Sunday 18 January 2015

Died for King, King Emperor and Country - 18th January 1915


Remembering the following 160 men who, according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, all died a hundred years ago today on the 18th January 1915. Note the large number of Indian nationals from the Jind Infantry and 2nd Kashmir Rifles who were killed in the fighting in German East Africa (later Tanganyika, now Tanzania). The full list was downloaded from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website.

1239 Sepoy AKBAR ALI 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
8557 Private PERCY FRICKER ALLEN Devonshire Regiment
1371 Naik AMAR SINGH Jind Infantry
2366 Lance Naik ARJAN SINGH Jind Infantry
4860 Private AVERY Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
2596 Sepoy BACHAN SINGH Jind Infantry
618 Lance Naik BAGGA 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
8063 Corporal BAILEY North Staffordshire Regiment
5613 Private JOSEPH BALL Northumberland Fusiliers
Sub-Conductor JOHANNES HENDRICKUS BAM South African Service Corps
2172 Sepoy BASANT SINGH Jind Infantry
1296 Naik BASANT SINGH Jind Infantry
1302 Sepoy BIRBAL 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
2269 Sepoy BISHN SINGH Jind Infantry
1250 Private BOWES King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)
7857 Private BOWSHER Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
9655 Private BERTIE WILLIAM BRIDGER Royal Scots
7152 Private BRIEANT Worcestershire Regiment
24551 Lance Corporal RICHARD FREDERICK BURDEN Royal Engineers
2358 Sepoy CHANDA SINGH Jind Infantry
1301 Private CHEVIS London Regiment
Captain ESME FAIRFAX CHINNERY Royal Flying Corps
8715 Lance Corporal CLIFFORD Leinster Regiment
1441 Private RICHARD COADY Royal Irish Regiment
24290 Private DARLINGTON Cheshire Regiment
9294 Private FRANCIS JOHN DAVIS Gloucestershire Regiment
10509 Private FREDERICK WILLIAM DEATHE York and Lancaster Regiment
661 Lance Naik DHERU 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
4279 Sergeant NORMAN OSCAR DOWNING 8th Mounted Rifles (Midlandse Ruiters)
1698 Private THOMAS DOWNING Norfolk Regiment
1678 Private DAVID DRUMMOND Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
1816 Lance Corporal FENN ALEXANDER EAST London Regiment
2800 Private EDWARDS Cheshire Regiment
1473 Sepoy FAQIR KHAN 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
903 Sepoy FARMAN ALI 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
1357 Sepoy FIROZ ALAM 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
9532 Private JOHN FIRTH West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own)
166068 Able Seaman JAMES JOHN GALE Royal Navy
6481 Private GAMBLE Manchester Regiment
8282 Lance Corporal HENRY GARRETT Leinster Regiment
557 Corporal ELDRICK WEBB GARROD Royal Field Artillery
1046 Naik GAUR SING NEGI 39th Garhwal Rifles
4429 Private HARRY MORGAN GILLINGHAM 1st (King's) Dragoon Guards
Fleet Paymaster DUNCAN STUART OGILVIE GRANT Royal Navy
16/886 Private GRAY West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own)
58394 Sapper GREAVES Royal Engineers
1367 Havildar GUJAR SINGH Jind Infantry
2317 Lance Naik GUMAN SINGH 104th Wellesley's Rifles
3779 Private TREVOR EZRA JOHN HAMPDEN Northumberland Fusiliers
2693 Rifleman HARAK BIR GURUNG 1st King George's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment)
9212 Private CHARLES HARDEN Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment)
2503 Sepoy HARDIT SINGH Jind Infantry
26247 Gunner HAYES Royal Field Artillery
6/1978 Rifleman LEOPOLD HAYNES Rifle Brigade
9690 Private HIGH King's Own Scottish Borderers
3/3671 Private HILL York and Lancaster Regiment
16873 2nd Corporal WILLIAM JOSEPH HILL Royal Engineers
10441 Private WILLIAM AUGUSTUS HURSEY The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
L/10530 Private ALBERT MARSHALL HUTCHINS The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
2679 Sepoy INDAR SINGH Jind Infantry
652 Sepoy JALAL KHAN 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
1447 Sepoy JIJABA BHAGAT 108th Indian Infantry
2626 Sepoy JIWAN SINGH Jind Infantry
2732 Sepoy KAHAN SINGH Jind Infantry
1046 Sepoy KALA 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
1411 Sepoy KARM DIN 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
2578 Sepoy KEHR SINGH Jind Infantry
1990 Lance Naik KEHR SINGH Jind Infantry
24253 Sapper WALTER JOHN KEMPSELL Royal Engineers
1594 Sepoy KESAN 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
1253 Sepoy KHER MUHAMMAD 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
8013 Private MICHAEL KING Northumberland Fusiliers
1257 Havildar KISHN SINGH Jind Infantry
2608 Sepoy KISHN SINGH Jind Infantry
