Berry S F Pte 27000 9th Cameronians

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Berry S F Pte 27000 9th Cameronians

BERRY, SIDNEY FIELD, Private, No. 27000, 9th (Service) Battn. The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), 3rd s. of William Berry, of Insch, Gamekeeper (retired), by his wife, Mary A., dau. of Joseph Towns; b. Dyce, co. Aberdeen, 14 Dec. 1881; educ. Public School, Glass; was a Gardener; enlisted in the Cameronians 3 June, 1916; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from 20 Dec. following: was reported missing after the fighting near St. Quentin 23 March, 1918, and is now known to have been killed in action on that date. He m. at Gilston, Largoward, 29 Sept. 1911, Mary (Jesmond Cottage, Upper Largo), dau. of James Taylor, and had three children: William James, b. 24 Dec. 1912; Sidney Field, b. 20 April, 1914, and Jean Hall, b. 8 April, 1916.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

Berry R Gnr 106017 Royal Garrison Artillery

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BERRY, ROBERT, Gunner, No. 106017, Royal Garrison Artillery, s. of William Berry, of 62, Evelyn Street, Liverpool, by his wife, Margaret, dau. of John Tunstall; and brother to Sergt. T. Berry (q.v.); b. Liverpool, 21 Feb. 1896; educ. St. Anthony’s School there; volunteered for active service, and enlisted in the R.G.A. in July, 1916; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from the following Dec.; was wounded Nov. 1917; returned to France again in Feb. 1918, and died at No. 8 Casualty Clearing Station 25 Nov. following of broncho-pneumonia, contracted while on active service. Buried in Tourcoing Cemetery, north of Lille. His Major wrote: “I am more sorry than I can say that we should have lost your boy. He always did his duty well.” Unm.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

Berry F E Rfn 42469 1st Royal Irish Rifles

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BERRY, FREDERICK ERNEST, Rifleman, No. 42469, 1st Battn. (87th Foot) Princess Victoria’s (Royal Irish Rifles), s. of Charles Morris Berry, of 14, Chambers Street, Belfast, by his wife, Martha, dau. of Alexander Weir; b. Belfast, co. Down, 31 Aug. 1899; educ. Mount Pottinger Boys’ School, and Municipal Technical Institute there; volunteered for active service, and enlisted in the Royal Irish Rifles 24 July, 1916; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from 20 May, 1917, and was killed in action near Courtrai 14 Oct. 1918. Buried at Dadizeele, near Menin. He was keenly interested in the Boy Scout movement, and before joining the Army was Patrol Leader and Flag Bearer of the 17th Belfast Troop.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

Berry A V Pte 267360 6th Gloucestershire Regiment

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BERRY, ALBERT VICTOR, Private, No. 267360, 2/6th (Territorial) Battn. The Gloucestershire Regt., yst. s. of Samuel Berry, of 22, Carrington Terrace, Yeo Vale, Barnstaple, by his wife, Elizabeth (-); b. Branstaple, co. Devon, 6 Aug. 1897; educ. St. Mary Magdalen’s School there joined the 6th Devonshire Regt. in July, 1914; and was called up on mobilization 4 Aug. following; volunteered three times for service in India, but was rejected as being under age; transferring to the 6th Gloucestershire Regt., he served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from May, 1916, being wounded at Ypres in June, 1917; was reported wounded and missing after the fighting near Cambrai 2 Dec. following, 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

Bentley W J Rfn C/6318 18th Kings Royal Rifle Corps

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BENTLEY, WILLIAM JOHN, Rifleman, King’s Royal Rifle Corps, s. of William John Bentley, Builder, by his wife, Edith Mary; b. Palmer’s Green, co. Middlesex, in 1894 educ. Hazelwood Lane C.C. School there was employed in the timber trade; enlisted in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps 6 June, 1915; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders. and died at Southsea Hospital 8 July, 1916, of wounds received in action in France. Buried in Southgate Cemetery; unm.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

Bentley A F J Pte 61686 17th Royal Fusiliers

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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

Bennitt B H P Officer SS Strombus Mercantile Marine

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BENNITT, BROOKE HECTOR PERSHOUSE, Officer, S.S. Strombus, yst. s. of Samuel Bennitt, of Clent House, Harborne, by his wife, Harriet, dau. of William Robinson; b. Harborne, Birmingham, co. Warwick, 12 Jan. 1881; educ. Training Ship Conway and Sailing Ship Macquarie; joined the Mercantile Marine in 1899; joined British India Steam Navigation Company; was in Cunard Steamship Company for six years; after the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914, was engaged on transport work, and was present at the landing at Suvla Bay in Aug. 1915; was torpedoed in the Mediterranean when serving on S.S. Strombus in 1918, and died at Salisbury 23 Feb. 1919, of war strain and shell shock, incurred while on active service. Buried at Harborne. He m. at St. Augustine’s, Edgbaston, 26 May, 1910, Blanche Rose (527, City Road, Edgbaston), dau. of the Rev. Thomas Davis, and had two sons: John Hector, b. 8 March, 1912. and Thomas Frederick, b. 23 Feb. 1915.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

