Ernest Haddon Owen.
OWEN, FRANK JAMES, Private, R.M.L.I., 12974 (R.F.R., Ch. B. 1437), H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
OWEN, GEORGE WEBSTER, Capt., 1/10th Battn. The Manchester Regt. (T.F.), s. of the late Thomas Owen, of The Pollards, Penketh, near Warrington; b. Eccleston, co. Lancaster, 27 July, 1882; educ. Warrington Grammar School, and Manchester University (where he was in the O.T.C.), and later was a Yarn Agent in Manchester. He joined the 2nd Volunteer Battn. Manchester Regt. in 1899; was given a commission as 2nd Lieut., in the 10th Battn. Manchester Territorials, ... April, 1910, and promoted Lieut. 15 March, 1912, and Capt. 31 Aug. 1914; volunteered for Imperial service on the outbreak of war; served with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at the Dardanelles, and was killed in action there, 6 June, 1915, during the attack on Krithia. Lieut.-Col. J. B. Rye wrote: “He was with his company, which had been attd. to the Royal Fusiliers, and during the three days’ hard fighting had made quite a name for himself, by the leading of his men and the example he set them, and it was whilst taking them on to recapture a Turkish trench that he was killed. Please accept the most sincere sympathy of myself and all the officers, non-commissioned officers and men of his Battn. in your great loss. We have lost a cheerful and popular comrade.” Capt. Owen m. at Unnston, co. Lincoln, 20 July, 1910, Ruth Mary (Glentworth, Ramillies Avenue, Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire), dau. of S. W. Cocks, of Unnston; s.p.
OWEN, HUGH, Lieut., 3rd, attd. 2nd Battn. The Border Regt., yr. s. of Sol Owen, of Odessa, Russia, Merchant, by his wife, Elizabeth dau. of William Rees; b. Sevastopol, Crimea, 30 May, 1890; educ. Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Cranbrook (1901–7); Armstrong College, Newcastle-on-Tyne (1907–10); and Durham University, where he obtained his degree of B.Sc. While at Cranbrook he was in the Cadet Corps, attd. 2nd Volunteer Battn. The Buffs, East Kent Regt., and at Durham University was a Corpl. in the O.T.C. On the outbreak of war he was gazetted 2nd Lieut., 3rd Border Regt., 21 Aug. 1914, and promoted Lieut. 8 April, 1915; went to the Front, 13 Nov. 1914; was wounded at Neuve Chapelle, 12 March, 1915; returned to duty on 6 April, and was killed in action at Festubert, 16 May, 1915; unm.
Hugh Owen.
OWEN, NORMAN MOORE, 2nd Lieut., Royal Field Artillery, yr. s. of the Rev. Octavius Edward Owen, Rector of Over Wallop, co. Hants, formerly Lieut. Royal Marine Artillery, by his wife, Ella Jane, yr. dau. of Col. John Patrick Briggs, of Strathairly, Fife, late Indian Army, b. Flempton Rectory, Bury St. Edmunds, 16 Dec. 1893; educ. Stubbington House, Fareham, and Cheltenham College; gazetted 2nd Lieut. 18 July, 1913; went to France 18 Aug. 1914, and was killed in action at the Battle of the Aisne, 13 Sept. 1914; unm. Buried at Chassemy, France.
Norman Moore Owen.
OWEN, THOMAS, Private, No. G./1234 (8th Service) Battn. Royal Fusiliers; served with the Expeditionary Force in France etc.; died 29 July, 1915, of wounds received in action.
OXENBRIDGE, GEORGE HERBERT, Private, No. 3644, 2/4th Battn. Royal West Kent Regt. (T.F.), only s. of George Edward Oxenbridge, Private, Royal Sussex Regt. (now serving in Egypt), by his wife, Eliza Annie (33, Shelly Cottage, Denny Bottom, Tunbridge Wells); b. Tunbridge Wells, 26 April, 1897; educ. Rusthall and Church of England Schools there; enlisted 21 Dec. 1914; served with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, and was killed in action at Gallipoli, 22 Aug. 1915, while acting as a stretcher-bearer, and was buried at Anafarta Plain. An officer of his platoon wrote: “It was on 22 Aug., a man was wounded outside the trench; your son went out after him to bring him in, and was shot dead. I was sorry indeed, as he was a very good soldier, cheerful and very willing, also a general favourite amongst his fellow comrades. He did a very brave act, and I am very sorry indeed to lose him”; and a comrade: “We were in some heavy fighting that day and chaps were shot down anyhow, and one Welsh boy was severely wounded and laid out in front of our lines, and as they asked for volunteers to fetch him in, Pat, who was a stretcher-bearer, volunteered and was shot before he got to the chap; it was a very brave deed and deserved the D.C.M. All our company miss him very much.”
