Harold Wharton.
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.
Sidney John Whatley.
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.
Sidney Herbert Whiles.
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.
Ernest Charles Whiskin.
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.
Harold Whitaker.
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.”
Charles B. D. Whitby.
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.”
Leslie S. Whitchurch.
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.
John Whitcombe.
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.
Gilbert V. White.
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.
James Ernest White.
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.
Leslie S. White.
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.
Robert H. White.
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.
WHITE, WILLIAM DARCY, Stoker, 2nd Class, K. 19848, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914.
WHITEFORD, PETER, Sergt., No. 6965, 2nd Battn. The Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, 4th s. of Andrew Whiteford, of Cramond, by his wife, Hannah Lawrie, dau. of James Black, of Easter Drylaw, Cramond; b. Davidson’s Mains, Cramond, 15 May, 1886; educ. Davidson’s Mains Public School; enlisted in the Cameron Highlanders at Edinburgh in 1904, and after a few months in Dublin served three years in South Africa, two years in China, and two years in India, returning to England in Jan. 1912. He obtained his discharge 1 June that year, and became a gardener to Mr. W. R. Reid at Lauriston Castle. When war broke out he rejoined at Inverness, and after training recruits there for four months, was promoted Sergt., and went to France early in Dec. He was killed while leading his platoon into action at La Bassée 25 Jan. 1915; unm.
Peter Whiteford.
WHITEHEAD, ALFRED GEORGE, Signal Boy, J. 23867, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914.
WHITEHEAD, CHARLES, Private, R.M.L.I. (R.F.R.), Ch. 9373, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; m.
WHITEHEAD, HARRY HARDING, Private, No. 3/927, R.N.V.R. Hawke Battn. 1st R.N. Brigade, R.N. Division, 2nd s. of James Dove Whitehead, of Middleton Hall, near Pickering, Yorks, J.P., North Riding, by his wife, Jane, 2nd dau. of the late Samuel Harding Loy, J.P., Keldead, Pickering; b. Scarborough, 26 March, 1891; educ. Repton School; qualified as an Engineer, and joined a Flying School for the Naval Flying Corps, joining the R.N.V.R. after the outbreak of war, in Nov. 1914, and was killed in action at Achi Baba, Gallipoli, 29 June, 1915; unm. His only brother, Capt. James Loy Whitehead, is now (1916) on active service.
Harry H. Whitehead.
WHITEHEAD, HENRY MONTAGUE, 2nd Lieut., 4th, attd. 2nd, Battn. East Surrey Regt., 2nd s. of Henry Hammond Whitehead, of Boston Road, Brentford, by his wife, Edith Miriam, dau. of John Cove, of Northampton; b. Brentford, co. Middlesex, 16 Nov. 1890; educ. Tonbridge School, where he was in the O.T.C.; was an Architect; joined the Artists Rifles in 1908; gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the East Surreys, 15 Aug. 1914; went to France Jan. 1915; attd. to the 1st Battn. South Wales Borderers, joining the 2nd Battn. East Surreys in March, and was killed in action at Zonnebeke, 14 April, 1915; unm. Buried there.
WHITEHEAD, JAMES SCULLARD, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 2390), 161600, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
WHITEHURST, CHARLEY, Private, No. 13205, 1st Battn. Coldstream Guards, s. of John William Whitehurst, of 4, Grove Lane, Smethwick; b. Birmingham; educ. Dudley Road and City Road Schools; was employed in the Ebbw Vale Steel Works; enlisted in the Coldstreams after the outbreak of war, 3 Sept. 1914; went to France, 1 Jan. 1915, and was reported missing after the fighting at Cuinchy, 25 Jan. following, and is now assumed to have been killed in action on or about that date. He m. at St. Matthew’s Church, Smethwick, 29 Sept. 1907, Emma (2, Fering Street, Corporation Road, Newport, co. Monmouth), dau. of Robert (and Emma) Bell, and had a dau., Elsie Agnes, b. 24 June, 1913.
Charley Whitehurst.
