Chapter LXXXVI: Part 86

=WEBBER, HAROLD VICTOR=, 2nd Lieut., 1st Somerset L.I., yst _s._ of the late Sergt.-Major William Webber, Somerset L.I. (who _d._ 6 July, 1915, the same day as his son was killed); by his wife, Elizabeth (Jellalabad, Holway Road, Taunton), dau. of Thomas Laver; _b._ Taunton, co. Somerset, 22 Oct. 1895; educ. Huish Grammar School there; enlisted in the Somerset L.I. 9 April, 1912; was promoted Corpl. 15 July, 1914; Sergt. 31 Oct. 1914; and gazetted 2nd Lieut. on the field, 14 Feb. 1915; went to France 22 Aug. 1914; served through the fighting at Ligny; the retreat from Mons; the Battles of the Marne and the Aisne; afterwards proceeding to Belgium with his regt., and took part in the 1st Battle of Ypres and the fighting in the Ploegsteert Woods. In Feb. 1915, he came home on leave, and in May was seriously wounded and again sent home, but returned to the front 7 June, and was killed in action on the Yser Canal, 6 July, 1915, while leading his platoon; _unm._ Major G. Fleming wrote: “Your son died as a gallant officer and soldier should at the head of his men and whilst performing a particularly dangerous and arduous task. We, with the Rifle Brigade, attacked the German trenches at 6 a.m. on the 6th inst., and your son had to dig communication trenches across the open from our trenches to the captured trenches. He was killed very soon after he had got his men into position lined up across the open. There must be great comfort to you in knowing that he died so gallantly and a soldier’s death in action is much to be coveted. We all miss him terribly as he was always so cheerful and willing to do anything in his power to help others and to perform his duty.” 2nd Lieut. Webber’s eldest brother, Sergt. W. T. Webber, was killed in France in Nov. 1914, and his two other brothers, Col.-Sergt. S. A. Webber and Col.-Sergt. J. S. Webber, are now (1916) on active service.

=WEBBER, HUGO=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 1683), 200656, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=WEBBER, JOHN=, Private, No. 7611, 1st Royal Welsh Fusiliers, _s._ of the late James Webber, of Bootle, Liverpool, by his wife, Mary Ann; _b._ Bootle, co. Lancaster, 14 Feb. 1879; educ. New Ferry, co. Chester; enlisted and served three years with the Colours; was a Labourer; rejoined 5 Aug. 1914; went to France, 16 Sept. 1914, and was reported missing after the heavy fighting on 29 Oct. 1914. He _m._ at Birkenhead, 1906, Myra (50, Teddesley Street, Walsall), dau. of Charles Jones, and had four children: James Edward, _b._ 8 April, 1907; John, _b._ 8 March, 1914; Myra, _b._ 29 Jan. 1909; and Gladys May, _b._ 21 Sept. 1911.

=WEBSTER, COLIN AILESBURY=, Private, No. 1253, No. 1 Coy., 1st Battn. Honourable Artillery Co., only _s._ of Henry Ernest Webster, of 21, Kingsley Avenue, West Ealing, and the National Bank, Notting Hill Gate, W. (well-known in the swimming world as handicapper to the Otter Swimming Club); by his wife, Kate Minnie, dau. of William Ailesbury Bull; _b._ Bayswater, 13 May, 1894; educ. Acton County School, on leaving which he was employed on the Stock Exchange; joined the H.A.C., 8 Aug. 1914; left for France 18 Sept. 1914; and was killed in action near Wulverghem, 25 Nov. following; _unm._ Buried in the garden of a farmhouse at Wulverghem. A sergt. of his Coy. wrote: “He has been a thoroughly good soldier throughout, and I can assure you we all (No. 1 Coy.) lament his loss.” Like his father he was a fine swimmer and at the close of the season of 1914, stood second for the average prize of the Otter Swimming Club. He was also a keen Rugby football player and a member of the Ealing Rugby Football Club.

=WEBSTER, HARRY=, Electrical Artificer, 2nd Class, 347541, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.

=WEBSTER, JESSE=, Petty Officer (N.S.), 201748, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WEDDERBURN, ROBERT HAMILTON MACLAGAN=, 2nd Lieut., 3rd (Reserve), attd. 1st Battn., The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), yst. _s._ of the Rev. Laurence Craigie Maclagan Wedderburn, Minister of the United Free Church of Scotland, at Madderty, Crieff, by his wife, Gertrude Elizabeth, dau. of the late Lt.-Col. James Maxwell, C.B., sometime Acting Governor of the Gold Coast; _b._ Madderty Free Church Manse, co. Perth, 30 April, 1893; educ. at George Watson’s College, Edinburgh, and Edinburgh University (M.A. April, 1914); was L.-Corpl. in his school O.T.C., and Sergt. of the machine-gun team of the University O.T.C., and obtained Certificates A and B; gazetted 2nd Lieut. from the Special Reserve of officers, to 3rd Cameronians, 15 Aug. 1914; joined in Sept, and trained with them at the Nigg Camp, Ross-shire; left for Rouen in charge of 95 men, 1 Jan. 1915, was there attached to the 1st Cameronians then in the trenches near Armentières, and was killed in action in the trenches near Bois Grenier early in the morning of 3 Feb. following; _unm._ Buried beside Capt. Stirling in the village of Bois Grenier. His Commanding Officer, Lieut.-Col. P. N. Robertson, C.M.G., wrote: “Owing to the very short time he was with us, I had not seen your son personally very much, but I am informed that he was most keen in his work, and always did his very best to carry out efficiently every duty that was given him to do. He was at the time superintending the erection of a traverse of sandbags in the trenches, when he was shot through the brain by one of the enemy’s snipers,” and the Officer Commanding 3rd Battn., Major Luard, published the following order: “It is with the deepest regret that the Commanding Officer has to announce the death (killed in action) of 2nd Lieut. R. H. M. Wedderburn, of this Battn., and at the time serving with the 1st Battn. Though the late 2nd Lieut. Wedderburn was comparatively a short time with his battn., he was well-known for his exceptional keenness and the loss to this battn. is deeply felt by all.”

=WEEDON, SYDNEY CHARLES=, Private, No. 1102, 1/4th Battn. (Signal Section) Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regt. (T.F.), 2nd _s._ of Albert Weedon, of 23, Scott Street, Maidstone, by his wife, Alice Celia, dau. of John Fryer, of Maidstone, _b._ Maidstone, co. Kent, 19 Aug. 1892; educ. St. Paul’s School there; was a Wire Mattress Maker; joined the R.W.K. Regt. early in 1911; went to India 29 Oct. 1914, and died on foreign service at Jubbulpore, India, 27 May, 1915, of septicæmia, contracted from drinking water from a native well; _unm._ He was buried in the English Cemetery there, with full military honours; a marble cross erected by the officers, non-commissioned officers and men of his Coy. marks the grave. The Officer Commanding the signal section wrote: “He was in my Signal Section, and was one of the best and keenest signallers I had. He and his brother have been of very great assistance to me, always ready to do anything and always doing it thoroughly and well.” Two of his brothers are now (1916) on service: Pte. Leonard Weedon and L.-Corpl. Percy Weedon, both with the Royal West Kent Regt.

