovered another terrible wound in his arm, and while they were dressing it he told them he thought he would give up football next year! We took him to the nearest hospital; he was still conscious and perfectly collected, and laughed quietly and talked, apologising for the trouble he was causing, while on his way to the hospital, and I came back thinking of that tag in some book or other: ‘I have seen a man.’ ”

He was mentioned in despatches by Field Marshal Sir John French.

Source : Dulwich College Roll Of Honour 1914-1919

Townend F W Captain Royal Engineers

TOWNEND, FRANCIS WHITCHURCH, Capt., 35th Divisional Signal Coy. Royal Engineers, 3rd s. of the Rev. Alfred John Townend, Chaplain to the Forces, by his wife, Margaret Wiseman, dau. of the late William James Stairs, of Nova Scotia; b. Halifax, Nova Scotia, 10 July, 1885; educ. Dulwich College, and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and on leaving there spent two years at the School of Military Engineering, Chatham; gazetted 2nd Lieut. R.E., 21 Jan. 1904, and promoted Lieut. 24 Sept. 1906, and Capt. 30 Oct. 1914; went to India in 1906, and was there attached to the 3rd Sappers and Miners; left for France with the Indian Expeditionary Force after the outbreak of war, reaching the front in Oct. and died at Bethune, 29 March, 1915, of wounds received in action the previous day, while laying telephone wires; unm.

Buried in Bethune Cemetery. A motor ambulance driver wrote the following account of the incident to his Mother [Morning Post, 12 April, 1915]: “After dinner I commenced a letter, but was interrupted by a shell bursting somewhere in the vicinity and a man yelling for bandages. Of course I rushed to see if I could be of any use, and found that the shell had burst at the side of the road about forty yards away, right in the midst of a party of Indian engineers who were inspecting the telegraph wires. T. and I grabbed stretchers from our car, and with some others rushed for the Indians. I was late in starting owing to my letter, and all the Indians were being attended to when I arrived on the scene. However, I saw someone in the shell hole which was on the side of the road opposite from where the men had been hit, and so had escaped notice. In it was a man, the white officer of the Indians, who appeared to have his legs half buried in the debris of the hole. He told us to attend to the others first; he was all right. And then as we moved him we saw that he was standing on the stumps of his legs. Both had been shot off at the knee. (I’m telling you this story, horrible as it is, because of the extraordinary courage the man showed-such courage as I’ve never seen before, and hardly imagined. It’s worth while bearing the horror of it to realise that we are officered by such men.) He was perfectly conscious and calm, and spoke as though he were a medical officer and someone else the victim. He looked at his legs as we moved him on to the stretcher and asked me quietly (he was not in the least excited, and his handsome face showed no pain) to tie something tight round both thighs to stop the bleeding. I did what I could with my handkerchief, and another I requisitioned, and we took him to our billet. We had to move hurriedly, of course, as a second shell had followed and we wanted cover in case any more arrived. There were two R.A.M.C. men with us, and they attended to the subsequent first aid. They discovered another horrible wound in his arm, and while they were dressing it he told them that he thought he would give up football next year. We then took him to the nearest hospital; he was still conscious and perfectly collected, and laughed quietly and talked, apologising for the trouble he was causing, while on the way to the hospital. And I came back thinking of that tag in some book or other ‘I have seen a man.’ The poor fellow died in hospital.”

While at Woolwich he played for the Association Football XI. and was a well-known Army cricketer, having several times represented the Royal Engineers against the Royal Artillery at Lord’s; he also played for the Free Foresters, the Bombay Presidency, and the Indian Army.

Capt. Townend was mentioned in Despatches by F.M. Sir John French [London Gazette, 22 June, 1915].

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 1