Chapter IV: Part 4

=BACON, BASIL KENRICK WING=, Major, D Coy., 1st Battn. Worcestershire Regt., 4th _s._ of Kenrick Verulam Bacon, of The Lodge, Hale, Farnham, J.P., late Capt. Worcestershire Regt. (with which he served in the Indian Mutiny, 1857–8), by his wife, Jessie, dau. of the late T. Wing, Gray’s Inn; _b._ Eastbourne, 28 May, 1872; educ. United Services College, Westward Ho! was gazetted as 2nd Lieut. to the 2nd Battn. of the Worcesters, from the Militia, 4 Oct. 1893, and promoted Lieut. 14 Dec. 1896, and Capt. 14 Feb. 1900, and Major 1 April, 1909. When the Boer war broke out he was with his regt. in Bermuda. They came home to Aldershot in order to mobilise, and then went to South Africa. He served with the 2nd Battn. in the South African war of 1899–1902, took part in the operations in Cape Colony, south of the Orange River, 1899–1900, including action at Colesberg (1 Jan.-12 Feb.); in the Transvaal, west of Pretoria, and Orange Free State, May-Feb. 1901, and in the Orange Free State, Feb.-May, 1902; was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 10 Sept. 1901], and obtained the Queen’s medal with three clasps, and the King’s medal with two clasps. After the war he continued to serve with the 2nd Battn. in South Africa, subsequently moving with it to Ceylon and thence to India. He obtained his Majority in the 3rd Battn. at Dover, but afterwards was posted to the 1st, which was at Cairo when the European War broke out. He was killed in action at Neuve Chapelle, 13 Dec. 1914; _unm._ A memorial brass was erected in Hale Parish Church by the N.C.Os. and men of his company “in token of their esteem and affection.”

=BADDELEY, EDWARD LAWRENCE=, Major, 8th Battn. Lancashire Fusiliers (T.F.), eldest _s._ of the late John Bratton Baddeley, of Whalley, co. Lancaster, M.D., by his wife, Marion (afterwards wife of Charles Edward Emmet, of Southport), dau. of (--) Brewer; _b._ Whalley, 12 July, 1870; educ. at Macclesfield, and was admitted a solicitor in June, 1893, but did not practise, being secretary to Messrs. W. T. Glover & Co., of Trafford Park, Manchester, Cable Makers. Major Baddeley joined the Halifax (1st Volunteer Battn. Duke of Wellington’s) Volunteers as a Private in 1888, and obtained his commission, 21 March, 1900, in the 3rd Volunteer Battn. The King’s Liverpool Regt., and afterwards transferred into the Lancashire Fusiliers; Southport Volunteers, 13 June, 1903; and on 24 Jan. 1914, obtained his majority in the 8th Territorial Battn. of the Lancashire Fusiliers. On the outbreak of war he volunteered for Imperial service, went out to Egypt with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, and was killed in action at Gallipoli, 6 June, 1915, being then second in command. He helped to form one of the first cycle corps in England. He held the Volunteer Long Service medal. Major Baddeley was a leading member of the Southport Yachting Club. He _m._ at Halifax, 4 July, 1911, May, only dau. of John Oakley, of Halifax, M.D., J.P.; _s.p._

=BADDELEY, LIONEL RICHARD LOGAN=, Corpl., No. 11/566, Queen Alexandra’s 2nd Squadron, Wellington Mounted Rifles, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, _s._ of Richard Baddeley, of Kakatahi, Wanganui, New Zealand, Runholder, by his wife, J..., dau. of Thomas Logan Williamson, grandson of Capt. Frederick Clinton Herman Stuart Baddeley, 40th Regt., and great-grandson of General Frederick Henry Baddeley, R.E.; _b._ Wanganui, New Zealand, 4 Dec. 1887; educ. Wanganui College. On the outbreak of war he joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Aug. 1914, and was killed in action at the Dardanelles on 20 May, 1915; _unm._

=BADDER, SIDNEY JOSEPH=, A.B., J. 6017, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=BADENOCH, JAMES=, Leading Stoker, R.F.R., Ch. B. 9396, 296586, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=BAGLEY, ARTHUR DAVIES=, Private, No. 107, 5th Battn. Australian Imperial Force, _s._ of Frederick Bagley, Master Draughtsman, by his wife, Ann, dau. of the late Stephen Davies; _b._ Broseley, co. Salop, 22 Nov. 1889; educ. there, and emigrated to Australia in 1911. At the outbreak of war he volunteered, and was killed in action during the landing operations in Gallipoli, 25 April, 1915; _unm._ A comrade writing said that he was shot through the head by a sniper whilst going to the assistance of a wounded officer.

=BAGSHAWE, LEONARD VALE=, Capt., 3rd Battn. King’s Own Scottish Borderers, yr. _s._ of Rev. William Vale Bagshawe, of Moorlands, Calver, Sheffield, formerly Assistant Master at Repton School, Master of the Uppingham Lower School, Vicar of Isel and Rector of Pitchford, by his wife, Alice Katharine, dau. of Edward Otto Partridge; _b._ Highfield, Uppingham, 30 Nov. 1877; educ. Lower School, Uppingham, Shrewsbury, and Christ Church, Oxford. After taking his degree he entered the service of the Bombay Burma Trading Corporation, and later became one of their forest managers. Being home on leave when the war broke out he applied at once, with three other members of the company’s staff, for a commission in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers, and was gazetted 2nd Lieut. 30 Aug. 1914, and promoted Lieut. 9 Nov. following. He trained at Portland and Sunderland, left with a draft on 4 Dec., and was attached to the 1st Battn. Northumberland Fusiliers near Ypres, where, having acted as Capt. of his company for several months, he was gazetted to that rank 5 May, 1915. He was killed in action at Hooge, in Flanders, 16 June, 1915; _unm._ Lieut. Edward Partridge wrote from Ypres: “His example enabled his men to carry the position and retain it against counter attacks, and they all speak so highly of his pluck and resource.” And Private Pike, Northumberland Fusiliers, from the Base Hospital at Sheffield: “I was with your son when he got killed in the great charge at Hooge, near Ypres, on 16 June. I was very proud to be led by such a brave and noble man--for he led the company as if he were in the streets of England.” Private Pike also said that “Capt. Bagshawe and his men were in the fighting in March at St. Eloi, St. Julien, and Hill 60. One night he had 18 men in a trench which was shelled by the Germans preparatory to an attack; 16 men were killed or wounded. Capt. Bagshawe mounted the parapet and fired into the attacking enemy. He and his two men held the trench through the night until daylight caused the Germans to relinquish the attack.” The adjutant of his Battn. said: “... He was as popular with his men as with the officers.... He was from the first in a responsible position, which he filled with great energy and tact.... We were attacking, and I heard that he got into the first line of the enemy’s trenches, and I think he was hit in the actual assault. He will have been buried close to where he fell, which is just south of the Ypres-Roulers Railway, about three miles east of Ypres.” Capt. Bagshawe was a keen and successful all-round sportsman. At college he rowed in the eight and represented Christ Church in the crew which competed for both Thames and Ladies in 1897 at Henley. They were beaten in the semi-final of the Ladies Plate by Emmanuel, and in the final of the Thames Cup by Kingston after a good race.