WHITEHURST, HAROLD, Private, No. 1544, 1st Battn. Highland L.I., s. of William Whitehurst, of 31, Cove Street, Beverley Road, Hull; b. Hull, 27 Feb. 1897; educ. Trinity House School, Hull; after leaving school was apprenticed to Messrs. Wright & Bacon, Shipowners; joined 1st Highland L.I., 6 Aug. 1914; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, and was killed in action at Neuve Chapelle, between 11 and 18 March, 1915; unm. Two of his brothers are serving in the Army: George William Whitehurst in the N.E.R. Fusiliers (Pioneers), and Alfred Whitehurst in the 2nd Northumbrian R.F.A.
Harold Whitehurst.
WHITELAW, ALEXANDER, Private, No. 9040, 2nd Battn. Durham L.I., s. of Alexander Whitelaw, Foreman Carpenter with Messrs. Currie & Co., of Leith, Ship Owners, by his wife, Agnes, dau. of Adam Stenhouse, of Leith, b. Leith, 22 Aug. 1880; educ. Couper Street School there; enlisted in 1902, served for three years with the Colours and nine years in the Reserve, and on mobilization rejoined his regt. 17 Aug. 1914. He was shot through the head by a German sniper while helping to repair the trenches at Houplines, 30 Jan. 1915, and was buried in the military cemetery there. He m. at Leith, 9 July, 1908, Jane Jackson (66, Coburg Street, Leith), dau. of Allan McCallum, and had two sons and a dau.: Alexander, b. 6 Sept. 1909; Allan McCallum, b. 14 March, 1913, and Susan Webster, b. 9 Dec. 1910.
Alexander Whitelaw.
WHITEWAY, THOMAS, Petty Officer, 208492, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.
WHITFIELD, THOMAS NICHOLAS, E.R.A., 3rd Class, M. 1752, H.M.S. Arethusa; killed in action in the Heligoland Bight, 28 Aug. 1914.
WHITING, CHARLES, Ship’s Corpl., 1st Class, 186224, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.
WHITING, FREDERICK JOHN, L.-Corpl., No. 1050, 1/6th (Cyclist) Battn. The Suffolk Regt. (T.F.), yst. s. of John Whiting, of 73, Surrey Road, Ipswich, by his wife, Margaret; b. Westerfield, Ipswich, 10 Jan. 1893; educ. Council School and Boys’ British School there; joined the Suffolk Cyclists, 20 March, 1912, and died in the Military Hospital, Saxmundham, 12 May, 1915, from injuries received through an armoured car, while cycling out with his company, near Saxmundham; unm.
WHITTLE, GEORGE THOMAS, Petty Officer, 237335, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
WHITTLE, JAMES, Stoker, 1st Class, 290939 Devonport, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
WHYBROW, THOMAS JOHN, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., Ch. B. 9533), 106899, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
WHYTE, CHARLES LEONARD LE BARON, Chief Petty Officer, 147436, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
WHYTE, DAVID STEWART, Engine Room Artificer, No. Ch. 270811, R.N., only s. of the late John Stewart Whyte, of Stonehaven, Edinburgh, and 101, Stephen’s Road, Tunbridge Wells, Schoolmaster (died 23 March, 1915), by his wife Margaret (died 5 Sept. 1911), dau. of the late James Sutherland, Leith, N.L.S.; b. Stonehaven, co. Kincardine, 10 Nov. 1878; educ. Tewel Public School there, and Gordon’s College, Aberdeen; was 2nd Engineer in the Merchant Service; joined the Navy Nov. 1902, and was lost on H.M.S. Good Hope, 1 Nov. 1914, when that ship was sunk in the battle off Coronel, on the coast of Chili. He m. at St. Simon’s Church, Southsea, 1 Aug. 1908, Emmeline Annie (31, Wisborough Road, Southsea), dau. of the late David Williams, of Southsea, and had two children: Merry Sutherland, b. 28 Nov. 1909, and Lena, b. 1 Sept. 1913.