Bennett P D Captain 5th Royal Warwickshire Regiment

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BENNETT, PHILIP DENNIS, Capt., 5th (Territorial) Battn. The Royal Warwickshire Regt., only s. of Archibald Somerville Bennett, of 52, Farquhar Road, Edgbaston, Solicitor, by his wife, Laura, eldest dau. of the late John Henry Chamberlain; b. Edgbaston, Birmingham, co. Warwick, 11 July, 1891; educ. West House School there; Streete Court, Westgate-on-Sea, and Rugby School, where he was a member of the O.T.C.; was an Architect, and in Jan. 1914, was awarded the Grissell Prize and Medal by the R.I.B.A.; gazetted 2nd Lieut. 5th Royal Warwickshire Regt. 15 Aug. 1910; promoted Lieut. Nov. 1914, and Capt. June, 1915; volunteered for foreign service on the declaration of war; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from March, 1915; was invalided home in Jan. 1916, and on recovery was attached to the 3rd Battn. He died at Edgbaston 24 Feb. 1919, of influenza, and was buried in St. Patrick’s Churchyard, Tanworth-in-Arden. In March, 1919, his name was brought to the notice of the Secretary of State for War for valuable services rendered in connection with the war. He m. at St. Patrick’s, Tanworth-in-Arden, 17 Aug. 1915, Doris Mary, elder dau. of Arthur L. Lowe, C.B.E., Registrar, Birmingham County Court, and had two children: Dennis Labron, b. 21 Nov. 1917, and a dau., b. (posthumous) 22 Nov. 1919.

Bennett A H Pte 2nd Hampshire Regiment

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BENNETT, ALFRED HENRY, Private, No. 9485, 2nd Battn. (67th Foot) The Hampshire Regt., only s. of George Henry Bennett, Employee at H.M. Dockyard, by his wife, Annie; b. East Cowes, Isle of Wight, 23 Jan. 1897; educ. Francis Anne School, Southsea, and on leaving there was for a time employed as an Assistant at Messrs. Liptons, Ltd.; enlisted 5 Jan. 1914; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders; was wounded in Ypres and invalided home; returned to the front in April, and died at No. 22 General Hospital, Camiers, 3 May, 1917, from tetanus, supervening wounds received in action. Buried about four miles from the hospital; unm.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

Seckham G A Lt 2nd East Lancs Regiment

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Seckham G A Lt 2nd East Lancs Regiment

LIEUTENANT G. A. SECKHAM

2ND BATTALION THE EAST LANCASHIRE REGIMENT

GERALD ADAIR SECKHAM was the only son of Gerald James Thorn Seckham (O.R., 1882-85), of Beacon Place, Lichfield, Barrister-at-law, and J.P., County of Stafford.

He entered the School in 1907, went to the R.M.C., Sandhurst, and was gazetted to the East Lancashire Regiment in February, 1912, joining the 2nd Battalion at Wynberg, South Africa. He was promoted Lieutenant in November of the same year, and returned to England with the Regiment in October, 1914, proceeding to the Front a few days later.

He was killed in action on January 6th, 1915, when holding an advanced post on the road leading to Neuve Chapelle. Age 21. His name had previously been sent in for special recognition for an act of great bravery in going out under fire to bring in a wounded man.

The remarks of the General Officer commanding the Division upon “this prompt and plucky action” were read out at the head of each Company.

He was mentioned in Despatches of May 31st, 1915.

The following are extracts from a letter of his Company Commander:-

“It is my very great regret that he has not been spared to receive the honours due to him for his most dashing and daring exploit of only a few days ago. It filled me with pride to think I had such men under my command, and it also brings into a bright light the devotion of a servant for his master, and the strong bond of friendship between men.

“It was about 9.30 a.m. on December 31st, 1914, that Seckham came to me and said there was a man lying in a field behind our trenches, and asked my permission to go out and see whether he was dead or wounded, so that, if found to be wounded, he could dress his wound and later arrange to bring him in. After discussing the best way to go, so as to get most cover, I gave him permission. I must own I did not like the enterprise, but at that moment the man turned over, half sat up, and collapsed again. Your son needed no spur, but hurried off. His servant, Private Cunningham, had apparently had his eye on him, and calling out ‘I’m coming too, sir,’ dashed away. As they passed, my servant, Private Harris, said, “Are you going, Cunny?” and receiving a reply in the affirmative, he said, ‘Then I’m  coming too.” Amongst others, a Lance-Corporal had to be stopped, as the party was growing too big, and would therefore have run more risk.

“Away went the men, partly concealed for about 100 yards by some old willows, and then they broke cover and ran, in full view of an alert enemy only about 400 yards away, to the wounded man, 100 yards further on.

“The enemy opened fire at once. They reached the man and got down to examine his wound, and, realising that they were being fired upon, kept very low while they made their arrangements. Then, suddenly, they all jumped up, and I saw that your son had the man by the legs, the other two supporting him by the shoulders. In that way, and at a jog trot, they reached a small piece of cover, the bullets flying all around them. There they dressed the man’s wound, and once more went forward, in the same order, across another stretch of open, under another burst of fire, to a cottage, where they were able to leave him to be taken away under cover by the stretcher-bearing party. How none of them were hit is a miracle.

“On his return to the trenches by a covered way, I gave your son a pat on the back: I was too overcome to say much. His only remark was, “Fancy the devils firing at us,” which was very characteristic, for he considered it such an unsporting thing to do; but it only brings into brighter light the bravery of twice facing the open, combined with the weight of a man and under fire such a short distance from the enemy.

“Many a V.C. has been won for a less brave deed, and for one carried out in the excitement of battle; but the glory of this deed is its cool deliberation and brilliant execution. It is poor consolation, but still it is something to have that very brave deed to look back upon. He and the others deliberately risked their lives to save a fellow being suffering and possibly death.

“This is the story, a story that will be remembered by all who witnessed it; and it will be told again and again in many parts of the United Kingdom and of South Africa.”

Source : Memorials Of Rugbeians Who Fell In The Great War Vol 1