=BAILEY, ARCHIBALD ERNEST=, L.-Corpl., No. 9592, 2nd Battn. East Kent Regt., _s._ of Samuel Bailey, of 16, Blackwall Road, Willesboro Lees, near Ashford; served with the Expeditionary Force in France; killed in action, 28 Sept. 1915.

=BAILEY, ARTHUR EDWARD=, Private, No. 9703, 1st Battn. Coldstream Guards, _s._ of William Bailey, of Hyam Cottages, Malmesbury, Wilts., Farm Labourer, by his wife, Annie, dau. of the late Matthew Clark, of Malmesbury; _b._ Brokenborough, near Malmesbury, co. Wilts., 2 Aug. 1890; educ. Malmesbury National School; enlisted 31 July, 1912, and was killed in the fighting round Ypres, Oct. 1914; _unm._

=BAILEY, FREDERICK JOSEPH=, Acting Sergt.-Major, No. 4640, 1/5th Battn. The Royal Scots (T.F.); killed in action at the Dardanelles, 12 May, 1915.

=BAILEY, GEORGE HENRY=, Leading Seaman, 220337, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914. His brother, Wallace J. Bailey, was lost in the Cressy.

=BAILEY, JOHN JAMES=, Private, No. 2280, 7th Battn. Durham L.I. (T.F.), only _s._ of the late (--) Bailey; b. Sunderland, co. Durham, ... Aug. 1887, and was employed at Foster’s Forge, Sunderland; joined the 7th (Territorial) Battn. of the Durham L.I., and trained at Gateshead; volunteered on the outbreak of war, and was killed in action “somewhere” in France, 15 May, 1915. He _m._ at Sunderland, 24 Aug. 1912, Elizabeth Jane (who died 16 June, 1914), dau. of William Chambers Farley, of Sunderland, Machine Driller, and had an only child, Catherine (15, Victoria Street, Southwick, Sunderland), _b._ 9 Jan. 1913.

=BAILEY, THOMAS DISMORE=, Private, No. 3189, B Coy., 1/5th Battn. Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regt., yr. _s._ of Samuel Bailey, Coachman to Mr. J. H. Sykes, of Bryancliffe, Edgerton, Huddersfield, by his wife, Selina, dau. of Thomas Dismore; _b._ Marsh, Huddersfield, 29 Dec. 1895; was a cutter’s apprentice at Messrs. Bairstow, Sons & Co., Ltd., Clothiers, but on the outbreak of war joined the Army as a Stretcher-bearer and First Aid Ambulance man, 6 Oct. 1914, and was killed while attending to the wounded at Fleurbaix at 12.15 p.m., 14 June, 1915; buried at La Croix Marchal; _unm._ Writing to his parents his Commanding Officer, Capt. J. E. Eastwood, said: “We had just had one man badly wounded, and your son as a stretcher-bearer was attending to him, when I heard that we had another man wounded higher up the trenches, so your son set off to attend to him, and while doing so was shot dead on the spot.” And Lieut. A. L. McCully, of the R.A.M.C., wrote: “As you know, I have not been very long in charge of the Ambulance Section, but I have heard nothing but praise of your son from Sergt. Flood and his late comrades. He was always willing to do his share of whatever was in hand, and the fact of his at once going out to a dangerous place to help a wounded man shows that he had the very highest conception of what his duty was.” He was a member of the choir at Holy Trinity, Huddersfield.

=BAILEY, WALLACE JAMES=, Seaman, R.N.R., 2467A, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. His brother, George Henry, was lost in the Pathfinder.

=BAILEY, WILLIAM=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 7729), S.S. 103118, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=BAILEY, WILLIAM=, Gunner, R.M.A. (R.F.R., B. 576), H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=BAILEY, WILLIAM HENRY=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., Ch. B. 9459), S.S. 106853, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=BAILLIE, DOUGLAS ANDERSON=, Leading Seaman, 230740, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=BAILLIE, SIR GAWAINE GEORGE STUART=, 5th Bart., of Polkemmet, Lieut., 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys), elder _s._ of the late Sir Robert Baillie, 4th Bart. (who commanded the Australian Squadron of the King’s Colonials), by his wife, Isabel (Polkemmet, Whitburn, Linlithgow), dau. of the late David Elliot Wilkie, of Ratho Byres, Midlothian; _b._ Victoria, Australia, 29 May, 1893; educ. St. David’s, Rufalt, Eton and Sandhurst; gazetted to the 2nd Dragoons, 4 Sept. 1912, being stationed at York till the war broke out. He went to France with the Expeditionary Force Aug. 14; was promoted Lieut., and was wounded in the hand in Aug., but insisted on returning to the firing line, although unable to use it. He was killed in action at Rebais on 7 Sept. 1914, when the onward rush of the Germans was stopped at the Marne. In the words of a brother officer: “Unable to draw any weapon himself, he died charging the enemy like the gallant English gentleman he was.” His body was brought home and buried in the family burial ground: _unm._ Numerous letters were received from his brother officers and the men of the regt. testifying to his gallantry and to the high esteem and popularity in which he was held by the whole regt.

=BAILLIE, IAN HENRY=, Capt., 4th Battn. Cameron Highlanders (T.F.), 3rd _s._ of the late Lieut.-Gen. Duncan Baillie, formerly of the Royal Horse Guards, by his wife, Anna Glentworth (Lochloy, Nairn, N.B.), dau. of the Rev. Gustavus Burnaby, of Somerby Hall, Leicestershire; _b._ Househill, co. Nairn, 3 Sept. 1870; educ. Wellington College; was for some time a Lieut. in 1st Lanark Rifle Volunteers, and on the outbreak of war was gazetted Capt. to the 4th Battn. of the Cameron Highlanders, 20 Nov. 1914. He was wounded at Festubert, 18 May, 1915, and _d._ in hospital at Rouen four days later; _unm._ An elder brother, Capt. Alan Baillie, Seaforth Highlanders, was killed at Atbara in 1898, and another brother, Major Hugh Baillie, D.S.O., of the Seaforth Highlanders, was wounded in the early part of the war, and has now (1916) a staff appointment abroad. A third brother, Major Duncan Baillie, 2nd Lovat Scouts, is serving abroad with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.

