William James Gray.
GRAY, WILLIAM THOMAS, Private, No. 19749, 4th Battn. King’s Liverpool Regt., s. of William Gray; b. Kirkdale, Liverpool, 3 Aug. 1879; educ. Ashfield Street Board School there; was a Carter; joined the 6th King’s Liverpool Volunteer Regt. 12 July, 1897; volunteered for the South African War, 9 March 1900; served in that campaign one year and 79 days (medal with three clasps), invalided home; retired 20 Dec. 1902; on the outbreak of the European War re-enlisted 11 Sept. 1914, killed in action at Hill 60, 27 April, 1915. He m. at Liverpool, 8 Jan. 1907, Elizabeth (3, Penrose Street, Everton, Liverpool), dau. of James Thompson, and had issue three daus.: Florence, b. 28 Jan. 1910; Edith, b. 3 Feb. 1911; and Gladys, b. 20 Sept. 1915.
GRAZEBROOK, CHARLES ALVEREY, Capt., 6th, att. 1st, Battn. The King’s Royal Rifle Corps, 3rd s. of Francis Grazebrook, of Stourton Castle, Stafford, by his wife, Isabella Mary, dau. of George Grazebrook; b. Dudley, 5 Sept. 1887; educ. Marlborough College and Sandhurst; gazetted to the 3rd K.R.C.C., 7 Feb. 1908, and promoted Lieut. 1 April, 1911; joined his regiment at Crete, where he served for a year or so, then went with it to Malta, and India, where he was stationed at Dagshai till 1912, when he came home. He retired in the beginning of 1914, and joined the Special Reserve, but on the outbreak of war immediately rejoined and was promoted Captain, 14 Aug. 1914. He took out a draft to the 1st K.R.R.C., 10 Nov. 1914, and was in the North of France all the winter. He was reported wounded and missing, 10 March, 1915, and was later unofficially reported killed in action on that date. Ordered to charge the enemy trenches near Givenchy that day, “He led his men magnificently, they covered themselves with glory and their charge will always be remembered as one of the finest deeds of the regt. Everyone says they were magnificent,” so wrote his Commanding Officer. He m. at St. Mary Abbots, Kensington, 18 April, 1912, Katherine Arthur Mary Violet, dau. of Arthur Percy Hickman, of Hagley, co. Worcester, and had a daughter, Diana Katherine Mary, b. 19 May, 1913.
Charles A. Grazebrook.
GREAR, JAMES, Private, No. 637, 1st Battn. 1st Infantry Brigade Australian Expeditionary Force, 4th s. of the late John Grear, of the firm of John Milner & Co., Iron Merchants, Manchester, by his wife, Alice; b. Mobberley, Chester, 21 Nov. 1891; educ. Mobberley and Urmston Secondary Schools; went to Sydney, Australia, in 1911, and was a Farmer with his brothers; enlisted immediately on the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914, and was killed in action at the Dardanelles, 10 May, 1915; unm. Four other brothers are (1916) on active service, two with the Australian Field Artillery, one in training with the Infantry Reserve, and the other as 1st Class Stoker, R.N.
GREATHEAD, CLARENCE ROYAL, Private, No. 1850, 4th Battn. Northumberland Fusiliers (T.F.), Machine Gun Section, only s. of George William Greathead, of Cleadon, North Eastern Railway Official, by his wife, Ada, dau. of William Greig, of West Hartlepool; b. West Hartlepool, 5 June, 1897; educ. Henry Smith College there; was an apprentice with Messrs. Grabham & Co., Newcastle-on-Tyne; enlisted after the outbreak of war in Sept. 1914; went to France in April, and was killed in action near Ypres, at 5.30 a.m., 16 June, 1915, while in charge of a machine gun. Buried at Wieltge; unm. His officer wrote: “He was a brave, fearless soldier, and will be missed by his battalion. We had him carefully buried and a cross bearing his inscription marks the place.”
Clarence Royal Greathead.
GREAVES, BENJAMIN HERBERT, Private, No. 3024, 8th (Liverpool Irish) Battn. King’s Liverpool Regt. (T.F.), s. of (—) Greaves; b. 28 Dec. 1883; educ. Oxford; enlisted soon after the outbreak of war in Oct. 1914, went to France, and was killed in action, 16 June, 1915. He m. at Brounton Hill, Liverpool, 6 June, 1908, Constance (11, Woolman Road, Blackpool), dau. of (—), and had three children: Charles Walter, b. 18 Aug. 1909; Leslie Herbert, b. 14 Feb. 1915; and Dorothy Irene, b. 5 May, 1911.
Benjamin H. Greaves.
GREEN, ALBERT, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 14516, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
GREEN, ALBERT, Private, No. G6084, 3rd Battn. Middlesex Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; died at Rouen, 19 April, 1915, of wounds received in action.
GREEN, ALBERT JOHN, Private, No. G. 695, 2nd Battn. Royal West Surrey Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in action near Fleurbaix, 18 Dec. 1914; m.