=WEEDS, JAMES=, Private, R.M.L.I., Ch. 11520, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; _m._

=WEEKES, JOHN=, Leading Stoker (R.F.R., B. 9369), 296881, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; _m._

=WELBURN, ARTHUR=, Private, No. 6663, 2nd Battn. Coldstream Guards; _s._ of Thomas Welburn, of Weaverthorpe, Sherbarn Eke, York, by his wife, Louisa, dau. of the late Thomas Swain; _b._ Allerston Marshes, Pickering, 9 Feb. 1889; educ. Sledmere; enlisted 25 Feb. 1904, served three years with the Colours, then passed into the Reserve, and was for some time in the Huddersfield Police Force and at the time of the outbreak of war was an attendant at the County Asylum, Rainhill, near Liverpool; he was called up on mobilization 5 Aug. 1914, and was killed in action at Rentel, Belgium, 30 Oct. 1914, by the bursting of a shell; _unm._

=WELBY, RICHARD WILLIAM GREGORY=, Lieut., 2nd Battn. Grenadier Guards, elder _s._ and _h._ of Sir Charles Glynne Earle Welby, of Denton Manor, Grantham, 5th Bt., C.B., formerly M.P. for Newark; by his wife, Lady Maria Louisa Helen, sister of Frederick William Fane, 4th Marquis of Bristol, and elder dau. of the late Lord Augustus Hervey; _b._ Denton Manor, 16 Oct. 1888; educ. Eton and Christ Church, Oxford; gazetted 2nd Lieut. 23 Feb. 1910, and promoted Lieut. 24 May, 1911; went to France with his battn. which formed part of the 4th (Guards) Brigade, 12 Aug. 1914; took part in the retreat from Mons, and was killed in action at the Battle of the Aisne, 16 Sept. 1914; _unm._ Buried in Soupir Churchyard, near Vailly on the Aisne. The Officer Commanding his battn. wrote: “We have been fighting a hard battle and had a very severe action on Tuesday, when Dick Welby was wounded in the shoulder. We were very short of officers owing to our heavy casualties, and every officer of Dick’s coy. had been killed or wounded. He very pluckily insisted on remaining at duty (instead of going to the hospital) to help us through the difficulty, and remained at duty during the following day; on the third day we got a terrible shelling and poor Dick was killed. I can’t tell you how we all deplore Dick’s loss, nor how gallantly he did his duty to the end.” Lieut. Welby was mentioned in F.M. Sir John (now Lord) French’s Despatch of 8 Oct [London Gazette, 19 Oct.] 1914.

=WELCH, GEORGE RICHARD=, Leading Seaman, 190986, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WELCH, WALTER GEORGE FREDERIC=, Lieut., 117th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, only _s._ of Reginald Courtenay Welch, for twenty years Principal of the Army College, Heath End, Farnham, near Aldershot, by his wife, Adeline Charlotte, dau. of the late Abingdon Compton; _b._ Hyde Park, London, 7 March, 1890; educ. Charterhouse; The Army College, Farnham, and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich (passed in 25th on list, Jan. 1909); gazetted 2nd Lieut. R.F.A., 22 July, 1910, and posted to 127th Battery at Bordon; went to Depôt at Preston, Jan. 1913, and was promoted Lieut. 23 July following. On mobilization he was attached to the 44th Brigade Ammunition Column; went to France 21 Aug. 1914, where he was, shortly after his arrival, posted to the 117th Battery, 26th Brigade, R.F.A. (1st Division), and took part in the fighting on the Aisne and in Flanders. He was killed in action while fighting his guns about 1,000 yards south of Veldhock, E.S.E. of Ypres, on the evening of 30 Oct. 1914; _unm._ His Commanding Officer wrote of him: “He was the life and soul of our little mess: a keen and a good soldier. We buried him alongside the guns he had fought”; and one of those who served under him wrote: “Mr. Welch was always very popular with the men, especially so in action.” Lieut. Welch was a keen football player and on one occasion at the Front took part in a match played behind the firing line, which was interrupted by a German bombardment and resumed when the fire died down.

=WELCH, WALTER LEONARD=, Private, R.M.L.I., Ch./15266, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914.

=WELCH, WILLIAM GEORGE=, Armourer’s Crew, M. 5907, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.

=WELCHMAN, EDWARD THEODORE, D.S.O.=, Capt., 1st Battn. West Yorkshire Regt., 2nd _s._ of Edward Welchman, of Carshalton, L.R.C.P., M.R.C.S., formerly of Heckington, Lincolnshire, by his wife, Alice, dau. of James Singleton; _b._ Southea, co. Cambridge, 21 July, 1881; educ. Sleaford Grammar School and Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd Lieut. 2nd West Yorkshires, 11 Aug. 1900; and promoted Lieut. 20 March, 1902, and Capt. 7 March, 1910; served in the South African War, 1901–2; took part in the operations in the Transvaal, April, 1901, to 31 May, 1902 [Despatches, London Gazette, 17 Jan. 1902; Queen’s medal with three clasps, D.S.O.], and with the 1st Battn. in the Mohmand Expedition, 1908 (medal with clasp). On his return home he joined the 3rd Reserve Battn. at York, but on the outbreak of war rejoined the 1st Battn.; went to France, 1 Oct. 1914, and died 26 Oct. following, at the Base Hospital, Boulogne, of wounds received at Le Paradis on the 20th. Buried Boulogne Hospital Cemetery; _unm._ Capt. Welchman had a fine record, and numberless letters bear the highest testimony to his character and attainments. He was a keen sportsman, and very popular in both his regt. and outside it. He qualified for the Staff College, Camberley, which he entered Jan. 1914.