=BAILWARD, THEODORE=, Lieut., 26th King George’s Own Native L.I., 3rd _s._ of Thomas Henry Methuen Bailward, of Horsington Manor, co. Somerset, B.A. Oxford, J.P., C.C., by his wife, Margaret Eliza, dau. of Henry Hobhouse, of Hadspen House, Castle Cary, J.P.; _b._ Horsington Manor, 9 March, 1888; educ. Summerfields, near Oxford, Rugby and Sandhurst; received commission in Somerset L.I., then quartered at Poona, 1907. The following year he passed into the Indian Army, joining the 26th Native Cavalry at Bangalore, and in 1913 was appointed A.D.C. to the Governor of Madras (Lord Pentland), and became Master of the Ootacamund Hounds, which office he held until the outbreak of war, when he rejoined his regt. He was attached to the 7th Lancers, and with them joined the Indian Expeditionary Force in the Persian Gulf in March, and was killed, with two other officers and some men, at Imanzadeh Ali Ibuhussin, 18 miles due east of Awaz, when on a reconnaissance, 29 April, 1915. He was buried there; _unm._

=BAINBRIDGE, THOMAS LINDSAY=, Lieut., 5th Battn. Northumberland Fusiliers, attd. Northumbrian Signal Coy. R.E., 3rd _s._ of the late Thomas Hudson Bainbridge, of Eshott Hall, co. Northumberland; _b._ Holmwood, Newcastle-on-Tyne, 24 April, 1882; educ. privately and Dr. Osborn’s, Colwyn Bay; qualified as an electrical engineer, and then entered the shipbuilding yard of Messrs. Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, at Wallsend. He received his first commission in 1913 as commander of a signalling section, and was in the Special Reserve of Officers. On the outbreak of war he volunteered for Imperial service, and after being stationed at Blyth left for the Front about the middle of April, 1915, and was killed in action at Ypres on the 26th of that month; _unm._ The following is an extract from a letter read at the Newcastle Wesleyan Synod at Durham on 13 May: “Last night, after dark, we buried Lieut. Bainbridge and others. It was the most impressive ceremony I have ever attended. It was a beautiful moonlight night as we carried the bodies down the lines wrapped in blankets and lying on stretchers. As we passed each entrenched battn. the men stood to ‘Attention.’ At about a quarter of a mile from the trenches, on a piece of ground where about six other officers lie buried, we laid them to rest. The guns were roaring on every side, and the huge fire-balls the Germans threw into the air illuminated the sky. Lieut. Bainbridge was a plucky and good fellow.” Prior to Lieut. Bainbridge being gazetted to the 5th Battn. Northumberland Fusiliers he had held a commission in the Engineers Volunteers, and subsequently was a Cadet in the Senior Division, Durham University O.T.C. During his service in the 5th Battn. Northumberland Fusiliers he endeavoured to qualify himself in every way to become as efficient a soldier as possible, and with this in view he did a month’s tour of duty at the regimental depôt, receiving a good report on his work during that tour. He also prepared himself to qualify, and qualified in examination “B” for promotion to Capt. He took a month’s course in signalling at Bulford Camp, at the end of which he qualified most satisfactorily. After this he became battn. signalling officer, and never spared himself in bringing his signallers into as high a state of efficiency as possible in all branches of military signalling. He also became interested in “wireless,” and provided himself with an apparatus, which he studied with great zeal and ability. When the war broke out he commanded the Northumbrian Divisional Signalling Coy., and was consequently attached to the Northumbrian Divisional R.E. He was a popular officer with all ranks, was a keen rifle shot, and in 1913 won the revolver championship of Northumberland. He was also a very keen motorist, and, in fact, an all-round sportsman.

=BAIRD, COLIN=, Sergt., No. 2768, D Coy., 1st/14th Battn. (London Scottish) The London Regt., _s._ of Thomas Baird, of 25A, Wood Street, E.C., by his wife, Lucy Maria, dau. of Mark Williams; _b._ West Norwood, 5 Nov. 1886; educ. Lancaster College, West Norwood; killed in action near Loos, 13 Oct. 1915, while in charge of a party sent out to cut wire entanglements; _unm._

=BAIRD, STANLEY CHARLES=, Probationary 2nd Cook’s Mate, No. Ch. M. 7600, H.M.S. Cressy, 4th _s._ of George Alexander Baird, of 4, Pleasant View, Farnborough, of the Metropolitan Water Board, by his wife, Fanny, dau. of Francis Balchin; _b._ Farnborough, co. Kent, 11 June, 1893; educ. Farnborough Board School; joined the Royal West Kent Territorials, 1912; entered the Navy, 12 May, 1914; lost in H.M.S. Cressy in North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914; _unm._

=BAIRD, WILLIAM FRANK GARDINER=, Capt., 4th Battn. Bedfordshire Regt., yr. _s._ of Sir William James Gardiner Baird, of Saughton Hall, Midlothian, 8th Bt., J.P., Lieut.-Col. Lothians and Berwickshire Imperial Yeomanry, formerly 7th Hussars, by his wife, the Hon. Arabella Rose Evelyn Hozier, dau. of James Henry Cecil, 1st Lord Newlands; _b._ Inch House, Liberton, Midlothian, 15 April, 1885; educ. Castlemount, Eton and Sandhurst. Served in the 7th Dragoon Guards and Scots Guards. On the outbreak of war he received a commission from the Reserve of Officers as Capt. in the 4th Bedfordshires, 11 Aug. 1914, and went to the Front attached to the 1st Lincolnshire Regt. He _d._ 5 Nov. 1914, in hospital at Boulogne, from wounds received in action, and was buried there. Capt. Baird _m._ at Ware, 24 Nov. 1910, Violet Mary, dau. of the late Richard Benyon Croft, of Fanham’s Hall, and had three children: James Richard Gardiner, _b._ 12 July, 1913; William Henry Gardiner, _b._ 11 Oct. 1914; and Lilias Mary, _b._ 26 Sept. 1911.

=BAKER, EDWARD JAMES=, P.O., 1st Class, 164169, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.