George H. Oxenbridge.
OZANNE, EDWARD GRAEME, Capt., 3rd Battn. Royal Fusiliers, only s. of Edward Chepmell Ozanne, of Le Platon, Guernsey, Bailiff of Guernsey, by his wife, Frances; b. Guernsey, 5 April, 1883; educ. Rugby; gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the Royal Fusiliers, 8 May, 1901, and promoted Lieut. 19 Oct. 1904, and Capt. 23 April, 1912; served in the South African War, 1902; took part in the operations in the Transvaal, and in those of the Orange River Colony and Cape Colony, Feb.-31 May, 1902 (Queen’s medal with four clasps); and with the Expeditionary Force in France from 18 Jan. to 14 Feb. 1915; and was killed in action in trenches at Ypres on the latter date. Buried in the Ramparts there. He m. at Bombay, India, 17 Oct. 1913, Aline (52, Lower Sloane Street, S.W.), dau. of the late Lieut.-General Josias Gordon Cloete, Indian Army; s.p.
PACKER, REGINALD CHARLES, Sergt., No. 53, A Squadron, Essex Yeomanry (T.F.), s. of the late Handal Henrico Packer, Architect and Surveyor, Proprietor of Angel Hotel, Wellingboro’, and subsequently of the Cliff Hotel, Dovercourt, by his wife, Emily Mary Jane (Cliff Hotel, Dovercourt), dau. of (—) Hobbs, of Stroud, Glos.; b. Wellingborough, 5 Dec. 1888; educ. Wellingborough and Eye Grammar Schools; worked with his father until his death in 1909, and subsequently managed the Cliff Hotel, Dovercourt, for his mother; joined the Essex Yeomanry in 1908; was promoted Sergt. in 1912 for work in connection with regimental signalling, and was in charge of the signallers of the regt.; volunteered for active service on the outbreak of war; went to France 29 Nov. 1914; was selected in Jan. for a special signalling course, with about 50 others, from which he passed out No. 11, and died in Hazebrouck Military Hospital, 19 May, 1915, of wounds received in action at Ypres on the 13th. Buried in Hazebrouck Cemetery. Capt. Parker, of the Essex Yeomanry, wrote: “I can a little realise your loss, for I have been learning signalling lately and have seen a good deal of him, and have learnt what a charming fellow he was. As you probably know he was a signaller of exceptional ability and in that way alone he was a serious loss to the regt. But apart from that he has become a very good soldier and his troop officer during the last two months has been continuous in his praise of the work he has done. He is a sad loss to the Squadron, and was very popular with all and we shall miss him sadly.” He m. at Ufford, co. Suffolk, 28 Nov. 1914, Marion (2, Station Road, Dovercourt), elder dau. of the late Quartermaster-Sergt. George Thomas Rushton-Rudd, of the Essex Regt.; s.p.
Reginald C. Packer.