=WELFARE, HAROLD CUTHBERT=, Sergt., No. 1341, 1/1st Sussex Yeomanry (T.F.), _s._ of John Henry Welfare, of St. Elliott’s, Crowborough, Farmer, by his wife, Emily, dau. of William Boarer, of Boarshead, Sussex; _b._ Crowborough, co. Sussex, 6 Oct. 1892; educ. King Charles’ School, Tunbridge Wells; was for some time in a solicitor’s office; afterwards returned to his father’s farm; joined the Sussex Yeomanry in 1910; volunteered for foreign service in Aug. 1914, on the outbreak of war, and the same month was promoted L.-Sergt., Aug. 1915, and Sergt. 6 Oct. 1915, the day before landing at Gallipoli. He took part in the fighting there during Oct., Nov. and Dec., and was almost the last man of the Brigade to leave on the evacuation on 1 Jan. 1916. He died in the Island of Lemnos, 28 Jan. 1916, from heart failure while leading in a Brigade Marathon Race, and was buried there in Portianos Cemetery with full Military Honours. A memorial cross was subscribed for and erected by his comrades. His chief officer, Major H. Powell-Edwards, wrote: “I would rather have lost anyone in my squadron sooner than him. He was a most capable soldier, cheerful under all circumstances, and a tower of strength in hard times. He died in the service of his country, and was in his life a gallant soldier and a gentleman whom England could ill spare.” At King Charles’ School he was head boy and capt. of the school XI, and afterwards captained Crowborough Football Club and held the Regimental Cross Country Championship. He also took a great interest in the Boy Scout movement and was Scoutmaster of the 1st Crowborough Coy. He _m._ at Withyham St. John, 21 Sept. 1914, Marjorie Ursula (Crowborough House, Crowborough), dau. of the late Thomas Warmington, Headmaster of Sir Henry Fermor’s School, Crowborough; _s.p._

=WELHAM, JAMES=, Seaman, R.N.R., 5330A, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WELLER, CHARLES GEORGE=, Officer’s Cook, 1st Class, L. 837, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WELLER, EDWARD JOHN=, Corpl., No. 8/124, North Otago Regt., New Zealand Expeditionary Force, _s._ of Edward Weller; _b._ Ardgowan, Oamaru, New Zealand, 9 Dec. 1893; educ. Ardgowan School. He was a member of the New Zealand Territorial Force, and when the war broke out was one of the first to volunteer, and left with the main Expeditionary Force, and was killed in action at Gallipoli, 27 April, 1915; _unm._ Corpl. Weller was a good shot and won the markman’s badge.

=WELLER, JACK=, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 2414), 181557, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WELLS, ARTHUR=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., Ch. B. 7240), S.S. 102191, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WELLS, ERNEST MAURICE=, Private, No. 8131, 2nd Battn. Coldstream Guards, 3rd _s._ of Daniel Wells, of Whetstone, co. Leicester, Hosiery Hand, by his wife, Katherine, dau. of Joseph Wale; _b._ Whetstone aforesaid, 27 Feb. 1888; educ. National School there; was a Shore Hand; enlisted in the Coldstreams, 29 Oct. 1908; went to France, and was killed in action at Cuinchy, 1 Feb. 1915. Buried in the Cemetery there. He _m._ at Blaby Baptist Church, 25 Dec. 1912, Annie E. (Auburn Road, Blaby, Leicester), dau. of William Sabin, of Blaby, and had a daughter, Annie Wells, _b._ 20 Dec. 1913.

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

=WELLS, FREDERICK PENNSON=, Sergt., R.M.L.I., Ch./13273, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; _m._

=WELLS, HARRY=, Stoker, 1st Class, S.S. 111410, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WELLS, HARRY STEPHEN=, Telegraphist, J. 8634, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WELLS, JOHN DOUGLAS=, Private, No. 6438, 3rd. Battn. Coldstream Guards, _s._ of the late John Wells, by his wife, Margaret, dau. of George Edward Meacock; _b._ Clerkenwell, 12 Jan. 1884; enlisted 13 Dec. 1905, and was killed in action at St. Julien, during the Battle of Ypres, 21 Oct. 1914, being buried in the Eastern Cemetery at Ypres. He _m._ at St. Paul’s, Newington, S.E., 24 Dec. 1911, Rose (51, Meadow Road, Clapham Road, S.W.), dau. of Frederick Brazier Smith, and had two children: Jack Douglas, _b._ 11 Nov. 1914, and Rose Kitty, _b._ 28 Dec. 1912.

=WELLS, JOHN THOMAS=, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 1155), 140773, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WELLS, WILLIAM APPLEYARD=, Corpl. of Horse, No. 1385, Royal Horse Guards (The Blues), _s._ of William Appleyard Wells, of Grasmere, Fairbolt Road, Stamford Hill, Merchant, by his wife, Annie Matilda, dau. of Henry Scott; _b._ Tottenham, N., 21 Aug. 1890; educ. Cowper Street, City Road; enlisted in the Royal Horse Guards, 30 Nov. 1909, was promoted Corpl. Sept. 1914; served with his regt. in France and Flanders, and was killed in action at Verbuden Molen, Flanders, 6 Nov. 1914; _unm._

=WELLS, WILLIAM JOHN=, Chief Stoker (R.F.R., Ch. A. 1914), 160507, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WELSFORD, ARTHUR HADDEN=, Private, No. 974, Honourable Artillery Coy., 3rd and yst. _s._ of the late Richard Sherring Welsford, of 6, The Orchard, Blackheath, Coffee Planter in Ceylon, by his wife, Jane Elizabeth (The Cottage, Semaphore Road, Guildford), dau. of the late James Alexander Hadden, of Bittacy House, Mill Hill, Hendon; _b._ Blackheath, London, S.E., 30 Oct. 1891; educ. Blackheath School, and St. Dunstan’s, Catford; was a clerk in the office of Messrs. G. W. Dawes & Co. 5, Lothbury, E.C.; volunteered and joined the H.A.C. the day war was declared, 5 Aug. 1914; went to France, 18 Sept. 1914, and was killed in the trenches in Flanders, 2 June, 1915, while repairing some wire on a parapet for which work he had volunteered; _unm._ He was buried in the cemetery of the Elsenwalla Château, near Dickebusch.

=WELSH, DAVID FERGUSON=, Engine Room Artificer, R.N.R., 1198 E.A., H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WELTON, WILLIAM JOBSON=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 2722), 283951, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914.

=WENDOVER, ALBERT EDWARD CHARLES ROBERT WYNN-CARRINGTON=, Viscount, 2nd Lieut., Royal Horse Guards (The Blues), only _s._ and heir of Charles Robert, 1st Marquis of Lincolnshire, K.G., joint Lord Great Chamberlain of England, by his wife, the Hon. Cecilia Margaret, née Harbord, Lady of the Bedchamber to H.M. Queen Alexandra, eldest dau. of Charles, 5th Baron Suffield, K.C.B.; _b._ London, 24 April, 1895 (H.M. King Edward VII., sponsor); educ. Eton and Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd Lieut., Royal Horse Guards, 15 Aug. 1914; went to France, 8 March, 1915, and was mortally wounded, 13 May, 1915, in the charge of the 8th Cavalry Brigade (The Blues, the 10th Hussars and the Essex Yeomanry), near Hooge, during the Second Battle of Ypres, and died in hospital at Boulogne on the 19th; _unm._ Buried in Moulsoe Churchyard, Bucks.