D/5656 Private KRITZINGER 8th Mounted Rifles (Midlandse Ruiters)
1819 Sepoy LAKSUMAN DHURI 101st Indian Grenadiers
2317 Sepoy LAL SINGH Jind Infantry
9524 Serjeant LAMBERT Royal Scots
Lieutenant EDWARD ARTHUR MALCOLM LARKINS East Lancashire Regiment
2597 Sepoy MAL SINGH Jind Infantry
156 Rifleman MARKILLIE London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade)
2584 Sepoy MASTAN SINGH Jind Infantry
1159 Private C. H. SCOTT MEHARRY Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
Driver ROBERT MILES South African Service Corps
11120 Private JAMES H. MORGAN Royal Scots Fusiliers
2516 Sepoy MUKAND SINGH Jind Infantry
5569 Private BAREND HENDRIK JACOBUS MULDER 8th Mounted Rifles (Midlandse Ruiters)
11678 Private PATRICK MURRAY The King's (Liverpool Regiment)
1217 Sepoy MUSAHIB ALI 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
1487 Private JAMES MUSTY MUSTY Welsh Regiment
1384 Private McDONALD Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
6903 Private McDONALD Royal Scots Fusiliers
10321 Private BERNARD McGEE Royal Scots
5793 Lance Corporal JAMES McMAHON East Surrey Regiment
1479 Sepoy NABI MUHAMMAD 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
1163 Sepoy NANAK 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
2523 Sepoy NIDHAN SINGH Jind Infantry
1917 Sepoy NIKA SINGH Jind Infantry
13495 Private NOBES Norfolk Regiment
9962 Private GEORGE O'NEIL Royal Scots
6685 Private ARTHUR ALBERT ORMEROD East Lancashire Regiment
1369 Sepoy PARMODH SINGH 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
1190 Jemadar PARTAP SINGH Jind Infantry
181 Private ALEXANDER PATERSON Northumberland Fusiliers
3/6075 Private PATERSON Gordon Highlanders
2221 Sepoy PIRTHI SINGH Jind Infantry
14189 Sapper JOSEPH HENRY PLATER Royal Engineers
1471 Sepoy POLO KHAN 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
2912 Private POLSON Seaforth Highlanders
127 Private PHILIPPUS JACOBUS POTGIETER Mounted Commandos, S.A. Forces
222 Private PHILLIPPUS JACOBUS POTGIETER Mounted Commandos, S.A. Forces
7043 Private JOSEPH PURSER Middlesex Regiment
Lieutenant Colonel RAGHUBIR SINGH 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
2484 Sepoy RALA SINGH Jind Infantry
1682 Sepoy RAM SINGH Jind Infantry
2013 Lance Naik RAN SINGH Jind Infantry
2394 Sepoy RATAN SINGH Jind Infantry
7342 Private WALTER REDSHAW East Yorkshire Regiment
4238 Private JOHN REILLY The King's (Liverpool Regiment)
7640 Private CHARLES ROBERTSON King's Own Scottish Borderers
22429 Sapper FREDERICK GEORGE ROFFEY Royal Engineers
125488 Petty Officer 1st Class MATTHEW ROSIER Royal Navy
17258 Private ROWE Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
2103 Sepoy RULIA SINGH Jind Infantry
2143 Sepoy RUR SINGH Jind Infantry
155863 Petty Officer GEORGE H. RYDER Royal Navy
Lieutenant SADHU NARAIN 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
1301 Sepoy SADHU SINGH 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
2532 Sepoy SANT SINGH Jind Infantry
193 Sepoy SANTU 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
2571 Sepoy SARWAN SINGH Jind Infantry
8425 Lance Corporal JAMES WILLIAM SAUL King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
SR/637 Corporal CHARLES SAUNDERS Royal Fusiliers
2302 Sepoy SAWAN SINGH Jind Infantry
3/6950 Private SLATOR Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
6671 Private JOSEPH SMITH ALIAS
7715 Serjeant JOHN HENRY SNARTT Coldstream Guards
6980 Lance Corporal SNOW North Staffordshire Regiment
530 Sergeant JOHN WILFRID STEPHENSON 8th Mounted Rifles (Midlandse Ruiters)
1074 Havildar SUNDAR SINGH Jind Infantry
7655 Private SYKES Lancashire Fusiliers
2691 Lance Naik THAKUR DAS 2nd Kashmir Rifles (Body Guard Regiment)
2648 Sepoy TILOK SINGH Jind Infantry
2959 Private JAMES TOAL The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
Trooper NOEL ROLAND PRICE TROLLIP 8th Mounted Rifles (Midlandse Ruiters)
D5936 Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant VAN HEERDEN 8th Mounted Rifles (Midlandse Ruiters)
6671 Private JOSEPH WALKER East Yorkshire Regiment
Private JOHN WALL New Zealand Training Unit
2223 Sepoy WARYMAN SINGH Jind Infantry
8985 Private WATKIN Lincolnshire Regiment
1960 Lance Naik WAZIR SINGH Jind Infantry
SR/948 Private HUBERT WEBSTER Royal Fusiliers
Second Lieutenant ARTHUR WHITE Royal Engineers
6867 Private JOHN HENRY WHITEHOUSE Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
6690 Private WILCOX Worcestershire Regiment
24 Sergeant WILL Mounted Commandos, S.A. Forces
Lieutenant WILL Mounted Commandos, S.A. Forces
19998 Sapper ARTHUR EDWARD WONNACOTT Royal Engineers
Captain COLIN RICHARDS WOOD Middlesex Regiment
3000 Private YOUNG Seaforth Highlanders