=BAKER, EDWIN JOSEPH=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 6773), 189515, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=BAKER, FREDERICK WILLIAM=, Sergt., No. 44, 54th Field Coy., R.E., _s._ of the late Frederick William Baker, of 118, Denmark Road, and Commercial Road, Lowestoft, General and Shipsmith, by his wife (--), dau. of (--) Naunton; _b._ Lowestoft, 8 Dec. 1876; educ. there; was apprenticed to his father, and was an old Volunteer in the Lowestoft Rifles; joined the R.E. as a sapper at Chatham, 2 March, 1895; served in the Bermudas, Canada, at Aldershot and in South Africa, and with the Expeditionary Force in France; killed in action near Fleurbaix, 7 Jan. 1915, being shot by a sniper. He was buried at Fleurbaix on the Bois Grenier Road. Sergt. Baker held the Long Service and Good Conduct medal with the crossed guns, and Lieut.-Col. D. S. MacInnes, D.S.O., wrote: “Sergt. W. Baker, when I knew him, was section sergt. of the 54th Field Coy., R.E. He was particularly capable and resourceful, and inspired great confidence in the men of his section. His bravery when making wire entanglements in the face of the enemy, and in other dangerous work was beyond all praise.” He _m._ at Broadstairs, 26 Nov. 1904, Maud Elizabeth (The Ridge Cottage, Crawley Hill, Camberley), dau. of William Fisher, Dockyard Pensioner, and had issue three sons and two daus.: Frederick William Naunton, _b._ 25 Nov. 1906; Montague Reginald, _b._ 1 Aug. 1908; Robert Naunton, _b._ 15 July, 1913; Elsie Maud, _b._ 29 Sept. 1905; and Irene Naunton, _b._ 23 Oct. 1910.

=BAKER, GEORGE BRANDON=, Elect. Art., 3rd Class, M. 399, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.

=BAKER, HENRY TILLET=, Armourer, 345914, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in the action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=BAKER, JAMES HENRY=, Rifleman, No. 971, 8th Battn. (Post Office Rifles) The London Regt., 2nd _s._ of Samuel Baker, of Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, ex-Police Constable, by his wife, Harriet, dau. of Thomas Durrance; _b._ Stoke-by-Nayland, Suffolk, 21 Aug. 1875; educ. St. Andrew’s School, Clapham. He was a postman, and had done 25 years’ service at Brixton. He joined the old 24th Middlesex Volunteers in 1896, and afterwards passed into the Post Office Rifles. On the outbreak of war he volunteered with his battn. for foreign service, and _d._ of wounds received in action at Festubert, 26 May, 1915. A comrade wrote “he was wounded severely in my company on Wednesday night (25th) at Festubert, and have just now received official information that he died in Bethune Hospital on the 26th, and was buried in Bethune cemetery. I knew he was terribly wounded, but did not think he was dangerously wounded, as I had the sad task of attending to his wounds; the latter were in both legs, from the knees downwards.” And his Colonel, in writing to express his sympathy with Mrs. Baker, spoke of the “Many kind things he did to help one.” Baker _m._ at St. Saviour’s, Brixton, 12 Jan. 1901, Eliza Susan (114, Cornwall Road, Brixton Hill, S.W.), dau. of Alfred Mills, of Thurlow, Suffolk, and had two children: James Alfred, _b._ 7 Dec. 1904; Constance Sophia, _b._ 31 Dec. 1901.

=BAKER, JOHN=, A.B., No. 1402D, Royal Naval Reserve, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=BAKER, JOHN WILLIAM=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., Ch. B. 5353), S.S. 100106, _s._ of the late Daniel Baker, Labourer; _b._ Chislet, Kent, ... 1868; educ. there; joined the Navy 1904; was called up at the outbreak of the war, and was lost in the North Sea when H.M.S. Cressy was torpedoed 22 Sept. 1914. He _m._ at Chislet, 17 April, 1906, Margaret A., dau. of ..., and had three children: John William Henry, _b._ 1910; Annie, _b._ 1907; and Ivy, _b._ 1908.

=BAKER, MARSHALL=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 3734), 166055, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=BAKER, OSBERT CLINTON-=, Lieut.-Col., 1st Battn. Royal Irish Rifles, 3rd _s._ of the late William Clinton-Baker, of Bayfordbury, co. Herts., by his wife, Edith Mildmay Ashhurst (Bayfordbury, Hertford), dau. of the Rev. Henry Lewis Majendie, Vicar of Great Dunmow, co. Essex; _b._ Bayfordbury, 25 Sept. 1869; educ. at Winchester and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, receiving his first commission in the Royal Irish Rifles 1 March, 1890. He obtained his step 18 Nov. 1894, and his company 24 Feb. 1900, being promoted to field rank 22 Sept. 1906, and succeeding to the command of the 1st battn. of his regt. 15 March, 1915, on the death of Lieut.-Col. G. B. Laurie, who fell in action at Neuve Chapelle. From Jan. 1896 to 31 Dec. 1899 he was Adjutant to his regt. and from Feb. 1905 to Sept. 1906 he occupied a similar position in the Militia. He served in the South African War, and in May, 1902, obtained the command of the 21st Battn. of the Mounted Infantry, and held that position until the end of the war, receiving the Queen’s medal with three clasps, and the King’s medal with two clasps. After this he was for some years in India and Burmah, accompanying his regt. as 2nd in command to the front in Nov. 1914. Lieut.-Col. Clinton-Baker was one of four officers R.I.R.--out of 22--who passed unhurt through Neuve Chapelle. He was killed in action during the abortive attack near Fromelles on 9 May, 1915. The battn. had to face a perfect inferno of machine guns and rifle fire as soon as they mounted their own parapet after the lifting of the guns. It appears that after the Rifles had carried the first line of trenches allotted to them, and had advanced to the road beyond, the enemy concentrated a terrible fire on them. The General in command of the Brigade was killed and a battn., which was to have come up and relieved the Rifles, was not sent forward. The Rifles held on to the position and were being enfiladed, when Lieut.-Col. Clinton-Baker took a party to the right flank to prevent this, a similar party being sent to the left. It was when he was with his party, which was practically annihilated, that he was shot. A good cricketer, fine shot and keen polo player, he, with other officers, won for his regt. King George’s Cup for polo at Aden in 1914. He was _unm._

=BAKER, WILLIAM HENRY=, Ordinary Seaman, S.S. 4754, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=BAKER, WILLIAM JOHN=, Blacksmith, 341057, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=BALCOMBE, FREDERICK=, Stoker, P.O., 276783, H.M.S. Hawke; lost in action in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; _m._

=BALDING, ROBERT=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 6413), 190103, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=BALDOCK, WILLIAM ROBERT=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 14609, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.