=WENHAM, CHARLES=, Stoker, 1st Class, S.S. 111369, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.

=WEST, ANDREW=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 3964, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.

=WEST, FREDERICK=, L.-Corpl., S./6056, 4th Battn. Middlesex Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France; killed in action, 14 Nov. 1914.

=WEST, FREDERICK=, Private, G. 4447, 2nd Battn. Royal Sussex Regt., _s._ of Frederick West, of Bishops Hall Lodge, Romford; served with the Expeditionary Force in France; killed in action, 9 May, 1915.

=WEST, GEORGE=, Private, No. 13792, 1st Battn. Lincolnshire Regt., elder _s._ of John George West, of Old Bolingbroke, Spilsby, co. Lincoln, Labourer, by his wife, Martha (who died 8 June, two days after her son), dau. of Matthew Ward; _b._ Old Bolingbroke aforesaid, 31 Oct. 1893; educ. Village School there; enlisted Nov. 1914; went to France, 30 April, 1915, arriving at the Infantry Base, on Sunday, 2 May, and soon afterwards going into the trenches, and died in No. 4 General Hospital, Versailles, 6 June, 1915, of brain fever, following gunshot wound in the head, received in action, 28 May, 1915; _unm._ Buried in the General Cemetery, Versailles (G.R.C. 3378).

=WEST, HERBERT GIDEON=, Private, No. 9527, 2nd Battn. Coldstream Guards, 2nd _s._ of John West, of Silver Street, Steeple Ashton, near Trowbridge, Farmer, by his wife, Annie, dau. of John Kingman; _b._ Steeple Ashton, co. Wilts, 18 Jan. 1895; educ. National School there; enlisted in the Coldstreams, 18 March, 1912; went to France, 12 Aug. 1914, and was killed in action at Rentel, 6 Nov. 1914; _unm._ Buried in Rentel Woods.

=WEST, HERBERT WILLIAM=, Leading Seaman, 197482, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WEST, ROBERT JOHN=, Gunner, R.M.A., 10382, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WEST, WILFRED SCRIMSHAW=, L.-Corpl., No. 10886, 1st Battn. Coldstream Guards, yr. _s._ of Edward Scrimshaw West, of Yarwell, Peterborough, Entire Horse Proprietor, by his wife, Elizabeth Anne, dau. of Robert Spiers, of Eye, Peterborough; _b._ Wood Newton, co. Northants, 23 Nov. 1894; educ. Yarwell; volunteered on the outbreak of war, and enlisted, 8 Aug. 1914; went to France, Oct. 1914; was promoted L.-Corpl. in Sept., and was killed in action at Givenchy, 22 Dec. 1914, when the Coldstreams suffered heavily from concealed German machine-guns. He was a keen all-round sportsman; was a member of the choir at the Parish Church, and the Chaplain wrote saying what a help he had been to him in organising the open-air services.

=WEST, WILLIAM EDWARD=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., Ch. B. 7810), S.S. 103265, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WEST, WILLIAM FRANK=, Private, N. 823, 5th, attd. 1st, Battn. (London Rifle Brigade) The London Regt. (T.F.), eldest and only surviving _s._ of Frank Albert West, of 111, Townsend Road, Southall, by his wife, Louisa Maria, dau. of Mathew Henry Leagas; _b._ Dalston, London, 17 March, 1890; educ. The Grocers’ Company School, Hackney Downs, N.E. and Islington Day Training College; was Assistant Master at St. Clement’s Church of England School, Notting Hill, but joined the London Rifle Brigade after the outbreak of war, 9 Sept. 1914; went to France with the 1st draft to join the 1st battn. 25 Jan. 1915, and died at Netley Hospital, Southampton, 12 May, 1915, after undergoing three serious operations, one being the amputation of his leg, rendered necessary by wounds received in action at the Battle of St. Julien, 25 April, 1915; _unm._ He was a keen athlete, fond of all games and sports; he held three silver medals for football, and the bronze Medallion and certificate for life saving.

=WEST, WILLIAM HENRY=, Petty Officer, 2nd Class, 199111, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=FAZAKERLEY-WESTBY, GILBERT BASIL JOCELYN=, Capt., 9th Battn. (Queen Victoria’s Rifles) The London Regt. (T.F.), only _s._ of Capt. Jocelyn Tate Fazakerley-Westby, of Mowbreck Hall, Kirkham, and Whitehall, Great Eccleston, late Royal Scots Greys and Lancashire Hussars, D.L., J.P., Lancashire, by his wife, Beatrice, 3rd dau. of Thomas Barlow Jarvis, of Swinnerton Park, Lancashire, and Croft Lodge, near Ambleside, Westmoreland; _b._ Grosvenor Street, Grosvenor Square, London, W., 27 April, 1881; was christened in Aug. 1881, at the Roman Catholic Church, The Willows, Kirkham, Lancashire, by the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Liverpool; educ. St. Charles’ Roman Catholic College; entered the Queen Victoria’s Rifles as 2nd Lieut. 23 July, 1911; and promoted Lieut. 23 July, 1913, and Capt. Dec. 1914; volunteered for foreign service on the outbreak of war; went to France, 4 Nov. 1914, and was killed in action during the fighting at Hill 60 on the night of 20–21 April, 1915, on which occasion Queen Victoria’s Rifles brilliantly distinguished themselves; _unm._ His Commanding Officer wrote: “I cannot speak too highly of your son; all ranks loved and respected him. His fortitude and forbearance during that terrible week was an example to the whole regt. and never to be forgotten.” He was a good all-round sportsman, a dead shot with the pistol, and the holder of five silver cups and seven other silver articles as prizes for shooting and rowing, etc.

=WESTERN, WILLIAM CHARLES=, Stoker, Petty Officer, 230364, Devonport, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.

=WESTLAKE, JOHN LUKE=, Corpl., No. 3235, 1/14th Battn. (London Scottish) The London Regt. (T.F.), only _s._ of Thomas Treliving Westlake, of 3, Woburn Terrace, Tavistock, retired Prison official, by his wife, Elizabeth, dau. of Luke Knight, of Gunnislake; _b._ Princetown, co. Devon, 11 Feb. 1883; educ. Princetown Public School and Tavistock Grammar School; was apprenticed to the ironmongery business on leaving there, and was subsequently in the employ of Messrs. Helliwell, Ltd., of Dudley, as a Traveller; gave up this position and joined the 2nd London Scottish on the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914; was promoted to the rank of Sergt. in Dec. following, but in Aug. 1915, when volunteers for the 1st Battn. were called for, he offered himself, sacrificing his rank as sergt., and, crossing over to Rouen on the 18th of that month, joined the 1st Battn. as a Private. He took part in the Battle of Loos on 25 Sept., in which, though his company suffered severe losses, he was unwounded, and assisted in capturing and bringing in some prisoners. For his conduct on this occasion, he was restored to the rank of Corpl. He was killed in action on 13 Oct. 1915, while gallantly leading his men in an attack upon the German trenches near Loos, death being instantaneous; _unm._ His Coy. Commander, Capt. H. L. Seyer, wrote: “I find it difficult to tell you in what high regard Corpl. Westlake was held. I looked upon him as one of my coming men, a worthy successor of many fine non-commissioned officers who have left me to take commissions in this and other regts. His conduct at our severe engagement on 25 Sept. was beyond all praise, and his untimely end whilst leading his men on 13 Oct. is an enormous loss to me, his coy. and the whole battn. Your son was quite close to me when he fell, and I can vouch that he was killed quite instantaneously. It is such men as Corpl. Westlake who add lustre to the fame of the British Army and more particularly to the regt. to which they belong.”