WICKENDEN, HARRY CHARLES, Sergt., R.M.L.I., Ch./6612, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
WICKINS, VERNON JOHN, Private, No. 2086, 15th Battn. 4th Infantry Brigade, Australian Imperial Force, eldest s. of the late Vernon Evan Wickins, Engineer (who died shortly after the outbreak of war), by his wife, Mary (Cambria, 32, Wellington Street, North Hobart, Tasmania), dau. of John McGinnes, of Edinburgh; b. Hobart, 30 Aug. 1886; educ. State School there; joined when young the Volunteer Force and for five and a half years was a member of the Derwent Infantry Regt., in which he was promoted Sergt., 27 May, 1911. He was for some years employed in the Government Railways Service at Launceston, and while there became an active member of the Hobart Launceston Rifle Club, but on the illness of his father resigned his position to return home to Hobart so as to be a help to his mother and the other members of the family. On his return to Hobart he joined the A.N.A. Rifle Club and was on the roll as an active member when war broke out. He volunteered for Imperial service and joined the 15th Battn., 6 Feb. 1915; left for Egypt with the fifth reinforcements and was killed in action at Lone Pine, Gallipoli, 8 Aug. 1915. Capt. L. Simpson, A.N.A. Rifle Club, wrote: “Vernon Wickins endeared himself to all his club mates and to all with whom he came in touch by his quiet, kindly and unassuming manner, and no greater testimony can be given of his love for country and fellow mortals than that he laid down his life for them.” He m. at Launceston, Tasmania, 3 April, 1915, Hilda, dau. of (—) Collins.
Vernon J. Wickins.
WICKS, JAMES, Private, No. 9532, 2nd Battn. Royal Sussex Regt., s. of George Wicks, of 22, Parkfield Road, Hollington, near Hastings; served with the Expeditionary Force in France; killed in action, 3 Oct. 1914.
WIDGER, JAMES SAUNDERS, Shipwright, 1st Class, 345559, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
WIGG, ARTHUR HARRY, Private, No. 2685, 1st Battn. Honourable Artillery Company, yr. s. of the late Harry Owen Wigg, of Ealing, W., formerly of West Derby, Liverpool, Draper’s Buyer, by his wife, Mary Walmsley (25, Gordon Road, Ealing, W.), dau. of the late Thomas Fletcher, of Newsham Park, Liverpool; b. West Derby, Liverpool, 16 Oct. 1890; educ. Elstow School (formerly called Bedford County School), Bedford; was in the service of Messrs. Dalton & Young, Fenchurch Street, E.C.; volunteered for Imperial service after the outbreak of war and joined the H.A.C. in Nov. 1914; left for France 26 April, 1915, as one of a draft to the 1st Battn.; and was killed in action at Hooge, 16 June following. Early on the morning of the 16th the British had attacked with some success south of Hooge, capturing 1,000 yards of German front trenches and part of their second line. Towards night the troops holding the most advanced of the captured trenches were obliged to fall back, and volunteers were called to go to their support. Private Wigg was one of those who volunteered, and while advancing with a party composed of men from various units under Major G. N. Crosfield, 4th South Lancashires, was hit in the head by a piece of high explosive shell and killed instantaneously. He was buried by the side of a path leading to the Sunken Road between Hooge and Potijze; unm. He was a very keen sportsman, being vice-captain of the Old Elstonian Hockey Club and a member of the Ealing Cricket Club, upon the committee of which he served.
Arthur Harry Wigg.
WIGG, EDWARD CHARLES, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 1497), 208328, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
WIGHTMAN, FRANCIS CHARLES, Private, No. 00189, 1st Imperial Light Horse, elder s. of the late John Wightman, of Edinburgh, Master Plumber and Sanitary Engineer, by his wife, Janet (28, Mardale Crescent, Edinburgh), dau. of James McFarlane; b. Edinburgh, 6 April, 1880; educ. Daniel Stewart’s College there; joined the Imperial Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) at the time of the South African War; took part in the operations there, receiving the Queen’s medal with four clasps; returned to South Africa, 1902, and was for a time at the Remount Camp at Mooi River, afterwards settling in Johannesburg, where he held a position in one of the Rand Mines, Cattine Modder, Brakham. On the outbreak of the European War he made preparations to return to Britain, but on the rebellion in South Africa he joined the 1st Imperial Light Horse, and was killed in action at Rooidam, 25 Nov. 1914, during a fight with Kemp’s force, which lasted all day; unm. He was buried there. He was a keen footballer and played for Daniel Stewart’s College F.P. 1st team; a good horseman and a good shot.