=BALDWIN, ANTHONY HUGH=, Brig.-Gen. Comdg., 38th Infantry Brigade, late Manchester Regt., only _s._ of James Baldwin, of Smithies Bridge, Clitheroe, co. Lancaster, by his wife, Ann, dau. of James Part; _b._ Stratford-on-Avon, co. Warwick, 30 Sept. 1863; educ. Clitheroe Grammar School and Giggleswick; obtained his first commission as Lieut. in 1st Manchester Regt. from the Militia, 14 May, 1884, being promoted Capt. 3 Feb. 1892; Major 15 Dec. 1900; Lieut.-Col. 17 Feb. 1908; substantive Col. 4 Oct. 1911; Col. 13 Aug. 1914; and Brig.-Gen. 24 Aug. 1914. He joined the 2nd Battn. in India in 1888, served with it at Agra, Meerut and Dinapore, and was Adjutant from 5 July, 1891, to 4 Aug. 1895 when he returned to England. From 14 Nov. 1898, to 13 Nov. 1903, he was Adjutant of the 6th (Militia) Battn., and was at the depôt at Ashton-under-Lyne until July, 1902, when he went out with this battn. to South Africa, and took part in the operations in the Orange River Colony, March to 31 May, 1902, receiving the King’s medal with three clasps. On his return in Sept. he served with the 2nd Battn. at Aldershot, Cork, Alderney, Portsmouth and Mullingar, and in 1910 returned to India to command the 1st Battn. He was present at the Delhi Durbar (medal), and 1 June, 1914, retired on half-pay. On the outbreak of the European War he offered his services and was given the command of the 38th Infantry Brigade, 13th Division, 5 Sept. 1914, which he trained at Tedworth, Winchester and Blackdown, and took to the Dardanelles on 14 June, 1915. He was killed at its head on 10 Aug. 1915, in an attack on Chanak, about a month after landing. The Brigade after his fall were forced to retreat, and his body was not recovered. The A.D.C. to the Divisional General wrote: “He died in the front line leading his Brigade--he died as a gallant English gentleman, beloved, honoured, respected and mourned by all. He met his death as I am sure he must have wished, absolutely in the front line of his splendid Brigade.” And the Brigade Machine Gun Officer: “In General Baldwin the Brigade has lost a wonderfully capable leader, cool and collected in the moment of danger, always ready with a cheery word and a smile to help those who, not having his nerve, were not so collected as he. In quiet times a more charming and considerate officer could not be found. His kindness and consideration for the junior members of his staff, and indeed for everybody, down to the merest drummer boy, were wonderful, and he held the heart and affection of every man he commanded.” Gen. Baldwin _m._ in London, Emily Seabrooke, dau. of the late Thomas Dyson, of the Bank of Bengal, and had issue: Mary Violet, _d._ 25 June, 1913; and Betty, _b._ 1 Sept. 1899.

=BALDWIN, JOSIAH=, Stoker, R.N.R., 2537T, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=BALL, ALBERT RANSOME=, Lieut., A Coy., 10th Battn. 2nd Brigade, Canadian Expeditionary Force, _s._ of William Lee Ball, of 155, Wellington Crescent, Winnipeg, by his wife, Nellie Lenore, dau. of William M. Ransome; _b._ Richmond, P. Quebec, Canada, 21 April, 1891, removing with his parents to Winnipeg in 1903, and was educ. there and at Trinity College School, Port Hope, Ontario. He was engaged in commercial pursuits, but on the declaration of war felt it his duty to join the Colours, and enlisted in the 106th Winnipeg L.I., which was united with the 103rd Calgary to compose the 10th Battn. They left Quebec with the first Canadian Contingent in Oct. 1914, and after training on Salisbury Plain during the winter, went to France in Feb. 1915. At the Battle of St. Julien the 10th Battn. was assigned the post of honour, and led the memorable charge on the night of 22–23 April, which is said by Sir John French “to have saved the situation.” In the action Lieut. Ball was mortally wounded, and he died in No. 7 Stationary Hospital at Boulogne on the 29th of that month; _unm._ His body was taken back to Canada for burial.

=BALL, JAMES=, Sergt., 11659 (Plym.), H.M.S. Hawke; lost in action in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; _m._

=BALL, SOLOMON=, Stoker, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in the action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=BALL, WILLIAM ORMSBY WYNDHAM=, M.B., Lieut., R.A.M.C., _s._ of the late Henry Wyndham Ball, of the Registry of Deeds Office, Dublin; _b._ Dublin, 27 Sept. 1889; educ. St. Andrew’s College and Dublin University; obtained his colours on the Hockey XI. two years in succession, and represented Ireland in six international hockey matches. Gazetted Lieut. R.A.M.C., 24 Jan. 1913, and on the outbreak of war was attached to the 2nd Battn. S. Staffords, and proceeded to the Front with them 13 Aug. He was killed by a shell at Sonpir on the Aisne, 26 Sept. 1914, when attending the wounded there, being buried at Sonpir Farm; _unm._

=BALL, WILLIE=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 10509), 226180, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=BALLAM, GEORGE=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 6060, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in the action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=BALLANTYNE, DANIEL=, Private, No. 4264, 2nd Battn. Royal Scots, _s._ of the late Daniel Alexander Ballantyne, of 38, India Place, Edinburgh, Watchmaker, by his wife, Jane, 3rd dau. of Angus Kennedy; _b._ Stockbridge, Edinburgh, 18 March, 1878; educ. Hamilton Place School, Edinburgh; enlisted in the Royal Scots, 1 Oct. 1896, and spent six years in India and eight years in the Reserve. He joined the National Reserve, and transferred about 1912 to the Kames Gunpowder Works (Messrs. Curtis’s & Harvey, Ltd.), and raised branches of the National Reserve in Kames, Tighnabruaich and Millhouse. On the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914, he got up rifle competitions in aid of the local Red Cross Society, and received the thanks of the Society for the sum of money he thereby raised. He re-enlisted in his old regt. in Sept., and while at Glencorse did good recruiting work. He went to the Western Front in Jan. 1915, and died 27 April of wounds received in action at Hill 60, and was buried at La Clytte Reninghelst, Belgium. He had been in the trenches on Thursday, the 26th, until midnight, when he left to have a cup of tea, and while partaking of it a bullet entered his left shoulder passing across the back and injuring his spine. He was taken down to the hospital, but only lived a few hours. His letters from the trenches were published in “The Buteman and West Coast Chronicle.” In the last one written on the 21st, just five days before his death, he said: “You were asking how we could be so cheery in the trenches. Well, it’s like this. There is no use in being sad, and the cheerier you are the better, for one never knows when it may be his turn to stop laughing for a long, long time. We do not think on half the things those at home bother about, and consider our duty our ordinary course of work, as it certainly is; and there you are! Some may not come back, but we get accustomed to that thought, and think nothing of it. It may be our turn next, but we know that if it does come we have tried to the best of our ability to do our duty to our people at home and King and country.” Ballantyne _m._ at Edinburgh, 16 Oct. 1906, Mary Jane (187, Gala Park Road, Galashiels), dau. of the late James Donaldson, and had a son and five daus.: Daniel, _b._ 23 Oct. 1911; Jane Kennedy, _b._ 29 March, 1908; Alice Weddell, _b._ 24 April, 1909; Mary Alexandrina, _b._ 17 July, 1910; and Margaret Inglis, _b._ 19 Jan. 1913.