GREEN, ARTHUR, Seaman, R.N.R., 4873A, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
GREEN, ARTHUR ADELBERT LINGARD, Sergt., No. 2623, Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), Canadian Expeditionary Force, elder s. of Lieut.-Col. Alfred Lingard Green, D.S.O., formerly Commdg. 3rd V. Battn. Bedfordshire Regt., by his wife, Isabel, dau. of the late Robert Thorburn, of Vancouver, British Columbia; b. Oatlands, Fort Qu’Appelle, N.W. Territory, Canada, 3 June, 1889; educ. Quy Vicarage, near Cambridge, and St. Edward’s School, Oxford, and on leaving there went to British Columbia, where he joined the British Columbia Horse. He was promoted Sergt. after a very short period, and when war was declared, finding that the B.C. Horse were not going out as a regt., immediately joined Lord Strathcona’s Horse as a Private, but was soon promoted to Sergt.; came over with the first contingent, and died in the 16th General Hospital, Le Treport, France, 16 July, 1915, of wounds received in action at Givenchy. Buried in the Military Cemetery, Le Treport; unm.
Arthur A. L. Green.
GREEN, CHARLES WILLIAM, Stoker, 1st Class, 195688, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
GREEN, ERNEST, Private, No. 2308, Brecknockshire Battn. South Wales Borderers (T.F.), s. of Joseph Green, of 77, Watton, Brecon, late Q.M.-Sergt., 2nd Battn. South Wales Borderers; b. Brecon, 14 Jan. 1887; educ. National School there; enlisted after the outbreak of war, 5 Sept. 1914; went to Egypt, and then to Aden; and died of heatstroke during the forced march through the Desert, to La Hy and back on 4 July, 1915. Private Green was a well-known Mid-Wales football player. His three brothers, Sergt. Frank Green, Royal Marines, who took part in defence of Antwerp; Private Harry Green, South Wales Borderers; and Private Monty Green, Brecknockshire Regt., are (1916) on active service.
GREEN, CLIFFORD WHITTINGTON, Capt. 1st Battn. Royal Berkshire Regt., only s. of Ernest Henry Green, of Bayworth Manor, Bagley Wood, co. Berks, by his wife, Maud, dau. of Col. George John Charles Whittington, C.B.; b. West Lavington, co. Wilts, 16 Aug. 1890; educ. Cothill House, Radley College, and Lincoln College, Oxford; joined the 3rd Militia Battn. of the Berkshires in 1912 as 2nd Lieut.; promoted Lieut., and on the outbreak of war received a regular commission in the same regt. 14 Aug. 1914. He joined the 1st Battn. in France on 27 Nov., served with them through the winter campaign, 1914–15, including the fight at Givenchy, 22 Dec., also through the spring operations and at Richebourg, 20 May, 1915, where he distinguished himself leading his company in the attack, being promoted tempy. Capt. He died in hospital at Lillers, 27 June, 1915, of wounds received in action at Cambray, near La Bassée, the preceding day; and was buried at Chocques Military Cemetery; unm. A brother officer writing of him said: “Capt. Whittington Green was a brave officer, and one whose first thought was always for his men.” At the time he was killed he was directing his men to take cover, as the enemy had started shelling the headquarters. He played hockey for the Berkshire and Oxfordshire county teams.
Clifford Whittington Green.
GREEN, FREDERICK, A.B. (B. 4154), 200824. H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
GREEN, HORACE EDWARD, Private, R.M.L.I., Ch./16692, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
GREEN, HERBERT WILLIAM, Corpl., No. 9185, 1/5th South Staffordshire Regt. (T.F.), 3rd s. of Arthur John Green, of West Bromwich, Builder, by his wife, Annie, dau. of John Berry; b. West Bromwich, co. Stafford, 19 Nov. 1894; educ. Lodge Estate Schools there; was an Engineer; enlisted 4 Sept. 1914; promoted Corpl. Jan. 1915; went to France 1 March, 1915; and was killed in action near Hill 60, 25 Aug. 1915, while observing the effect of our artillery fire on the enemy’s trenches; unm. He was well-known in the Birmingham District as a fine swimmer and was a clever amateur dramatic actor.
GREEN, JAMES THOMAS, Private. No. 14405, 4th (Reserve) Battn. Coldstream Guards, only s. of James Green, of the Royal Lodge Gardens, Windsor Great Park, Gardener to the Hon. Lady Ellis, by his wife, Annie, dau. of the late Thomas Martin; b. The Gardens, Royal Lodge, 17 March, 1893; educ. Royal Schools, Windsor Great Park; enlisted 29 Dec. 1914; invalided home 29 Jan. 1915, and died 5 Feb. 1915, of spotted fever contracted while training at Caterham; unm. Buried at St. Jude’s Cemetery with full military honours.
James Thomas Green.
GREEN, JOHN EDWARD, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4229), S.S. 103203, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
GREEN, PERCY ERNEST, Seaman, R.N.R.. 4171A, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
GREEN, SAMUEL JAMES, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 7761), 292356, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; m.
GREEN, THOMAS MICHAEL, Stoker, P.O. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 9821), 297718, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
GREEN, WILLIAM LAMBEY THORNE, Private. R.M.L.I., Ch./17611, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
GREEN, WILLIAM STANLEY, A.B., J. 2660, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
TOWNSEND-GREEN, HENRY RUSSELL, Capt., 1/16th Battn. (Queen’s Westminster Rifles) The London Regt. (T.F.), eldest s. of James Henry Townsend-Green, of 5, Addison Road, Kensington, and Chesham, Bucks, P.P.A.I., F.S.I., by his wife, Cornelia Augusta, dau. of the late Samuel W. Russell; b. Kensington, 31 Jan. 1890; educ. Uppingham, and was by profession a Surveyor. He obtained a commission as 2nd Lieut. in the Queen’s Westminster Rifles, from the Uppingham O.T.C., 30 Jan. 1908, and became Lieut., 1 Nov. 1910, and Capt., 26 Sept. 1914. In 1910 he secured a place in the King’s Hundred at Bisley, and passed the Hythe School of Musketry in 1912, with distinction in the Maxim Gun Course. On the outbreak of war he volunteered for Imperial service; left for France, 1 Nov. 1914, and was killed in action near Armentières, 3 March, 1915, only a few days after returning from a week’s leave in London. Buried at Armentières; unm. The Adjutant of his Battn. wrote: “He was one of those people who inspire confidence, and I have always felt that if we were asked to send out any party of men under an officer needing more than ordinary intelligence, decision, and coolness, I should unhesitatingly have chosen him; he has ever since he came out here been the man one felt one could rely on in any emergency”; and his Commanding Officer wrote: “He was always one of our very best, keenest, and most capable officers, his work and his mark will remain in the Regt. which he loved so well, and which loved him so well and in which his memory will always be so affectionately cherished.”