PADDAY, WILLIAM HAMILTON, Capt., 36th, attd. 47th Sikhs, Indian Army, yr. s. of the late Col. Arthur Charles Padday, Royal (late Bengal) Engineers, by his wife, Alice Hamilton (30, Orsett Terrace, Hyde Park W.), dau. of the late Thomas Campbell Foster, Q.C., Bencher of the Middle Temple, and Recorder of Warwick; b. Stoke Devonport, 21 Sept. 1881; educ. Bath College (where he was a prominent member of the football XV in 1898); and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst (1900–01); gazetted 2nd Lieut. (unattd.) Indian Army, 8 Jan. 1901; served his first year with the Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regt. then in the Punjab; was gazetted to the 36th Sikhs, 7 April, 1902, and promoted Lieut. 8 April, 1903, and Capt. 20 July, 1911; was for some time attd. to the Military Police in Assam, but rejoined his regt. in 1910. Home on leave when the European War broke out, he was for a short time attd. to the 8th Service Battn. West Riding Regt. at Belton Camp, but early in Nov. joined the 47th Sikhs in France, and was serving with that regt. when he was killed in action near Givenchy, 21 Dec. 1914; unm. His Col. wrote that he “died a most gallant death gallantly performing a difficult task”; and an officer who was in the trenches with him: “His coolness and great personal bravery alone commanded admiration, and his unfailing cheerfulness under any circumstances.” And another: “When we had reached the bit of trench we had been told to retake, the Germans were found to be in each end of it with machine guns. On previous occasions it had been found that the most effective method of turning the enemy out of such positions was for parties of bomb-throwers to creep up to the part occupied by the Germans, and by throwing bombs amongst them, drive them out bit by bit. Your son was in charge of our regimental party of bomb-throwers, whom he had personally trained, and he went off with the party to try and dislodge the Germans. A Sepoy who was with him says that he had thrown two bombs and was preparing a third, when he was shot at close range through the head.... Owing to the heavy fire the Germans opened on the party it was quite impossible to remove the body. The party had to make their way back, and just then a retirement was ordered and the trench was evacuated. The subsequent counter-attack, in which the regt. did not participate, did not reach that trench at all, so it was never possible to recover the bodies of those who had died there.” He was a keen sportsman, fond of shooting, fishing and yachting. He was Hon. Secretary of both the Lucknow and Naini Tal Yacht Clubs, and won several cups when racing in the latter club.
William Hamilton Padday.
PADDOCK, GEORGE WILLIAM, Stoker, 1st Class, S.S. 109803, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; m.
PADDY, ALFRED, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 10197), S.S. 2639, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
PAGE, ALBERT, Private, No. 7345, 2nd Battn. Coldstream Guards, s. of the late William Page, by his wife, Jane (12, Andover Road, Hornsey Road, Holloway), dau. of William Finch; b. Highgate, 27 Nov. 1887; educ. St. Mary’s School there; enlisted 12 July, 1907; served three years with the Colours and then passed into the Reserve, and worked as a Carman; was mobilised 5 Aug. 1914; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc., and was killed in action 30 Oct. following; unm. Buried in Rentel Woods. His brother, Private Frederick Page, 2nd Battn. Middlesex Regt., was killed in action, 10–14 March, 1915, and his two other brothers are now (1916) on active service.
PAGE, ALFRED, Leading Seaman (R.F.R., B. 8840), 198471, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914.
PAGE, DAVID, Gunner, R.M.A., 10386, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
PAGE, FREDERICK, Private, No. 11334, 2nd Battn. Middlesex Regt., s. of the late William Page, by his wife, Jane (12, Andover Road, Hornsey Road, Holloway), dau. of William Finch; b. 4 May, 1889; educ. Arkley School, Barnet; enlisted 15 Oct. 1906; served seven years with the Colours (including five years in India), then became a Carman with Carter Patersons; mobilised Aug. 1914; went to France in Sept., was wounded 15 Oct. (the same month his brother, Private Albert Page, was killed, see his notice), and invalided home; returned to the Front in Feb., and was killed in action between 10–14 March, 1915; unm.