=BALLANTYNE, THOMAS=, Private, No. 7114, 1st Battn. Northumberland Fusiliers, _s._ of Thomas Ballantyne; _b._ Dunston-on-Tyne, 28 Feb. 1886; educ. St. Dominic’s Schools, Newcastle-on-Tyne; joined the 5th Battn. Northumberland Fusiliers, 22 June, 1905, and re-enlisted 2 Aug. 1908. On the outbreak of war he was drafted to the 1st Battn. at the Front, and was killed in action at Neuve Chapelle, 1 March, 1915. He _m._ at Newcastle-on-Tyne, 6 June, 1906, Margaret Nathans (44, Byron Terrace, Shieldfield, Newcastle), dau. of C. H. Dagg, and had issue two sons and two daus.: Thomas Hubert, _b._ 28 Jan. 1907; Edward, _b._ 3 Nov. 1912; Sarah Elizabeth, _b._ 16 Aug. 1910; and Margaret Alina, _b._ 12 Dec. 1914. Private Ballantyne held several certificates for service.

=BALLARD, CHARLES FREDERICK=, Commander, R.N., yr. _s._ of the late Lieut.-Col. John Fane Ballard, Duke of Cornwall’s L.I., by his wife, Mary (The Grove, Kingston Blount, Oxford), dau. of Arthur Henry Clerke Brown, of Kingston Blount, Oxford; _b._ Rock, Washington, co. Sussex, 23 March, 1879; educ. Herbert Bull’s, Westgate-on-Sea, and Littlejohn’s, Blackheath. Joined the Britannia in 1892, passing in eighth; became Midshipman, Jan. 1895; Sub-Lieut., July, 1898; Lieut., Nov. 1900, and Commander, June, 1913. Served in China, 1900, as Sub-Lieut. on the Aurora, and was present at the taking of Tientsin, being mentioned in Despatches and specially promoted. He was appointed to the Formidable in Aug. 1913, and was lost in that vessel 1 Jan. 1915. Commander Ballard was last seen on the bridge of the Formidable with Capt. Loxley. He had previously superintended getting the boats out, and had ordered as much wood as possible to be thrown overboard for the men to cling to. A survivor narrates that he met the Commander, who told him to tell everybody to keep cool. He then gave the command to get the boats out. He _m._ at St. Mary Abbotts, Kensington, 15 July, 1913, Violet Hazel, dau. of Admiral Sir Cecil Burney, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., and had one dau., Margaret Charley, _b._ 29 Dec. 1914.

=BALMAIN, JOHN=, Officer’s Steward, 3rd Class, L. 4470, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.

=BAMFORD, EDWIN SCOTT=, Capt. and Adjutant, 1st Battn. York and Lancaster Regt., yst. _s._ of the late Arthur Bamford, of Misterton Hall, Lutterworth, by his wife, Annie (who re-_m._ Capt. the Hon. Harold Brooke Hawke), dau. of John Nash, of Chicago; _b._ Bromborough, co. Chester, 23 April, 1885; educ. Uppingham and afterwards in Switzerland, and joined the 3rd (Militia) Battn. Leicestershire Regt., from which he passed into the York and Lancaster Regt. 6 July, 1907, becoming Lieut. 1 Feb. 1909. In that year he passed the Signalling Course at Poona, and obtained a certificate for Field Telephoning; in 1911 he took the Musketry and Machine Gun Course at Satara, and in 1912 the Physical Training and Swordsmanship at Poona, where he was Gymnastic Superintendent for eight months, serving altogether seven years (1908–14) in India. On 12 March, 1913, he was appointed Adjutant of his battn. with which he joined the Expeditionary Force in France in Jan. 1915. He had been promoted Capt. 5 Sept. 1914, and was mortally wounded in action on his birthday, 23 April, 1915, during a charge at the second Battle of Ypres, and _d._ at the Poperinghe Clearing Station the following day. The following abbreviated account of the circumstances attending his death was received from a brother officer: “On the morning of April 22 the battn. was resting--the men playing football--when the French troops came hurrying back completely overcome by asphyxiating gases. Immediately, on their own initiative without any command, our men fell in and moved off by companies from trenches near St. Jean, with fixed bayonets, across open country in broad daylight, with only two guns to support them, to fill in the gap left by the French, which the Canadians were unable to protect with their flank. They made the attack through a hail-storm of high velocity shell fire and machine guns at short range, which nearly wiped out the whole battn., leaving 300 out of the original 1,200. In spite of the heavy casualties, they pushed on, as a Canadian officer remarked: ‘As if they were on parade,’ and eventually reached a field which was under still heavier fire. At the top of the field was a hedge on which the enemy’s fire was concentrated; very few of the battn. got past it. It was here that the Colonel was killed outright and Capt. Bamford, having done magnificent work during the whole attack, was mortally wounded. Some days after, Gen. Plumer came to see the few survivors and congratulated them on their gallant attack. Had it not been made the Germans would have broken through. To use the General’s own words: ‘They had saved the situation.’” Capt. Bamford was a keen sportsman and a first-class shot. He _m._ London, 1 Jan. 1913, Lulu, only dau. of the late Edwin Whitney Smith, of Bath; _s.p._