GREENAWAY, SIDNEY, Private, R.M.L.I., Ch./13484, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.
GREENER, WILLIAM ERNEST, A.B., 234657, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
GREENHALGH, EDWARD, E.R.A., 1st Class, 269845, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
GREENHAM, ERNEST ALBERT, Leading Seaman (R.F.R., B. 8820), 209091, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; m.
GREENLAND, FREDERICK JOHN, A.B., 197040, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
GREENSTREET, ROBERT SMITH, Private, No. 2535, 3/4th Battn. Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regt., s. of the late Richard Reynolds Greenstreet, of Lydd, Kent, Fisherman, by his wife, Mary Ann, dau. of (—) Smith; b. Hythe, 8 June, 1880; educ. Lydd; was a Fisherman; enlisted 23 Sept. 1914, and died in No. 2 Division War Hospital, Selhurst, 5 Oct. 1915, of illness contracted while training. He m. at Beckenham, 16 Oct. 1904, Beatrice Annie (109, Ecclesbourne Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey), dau. of Charles Albert, and had three children: Beatrice Elizabeth, b. 1 Sept. 1905; Florence Edith, b. 12 June, 1909; and Emily Winifred, b. 6 June, 1914.
Robert S. Greenstreet.
GREENWOOD, ALFRED EDWARD, Stoker, 2nd Class, S.S. 115507, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
GREENWOOD, GEORGE JESSE FRANCIS, Sergt., No. 89, 4th Battn. Suffolk Regt. (T.F.), eldest s. of George Joseph Greenwood, Foreman at Messrs. Brackett & Co., Engineers, Colchester, by his wife, Emma Ann, dau. of John James Butler, of Chelmsford; b. Colchester, 7 Sept. 1883; educ. Colchester Bluecoat School; and for many years up to Aug. 1914, held a position of trust with Brown & Co., Timber Merchants, Ipswich. He joined the 1st Vol. Battn. Suffolk Regt. (which in 1907 became the 4th Territorial Battn. of the Suffolks) 6 Feb. 1900, and reached the rank of Sergt. On the outbreak of war volunteered for foreign service, and went to France 6 Nov. 1914; was home on a few days’ leave in April, returning to the Front on the 6th, and was killed in action near Neuve Chapelle, three days later, 9 April, 1915. Lieut. Pretty wrote: “At the time he met his death he was just turning away from examining the enemy’s position through his glasses, and was necessarily exposing himself to some risk. He was doing his duty cheerfully and bravely.... His body rests in a military graveyard [at Rouge Croix] about half a mile behind the firing line.” Sergt. Greenwood was a well-known member of the Felixstowe Rifle Club, and a prize winner at the county meeting, and had the Volunteer Long Service Medal. He m. at St. Botolph’s Church, Colchester, 2 Sept. 1907, Nellie May (53, Newton Road, Ipswich), eldest dau. of George Woods, of Colchester, and had two children: George Charles, b. 24 June, 1908; and Millicent Alice, b. 11 April, 1912.
George J. F. Greenwood.
GREENWOOD, JAMES, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4866), S.S. 104269, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
GREENWOOD, JOHN FRANCIS BERNAL, Lieut., 1st Battn. King’s Own (Royal Lancaster) Regt., eldest s. of Lieut.-Colonel Joseph Greenwood, R.E., by his wife, Clara, dau. of John Bernal, of Albert Lodge, Limerick; b. Limerick, 22 March, 1885; educ. Military College, Plymouth; joined the Army, 13 July, 1903, and was given a commission 18 Jan. 1908, and promoted Lieut. 21 May, 1911. He served in India, 1908 till Nov. 1912, and while there obtained Cavalry Higher Equitation (with Royal Dragoons, Lucknow, 1 Oct. 1909), Mounted Infantry (Umballa 1911–12), and Supply and Transport (Rawal Pindi) Certificates, and commanded a section in the Mounted Infantry School, Umballa. He passed Higher Standard examinations in Hindustani (24 April, 1911), and Pushtu and Lower Standard Persian (13 July, 1911), and held a certificate as an interpreter in French (gained June, 1914). In Jan. 1913, he was seconded for two years’ service with the Army Pay Department, but rejoined his Regt. in Jan. 1915, being attached to the 3rd Battn. from which he was drafted to the 1st Battn. at the Front in April. He was killed in action at St. Julien, during the Second Battle of Ypres, Sunday, 2 May, 1915, and was buried by the Germans about 2 miles N.E. of Ypres. Major Wilson wrote: “On 2 May, at about 3 p.m., the enemy used gas, and under cover of the gas they advanced (about 700 strong) against a position (a farmhouse) held by 10 men of C Coy. 1st Battn. Lieut. Greenwood, a Corpl. and three men, all of C Coy., rushed to the farmhouse (about 200 yards) to assist the 10 men holding the farm. The enemy continued their advance under rifle and machine gun fire to within 300 yards of our position and placed their maxim guns behind a hedge. During the attack Lieut. Greenwood, using his revolver, and the men with rifles, accounted for a good number of the enemy. Lieut. Greenwood, after using all his revolver ammunition, took up a rifle and fired a few rounds, when he was shot in the head by enemies’ maxim gun. His death was instantaneous. The enemy having partly surrounded our small party, we were eventually ordered to retire as it was impossible for so few men to hold the position any longer. His body was unavoidably left behind together with about 10 men. He showed great gallantry during the fighting.” He m. at the R.C. Garrison Church, Lucknow, India, 20 July, 1910, Frances Mary Georgina, eldest dau. of the late James Watson Anderson, of Saltburn-by-Sea, York, and of Bacon’s Crescent, Exeter, Devon, and had one child, Henry Vincent Bernal, b. 16 Aug. 1911.
