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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BANNER, SYDNEY ALFRED, Private, No. 1501, 13th Battn. Australian Imperial Force, s. of Alfred James Banner, of 17, Francis Road, Hay Hill, Birmingham; b. Small Heath, Birmingham, 25 Nov. 1893; educ. at the Red Hill Road Board School there; went to Australia; enlisted towards the end of 1914; killed in action at the Dardanelles during a night attack, 2 May, 1915; unm.

BANNERMAN, ORIEL WILLIAM ERSKINE, Capt., 15th Lancers (Cureton’s Mulatnis), Indian Army, 2nd s. of the late Gen. William Bannerman, C.B., 104th Wellesley’s Rifles [great-grandson of Sir Patrick Bannerman, 3rd s. of Sir Alexander Bannerman, of Elsick, 1st Bt.], by his wife, Louisa Constance (6, Lansdowne Crescent, Cheltenham), dau. of Robert Goddard, of Monkstown; b. Bombay, 13 Dec. 1877; educ. Cheltenham College and Sandhurst; joined the Indian Army, 27 July, 1898, was promoted Lieut. 27 Oct. 1900, and Capt. 27 July, 1907, and from Oct. 1903–07 was A.D.C. to Major-Gen. G. Henry, Divn. Commander at Meerut. He was severely wounded in action at Givenchy, 20 Dec. 1914, and d. in hospital at Boulogne, 3 Feb. following. He was buried in the cemetery there. He m. at Mussoorie, 14 Sept. 1907, Emilie Henriette, 2nd dau. of the late Capt. Charles Lousada, of Shelburne Hall, Cheltenham; s.p.

BANNING, PERCY STUART, Capt., 2nd Battn. Royal Munster Fusiliers, only child of Lieut.-Col. Stephen Thomas Banning, of 50, Kensington Mansions, Earl’s Court, LL.D., late Royal Munster Fusiliers, by his wife, Isabel Margaret, dau. of the late Rev. Denis Moriarty; b. at Yorktown, co. Surrey, 22 June, 1887; educ. Westward Ho! Bath College and Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and received his commission in the Munsters, 19 Sept. 1908, being gazetted Lieut. 19 March, 1910, and Capt. (posthumously), 30 Aug. 1914. He went to the front with the first Expeditionary Force as battn. transport officer, and was killed in action at Ypres, Belgium, 4 Nov. 1914, while attached to Sir Douglas Haig’s staff. Capt. Banning was an all-round athlete and a good cross-country runner. While at Sandhurst he won the two miles in the Woolwich and Sandhurst Sports in record time. He was also a first-rate horseman, and won the point-to-point race at the Mounted Infantry School in Jan. 1911. He m. 25 March, 1913, Mona Mary, only dau. of the late Alfred Chaplin, of Henfield, Sussex; s.p.

BANON, HAROLD OLIVER, Private, No. 77982, 7th (British Columbia) Battn. Canadian Expeditionary Force, 3rd s. of Capt. A. T. Banon, of the Manali Orchards, Kulu, Punjab, India, late Bengal Staff Corps; b. Manali, Kulu, afsd., 2 June, 1890; went to Canada, 1 March, 1910; volunteered from the Canadian Naval Volunteers, and enlisted after the outbreak of war; came over with the second contingent, 14 Feb. 1915; went to France, 29 April, 1915, and was killed by a shell in the trenches near Petit-pond, Ploegsteert, near Messines, 19 Oct. 1915; unm. Buried at the Canadian Cemetery, Chateau Rosenberg. He was wounded on 23 May, 1915, at Festubert when 60 men volunteered to attack the Germans with bombs. Of these 58 were killed or wounded, and only two returned unwounded. Capt. W. Holmes, who led the party, got the Military Cross for leading on this occasion.