Saturday 10 January 2015

11916 Rfm Lewis Valentine Pearson, 2nd Bn, King's Royal Rifle Corps


Soldiers Died in The Great War notes that 137 officers and men died a hundred years ago today, on the 10th January 1915. Nearly a third of this total - forty three men - were men who were serving with the King's Royal Rifle Corps and only six of these men have known graves. These men - three officers and 40 non-commissioned officers and men - who died a century ago today are remembered with pride here today:

King's Royal Rifle Corps

4785 Rifleman Henry Alcock, 2nd Bn.
Y/1263 Rifleman Leon Harry Alcock, 2nd Bn.
2378 Rifleman Charles Edward Allen, 2nd Bn.
Second Lieutenant James Fairfax Amphlett Morton, 6th Bn. attd. 2nd Bn.
11608 Rifleman Edward Anderson, 1st Bn.
R/5753 Rifleman William Bainbridge, 2nd Bn.
Y/40 Rifleman George Barrett, 2nd Bn.
10526 Rifleman Percy Harvey Bell, 1st Bn.
10363 Rifleman Albert George Biddle, 2nd Bn.
Y/657 Rifleman Charles Henry Bradbeer, 2nd Bn.
9921 Rifleman Frank D'Arcy Brennan, 4th Bn.
8535 Corporal Frederick E. Burton, 4th Bn.
R/5827 Rifleman Joseph Caizergues, 2nd Bn.
11978 Rifleman Oliver William Chapman, 2nd Bn.
A/3226 Rifleman Tom Clark, 2nd Bn.
5900 Rifleman Benjamin Clayton, 2nd Bn.
5830 Rifleman John William Collinson, 2nd Bn.
R/5752 Rifleman Austen Joseph Damen, 2nd Bn.
Y/1281 Corporal Charles Eckoff, 2nd Bn.
Y/299 Rifleman Thomas Edmondson, 2nd Bn.
7345 Rifleman Britton Gill, 2nd Bn.
11272 Rifleman George Samuel Gray, 1st Bn.
8246 Rifleman Frank Handford, 3rd Bn.
6952 Rifleman Albert Harris, 2nd Bn.
9862 Lance Corporal James Harrow, 4th Bn.
5/4908 Rifleman George William Hayden, 2nd Bn.
A/2184 Rifleman Alfred Houghton, 2nd Bn.
Lieutenant Malcolm Eyton Lawrence, 6th Bn. attd. 2nd Bn.
R/5954 Rifleman John Henry Mackenzie, 2nd Bn.
7638 Rifleman Harry Mullett, 2nd Bn.
Captain Francis Campbell Norbury, 6th Bn. attd. 1st Bn.
R/5851 Rifleman John George Owens, 2nd Bn.
11916 Rifleman Lewis Valentine Pearson, 2nd Bn.
A/2819 Rifleman James Perks, 2nd Bn.
R/5798 Rifleman Lloyd Owen Lloyd Price, 2nd Bn.
Y/1087 Rifleman William Randall, 2nd Bn.
8728 Rifleman Harry Sutton, 4th Bn.
R/843 Rifleman Francis Gideon Taylor, 2nd Bn.
5907 Rifleman Walter Thompson, "B" Coy. 2nd Bn.
11782 Rifleman Henry William Turner, 2nd Bn
5940 Rifleman Hubert Alfred Turvey, 2nd Bn.
5555 Rifleman George Walton, 2nd Bn.
11996 Rifleman George Winnall, 2nd Bn.

The majority of these men were killed during an attack by the 2nd Battalion which was holding trenches in the Cuinchy sector. The battalion war diary notes, "Casualties among NCOs and men extremely difficult to estimate. Put down at approximately 20 killed and 40 wounded." In fact, 32 NCOs and men died that day and I'm going to look at just one of these men, Rifleman Lewis Valentine Pearson, who was born in my home town of Chelmsford.

Lewis Pearson, born on the 14th February 1888, was working as a fruiterer's assistant when he enlisted with the KRRC at Winchester on the 19th August 1914. He was just over five feet, four inches tall with a fair complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair. A small scar at the base of his left forefinger was identified by the meticulous doctor who examined him.

Lewis's surviving attestation papers do not indicate that he had prior military service and yet after a little over three months' at the depot in Winchester (or 102 days to be precise), he was posted as part of a draft to the 2nd Battalion, arriving in France on the 29th November 1914. He died as a result of wounds received in action. Lewis's papers indicate that his next of kin were his parents, Edmund Fewell Pearson and Katherine Pearson of Railway Cottage, Southminster, Essex.

Lewis Pearson is commemorated along with over 13,400 other men, on the Le Touret Memorial in France (pictured above, courtesy of the Remembrance Trails website). For further information on the men and their regimental numbers, see my KRRC post on my Army Service Numbers blog.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.



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