John F. B. Greenwood.
GREENWOOD, LEWIS LEONARD, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 8929), S.S. 2077, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
GREENWOOD, ROBERT, L.-Corpl., No. 6222, A Coy. 1st Battn. 1st Brigade, Canadian Expeditionary Force, eldest s. of the late Robert Greenwood, of Camberwell, by his wife, Rosetta, dau. of (—) Burley, and gdson. of Edwin Greenwood, of 244, Haydons Road, Wimbledon, S.W.; b. Leytonstone, Essex, 25 Jan. 1895; educ. John Ruskin Council School, Camberwell; went to Canada in Feb. 1914, and settled at Thamesford, Ontario, as a Farmer’s help; volunteered on the outbreak of war and joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Aug. 1914; came over with the first contingent in Dec. 1914; trained at Bustard Camp, Salisbury; went to France, Feb. 1915, and was killed in action at, or near, Givenchy, 15 June, 1915, being blown to pieces by a shell; unm.
Robert Greenwood.
GREER, WILLIAM, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 7916), S.S. 103607, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; m.
GREGORY, BERT WALTER, A.B., J. 699, H.M.S. Laurel; killed in action in the Heligoland Bight, 28 Aug. 1914.
GREGORY, CHARLES ARTHUR, Private, No. 20023, C Coy., 11th Battn. (Pioneers) King’s Liverpool Regt., 2nd s. of Tom Jackson Gregory, of London, Master Mariner, by his wife, Helena; b. Liverpool, 18 Aug. 1893; educ. Our Lady of Mount Carmel School there; enlisted 17 Sept. 1914, and on the night of 21 June, 1915, while in the trenches, off the Menin Road, one and a-half miles from Ypres, was shot through the head by a sniper. He was taken to Bailleul Casualty Clearing Station, where he died the following day, and was buried in the military annex to Bailleul Cemetery (Grave No. 1420). He m. at Liverpool, 29 Dec. 1914, Catherine, dau. of Thomas Standish, of Liverpool.
Charles Arthur Gregory.
GREGORY, ERNEST, Leading Seaman, 209700, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
GREGORY, JAMES WILLIAM, A.B. (R.F.R.), B. 3896), 185803, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 1914; m.
GREGORY, NATHANIEL, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 12747 (Ports.), H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
GREGORY, THOMAS, Officer’s Cook, 2nd Class, L. 3030 (Ports.), H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.
GREGSON, DAVID WALKER, Private, No. 6221, 1st Battn. 1st Brigade, Canadian Expeditionary Force, s. of John Gregson, of Fergus, Ontario, Canada; b. West Garafraxa, Wellington Co., P. Ontario, 10 June, 1898; educ. Fergus, Ontario; enlisted 16 Aug. 1914, and was killed in action at Ypres between 22–30 April, 1915. He was buried beside a house in a small garden seven miles S.E. of Ypres.
GREIG, JOHN WILLIAM HENRY, 2nd Lieut., attd. 25th Punjab Cavalry, Frontier Force, 5th s. of Hunter Hepburn Greig, of 71, Heathfield Road, Wandsworth Common, S.W., formerly of Perth, by his wife, Phœbe Jane, dau. of Alexander Elliot, of Kelso; b. Perth, 6 May, 1886; educ. Perth Academy and Denstone College, Stafford, and was a member of the staff of the Chartered Bank of India. He had joined the Indian Army Reserve of Officers, and after the outbreak of the war was attached (Feb. 1915) to the 25th Punjab Cavalry at Calcutta. He was killed in action at Tochi Valley, near Miranshah, North Western India, 26 March, 1915, while fighting against the Zadrai Tribes, and was buried at Miranshah; unm. His 6th brother, the Rev. George Anthony Greig, Chaplain to H.M.S. Russell, died at Malta Royal Naval Hospital, 28 April, 1916, from gas poisoning, caused by the Russell striking a mine the previous day.
John W. H. Greig.