BARBER, ALFRED EDWARD, A.B. (R.F.R., 8817), 205320, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

BARBER, CYRIL FREDERIC, Major, Royal Marine L.I., 3rd s. of the late Ven. Edward Barber, Archdeacon of Chester, and Canon of the Cathedral, and Rector of St. Bridget with St. Martin’s, Chester, by his wife, Edith Sarah (St. Bridget’s, Hall Place Gardens, St. Albans), dau. of the Rev. Thomas Evetts, Hon. Canon of Christchurch, Oxford, and Rector of Monk’s Risboro’, Bucks; b. Radley Vicarage, Abingdon, co. Berks., 18 Oct. 1876; educ. New Brighton (Miss Staley’s), Rossall and Greenwich, where he gained the Sword of Honour, being gazetted to the R.M.L.I. 1 Sept. 1895, and promoted Lieut. 1 July, 1896, Capt. 27 May, 1901, and Major 11 April, 1915. In his examination for company officer he received special certificates with distinction in fortification and topography. He was appointed to the Naval Intelligence Department 1 Aug. 1906, and Intelligence Officer at Gibraltar in Aug. 1910. He also qualified as a first-class gunnery officer. He joined the Goliath 2 Aug. 1914, and was lost when that ship went down on 13 May, 1915. A fellow officer wrote: “I worked a great deal with your husband in the Goliath. He and I were together in the control top all day long during the majority of days in action since we came to the Dardanelles. I have made careful inquiries concerning your husband’s actions on the night of the accident, and there appears no doubt that he went from his cabin straight on to the marines’ mess deck and endeavoured to save the lives of his men by calling to them to keep quiet and not panic, and not to scramble for the ladder. He then, according to Sergt. Thorne, went still further along the mess deck. I imagine he was going to X3 casemate to try and get his men out. Anyhow he must have known by the heel the ship had on that he was going away from his own personal chance of safety. I heard yesterday when in London from the Capt. of Marines there that on the day of the accident or the day following your husband had received his promotion, and that Gen. Paris, in command of the Naval Brigade, has specially asked for him. I think it is to your husband that we all owe our escape from several sure disasters when on the East African coast. I have such a deep and lasting admiration for your husband, as we all had in the Goliath, and he was a real good friend to me. It was only the day before the loss of the Goliath that your husband went ashore into the French trenches on the right flank to confer with the officer in command concerning the position of some enemy snipers that were worrying them. He went there at considerable risk to his own life, but someone had to go, so he went without any hesitation, and ascertained what was wanted. This great war is taking its hourly toll of brave men, and your husband was one of the best, and he had done his share and more than his share for the country ere he too was called.” Major Barber m. in Spain, 5 March, 1912, Satunina Josepha, dau. of Manuel Morales; s.p.

BARBER, JAMES WILLIAM, Petty Officer, 183362, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in the action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

BARBER, ROBERT, Seaman, R.N.R., 4186A, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

BARCLAY, ALEXANDER, Private, No. 158, 1st Battn. 1st Brigade, Australian Imperial Force, only s. of Alexander Barclay, of 38, Braemar Place, Aberdeen, by his wife, Kate, dau. of John Davidson, M.A.; b. Aberdeen, 13 Feb. 1895; educ. Ashley Public School. He went to Australia in May, 1914, having previously served nearly four years in the Royal Engineers (T.F.), and at the outbreak of war volunteered, joined the Australian Imperial Force, and was killed in action at Gabe Tepe, 29 May, 1915; unm.

BARCLAY, ALLEN, 2nd Lieut., 170th Coy. R.E., eldest s. of Henry James Barclay, of Wapella, Silverdale, Sydenham, by his wife, Mary Allen, dau. of the late Allen Stoneham, Financial Secretary, Board of Trade; b. Penge, S.E., 17 Feb. 1887; educ. The Hall, Sydenham, Dulwich College and Birmingham University. On leaving Dulwich the master wrote: “He is a sound chemist. He works well and systematically; his conduct and industry have always been excellent.” He matriculated at Birmingham in 1905, and took the B.Sc. degree three years later, studying geology, on which he was particularly keen, under Prof. Lapworth. On going down from the University, “to which he has been a credit,” wrote Prof. Redmayne, he was granted a Post-Graduate scholarship, and went out to the Transvaal, where he spent three years as sampler, assistant surveyor and head surveyor to the Consolidated Langlaagte and the new Primrose Gold Mines, doing his work throughout in that thorough manner which was characteristic of his labours. “He has carried out his onerous and responsible duties in a manner very satisfactory to his employers, as well as to the Government Mines Department. Mr. Barclay is a man of high integrity, and is thoroughly capable and experienced. He is leaving at his own request in order to extend his mining experience beyond South Africa,” wrote the manager in 1912. He afterwards went to Burmah, Norway, Spain, etc. On the outbreak of war he applied as an old member of the O.T.C. for a commission, and while waiting for this enlisted in the Royal Engineers. He was soon promoted, quickly becoming L.-Corpl., Corpl. and Sergt. On 16 Nov. 1914, he was gazetted 2nd Lieut., and at the request of his commanding officer was appointed to the regt. in which he was serving. From this he was transferred to the Mining Corps on its formation in Feb. 1915, as an expert. Lieut. Barclay was killed by the exploding of a mine on 24 April, 1915; unm. His commanding officer, Capt. Preedy, in announcing his death, wrote as follows: “At the time of his death he was working underground with some of his men. The Germans exploded a mine, killing him and one of his N.C.Os. instantaneously. His men were very anxious to extricate his body to bury him, but having inspected the spot I was reluctantly compelled to forbid them to do so, as it would not have been possible without a very grave risk of losing further lives in the attempt. His body lies buried under about 15 feet of earth half-way between our trenches and the German trenches in the orchard just east of Givenchy.” Canon King, who had known him all his life, wrote: “A more unsullied boy I never came across, and though so retiring and humble, he had, and must have known he had, great gifts.”