PAGE, JOHN, Petty Officer (T.), 194013, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
PAGE, THOMAS, Colour-Sergt., R.M.L.I. (R.F.R., A. 589), H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
PAGE, WILLIAM THOMAS, Leading Stoker (R.F.R., Ch. B. 7537), 291867, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
PAGE, WILLIAM WILLIE, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 9632), S.S. 2347, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
PAGET, GEORGE GODFREY BRANDRETH, 2nd Lieut., 1st Battn. Northamptonshire Regt., only child of Charles Edward Paget, of Great Houghton House, near Northampton, by his wife, Ethel Pilkington, dau. of the late Rev. Canon William Harper Brandreth, Rector of Standish, Lancs.; and gdson. of the late Sir George Edward Paget, K.C.B., M.D., F.R.S.; b. North Bentcliffe, Eccles, co. Lancaster, 6 April, 1891; educ. St. Andrew’s School, Eastbourne (1901–05), and Charterhouse (1905–08); joined the 3rd (Militia) Battn. of the Northamptonshire Regt. as 2nd Lieut., 29 April, 1908, and was promoted Lieut. in the Special Reserve, 26 July, 1910; gazetted 2nd Lieut, to the 1st Battn., 14 Aug. 1914, having crossed with it to France on the 12th; served through the retreat from Mons and the Battle of the Marne, and was killed in action at the Battle of the Aisne, 14 Sept. 1914; unm. “His Coy. were attacking under a very heavy shell fire and rifle fire also,” wrote Lieut. Farrer. “They had just halted in a bit of a dip, where they were out of rifle fire; he moved forward to see if they could go on, when he was hit. The men of his Platoon say he didn’t seem to mind the lead that was flying round, and was urging them on all the time.” The Adjutant, Capt. Lloyd, also wrote: “You know he died doing his duty, and that his name will be handed down to posterity, amongst the others of the Regt., as being one who assisted to uphold the glorious traditions of our Regt., and who emulated the deeds of times gone by.” His body was not recovered, but was seen on 17 Sept. about 40–50 yards from the German trench, when a Coldstream officer succeeded in getting some letters out of his pocket by which his body was identified. The body was lying about 300 yards in front of our trenches.
George G. B. Paget.
PAINE, CHARLES PERCIVAL, Corpl., No. 554, Army Service Corps. (Motor Transport Section), s. of Charles Paine, Master Tailor, by his wife, Emma; b. Old Kent Road, E., 19 May, 1876; educ. Dulwich; joined the 22nd Middlesex Volunteers about 1894; attaining the rank of Sergt.; served in the South African War, 1899–1900, with the C.I.V. Mounted Infantry (Queen’s medal with three clasps); joined the Motor Transport Special Reserve in Oct. 1912; was called up on the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914; went to France with the Expeditionary Force on the 6th; was promoted Corpl. in Dec. for valuable services rendered in the field, and died in No. 10 Military Hospital, St. Omer, 17 Feb. 1915, from cerebro-spinal meningitis. Buried in the Cemetery of Remembrance there. He m. at the Baptist Church, Attleborough, 17 Sept. 1901, Harriet Jane (52, Thorpebank Road, Shepherd’s Bush, W.), eldest dau. of Francis (and Harriet) Smith-Newby, of Attleborough, co. Norfolk, and had four children: Francis Percival, b. 11 Oct. 1902; Charles George, b. 21 Oct. 1905; Geoffrey Herbert, b. 24 Feb. 1908; and Evelyn Hattie, b. 16 Feb. 1904.
Charles Percival Paine.
PAINE, CHARLES WILLIAM STANLEY, Capt., Royal Marine L.I., eldest s. of William Henry Paine, of Derwent House, Canterbury, by his wife, Mary, dau. of James Buss; b. Canterbury, 22 Dec. 1876; educ. Tonbridge (The School House, 1891–95); and on leaving there qualified as an Electrical Engineer. After being some time in Queensland, he went to South Africa, and took part with the Border Police in putting down the native rising in Bechuanaland. When the South African War broke out he was in England. He volunteered and went out with the Electrical Engineers, serving later with Steinecker’s Horse, and receiving the Queen’s medal with four clasps. At the end of the war he returned to England, and was for some time once more at the electrical power station in the Isle of Thanet. In May, 1905, he returned to South Africa, and cleared and farmed a large tract of land in Mashonaland. Towards the end of 1909 he returned to England, and was farming in Hampshire when war began. The day after war was declared he left home to serve with the Legion of Frontiersmen, but after three months of duty at Southampton, finding that the Legion had little chance of being sent to the Front, he applied for a commission and was gazetted 2nd Lieut., R.N.D., 19 Nov. 1914. He was promoted Lieut., R.M. attd. R.N.D., 23 Nov., and Capt., R.M., on 8 Dec. 1914. He went out to the Dardanelles in May with the Benbow Battn. of the R.N.D., and was in action almost immediately. On the disbanding of the Benbow Battn. he was transferred to the Hood Battn., and was instantaneously killed in action, 17 July, 1915, being shot by a sniper while attempting to get help for a wounded man. He was buried in the trench—Ferril Gap, where he fell. “He was,” wrote one who knew him well, “a thorough sportsman, a man of unfailing courage and cheerfulness, equally ready to share his purse and his last meal, not only with friends, but with anyone who seemed in need of either. No one has ever more cheerfully and unassumingly lived the golden rule than he, as scores of men down on their luck, and many a tired animal too, could testify.” He had a distinct literary and poetical bent, and published, as a rule, anonymously, a good many things, mostly short stories, both in English and in Rhodesian magazines. Two of his short poems, one entitled “The Dead,” appeared in the “Westminster Gazette” in 1915. He m. at St. George’s Cathedral, Capetown, 24 Aug. 1908, Lilian Josephine (Barnfield, Medstead, Hants), 2nd dau. of the late Joseph Naylor, of Hull, and had three children: Geoffrey William Wright Halden, b. Umbali, Rhodesia, 27 Aug. 1909; Catherine Mary, b. 27 Dec. 1910; and Josephine Halden, b. 8 Feb. 1914.