GREIG, STEWART, L.-Corpl., Ch./15295, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
GRENFELL, FRANCIS OCTAVIUS, V.C., Capt., 9th Lancers, 8th s. of the late Pascoe Du Pre Grenfell, of Wilton Park, Beaconsfield, by his wife, Sophia, dau. of Vice-Admiral John Pascoe Grenfell, Brazilian I.N., and nephew of Francis Wallace, 1st Baron Grenfell, P.C., G.C.B.; G.C.M.G., Field-Marshal; b. Hatchlands, Guildford, 4 Sept. 1880; educ. Eton (Mr. Durnford’s House, 1894–99); received a commission in the 3rd (Militia) Battn. Seaforth Highlanders, 13 Dec. 1899; gazetted 2nd Lieut. King’s Royal Rifle Corps, 4 May, 1901, and Lieut. 28 Jan. 1905; transferred to 9th Lancers 6 May, 1905; promoted Capt. 7 Sept. 1912; was Adjutant 1 Nov. 1912 to 13 Jan. 1914; served (1) in the South African War, 1901–2; took part in operations in Cape Colony and Transvaal, 1901, and in those in Orange River Colony, Jan. to 31 May, 1902 (Queen’s medal with five clasps); and (2) with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders; was twice mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 20 Oct. and 16 Nov. 1914] by F.M. Sir John French, and was killed in action, after being twice wounded at Hooge, 24 May, 1915; unm. He was awarded the Victoria Cross “For gallantry in action against unbroken infantry at Audregnies, Belgium, on 24 Aug. 1914, and for gallant conduct in assisting to save the guns of the 119th Battery, R.F.A., near Doubon, the same day,” being the first officer to receive it in the European War. At Eton he was in the Cricket XI in 1899, and Master of the Beagles. Like his brother, Capt. R. N. Grenfell, he was one of the finest polo players of his day. He did much for modern polo with his brother, was in the Champion side several times, and was instrumental in forming the Old Etonians Polo Team, which at one time was nominated as the Polo Cup Challenger. One of the best known men in the army, he enjoyed a popularity that few men achieve.
Francis Octavius Grenfell.
GRENFELL, HON. GERALD WILLIAM, Lieut., 8th (Service) Battn. The Rifle Brigade, 2nd (and at the time of his death elder surviving) s. of William Henry, 1st Baron Desborough, K.C.V.O., by his wife, Ethel Anne Priscilla, Lady of the Bedchamber to H.M. the Queen, dau. of the Hon. Julian Henry Charles Fane, and granddau. of John, 11th Earl of Westmorland; b. 4, St. James’s Square, London, S.W., 29 March, 1890; educ. Eton (where he gained an entrance scholarship and the Newcastle scholarship) and Balliol College, Oxford (where he obtained the Craven scholarship in 1911), and was about to be called to the Bar; volunteered after the outbreak of war and was gazetted 2nd Lieut. 8th Rifle Brigade, 12 Sept. 1914; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from May, 1915, and was killed instantaneously by machine gun fire at Hooge, Flanders, 30 July, 1915, while leading a counter-attack; unm. Capt. A. C. Sheepshanks wrote: “He died splendidly, leading his men over open ground up hill in the face of a tremendous fire from machine guns. His Platoon Sergt. saw him pitch forward with a bullet in the head, and thinks he was hit again in the side as he fell. He must have been killed instantaneously as he was not seen to move afterwards. Both as his company commander and his friend I shall miss him enormously. His platoon all loved him, and he had somehow inspired them with a fighting spirit, and it was only a few days ago that I told the Col. that Bill’s platoon was the best fighting platoon I had”; and A. A. Tod, second in command of the 8th Battn.: “We were great friends, and though I didn’t know him before he joined, I, like all the others, was immediately drawn to him by his delightful personality. I know you must be inundated with letters, so feel rather diffident about adding to the number, but somehow it seems to help to write about a dear friend that has gone. We all loved Billy, and his men, to my certain knowledge, adored him. It couldn’t have been otherwise, because ever since he went to France he was always to the fore, and what the men always like, never expected them to do anything he couldn’t do himself. His gallantry was remarkable, and fear was a word he didn’t know the meaning of. As you know, he died at the head of his men leading a counter-attack. It’s but poor consolation, but I am positive that of all deaths it is the one he would have chosen.... That was a fearful day, and no one can describe the horror of seeing 20 officers and well over 500 men fall in one Battn. in about 14 hours.” His elder brother, Capt. J. H. F. Grenfell, and twin cousins, Capt. F. Grenfell, V.C., and Capt. R. N. Grenfell, were also killed in action, and his yst. and only surviving brother, the Hon. Ivo G. W. Grenfell, is now with the Coldstream Guards. His sister, the Hon. Monica Grenfell, is a Red Cross Nurse in France.
Hon. Gerald Wm. Grenfell.