BARCLAY, KENNETH, Private, No. 1547, G Coy., 1/14th Battn. (London Scottish) The London Regt., 3rd s. of Henry James Barclay, of Wapella, Silverdale, Sydenham, S.E., by his wife, Mary Allen, dau. of the late Allen Stoneham, Financial Secretary, Board of Trade; b. Sydenham, 31 Dec. 1892; educ. The Hall, Sydenham, and Dulwich College; joined the London Scottish, May, 1911; volunteered for foreign service on the outbreak of war, took part in the charge at Messines and the first battles of Ypres, and was killed in action, 12 Nov. 1914; unm. His colonel, writing, says: “No commanding officer could have had under his command a braver or more gallant soldier.” The bell of St. Philip’s Church, Sydenham, suitably inscribed, commemorates him, and a beautiful memorial in bronze and hammered ironwork was placed in the chancel of that church, where for years he sang in the choir. His elder brother, Lieut. Allen Barclay, was killed in action, 24 April, 1915 (see preceding notice).

BARCLAY, RAFE HEDWORTH MYDDELTON, 2nd Lieut., King’s Royal Rifle Corps, only s. of Hedworth Trelawny Barclay, Major 2/1 Leicestershire Yeomanry, formerly member of the Jockey Club and Clerk of the Course at Hurst Park [a cadet of Barclay of Urie], by his wife, Agnes Mary, yr. dau. of Richard Myddelton, of Chirk Castle, co. Denbigh; b. 31, Lennox Gardens, London. S.W., 14 Nov. 1892; educ. Rugby and Army College, Aldershot; joined the 3rd Battn. Wiltshire Regt. 1910, and was promoted Lieut. 2 Aug. 1913. He was gazetted to the King’s Royal Rifle Corps 10 June, 1914, accompanied the first Expeditionary Force to France, went through the retreat from Mons, and was killed in action at the Battle of the Aisne, 14 Sept. 1914, having previously been reported missing; unm.

BARDEN, JOHN, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., Ch. B. 5332), S.S. 100101, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

BARDSLEY, LEONARD, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 3163), S.S. 100826, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in the action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

BARKER, CECIL MASSY ARBUTHNOT, 2nd Lieut., 6th (Service) Battn. Princess Victoria’s Royal Irish Fusiliers, 3rd and yst. s. of Samuel Lindsey-Bucknal Barker, of Belfast and Dublin, by his wife, Catherine Maude, dau. of the Rev. Moses Leatham, Rector of Langfield; b. Belfast, 21 Sept. 1895; educ. Campbell College, Belfast, and Trinity College, Dublin; a candidate for Holy Orders, he was gazetted from Dublin University O.T.C. to be 2nd Lieut. 6th Battn. Royal Irish Fusiliers, 22 Sept. 1914; left with his regt. for the Dardanelles, and was killed in action “when bravely leading his men in a splendid attack on a difficult position” at Sulva Bay, Gallipoli, 10 Aug. 1915; unm. His brother, the Rev. E. L. B. Barker, is now (1916) serving as Chaplain to the Ulster Division.