Charles William S. Paine.
PAINE, SYDNEY WILLIAM, 2nd Lieut., 1st Divisional Field Coy. New Zealand Engineers, only s. of William John Paine, of Ashton Road, Mount Eden, Auckland, New Zealand, Accountant, by his wife, Constance, dau. of Shadrick Moordaff; b. Auckland, 9 April, 1891; educ. Maungakaramea County School, Wellesley Street City School, and Auckland Grammar School; joined the New Zealand Engineers (Volunteers) in 1906, and was given a commission as 2nd Lieut. in No. 3 (Auckland) Coy. 21 Feb. 1911; volunteered for Imperial Service on the outbreak of war and joined the Expeditionary Force as a Sapper, but was shortly afterwards given a commission, and was killed in action in Gallipoli, 20 May, 1915; unm. Buried there. Lieut.-Col. Pridham wrote: “It may be some consolation to you to know that he had done wonderfully good work ever since he landed here, and the loss to the Engineers will be very severely felt. He was absolutely trusted by the men under him and was, I think, the most unconcerned under fire of us all. He died on duty, reconnoitring for a fresh advance against the enemy”; and Capt. W. Limm: “Your son was with me—I knew him really well, and he was a personal friend of mine and was a splendid chap. I cannot tell you all I know of him in a letter, but you can be very proud of him.” Sapper F. Leyland also wrote: “We got a shock last night, for we lost our section officer, Lieut. S. W. Paine. He was the best officer we had, and I had known him for years. He was at the Grammar School when I was, and was in the same company of Engineers as I was in Auckland. A finer chap I never met—his first thoughts were always for the men, and he always mixed up with them. Just before he was shot he was laughing and joking with us. When the news came down that he was shot and had rolled down the gully, we rushed up to get him, but by the time we found him he was dead. We feel lost without him, and are feeling pretty miserable.” He was awarded the Royal Humane Society’s Bronze Medal for saving a comrade from drowning at Fort Cantley, and was congratulated by Col. Wolffe on being the first Territorial in camp to receive it.
Sydney William Paine.
PAINE, THOMAS HARRY, Leading Telegraphist, 239741, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
PAINTIN, SHAYLER, Sergt., No. 9784, 1st Battn. The Royal Scots, yst. s. of the late Joseph Paintin, of West End, Witney, Carpenter, by his wife, Isabella, dau. of J. Mann, of Witney; b. Witney, co. Oxon, 5 April, 1885; educ. Wesleyan Higher Grade School there; was a Grocer; enlisted in the Royal Scots, 17 Sept. 1906; went to India with the 1st Battn. in 1909; served there until the outbreak of war; returned to England, Nov. 1914; went to France the following month, and was killed in action at the Second Battle of Ypres, 12 May, 1915; unm. His Coy. Sergt.-Major wrote: “He was highly respected by the officers, N.C.Os. and men, and a better soldier never wore the uniform. He died like a good British soldier in the trench not far from the machine gun he was in charge of. We buried him in the Bellewarde Wood, near the village of Hooge, about 4 kilometres from the now ruined city of Ypres.” Sergt. Paintin was a keen sportsman and a first-class shot, and at the Royal Scots Rifle Meeting he won the championship medal, India, 1912; he was in C Coy. hockey team, which won the Meay Ahmed Hockey Cup, 1911–12, and at the Royal Scots Rifle Meeting he won third prize, aggregate, 1914.