GRENFELL, HON. JULIAN HENRY FRANCIS, Capt., 1st (Royal) Dragoons, D.S.O., eldest s. and h. of William Henry, 1st Baron Desborough, K.C.V.O., by his wife, Ethel Anne Priscilla, Lady of the Bedchamber to H.M. the Queen, dau. of the Hon. Julian Henry Charles Fane, and granddau. of John, 11th Earl of Westmorland; b. 4, St. James’s Square, London, 30 March, 1888; educ. Eton and Balliol College, Oxford; gazetted 2nd Lieut. 1st Dragoons, 15 Sept. 1909 (24 Aug. 1910); and promoted Lieut. 6 Oct. 1911; temporary Capt. 15 Nov. 1914, and Capt. 31 Jan. 1915; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from 7 Oct. 1914; was mentioned in F.M. Sir John French’s Despatch of 20 Nov. 1914–14 Jan. 1915 [London Gazette, 17 Feb. 1915] for gallant conduct in the field; was severely wounded in the head by shrapnel, 13 May, while reconnoitring near Ypres, and died in hospital at Boulogne, 26 May, 1915; unm. He had made a special study of reconnaissance work, and was awarded the D.S.O. [London Gazette, 1 Jan. 1915] for having on 17 Nov. “succeeded in reaching a point behind the enemy’s trenches, and making an excellent reconnaissance, furnishing early information of a pending attack of the enemy.” A poem, “Into Battle,” written by him in the trenches appeared in “The Times,” and of it Sir W. Raleigh, Professor of English literature at Oxford, wrote: “I don’t know if you really know that Julian’s poem is one of the swell things in English literature. It is safe for ever, I know it by heart, and I never learned it. It has that queer property which only the best poems have, that a good many of the lines have more meaning than there is any need for, so that new things keep on turning up in it.” At Eton he ran well in the steeplechase in 1905, and at Oxford rowed in the college crew. In 1907 and 1908 he was three in the Balliol eight in the Ladies Challenge Plate, and in the following year he was bow in the Balliol four which won the Wyfolds at Henley, and rowed for the O.U.B.C. coxswainless fours. He was a member of the Belsize Boxing Club and proved himself a formidable opponent. His chief sport was shooting. His next brother, Lieut. G. W. Grenfell, and his cousins, Capt. F. Grenfell, V.C., and Capt. R. N. Grenfell, were also killed in action (see their notices).
Hon. Julian H. F. Grenfell.
GRENFELL, RIVERSDALE NONUS (“RIVY”), Capt. Buckinghamshire Yeomanry (Royal Bucks Hussars), att. 9th Lancers, 9th and yst. s. of the late Pascoe Du Pre Grenfell, of Wilton Park, Beaconsfield, by his wife, Sophia, dau. of Vice-Admiral John Pascoe Grenfell, Brazilian I.N., and nephew of Francis Wallace, 1st Baron Grenfell, P.C., G.C.B., G.C.M.G., Field-Marshal; b. Hatchlands, Guildford, 4 Sept. 1880; educ. Eton; received a commission as Lieut. in the Royal Bucks Hussars, 1 Sept. 1908, and was promoted Capt. Aug. 1914; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from 18 Aug., att. to the 9th Lancers, and was killed in action at Vendresse during the Battle of the Aisne, 14 Sept. 1914; unm. He was one of the best known players in English polo. He was a member of the Hurlingham Committee, which is the governing body of the game, and was among the best Nos. 1 in English polo during the past decade. He played twice in English teams that beat Ireland, and was No. 1 in the Roehampton side that won the Championship Cup in 1909, while three years before he was one of the Freebooters who secured the championship. In 1909 he organised an Old Etonians team, which played a prominent part in London polo. With his twin brother, Francis, he played in the final match for the House Football Cup in 1898, when Durnford’s won by a narrow margin. He was whip of the Beagles, Francis being Master of the Beagles at Eton. He was Founder, Chairman and Treasurer of the Islington branch of the Invalid Children’s Aid Association, and a Memorial Fund is being raised to endow this branch, now called the Francis and Rivy Grenfell Branch. His twin brother and his two cousins were also killed in action in the European War, while his elder brother, Pascoe St. Leger, was killed in the Matabele War, 1896, and his seventh brother, Robert Septimus, Lieut. 12th Lancers, was killed at Omdurman, 4 Sept. 1898.
Riversdale N. Grenfell.
MORGAN-GRENVILLE, THE HON. RICHARD GEORGE GRENVILLE, Master of Kinloss, Capt., 1st Battn. The Rifle Brigade, eldest s. of the late Major Luis Ferdinand Courthope Morgan-Grenville, York and Lancaster Regt., by his wife, Mary, 11th Baroness Kinloss, Lady of the Crown of India, dau. of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd and last Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, 10th Lord Kinloss, P.C.; b. Chandos House, London, 25 Sept. 1887; educ. Eton and Sandhurst; gazetted to the 1st Battn. Rifle Brigade, 24 Jan. 1906, and promoted Lieut. 22 Jan. 1910, and Capt. 5 Aug. 1914; went to France with the Expeditionary Force; was twice wounded, but each time recovered and returned to the Front; was twice mentioned in Despatches by F.M. Sir John (now Lord) French [8 Oct. 1914, and 10 Jan. 1915] for gallantry in the field, and was recommended for the D.S.O., but was killed in action at Ploegsteert, 19 Dec. 1914. He was unm., and was buried in the wood there. His brother, Lieut. the Hon. Thomas G. B. Morgan-Grenville, 4th Battn. Rifle Brigade, is now (1916) on active service.