Francis C. Wightman.
WIGHTON, JAMES ALBERT FORGAN, Leading Carpenter and Diver, R.N., No. 346697, 2nd s. of the late James Brown Wighton, Jute Commission Agent, Calcutta, by his wife, Catherine (28, Redbourne Street, Boulevard, Hull), dau. of James Albert Forgan, of Hull, Engineer; b. Barrow-in-Furness, 19 Oct. 1886; educ. Constable Street Council School, Hull; joined the Navy in 1904; served on H.M.S. Assistance; went to India on H.M.S. Renown, with King George (then Prince of Wales); served on H.M.S. Glasgow, on her first Commission, and on H.M.S. Fearless; transferred to the Good Hope on the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914. and was lost when that ship was sunk in the action off Coronel on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914; unm. His brother-in-law, Joseph Williams, was lost on the Cressy (see his notice).
J. A. F. Wighton.
WIGMORE, JAMES EDWARD, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 12112, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
WILCOX, PERCY JOHN, Private, R.M.L.I., 10304 (R.F.R., Ch. B. 929), H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
WILDE, REGINALD, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 5463 (Ports.), H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
WILDMAN, HERBERT ARTHUR, Rifleman, No. 2970, 8th Battn. (Post Office Rifles) The London Regt. (T.F.), 2nd s. of William Wildman, of 1, Stanhope Road, North Finchley, by his wife, Florence May, dau. of Joseph Evans; b. Pulloxhill, co. Bedford, 30 May, 1894; educ. Christ Church School, Finchley, N.; was a Postman at Whetstone; volunteered for foreign service on the outbreak of war, and joined the Post Office Rifles, 15 Sept. 1914; went to France 17 March, 1915, and was killed in action at the Battle of Festubert, 25 May, 1915, after being reported missing since 22 May. Buried at Festubert; unm.
Herbert A. Wildman.
WILFRID, WILLIAM, Stoker, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
WILGRESS, GEORGE KESTEVEN KORTRIGHT, Lieut., 21st Battn. Canadian Expeditionary Force, only s. of Arthur Trollope Wilgress, King’s Printer for Ontario, formerly Publisher and Editor of the Brockville Times, Brockville, Ontario, by his wife, Meta Carleton, dau. of the late George Acheson, of Tandragee, Ireland; b. Clarksburg, P. Ontario, Canada, 25 Jan. 1895; educ. St. Albans School, Brockville (Headmaster, Rev. F. G. Orchard, formerly of Bromsgrove, England); served on the Canadian Government Geodetic Survey in Western Canada, and also with the Canadian Pacific Railway Survey of their system north of Lake Superior; volunteered for Imperial service on the outbreak of war and was gazetted Lieut. 15 Sept. 1914; came over with the second Canadian contingent in May, 1915; went to France in Sept. 1915, and was killed in action near Ypres, 27 Nov. 1915; unm. Buried in Ridgewood Cemetery, near Ypres. He was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 15 June, 1916] by Sir Douglas Haig, for gallant and distinguished conduct in rescuing wounded under heavy rifle fire at short range, and his commanding officer, Lieut.-Col. (now Brig.-Gen.) W. St. Pierre Hughes, wrote: “George’s death was a very severe blow to the whole Battn. There was not an officer, non-com. or man in the whole lot who did not respect, love and admire him. He was kindness itself, thoughtful of others to an extreme degree, and always prompt, careful, thorough and in all ways efficient. He was a soldier and a gentleman always. His heroic acts, performed only two hours before he was killed, have stamped him as one of the few. He knew no fear and feared no foe. He loved his men and they adored him.” At St. Albans School he was head boy and captain of the school, and also of the football team, and exercised a very strong influence for good by reason of his outstanding character.
George K. K. Wilgress.