Shayler Paintin.
PAKENHAM, CHARLES JOHN WINGFIELD, Lieut., 2nd Battn. Hampshire Regt., s. of Major Charles Pakenham, of Headon Hall, Alum Bay, I.W., late 101st Royal Bengal Fusiliers and Royal Irish Fusiliers [gdson. of the Hon. Sir Thomas Pakenham, G.C.B., Admiral of the Red, 3rd s. of Thomas, 1st Earl of Longford], by his 2nd wife, Gertrude Edith Mary, yst. dau. of William Wingfield; b. Northam, near Bideford, co. Devon, 25 April, 1892; educ. Royal Naval College, Osborne, and Victoria College, Jersey; joined the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battn. of the Hampshire Regt., in Aug. 1910; gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the 2nd Battn., then at Mhow, India, 21 Jan. 1914, and promoted Lieut. 1 Nov. following; took part in the landing at the Dardanelles, 25 April, 1915, and was killed in action there three days later (28 April); unm.
PAKENHAM, ROBERT EDWARD MICHAEL, Capt., 2nd Battn. Munster Fusiliers, 2nd s. of Major Charles Pakenham, of Headon Hall, Alum Bay, I.W., late 101st Royal Bengal Fusiliers and Royal Irish Fusiliers [gdson. of the Hon. Sir Thomas Pakenham, G.C.B., Admiral of the Red, 3rd s. of Thomas, 1st Earl of Longford], by his wife, Emily Blanche, dau. of Charles Hercules Harrison, of Singapore; b. Armagh, 27 July, 1874; educ. Lausanne House, Worthing, and United Service College, Westward Ho!; gazetted 2nd Lieut. 24 March, 1897, and promoted Lieut. 9 Nov. 1898, and Capt. 1 May, 1902; served (1) in the South African War, 1899–1900, 1902; took part in the advance on Kimberley, including action at Belmont; operations in the Orange Free State, April to May, 1900, and those in Orange River Colony, May to June, 1900 (Queen’s medal with three clasps and King’s medal with two clasps); and (2) with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders, and died in the Military Hospital, Boulogne, 17 Jan. 1915, of wounds received in action. He m., 12 Sept. 1900, Nancye (Ballinacurragh, co. Cork), 2nd dau. of William Fowler, of Broadlands Park, Liverpool, and had three children: Ivo Robert Lygon, b. 4 Dec. 1903; Osmund Edward Michael, b. 20 April, 1905, d. 13 April 1906; and Emilie Estelle Rosemary, b. 4 Feb. 1907. His yr. brother, Lieut. C. J. W. Pakenham, was killed in the Dardanelles (see his notice).
PAKENHAM, WILLIAM HENRY, L.-Corpl., No. 7765, 2nd Battn. Connaught Rangers, only s. of the late Henry Pakenham, by his wife. Maria; b. Granard, co. Longford, 4 June, 1885; enlisted 5 March, 1903; served eight years in India; went to France 13 Aug. 1914, and died in the Military Hospital, Colchester, 26 Feb. 1915, from a shrapnel wound in the right shoulder received in action near Ypres, 29 Oct. 1914. He m. at Holy Trinity Church, Culmore, co. Londonderry, 20 Jan. 1914, Caroline (Burgage, Blessington, co. Wicklow), dau. of Michael Bryant, of Tallamore, King’s Co., and had a dau., Violet Charlotte, b. 5 Oct. 1914.
William H. Pakenham.
PALIN, ARCHIBALD EDWIN (“Blue”), Private, No. 938, 13th Battn. 4th Infantry Brigade, Australian Imperial Force, foster child of Mrs. Ann Charman; b. Dorking, Surrey, 7 Jan. 1872; educ. Dorking National Schools; afterwards going to Australia; volunteered on the outbreak of war, and was killed in action at the Dardanelles, 3 May, 1915; unm. A comrade wrote: “He proved himself thoroughly brave and courageous in action and always put his duty before personal safety. He did invaluable work in his capacity as a scout and set a great example to the other men by his coolness under heavy fire.”