R. G. G. Morgan-Grenville.
GREY, GERALD, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 3266), S.S. 100998, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
GRIERSON, SIR JAMES MONCRIEFF, K.C.B., C.V.O., C.M.G., Lieut.-Gen., R.A., eldest s. of the late George Moncrieff Grierson, of Glasgow, by his wife, Allison, dau. of George Lyon Walker, of Garemount, Dumbartonshire; b. Glasgow, 27 Jan. 1859; educ. Glasgow Academy, and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich; gazetted Lieut., R.A., 9 Oct. 1877, and promoted Capt. 20 Jan. 1886; Major 11 Dec. 1895; Brevet Lieut.-Col. 12 Dec. 1895; Brevet Col. 1 March, 1900; Col. 28 Oct. 1901; Major-Gen. 12 Feb. 1904, and Lieut.-Gen. 6 May, 1910; was D.A.Q.M.G., Indian Contingent, Expeditionary Force, Egypt, 9 Aug. to 17 Oct. 1882; on special service with the Expeditionary Force, Suakim, 20 Feb. to 5 March, 1885; D.A.A. and Q.M.G., Egypt, 6 March to 12 June, 1885; Station Staff Officer, 1st Class, Bengal, 17 Feb. to 7 July, 1889; D.A.A.G. (Intel.) H.Q. of Army, 1 July, 1890, to 14 July, 1894; Brigade Major, R.A., Aldershot, 1 Jan. 1895 to 19 Feb. 1896; Military Attaché, Berlin, 1 March, 1896, to 2 Feb. 1900; on special service, South Africa, 3 Feb. to 27 Feb. 1900; A.A.G. South Africa, 28 Feb. to 23 Aug. 1900; Staff Officer (graded D.A.G.), China, 24 Aug. 1900 to 21 Oct. 1901; A.Q.M.G., II Army Corps, 28 Oct. 1901 to 3 Sept. 1902; Chief Staff Officer (Brig.-Gen. on Staff), II Army Corps, 4 Sept. 1902 to 11 Feb. 1904; Director of Military operations, Army H.Q., 12 Feb. 1904 to 5 Oct. 1906; Major-Gen., 1st Division, Aldershot Army Corps, and G.O.C., 1st Division, Aldershot Command, 6 Oct. 1906, to 6 Aug. 1910, and G.O. Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command, 4 April, 1912, to Aug. 1914; Hon. Col., 2nd London Brigade, R.F.A., 1912–14; A.D.C. Gen. to H.M. the King, 1 July, 1914, and Commander of the 2nd Army Corps of the Expeditionary Force in France, Aug. 1914; created M.V.O. (4th Class), 23 Nov. 1899; C.B., 29 Nov. 1900; C.M.G., 26 June, 1902; C.V.O., 1 July, 1904; and K.C.B., 19 June, 1911; served in Egyptian War, 1882; took part in action at Kassassin 9 Sept., and Battle of Tel-el-Kebir (mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 2 Nov. 1882]; medal with clasp; Khedive’s Bronze Star; 5th Class Medjidie); with Sudan Expedition, 1885; took part in actions at Hasheen, and on 26 March, and advance on Tamai (mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 25 Aug. 1885]; clasp); with Hazara Expedition, 1888; was D.A.Q.M.G., 2nd Brigade (mentioned in Despatches; medal with clasp; Brevet of Lieut.-Col.); in South African War, 1899–1900; took part in operations in Orange Free State, Feb. to May, 1900. including actions at Poplar Grove, Dreifontein, Vet River (5–6 May), and Zand River; operations in the Transvaal, May-June, 1900; including actions near Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Diamond Hill (11 June); operations in the Transvaal, east of Pretoria, July-16 Aug. 1900 (mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 10 Sept. 1901]; Queen’s medal with four clasps); in China, 1900; including service as British Military representative on the Staff of the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces (medal, C.B.); and died on active service, of heart failure, while travelling in a train in France, 17 Aug. 1914; unm. Gen. Grierson made a reputation with the 3rd and 4th Divisions at manœuvres. During the manœuvres in Cambridgeshire in 1912, he so concealed the 4th Division that it remained entirely lost so far as the opposing side was concerned, until it developed its fighting line in action on a flank. The Division made a long march, and when hostile aircraft came near it the troops halted and took shelter in woods, ravines and hedges, remaining perfectly still. The guns and wagons were covered with sheets, hay, straw, and so on, and the aircraft failed to discover the presence of the force. He was again complimented by Sir John French on those in Northamptonshire in 1913. He was the author of many works on Military subjects, including “Armed Strengths of Armies of Russia, Germany and Japan,” published by the War Office; “Staff Duties in the Field,” “Handbooks of the Russian Army,” and “Records of the Scottish Volunteers, 1859–1908.”
James Moncrieff Grierson.
GRIEVE, WILLIAM PERCIVAL, 2nd Lieut., 3rd Battn. Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex Regt.), yst. s. of William Grieve, of 13, Fenchurch Avenue, London, and Rockcliffe, Dalbeattie, by his wife, Margaret, dau. of the late Rev. George Hodgkinson, of Louth; b. Croydon, 11 Nov. 1885; educ. St. Andrew’s School, Eastbourne, Cheltenham College, and Edinburgh University. On the outbreak of war he joined the 2nd King Edward’s Horse as a Trooper, received a commission in the 5th Middlesex Special Reserve, 14 Nov. 1914, and was transferred from that battn. to the 3rd Middlesex; served in France and Flanders, and was killed in action near Ypres, 14 Feb. 1915; unm.
William Percival Grieve.