WILKENS, HENRY EDWARD, Leading Seaman (R.F.R., Ch. B. 608), 144292, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
WILKINS, ALFRED, Private, No. 730, 11th Battn. Australian Imperial Force; served in Egypt and at the Dardanelles; killed in action at Gallipoli, 3 May, 1915.
WILKINS, ARTHUR JOHN, Sergt., No. 6826, 3rd Battn. Coldstream Guards; s. of Cornelius Wilkins, of Strathmore, Alberta, Canada; enlisted 27 June, 1906; became L.-Corpl. 10 Sept. 1908; Corporal 17 Aug. 1912; L.-Sergt. 21 Jan. 1913, and Sergt. 22 Oct. 1914; served in Egypt 11 Oct. 1909 to 23 March, 1911, and with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders, from 22 Oct. 1914; killed in action at Cuinchy, 2 Feb. 1915; unm.
WILKINS, BERT, Sergt., No. S/9851, 2nd Battn. Royal Sussex Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, &c.; killed in action at Richebourg L’Avoué, 9 May, 1915; unm.
WILKINS, FREDERICK JOHN, Private, No. 6787, 3rd Battn. Coldstream Guards, s. of Frederick James Wilkins, of Towtree, Burghill, co. Hereford, Farmer and Licensed Victualler, by his wife, Amelia, dau. of Robert (and Mary) Sutton; b. Malvern, 22 Jan. 1882; educ. County Council School, Burghill; was a Chimneystack Builder; enlisted in the Coldstreams, 30 May, 1906; served in Egypt 31 Oct. 1907 to 23 March, 1911, and obtained his discharge in 1913; rejoined his old regt. on the outbreak of war, 5 Aug. 1914; went to France with the Expeditionary Force, 12 Aug.; served through the retreat from Mons, and subsequent engagements, and was killed in action at Cuinchy, 7 Feb. 1915, being shot through the head by a sniper while effecting the rescue of a wounded comrade on the morning after his coy. had cleared the Brickfields of the Germans at the point of the bayonet; unm. He was buried in Cuinchy Cemetery.
WILKINS, GEORGE, Private, R.M.L.I., 9557 (R.F.R., Ch. B. 1512), H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
WILKINS, HARRY, E.R.A., 1st Class (Pensioner), 152465, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
WILKINS, HENRY JOHN, Private, No. 8896, 2nd Battn. Coldstream Guards, 2nd s. of Frederick Wilkins, of 8, Collingbourne Ducis, Marlborough, co. Wilts, Woodman, by his wife, Helen, eldest dau. of George Bulpits; b. Collingbourne, 5 June, 1890; educ. C.E. School there; was employed at the Army Ordnance Stores, Tidworth, enlisted in the Coldstreams, 25 Oct. 1910; obtained his discharge, and joined the Reserve in Oct. 1913, with an excellent character from his Company Officer; rejoined on the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914; went straight to France with the 1st Expeditionary Force; was wounded 21 Oct. 1914, and was in hospital in France until Jan. following, when he returned to the firing line, and was killed in the trenches at Cuinchy, 16 Feb. 1915; unm. He was buried near La Bassée.
Henry J. Wilkins.
WILKINS, WILLIAM JOHN, Private, No. 10723, 1st Battn. Coldstream Guards, eldest s. of George Wilkins, of 59, Waterloo Street, Leamington, by his wife, Elizabeth, dau. of William Hortin; b. Leamington, co. Warwick, 11 Sept. 1894; educ. St. Peter’s R.C. School there; was a Dairyman; joined the 7th Warwickshire Territorials about Jan. 1911; enlisted in the Coldstreams, 2 May, 1914; went to France 6 Oct. 1914, and was killed in action during the First Battle of Ypres, 29 Oct. 1914; unm.