=WESTMACOTT, ERIC WALTER POYNTZ=, Lieut., Royal Navy, H.M.S. Arethusa, yr. _s._ of Edgell Edward Westmacott, of Udney Place, Teddington, by his wife, Marian Charlotte Isabel, dau. of Innes Colin Munro, of Poyntzfield, late Capt. His Majesty’s 12th Regt.; _b._ Teddington, co. Middlesex, 23 June, 1887; educ. J. Williams-White’s School for the Navy, Bognor, and H.M.S. Britannia; became Midshipman, 30 Jan. 1904; promoted Sub-Lieut. 30 March, 1907, and Lieut. 30 Jan. 1909, went to India in H.M.S. Argyll, one of the cruisers which escorted the King Emperor on the occasion of his visit to India after his Coronation; served as signal Lieut. to Commodore R. Y. Tyrwhitt, C.B., of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla, on the outbreak of war, and accompanied him when he transferred his flag to the Arethusa two days before the Battle off the Bight of Heligoland, 28 Aug. 1914, in which engagement he was killed. Commodore Tyrwhitt in his Despatch, said: “Lieut. Eric W. P. Westmacott (Signal Officer) was killed at my side during this action. I cannot refrain from adding that he carried out his duties calmly and collectedly, and was of the greatest assistance to me.” And he wrote to Mrs. Westmacott: “I can’t tell you how sorry I am and how splendid he was. He was standing next me on the bridge, and was so jolly and cheerful under a terrific fire. He had just said, ‘By Jove, they have got our range,’ which was true as we were in a regular inferno at the time, when he was hit ... his death being instantaneous.” Capt. Cecil Lambert, Fourth Sea Lord, wrote: “By the death of your husband the Service has lost a very gallant and valuable officer, and I have lost a personal friend, for whom I had a sincere admiration and affection.” Lieut. Westmacott was a fine hockey player, and in three successive years represented the Navy in their annual match with the Army. He _m._ at St. Andrew’s Church, Heybridge, Essex, 6 Aug. 1912, Dorothy, eldest dau. of Edmund Ernest Bentall, of The Towers, Heybridge, and had a son, Innes Bentall, _b._ 20 Sept. 1913. His brother, Richard Innes Edgell Westmacott, Sergt. 1st Scots Guards, was killed in action in France, 25 Jan. 1915.

=WESTMACOTT, SPENCER RUSCOMBE=, Lieut., Prince of Wales’ Leinster Regt. (Royal Canadians), 4th _s._ of the Rev. Walter Westmacott, Vicar of Probus and Hon. Canon of Truro, by his wife, Helen Maria Maud, dau. of John Austin Madeley, of Wood Hall, Salop, J.P.; _b._ 29 Jan. 1890; educ. Marlborough College and Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the Leinsters, 6 Nov. 1909, and promoted Lieut. 24 Jan. 1912; seconded for “Grass Farm” work in India, 5 Nov. 1913, but rejoined his regt. on the outbreak of war; went to France, Nov. 1914, and was killed in action near Ypres, 8 May, 1915; _unm._ His five brothers are (1916) or have been on active service. 2nd Lieut. John L. Westmacott, R.E., wounded in head, lost an eye in France, April, 1915; 2nd Lieut. Horatio Westmacott, R.N., H.M.S. Agincourt; 2nd Lieut. Rupert W. Westmacott, enlisted in New Zealand Auckland Contingent, got his commission in Gallipoli, where he lost his left leg. 2nd Lieut. Peter G. Westmacott, joined 4th D.C.L.I., and afterwards exchanged into 31st Punjabis; 2nd Lieut. Wilfred A. Westmacott, 9th West Yorks, invalided home from Gallipoli with enteric, has returned to duty.

=WESTON, CHARLES WILLIAM=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 3928), 212186, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=WESTON, GEORGE EDWARD=, Sergt.-Major, No. 851, 2nd Battn. Australian Imperial Force, _s._ of Samuel Weston, of 3, East Street, Oadby, Leicestershire, Bricklayer, by his wife, Maria, dau. of John Folwell; _b._ Wigston, co. Leicester, 15 March, 1873; educ. Evington School, co. Leicester; enlisted 2nd Battn. West Yorkshire Regt. June 1889, and served 21 years with the Colours, rising to the rank of Sergt.; went to Australia, Aug. 1910, where he was working on Sheep Farm; volunteered on the outbreak of War in Aug. 1914, and joined the Commonwealth Expeditionary Force, being appointed Sergt.-Major; left for Egypt with the second reinforcements, and was killed in action in Gallipoli, 10 May, 1915 following. During the period he was in the West Yorks. he served in Ireland, China, India and South Africa, altogether serving 21 years, finishing with a life pension.

=WESTON, GEORGE HENRY=, Private, No. 8/1103, 14th Otago Infantry, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, _s._ of John Weston, Carpenter; _b._ Wellington, New Zealand, 6 April, 1894; educ. there, was connected with the Wellington Boys’ Institute; volunteered on the outbreak of war, and enlisted in the Expeditionary Force, 12 Aug. 1914, was for some time in the 5th Wellington Battn., but was later transferred to the 14th Otago Infantry; served in Egypt; took part in the landing at the Dardanelles, 25 April, and was killed in action there, 8 May, 1915; _unm._