GRIFFIN, ERNEST JOHN, Stoker, 1st Class S.S. 111025, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
GRIFFITH, THOMAS FRANCIS, Gunner, R.M.A., 9569, R.F.R., B. 1266, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
GRIFFITH, JOHN GWYNNE, Major, 32nd Lancers, Indian Army, and Brigade Major, 9th Cavalry Brigade, 3rd s. of the late Lieut.-Col. John Gilbert Erskine Griffith, of Fairfield House, Cheltenham, and Hodges, Jamaica, by his wife, Fanny Augusta (Newland, Coleford, Gloucester), dau. of George Harrison; b. Taraghur, Ajmere, India, 23 June, 1874; educ. Stubbington House School, and Dulwich College; joined the 3rd Militia Battn. South Wales Borderers in 1893; gazetted from it 2nd Lieut. to the Unattached List, Indian Army, 28 Nov. 1894; served his year with the 2nd Durham L.I. at Poona, and then was posted to the Indian Staff Corps, 2nd Bombay Lancers, 24 Feb. 1896, and promoted Lieut. 28 Feb. 1897; Capt. 28 Nov. 1903; and Major 28 Nov. 1912. He was successively on plague duty, Bombay; officiating Inspecting Officer, Imperial Service Cavalry, Kathiawar, and Military Attaché, Bombay Command H.Q., and was one of the eight senior subalterns selected for service in South Africa, and was temporary Capt. commanding 63rd Imperial Yeomanry from 1 Jan. to 23 March, 1902. He took part in the operations in the Transvaal and Orange River Colony, and was awarded the Queen’s medal with four clasps, and then returned to India and resumed his post as Military Attaché for another year. He was then S.S.O., Nasirobad; Officiating Brigade Major, Kamptee, for nine months; S.S.O. and Cantonment Magistrate, Pachmahri, for a year; Brigade Major, Jubbulpore, 23 Feb. 1906 to 14 Feb. 1909; and then passed through the Staff College, Quetta. In 1911 he went to Australia for two years and acted as Director of Military Training on the Headquarters Staff, Melbourne, and was so successful that the Australian Government asked for an extension of his services, which was granted for another year. The Hon. W. M. Hughes, Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, writing to his widow on hearing of his death, said: “Major Griffith’s extensive military knowledge, his capacity and soldierly attributes, combined with his charming personality, provided an inspiring example and earned him the respect of all ranks of the Australian Army”; and Gen. Kirkpatrick and Major-Gen. Chauvel both expressed their high appreciation of his services to the Commonwealth during the critical period of Australian Military development. He returned to India in 1913, and was home on leave when war broke out. He joined the 7th Cavalry Reserve at Tidworth, and on 18 Oct. was gazetted D.A.A. and Q.M.G., 2nd Cavalry Division, becoming Brigade Major, 9th Cavalry Brigade, by special request of the General Officer Commanding; went to France, 20 Oct. 1914, and was killed instantaneously, S.E. of Ypres, 24 May, 1915, while giving orders to his Brigade. Gen. Greenly wrote: “He was a brave, good soldier, an unfailing cheery companion, and the kindliest and most sympathetic of friends, the sort of English gentleman who has made the Empire what it is,” and added, “the loss to me is not only that of a perfectly invaluable staff officer, but of a very great friend, with whom I have been associated now, as you know, for a very considerable time, both on the staff together of the 2nd Cav. Div. and in this Brigade. On active service one gets to know one’s friends in a few months or sometimes even days in a way which years of peace would never bring. I can only say that in these months of sometimes hard and strenuous time I have got to know and value and love your husband in a way which it is difficult to convey to you”; and a brother officer: “The old regt. fairly bursts with pride even when we are saddest. I never saw anything like the feeling shown by the Indians, they all loved Johnnie, even as we all looked forward to the day when he got command. What a wonderful C.O. he would have made.]” Major Griffith was mentioned in F.M. Sir John (now Lord) French’s Despatch of 31 May, 1915, for gallant and distinguished service in the field. He m. at Cheltenham, 15 June, 1899, Florence Ethel (29, Park Place, Cheltenham), dau. of the late Major George Anthony Aufrère Baker, 6th Bengal Cavalry; s.p.
John Gwynne Griffith.
GRIFFITHS, ALLEN RHYS, 2nd Lieut., 53rd Battery, R.F.A., elder s. of Llewellyn Edward Griffiths, of Great Abshot House, Titchfield, formerly of Drayton Park, Longparish, by his wife, Bertha Mina, dau. of Thomas Allen Hickley, of Walton-on-Thames; b. Rookley House, King’s Somborne, Hants, 15 March, 1893; educ. Horris Hill, Newbury; and Winchester College; was a tea planter in Ceylon when war broke out, but came home immediately and enlisted in the Rifle Brigade in Dec. 1914; was given a commission, being gazetted 2nd Lieut. R.F.A. 27 Feb., 1915; went to France early in July, and was killed in action near Ypres, 9 Aug. 1915; unm.
Allen Rhys Griffiths.
GRIFFITHS, BASIL GWYNNE, Sergt., No. 41567, 56th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, s. of Isaac Griffiths, D.C.M., Quartermaster-Sergt. (W.O.), Welsh Regt. (who served in the Boer War, with the South Wales Borderers, and was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Distinguished Conduct medal), by his wife, Sarah Ann, dau. of Martin Walsh, of Kilrane, co. Wexford, Farmer; b. Aldershot, 16 Jan. 1892; educ. Intermediate School and Christ’s College, Brecon; enlisted in Jan. 1906; was promoted Sergt., Aug. 1914; went to France, Aug. 1914, and was killed in the fighting around Hooge, near Ypres, 3 Nov. 1914; unm. Major B. Crozier, commanding 56th Battery, R.F.A., wrote: “He was killed while in charge of his gun ... and was buried by his comrades the same evening, at the same spot as three other men of his battery, at the edge of a wood about 800 yards south of the village of Ekstenest. I served with him previously in the 47th Battery and had a great regard for him. He did well while out here and will be a great loss to the battery, which he served so well. He was always so cheery and helped to cheer many when depressed.” Sergt. Griffiths was an expert “Rough-Rider,” swimmer and boxer.