WILKINSON, CHARLES, Coy. Sergt.-Major, No. 4170, 1st Battn., Northumberland Fusiliers, eldest s. of Charles Wilkinson, of Stonebridge Park, by his wife Maria, dau. of (—) Churchill; b. Stonebridge Park, Middlesex; educ. there; enlisted 13 April, 1894, and became L.-Corpl. 16 March, 1899; Corpl. 1 April, 1900; L.-Sergt. 26 Feb. 1902; Sergt. 1 April, 1902; Col.-Sergt. 26 Sept. 1911, and Coy. Sergt.-Major 29 Nov. 1913; served in Gibraltar, 3 Oct. 1896 to 16 Jan. 1898; with the Soudan Expedition, 17 Jan. to 2 Oct. 1898 (Queen’s medal, Khedeval medal); during the occupation of Crete, 3 Oct. 1898 to 17 April, 1899; in South Africa, 16 Sept. 1899 to 6 April, 1903; including the actions at Belmont and the Modder River and the subsequent operations in the Orange Free State and the Transvaal (Queen’s medal with two clasps and King’s medal with two clasps); in the Mauritius, 7 April, 1903, to 8 Feb. 1906; in India, 9 Feb. 1906 to 11 March, 1907, and again 4 Sept. 1908 to 11 Nov. 1913; took part in the operations in the Mohmand Country, N.W. Frontier, 1908 (India General Service medal with clasp); present at Delhi Durbar, 1911 (medal); and with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders 15 Aug. to 14 Sept. 1914; including the retreat from Mons, and was killed at Vailly, during the Battle of the Aisne, 14 Sept. 1914. Major H. R. Sandilands wrote: “Sergt.-Major Wilkinson belonged to the finest type of British non-commissioned officers, keen, smart and straight as a die, he was loved and trusted equally by the officers and the men in the ranks of the regt. in whose welfare he was so keenly interested, and in whose service he died. ‘Wilkie’ will ever be held in affectionate remembrance by all who had the privilege of serving with him.” While in India Wilkinson was for nearly five years Officers’ Mess Sergt. and was afterwards Chief Warder in Military Prison at Mauritius. He had also the silver medal for good conduct and long service. He m. at Trinity Church, Karachi, India, 9 Dec. 1908, Maud (88, Yerbury Road, Tufnell Park, N.), dau. of Charles Mockridge, of Upper Holloway, and had three sons: Stanley Charles, b. Rawal Pindi, India, 3 Nov. 1909; Douglas Reginald, b. Mhow, Central India, 6 Oct. 1912; and Charles Frank St. George, b. (posthumous) 2 Nov. 1914.
Charles Wilkinson.
WILKINSON, FRANK LEE, Gunner, No. 71456, 47th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, eldest s. of Francis Lee Wilkinson, of 8, Little Lockwood Street, Wincolmlee, Hull, Gunner, Royal Garrison Artillery, by his wife, Emily, dau. of Thomas Wakefield; b. Hull, 10 May, 1895; educ. Lincoln Street Board School there; joined R.F.A. 5 Dec. 1912; went to France 19 Aug. 1914, and died at No. 10 General Hospital, Rouen, 1 Oct. following, of wounds received on 20 Sept. at the Battle of the Marne; unm. The Rev. C. M. Chavasse, Chaplain to the Forces, wrote: “I write to tell you all I know of the last hours of your son, who died in hospital here on 1 Oct. His was rather a sad experience, but patiently borne. He had received a gunshot wound in the right arm during the Battle of the Marne on Sunday, 20 Sept., and arrived in hospital here on Thursday, 24 Sept. He was wonderfully good and patient and brave, and lay very quietly in the corner bed of the hospital tent. There was always a smile from him whenever I came to see him, and I do not think anyone realised how bad he was through his bravery. He was a very good boy, too, and, as he told me once, never forgot his prayers, and was trusting in our Lord Jesus Christ. He ought to have gone home on a hospital ship on the 30th, but another operation was necessary, which prevented this. This was a sad disappointment to him, but again no one could have been braver or more patient. And then on the 1st came the sudden collapse. I was suddenly fetched to his side in the morning, and had just time to whisper a prayer in his ear and to feel him squeeze my hand when he became unconscious, and very peacefully passed away at 2.15 p.m.” He was buried the next day in the Cemetery in the Sepulchre des Rouen (Grave No. 58).