=WESTWOOD, ALEXANDER CLEGHORN=, Lieut., 1/7th (Fife) Battn. The Black Watch, Royal Highlanders (T.F.), only _s._ of Alexander Westwood, of Linley, Cupar, J.P., Bookseller and Publisher, by his wife, Helen Ramsay, dau. of Alexander Cleghorn; _b._ Cupar, 15 May, 1894; educ. Bell-Baxter School, Cupar, and George Watson’s College, Edinburgh, and was associated with his father in business. At college he was an enthusiastic member of the Cadet Corps, and joined the Cupar Coy. of the 7th Battn. Black Watch in May, 1911. He was gazetted 2nd Lieut. 20 May, 1914, and promoted Lieut. Oct. 1914. During the whole of his three years service in the ranks he was a member of the machine-gun section, and in May 1915, Lieut. Westwood was appointed machine-gun officer of his battn. He was killed in action by shell fire, while holding trenches captured from the Germans at Festubert, 16 June, 1915; _unm._ Lieut.-Col. H. M. Allen, D.S.O., Officer Commanding the 1/7th Black Watch, wrote to his father: “On my own behalf I should like to testify to the extremely high opinion in which your son was held by his brother officers and by the men. He had rendered invaluable service as machine-gun officer, and, both as an officer and a comrade, his loss will be severely felt by us all. It will be some consolation to you to know that his death was instantaneous and painless, and that he met it with the greatest courage, nobly doing his duty in a manner worthy of the best traditions of the British Army.” Lieut. Westwood was a keen sportsman, and took part in the matches of the local hockey club whenever business allowed him, playing in not a few Association fixtures. While training at Kinghorn he played Rugby for the garrison as well as Soccer for E Coy. He was a keen motor-cyclist; while another hobby was that of a poultry farmer, an interest which led him to act for some time as Joint Secretary of the Cupar Ornithological Society.

=WESTWOOD, JOHN=, Gunner, R.M.A., 12264, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WETTON, HENRY=, Band-Sergt., No. 9133, 2nd Battn. Middlesex Regt., _s._ of the late Thomas Allen Wetton; _b._ Hounslow, co. Middlesex, 3 April, 1889; educ. Spring Grove, Isleworth; enlisted in the 2nd Middlesex, 1903; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, and was killed in action at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, 10 March. 1915; _unm._

=WHARTON, HAROLD=, Private, No. 9696, St. John’s Ambulance Brigade, R.N.R., _s._ of Ernest Wharton, of 4, Springfield Terrace, Crumlin, Dublin, Ordnance Surveyor, by his wife, Susannah, dau. of Richard Pughe; _b._ Llanfyllin, co. Montgomery, 23 Sept. 1894; educ. Holy Trinity (Nat. School), Cork; was Lieut. in the 15th Coy. Boys’ Brigade, Dublin, and joined the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade in Oct. 1913. On the 5th Oct. 1914 he was appointed to H.M. hospital ship Munich (sailing between Southampton and Calais) as Sick Bay Attendant. He was transferred to H.M.S. Bayano on 28 Dec. 1914, and was lost when that ship was torpedoed, 11 March, 1915.

=WHARTON, JOHN=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 13459 (Ports.), H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WHATLEY=, FRANK, Petty Officer (C.G.), 142041 (Ports.), H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WHATLEY, SIDNEY JOHN=, L.-Corpl., No. 8919, 1st Coy. 1st Battn. Coldstream Guards, 2nd _s._ of George Robert Whatley, Attendant Norfolk County Asylum, Thorpe, Norwich, by his wife, Mary Ann, dau. of the late Robart Carver, Yelverton, Norfolk; _b._ Postwick, Norwich, 6 Nov. 1892; educ. Thorpe St. Andrew’s School there; enlisted at Norwich, 13 June, 1910, and was killed in action at the Battle of the Aisne, 14 Sept. 1914, being shot through the head; _unm._

=WHEAT, GEORGE ALFRED=, Signalman, 239001, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WHEATLEY, ALBERT=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4402), S.S. 103386, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=WHEELER, CLIFFORD=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 982), 186074, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=WHEELER, LLOYD CHARLES=, Gunner, R.M.A., 9442 (R.F.R., I.C. 81), H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=WHEELER, WILLIAM FREDERICK=, Gunner, R.M.A., 8118 (R.F.R., I.C. 29), H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=WHEELER, WILLIAM JOHN=, L.-Corpl., No. 8638, 2nd Battn. The Royal Scots, _s._ of William John Wheeler, by his wife, Maria; _b._ Kingston-on-Thames, 12 July, 1880; educ. Public School there; was a House Decorator; enlisted in the Royal Scots, 7 Oct. 1903; served at Glencorse and in India; went to France, 26 Aug., and was killed in action at Vailly, during the Battle of the Aisne, 14 Sept. 1914; being buried there. He _m._ at Kingston, 19 Oct. 1908, Charlotte Madge (18, Royal Oak Road, Woking), 2nd dau. of Arthur Hillier; _s.p._

=WHELAN, BERNARD=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 9861), S.S. 107270, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WHENNELL, JAMES=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., Ch. B. 7812), S.S. 103273, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WHETLOR, ARTHUR CHARLES=, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 6180), 214591, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WHICHELLO, RICHARD WILLIAM=, Sergt., R.M.A. 7928, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WHICHER, FREDERICK=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 1521), 206022, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=WHILES, SIDNEY HERBERT=, Rifleman, No. 1886, 12th Battn. (The Rangers) The London Regt. (T.F.), eldest _s._ of William Herbert Whiles, of 70, Northcote Road, Walthamstow, late Private, No. 6824, Army Service Corps (served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc., and was discharged April 1916, owing to injury to eye), by his wife, Margaret, dau. of John Steuber; _b._ Leytonstone, 19 Nov. 1896; educ. Forest Road Council School, Walthamstow, and Walthamstow Higher Elementary School, at both of which he gained prizes for mathematics, and also showed proficiency in Art and Divinity; became a clerk in the National Amalgamated Insurance Society; joined the Rangers, Jan. 1914, and volunteered for Imperial Service on the outbreak of war; went to France with the first draft for his battn. which formed part of the 11th Brigade (4th Division), and was killed in action near the village of Fortuin during the Second Battle of Ypres, 26 April; _unm._ Buried at Fortuin. His Commander wrote: That he was a gallant soldier throughout and that he personally regretted his loss, as he had frequently accompanied the officer on billet finding expeditions, in which his knowledge of French enabled him to act as interpreter. A brass plate to his memory was placed in the church of St. Michael and All Angels, Walthamstow (where he was a chorister for eight years), by his old comrades.

=WHISKIN, ERNEST CHARLES=, Coy.-Quartermaster-Sergt. 16th (Queen’s Westminster Rifles) Battn. The London Regt (T.F.), 2nd _s._ of the late Charles Frederick Whiskin, by his wife, Susanna Agnes; _b._ Aylesbury, co. Bucks, 13 May, 1870, and educated there. He joined the Queen’s Westminster Rifles in 1892, and in 1908, when the Territorial Force was formed, he continued his service in the same regt. Holding an important position at Messrs. Jas. Shoolbred & Co., Ltd., he was for many years a Sergt. in the firm’s Company, which rank he held when the Battn. left for France on 1 Nov. 1914. His was the first company to take over a fire trench on the 14th of that month, when they relieved B Coy. of the East Yorkshires at Burnt-out Farm, near Gris Pot, he being at the time No. 1 Platoon Sergt. He was promoted to Coy.-Quartermaster-Sergt. 26 Feb. 1915, and was killed in action at Houplines, Flanders, 3 May following. C.Q.M.S. Whiskin had the Volunteer Long Service medal, and received mention by his Colonel for good service in France; he was a good shot, and was held in high esteem by his officers, brother N.C.Os. and men. He _m._ at St. Pancras, Marylebone Road, London, 6 Sept. 1902, Annie Ethel (Bancroft, Powys Lane, Palmer’s Green, N.), dau. of Henry Barham, of Hitchin, and had two daughters: Agnes Nora, _b._ 19 July, 1903; and Winifred Ethel, _b._ 30 May, 1906.