PALLANT, HERBERT, Sergt., No. 7001, 2nd Battn. Lancashire Fusiliers, s. of Harry Pallant, Ipswich, employee on the Ipswich Corporation Tramways Co., by his 1st wife; b. Ash Bocking, co. Suffolk, 14 May, 1879; educ. Ipswich; enlisted 5 Oct. 1898; became L.-Corpl. 1 May, 1900; Corpl. 1 Feb. 1901, and Sergt. 28 Feb. 1904; served in Malta, Crete and South Africa (Queen’s medal with four clasps); was seven years with the Colours and five with the Reserve, at the end of which time he again signed on for four years, during which period he was employed as a Postman at the G.P.O.; mobilised 5 Aug. 1914; went to France on the 30th, and was killed in action at Messines, 2 Nov. following. Buried on the Eastern Edge of Ploegsteert Wood. Qrmr.-Sergt. Clague, 2nd Battn. Lancashire Fusiliers, wrote: “I did not know Sergt. Pallant previous to his joining the company on active service, but what I saw of him convinced me that he had no fear and died a glorious death, he was always willing to do any duty he was called upon to do, and was a great help to the officers of company when any trying work was to be carried out. He was liked very much by the men of his platoon and they miss him very much now.” He m. at Ipswich, 3 June, 1906, Helen (38, Newton Street, St. Helen’s, Ipswich), dau. of the late William (and Elizabeth) Cunningham, and had a son, Herbert, b. 4 Aug. 1907.
Herbert Pallant.
PALMER, FREDERICK ERNEST, A.B., 236457 (Ports.), H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
PALMER, GEORGE, Stoker, 2nd Class, K. 22186, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.
PALMER, GEORGE, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 1317), 197816, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
PALMER, GEORGE EDWARD, Boy, 1st Class, J. 23449, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914.
PALMER, JOHN, Gunner, R.M.A., 12655, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
PALMER, JOHN JOSEPH, 2nd Writer, 346138, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
PALMER, MAURICE WESTON, L.-Corpl., No. 1104, 5th Battn., Australian Imperial Force, 2nd s. of Attwell Lynch Palmer, of Pentney, Swaffham, co. Norfolk, Engineer, by his wife, Frances, dau. of William Daniel Weston, of the Lenwades, Moulton, near Newmarket; b. Letcham, Swaffham, 4 July, 1894; educ. Grammar School, Swaffham; went to Australia in Dec. 1913; was a 1st Class Steward in the Orient S.S. Co.; volunteered for Imperial service after the outbreak of war and joined the 5th Battn., A.I.F., in Sept. 1914; left for Egypt in Dec; went to the Dardanelles in June, 1915, and was killed in action there, 20 July following; unm.
Maurice W. Palmer.
PALMER, PERCY VICTOR, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 9038), No. 206273, R.N., s. of William Palmer, of Towersey, near Thame, co. Oxford, by his wife, Harriett, dau. of John Rumble, of Norfolk; b. Kensington Gore, W., 12 Jan. 1883; educ. St. Barnabas’ Church School, Pimlico, and was a chorister at St. John’s, Wilton Road; entered Navy, 1899, and was lost on board H.M.S. Cressy when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914; unm. For services rendered during the Messina earthquake, while serving in H.M.S. Euryalus, he received a letter of thanks from the King of Italy, and was awarded the Messina silver medal. Palmer was also at Martinique when that earthquake happened.
Percy Victor Palmer.