=BAMPTON, WILLIAM=, 2nd Ship’s Steward, 347283, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=BANBURY, CHARLES WILLIAM=, Capt., Coldstream Guards, only _s._ of the Rt. Hon. Sir Frederick George Banbury, of Warnford Place, Highworth, co. Wilts., 1st Bt., M.P. for the City of London, by his wife, Elizabeth Rose, dau. and co-heir of the late Thomas Barbot Beale, of Brettenham Park, co. Suffolk; _b._ 19, Grosvenor Street, London, W., 11 Feb. 1877; educ. Eton and University College, Oxford; gazetted to the Coldstream Guards, 9 Aug. 1899, and promoted Lieut. 16 Feb. 1901, and Capt. 27 March, 1909. He served in the South African War, receiving the Queen’s medal with three clasps, and the King’s medal with two clasps. From March, 1909–Aug. 1910, he served as A.D.C. to the General Officer Commanding 1st Division, Aldershot Command, and from March, 1912, to the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command. He _d._ at Soupir, near Soissons, 16 Sept., 1914, from wounds received in the Battle of the Aisne two days previously, and was buried at Soupir. He _m._ at the Guards’ Chapel, 29 April, 1913, Joseph Marguerite (Wadley Manor, Faringdon, Berks), dau. of Jose Reixach, and had a son and a daughter: Charles William, _b._ 18 May, 1915, and Mary Heritage, _b._ 28 March, 1914. Capt. Banbury won the Grand Military Gold Cup at Sandown, riding Capt. Christie Miller’s Sprinkle Me two years in succession, 1909 and 1910, and also the Grand International Steeplechase on the same. He won the Aldershot Gold Cup, and the United Service Hunter’s Cup both twice on horse Noble Roy, and the Coldstream Plate twice (1903 and 1904) on his own horse Casino, and once (1911) on Noble Roy, besides many other races. He rowed in the University College four and in the eight, and played polo for the Coldstream Guards.

=BANFIELD, GEORGE=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4170), S.S. 102835, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in the action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=BANKES, EDWARD NUGENT=, Capt., 3rd Battn. Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 5th and yst. _s._ of the late Henry Hyde Nugent Bankes, of Wraysbury, co. Bucks, by his wife, the Hon. Lalagé, née Vivian, dau. of Richard Hussey, 1st Lord Vivian, P.C., G.C.B., and grandson of the Right. Hon. George Bankes, of Kingston Hall, Dorset, M.P.; _b._ Wraysbury, 3 Oct. 1875; educ. Charterhouse. During the South African War he served in the ranks with Lumsden’s Horse, and was afterwards employed with Imperial Yeomanry; took part in the operations in the Orange Free State and Transvaal, May, 1900, including action near Johannesburg, and in those in the Transvaal, March, 1901, to Jan. 1902, and was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 20 Aug. 1901], and awarded the Queen’s medal with five clasps. He was given a commission as 2nd Lieut. in the 2nd Dragoon Guards (the Queen’s Bays), 25 Dec. 1901; became Lieut. 25 Dec. 1902, and Capt. 12 Sept. 1908, and was Remount Officer in South Africa, 29 Sept. 1905, to 12 March, 1907, and Staff Officer there, 13 March, 1907. He retired 4 Dec. 1912, and joined the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battn. of the Dublin Fusiliers. On the outbreak of the European War he was called up, and joined the 2nd Battn. in France on 16 March, 1915, and was killed in action near St. Julien, 26 April following. He was buried close to a farm about 500 yards on the Ypres side of St. Julien. His commanding officer wrote: “He came safely through our big action of 25 April against the village of St. Julien, some 3 miles north of Ypres. He was with me throughout the day of the 25th, while we dug in on the ground gained on that day. I left him in command of the battn. on the night of the 25th, as I was slightly wounded myself. He was instantaneously killed by a rifle bullet on April 26th, during an attack made by another Brigade sent up to our assistance. He behaved with the greatest gallantry on 25 April, leading his men all the time.” He _m._ at Pietermaritzburg, Natal, 19 Feb. 1906, Lettice Adelaide, eldest dau. of Charles Wriothesley Digby, of Meriden Hall, near Coventry [great-great-great-grandson of William, 5th Lord Digby], and had issue a son and two daus.: John Digby Hyde, _b._ 16 Nov. 1906; Adelaide Margery Dora, _b._ 21 Feb. 1908; and Lettice Monica, _b._ 12 April, 1909.

=BANKS, FRED LAKEMAN=, Corpl., No. 370, 5th Battn. (London Rifle Brigade) The London Regt., 2nd _s._ of Frederick Seymour Banks, of 4, St. John Street, Bedford Row, W.C., Commission Agent, by his wife, Elizabeth, dau. of (--) Belsham; _b._ Doughty Street, Mecklenburgh Square, London, 20 Jan. 1874; educ. Whitgift Grammar School, and on leaving school entered his father’s business. He joined the London Rifle Brigade in 1892, and served all through the South African War in the C.I.V. Mounted Infantry, receiving the medal with four bars. On the outbreak of the European War he rejoined the Brigade with his old schoolfellow, J. L. Hampton, and arrived in the trenches about the middle of November. He was shot and died on 13 May 1915, near Ypres. Writing to his parents, the officer commanding his company stated that Hampton (who met his death ten days before Banks did) and he well helped to maintain a fine tradition by their spirit and experience, and that it was almost impossible to write any sort of appreciation of what those two men were to their company. They many times gave their officer comfort and courage in difficult times, and he adds, “When we get into the tight places again I know that many of us who had been taught by him will think of Freddy Banks and his cheery confidence, and take courage.” On more than one occasion he was offered a commission, but preferred to remain in the ranks alongside his comrades. At the Whitgift Grammar School athletic sports he won the mile on three occasions, 1889, 1890 and 1891. A fourth win was obtained in 1893 when he secured the Old Boys’ mile. He joined the Cadet Corps, and won the Spencer Cup for the champion shot of the Public Schools at Bisley in 1891, scoring 33 out of a possible 35 at 500 yards. He also won the Easty silver medal. He won the Whitgift Veterans in 1896. In 1892 he made a brave attempt to rescue a boy who had fallen into the river at Rainham. He was competing for his Regimental Bronze Badge at the time, and was waiting his turn to fire, when he plunged into the river and, after diving repeatedly, recovered the lifeless body of the boy. He afterwards resumed his shooting, and obtained second place, being beaten by only one point. He received the Royal Humane Society’s certificate on vellum and a bronze medal, being also complimented by Lord E. Pelham Clinton (at an inspection by the Duke of Cambridge) on his deed. Corpl. Banks won the D Coy. Waldegrave Challenge Cup three times, when it became his, as also did the Moger Cup similarly thrice won. He shot in the winning team for the “Daily Telegraph” Cup in 1897 and 1898. On his return from the South African War the late Sir Walter Gilbey, Bt., presented him with a massive silver cup “as a token in appreciation of services rendered to his country.”

=BANKS, GEORGE EDWARD=, Stoker, P.O., 287551, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.