=WHITAKER, CHARLES=, A.B., 239469, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WHITAKER, HAROLD=, Capt., 2nd Battn. Rifle Brigade, eldest _s._ of Arthur Whitaker, of 52, Cadogan Square, S.W., by his wife, Emily, dau. of Charles Wilkin; _b._ London, 22 Sept. 1885; educ. Westgate-on-Sea (Mr. E. M. Hawtrey), Eton (Mr. E. Impey’s House), and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst (from which he passed out first of the Infantry candidates of his term in 1904); gazetted 2nd Lieut. 2nd Rifle Brigade, 4 June, 1904, and promoted Lieut. 15 Sept. 1907, and Capt. 21 Sept. 1913; served in Egypt, the Sudan and India, was Assistant Provost Marshal of the Delhi Durbar, 1911 (medal); returned to England with his regt. in Oct. 1914; went to France, 5 Nov. following, and was killed in action near Fauquissart on the night of 1–2 Dec. 1914, when, after visiting his sentries he had gone forward alone about 1.30 a.m. to reconnoitre, it having been surmised that fresh German troops had taken up positions in front of our line of trenches. He was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and an ardent explorer and keen big game shot. Besides expeditions on the White Nile, in Kashmir and Mesopotamia, he returned to India in 1908 through Russia, Central Asia and Turkestan, the latter part of this journey he made with native following only, which no English traveller had done before crossing 23 passes over 10,000 feet high, the highest being the Karakorum, 18,317 feet above sea level. He _m._ at Grayshott, co. Hants, 27 April, 1910, Madeleine Eléonore, dau. of David de Pury, of Grayshott and Neuchatel, Switzerland, and had two children: John de Pury, _b._ 10 Oct. 1911; and Lorraine Marie, _b._ 30 July, 1914. It is feared that his younger brother, Lieut. Trevor Whitaker, R.N., lost his life on active service in the North Sea in Jan. 1915. A still younger brother, Capt. and Adjutant Raymond Whitaker, Rifle Brigade, is now (1916) on active service, attd. to the R.F.C., and his youngest brother, L.-Corpl Geoffrey Whitaker, is in the Eton College O.T.C.

=WHITBY, CHARLES BARRY DOUGLAS=, Private, No. 26022, 14th Battn. (1st Royal Montreal Regt.), 3rd Brigade, Canadian Expeditionary Force, eldest _s._ of Charles Joseph Whitby, of 9, The Paragon, Bath, M.D. Cantab., by his wife, Clare, dau. of Joseph Hayden; _b._ Cambridge, 13 Nov. 1884; educ. Reading School, went to Canada about 1904, residing first in Montreal, later in Emerson and other places, then returning to Montreal, where at the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914, he held a position on the Staff of the “Gazette.” He at once enlisted and went into training at Valcartier, came to England with the first Canadian Contingent, and competed his training on Salisbury Plain. He crossed to Flanders with his Division early in 1915, and took part in the action at Neuve Chapelle. On 22 April, 1915, the Second Battle of Ypres was opened by the discharge of poison gas against the Turcos, who were driven back leaving the Canadian left exposed. On the morning of the 24th the 14th Battn., shelled out of a shallow dug-out they had prepared over night, in a field near St. Julien, retreated uphill under very heavy fire. Near the summit Private Whitby was hit and fell in a ditch, joking as he fell. He was never seen again by his comrades, but was officially reported “wounded and missing.” Later a report by the enemy stated that he had been picked up by them, had died on May 8 or 9, and was buried on Hill 20 (Kersselaare), not far from where he fell. In letters received from his comrades he was described as “a splendid soldier, always among the first to offer himself for any dangerous duty.” While at the front Private Whitby contributed several descriptive articles on life in the trenches to the “Montreal Gazette.”

=WHITCHURCH, LESLIE SEDGWICK=, Capt., 21st Prince Albert Victor’s Own Punjab Cavalry (Frontier Force), Indian Army, attd. 5th Dragoon Guards, 2nd _s._ of the late Rev. Walter Beaumont Gurney Whitchurch, Rector of Spixworth, Norfolk, by his wife, Margaret Elizabeth (Old Catton, Norfolk), dau. of (--) Sedgwick; _b._ Lockeridge House, co. Wilts, 6 April, 1880; educ. Marlborough and Sandhurst, where he took the Queen’s Gold Medal for Military Proficiency and the Sword of Honour, with six other prizes, and on passing out, broke the College “record” and was given six months seniority; gazetted 2nd Lieut., Indian Army, unattd., 19 July, 1899; entered Indian Staff College, 1 Oct. 1900, and was promoted Lieut. 19 Oct. 1901; and appointed Squadron Officer in 21st Cavalry, 29 May, 1902, and became Capt., 19 July, 1908; served on the N.W. Frontier of India, Waziristan, 1901–2 (medal with clasp), and also took part in the operations against the Darwesh Khel Waziris, 1902; was home on leave when the European War broke out, and at once applied to be attd. to a British Regt.; trained reserves for the 9th Lancers at Tidworth for a short time; was sent to France to join 5th Dragoons, 10th Squadron, and was killed in action at Messines on 31 Oct. following, during the First Battle of Ypres; _unm._ His commanding officer wrote: “He was a most gallant and capable officer, and I was most fortunate to have had him with me. He was killed when most gallantly holding on to an advanced post which he had occupied with a few men on the edge of the town, when the enemy made a very determined attack on the town we were holding. He held on there though the enemy in force were only a few yards away from him. He was quite dead when I reached him. I grieve to have to tell you we were unable to bring him back. All I can say is that it was not possible. I reported especially upon his conduct as having been most gallant.”