=BANKS, PERCY D’AGUILAR=, Capt., Queen Victoria’s Own Corps of Guides, attd. 57th Wildes Rifles, only _s._ of Col. Samuel Henry O’Brien Banks, of 9, Eaton Place, Brighton, by his wife, Katherine Rosa, dau. of the Rev. John Burton D’Aguilar, late Senr. Chaplain of H.M. Forces; _b._ Bath, 9 May, 1885; educ. St. Peter’s, Weston, and Cheltenham College and Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd Lieut. 2nd Battn. Wiltshire Regt., 10 Oct. 1903; joined 16 Nov. following, and left for India to join the 1st battn. in April, 1904. He was appointed to the Guides the following year; promoted Lieut. 10 Jan. 1906, and Capt. 10 Oct. 1912. He was A.D.C. to the Hon. A. D. Younghusband, C.S.I., Commissioner in Sind during the visit of the King, then Prince of Wales, to India in 1906, and afterwards served as transport officer with the Chitral Relief Force in Aug. 1907. He was killed 26 April, 1915, during the second Battle of Ypres only 50 yards from the German lines; _unm._ On this day Wilde’s Rifles were in the front line of the Ferozepore Brigade. Capt. Banks’ double company guides formed centre, and he, the only English officer, led them. The position to be assaulted was an extremely strong one, and the assaulting force laboured under heavy disadvantages. It had been impossible to reconnoitre the ground in a satisfactory manner, and little was known of the exact position of the German line beyond the fact that it was somewhere on the opposite ridge about 1,500 yards distance. The ground was devoid of cover, and rose slightly for the first 500 yards, then dipped and ended in a gradual upward slope towards the German position which commanded the whole line of advance. On crossing the first ridge the regt. came under an absolute tornado of fire of every description--shrapnel, machine-gun, rifle, and, last but not least, high explosive shells filled with asphyxiating gas. From this point onwards the men began to fall rapidly, but still the gallant regt. pushed on. The murderous nature of the fire can be gauged by the fact that when the bottom of the slope was reached, at a point some 900 yards from the start, the Commanding Officer, Major Willams, and four of his colleagues had been severely wounded. Still the attack was pressed to a point about 80 yards from the German trenches. Here Major Duhan, Capt. Mackie and Capt. Banks were all killed, as were also two of the Indian officers. Capt. Banks’ orderly, a Sikh named Bhan Singh, had been severely wounded in the face early in the action. In spite of this he insisted in following Capt. Banks till he was killed. As soon as darkness set in, in the face of the appalling fire, and severely wounded as he was, his one thought was to bring back the body of his officer. Weak as he was from loss of blood, he staggered along carrying the body until he fell from exhaustion. They were both brought in, and Capt. Banks was buried near a farm house two miles north-east of Ypres. For this act of devotion and gallantry Bhan Singh received the Indian D.S.M. and later a Russian decoration. Col. Egerton wrote: “We were all very fond of him in the Guides, and he had a great many other friends besides who will feel his loss very keenly I am sure. His men were also very fond of him, and were following him bravely when he fell. His name was, of course, brought to notice by Col. Gray, and I was proud and glad to endorse his mention, and I know that it was passed on by the next higher authority, the Divisional Commander.” A brother officer also wrote: “Many of the Eusafzai Pathans who were with him, and actually in the advance in which he was killed, are back here wounded or invalided, and I have spoken to many of them, the Subadar, one Afzal Khan, in particular. The very genuine love they had for him and their admiration for his great personal pluck and power as a leader is apparent in everything they say about him, and the Subadar broke down altogether when telling me of him. He says that not the smallest detail relating to the men’s comfort was overlooked, and that in fact they really had a father to command them. I’ve never seen any native express such genuine sorrow at the loss of one of their sahibs.” Capt. Banks was mentioned for conspicuous bravery in F.M. Sir John (now Lord) French’s despatch of Jan. 1, 1916. He was a good all-round athlete and sportsman. At Cheltenham he won the school rackets and fives, and he was in the eleven both there and at Sandhurst. After making a score of 131 for the Somerset Colts, he played for the Somerset County Eleven. He also played cricket for the Army against the Rest at Lahore in 1904. A fine polo player, he twice in 1913 led the Guides to victory, and also the same year took part in a tour in Germany, playing for the Frankfurt team, which won three events--the Challenge Cup, Champion Cup, and Ladies’ Cup.

=BANNAN, JAMES CHARLES=, Private, No. 79897, 31st Battn. Canadian Expeditionary Force, _s._ of Joseph Cope Bannan, of Kilkenny, Ireland, ex-Sergt. Royal Irish Constabulary, by his wife, Mary, dau. of Edward McElveny, ex-Insp. M.D. Police; _b._ Kilkenny, 24 Feb. 1894; educ. Model National School there. Went to Canada 10 March, 1913, and after the outbreak of war enlisted at Calgary in Oct. 1914; came over with the 2nd Canadian Contingent; went to France 14 Sept. 1915, and was shot by a sniper 6 Nov. 1915; _unm._

=BANNER, FREDERICK SIDNEY=, Private, No. 2515, 10th Battn. (Liverpool Scottish) The King’s Liverpool Regt. (Gun Section), eldest _s._ of William Banner, of 113, Bridge Road, Litherland, Liverpool, by his wife, Emma, dau. of the late Thomas Oswald Rudge; _b._ Litherland, near Liverpool; educ. at St. Philip’s and afterwards at Seaforth High School; enlisted 1912; killed in action at Ypres, 1 April, 1915; _unm._ Buried in an enclosed burial ground 700 yards west of Verbranden Molen.

=BANNER, JOSIAH=, Private, No. 4138, 3rd Battn. Coldstream Guards, _s._ of William Banner, of Birmingham, Wheelwright, by his wife, Elizabeth, dau. of (--) Herbert; _b._ Birmingham, 29 Oct. 1879; educ. at St. Anne’s Boys’ School, Duddeston, Birmingham; enlisted in the Coldstream Guards, 12 March, 1901, and served in Egypt, Sept. 1906–Jan. 1909, and with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders 1914, and was killed in action at St. Julien, 3 Nov. 1914. He is believed to have been buried in the Rentel Woods, close to St. Julien. He _m._ at Birmingham, 24 April, 1909, Bertha Elizabeth Charlotte Sophia (4, County Terrace, Pears Road, Hounslow), dau. of James Kingston Merrick, of Hounslow, and had two sons, Joseph James, _b._ 29 April, 1910, and William Albert Kingston, _b._ 26 Oct. 1913.