=WHITCOMBE, DOUGLAS JAMES AUBREY=, Private, No. 6/176, Canterbury Infantry Battn., New Zealand Expeditionary Force, _s._ of Frederick Whitcombe, of 24, Buckley’s Road, Linwood, Christchurch, New Zealand, by his wife, Alice, grand. dau. of Lieut.-Col. Mein, C.B., of Dumfries; and grandson of John Aubrey Whitcombe, of Hillfield, Gloucester; _b._ in New Zealand, May, 1893; volunteered on the outbreak of war; killed in action in Gallipoli, 7 Aug. 1915; _unm._

=WHITCOMBE, GERALD AUBREY=, Trooper, No. 13/750, Auckland Mounted Rifles, New Zealand Expeditionary Force; 2nd _s._ of George Whitcombe, of Kawhia, New Zealand; by his wife Margaret Janet, dau. of Albert West Sedcat, and grandson of John Aubrey Whitcombe, of Hillfield, Gloucester; _b._ New Zealand, Oct. 1890, volunteered on the outbreak of war; killed in action in Gallipoli, 8 Aug. 1915; _unm._

=WHITCOMBE, JOHN=, L.-Corpl., No. 15193, Royal Canadian Dragoons, only _s._ of Charles Henry Whitcombe, of Sunnyside, Crudwell, Malmesbury, F.R.C.S., by his wife, May, dau. of Richard Billiald, of Nottingham, and grandson of John Aubrey Whitcombe, of Hillfield, Gloucester; _b._ Westerham, co. Kent, 18 May, 1889; educ. the New School, Halifax, co. York, and the Royal Latin School, co. Bucks; was for two years in the Eastern Telegraph Co., but went to Canada in 1907 and took up farming at Pilot Mound, Manitoba. On the outbreak of the European War he joined the Fort Garry Horse, Aug. 1914; came over with the first contingent in Oct.; went to France in June, 1915, when he was attached to the Royal Canadian Dragoons; and died near Ploegsteert, 1 July, 1915, of wounds received in action same day; _unm._ He was buried in the Maple Leaf Military Cemetery, Romarin, near Nieppe, Belgium.

=WHITE, ALFRED=, Leading Seaman, 200784 Devonport, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=WHITE, ALFRED WILLIAM=, Stoker, 1st Class, S.S. 106882, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914.

=WHITE, BENJAMIN WILLIAM=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 11762, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.

=WHITE, EDWARD=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 766), 280315, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WHITE, ERNEST=, Signal Boy, J. 24674, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.

=WHITE, FREDERICK=, Stoker, Petty Officer, 297650, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WHITE, GEORGE EDWARD=, Leading Seaman (R.F.R., Ch. B. 9578), 203769, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WHITE, GILBERT VICTOR=, Private, No. 871, The Honourable Artillery Company, yr. _s._ of William Baglin White, of High View, Sundridge Avenue, Bromley, Kent; _b._ Wood Green, co. Middlesex, 11 Jan. 1893; educ. Quernmore School and Clifton College; volunteered for Imperial Service on the outbreak of war, and joined the H.A.C. 4 Aug. 1914; went to France in Sept.; was in the trenches from Nov. to Jan., and died at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, 2 Feb. 1915, of wounds received in action near Ypres, on 6 Jan. He was shot by a German sniper while helping to bring in a wounded comrade; _unm._

=WHITE, HARRY ARTHUR ALBERT=, Ordinary Signalman, J. 11354, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=WHITE, JAMES ERNEST=, Private, No. 287, 5th Battn. (London Rifle Brigade) The London Regt. (T.F.), 2nd _s._ of James White, of 2, Woodside Road, Wood Green, N., by his wife, Sarah Ann, dau. of Josiah Briscoe; _b._ London, N., 30 Sept. 1885; educ. Higher Grade School, Wood Green, N., and Birkbeck College; was a Clerk in the Oceana Land Co., Ltd.; joined the London Rifle Brigade on the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914; went to France, 13 March, 1915, and was killed in action at Zillebeke, 27 April, 1915; _unm._ He was buried at Fortuin. White took a prominent part in many branches of Church work, was an enthusiastic ’cellist, and led a small orchestra.

=WHITE, LESLIE SPENSER=, 2nd Lieut., 1st Battn. Royal West Kent Regt., eldest _s._ of Frank Faulder White, of Charlton Road, Blackheath, F.R.C.S. Eng., by his wife, Eva Dalgairns, dau. of the late Major J. D. Travers; _b._ Coventry, 21 Sept. 1891; educ. King Henry VIII’s School there, and Framlingham College; joined the Artists Rifles immediately on the declaration of war, 5 Aug. 1914; gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the Royal West Kent Regt., 27 Jan. 1915; went to France in Oct. 1914; served as temp. 2nd Lieut. with the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers in the trenches and was accidentally killed near Ypres, 15 March, 1915, by a bomb explosion, while on active service; _unm._ Buried there.

=WHITE, LLOYD ROBERT=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 9380, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=WHITE, LYNTON WOOLMER=, Lieut., 1st King’s Dragoon Guards, elder _s._ of Woolmer Rudolph Donati White, of Salle Park, co. Norfolk, and Southleigh Park, co. Hants, J.P., High Sheriff, co. Norfolk (1914), by his wife, Edith Wittcomb, yr. dau. of George Dawes Monck, of Hilsea, co. Hants.; _b._ Southsea, 5 May, 1886; educ. Cheltenham and Trinity College, Cambridge, gazetted 2nd Lieut. 7 May, 1905, and promoted Lieut. 25 March, 1910. Being home on leave when the war broke out, he was attached to the Queen’s Bays; was severely wounded in action at the Battle of Nery, 1 Sept. 1914, during the retreat from Mons and died at the Chateau de Baron, three days later. He was buried at first in the Chateau grounds and afterwards removed to the Churchyard. He _m._ at St. Mary Abbott’s, Kensington, 29 June, 1911, Dorothea, only dau. of W. R. Haughton, of Calcutta, V.D., M.I.C.E., formerly Engineer-in-Chief Eastern Bengal State Railway; _s.p._

=WHITE, ROBERT HENRY=, Private, No. 9733, 3rd Battn. (Toronto Regt.) Canadian Expeditionary Force, 2nd _s._ of the late Robert White, Master Roscrea (Ireland) Union, by his wife, Elizabeth (44, Dingwall Avenue, Toronto, Canada), dau. of William Proctor, of Glashare, co. Kilkenny; _b._ Roscrea, co. Tipperary, 8 July, 1895; educ. National School there; went to Canada in May, 1914, and was a Sales Clerk; volunteered on the outbreak of war and joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force at Toronto, about 20 Aug. 1914; left Valcartier for England with the first contingent 9 Oct. 1914; trained on Salisbury Plain during the winter of 1914–15; went to France early in Feb. and was killed in action “in the field between St. Julien and St. Jean,” 23 April, 1915, being shot through the head and killed instantly.

=WHITE, WALTER EDWIN=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 7921, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=WHITE, WILLIAM CHARLES=, Blacksmith’s Mate, M. 5496, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=WHITE, WILLIAM CLEMENT=, Leading Seaman (R.F.R., Ch. B. 5261), 181422, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.