PALMER, RONALD WILLIAM POULTON, B.A. Oxon, Lieut., 4th Battn. Berkshire Regt. (T.F.), yr. s. of Edward Bagnall Poulton, D.Sc., F.R.S., Hope Professor of Zoology, Oxford University, and Fellow of Jesus College, by his wife, Emily, eldest dau. of the late George Palmer (of Huntley & Palmer, Ltd.), some time M.P. for Reading, and nephew of the late Right Hon. George William Palmer, also at one time M.P. for Reading, and of the late Sir Walter Palmer, Bart., M.P. for Salisbury; b. Oxford, 12 Sept. 1889; educ. Oxford Preparatory School, Rugby (School House), and Balliol College, Oxford, where he matriculated with an exhibition in 1908; took 2nd Class Honours in the Final Honour School of Natural Science (Engineering), and graduated B.A. 1911. On leaving Oxford he entered Huntley & Palmer’s factory in Jan. 1912, to qualify himself for a Directorship, and after 18 months there, went to Manchester and continued his engineering studies in Mather & Platt’s, attending courses at the Municipal School of Technology. On the death of the Right Hon. G. W. Palmer, in Oct. 1913, he became the heir and, had he lived, would have succeeded his uncle in the Marlston Estates, and by the terms of the will he took the name of Palmer. At Oxford he had served with the O.T.C. from 4 Dec. 1908 to 29 Dec. 1911, and on going to Reading was given a commission as 2nd Lieut., in the Berkshire Territorials, 30 April, 1912; and on the outbreak of war volunteered with his Battn. for foreign service, and was promoted Lieut. He went to the Front at the end of March, and was killed by a stray bullet, or by a sniper, at 12.20 a.m., 5 [not 4] May, 1915, while superintending work on the trenches in front of Ploegsteert Wood, Belgium. He was buried in the wood, close to “Hyde Park Corner”; unm. Col. O. P. Serocold wrote: “He was killed instantaneously, while on duty in the trenches, about 12.20 a.m. this morning, and as it was quite dark at the time, and before the moon rose, we think it must have been an unaimed chance bullet which struck him. Naturally Ronald was the most beloved and popular officer with all ranks, and one of those whom we could least spare. I shall miss him sorely, as he was a most trustworthy and capable officer, and would have gone high in soldiering, had he been spared”; and Capt. Thorne: “Ronald was engaged on work of trench repair, in company with Sergt. Brant, and was hit by an enemy sniper at 12.20 a.m. Death, mercifully, must have been instantaneous. This I am sure of, as I reached him a moment after he was shot; he never spoke or moved again, and the Doctor, who shortly after arrived, is of the same opinion. Sergt. Brant did everything that could be done, but it was obviously all in vain. I cannot express what we feel about it, men and all were devoted to him, and there is not one of us who would not have cheerfully exchanged our lives for his. He never shirked a job, whatever the risk was, and he fell, as he would have liked to do, in the execution of his duty. The regt. has lost one it could ill afford.” Lieut. O. B. Challenor also wrote: “He was our company works manager, i.e., he looked after the trench, and found out what work on the parapet or elsewhere was necessary for the safety of the men. He was shot at 12.20 a.m. to-day, 5 May. It was a foggy night, and he was on the roof of a dug-out, looking at work that had been done, when a stray shot, which I think was a ricochet off our wire in front of the trench, hit him. It entered his right side, just below the armpit; death was instantaneous.” He was a noted Rugby International, and captained the English Team which won all the International matches in the season before the war. The “Times” said: “By the death of Lieut. Poulton Palmer Rugby football has lost one of its most brilliant exponents. As a three-quarter back—he could play either in the centre or on the wing—his name will go down to posterity as probably the greatest player of all time. He was decidedly of the unorthodox type, and, although he had many imitators, was unequalled in his distinctive style and opportunism. The strongest points of his game were his resolute running and wonderful swerve. At the beginning of his career he was rather weak in his tackling, but this weakness was remedied by experience. As a captain he was a born leader; he was never flurried, and was always seen at his best when the score was against his side. Like all great players, he had his off days, but he was just the man to win games by his individual flashes of brilliance, and no English side could have been considered at full strength without him. Between the seasons of 1909 and 1914 he gained 17 International caps—five against Scotland, four against Ireland, four against Wales, three against France, and one against South Africa. He failed to get his Blue at Oxford as a Freshman in 1908, when the three-quarter line consisted of four old Blues and International players—H. H. Vassall, F. N. Tarr, C. M. Gilray, and H. Martin but in the following year, when Oxford beat Cambridge by four goals and five tries to one try, he scored five tries—the other four being gained by Martin. In 1910 and 1911 he was also on the winning side, and was captain in the latter year, he also did splendid service for the Harlequins, and it was in a large degree due to him that the three-quarter line reached its high standard of excellence. In addition to his skill as a Rugby football player he was a fine exponent at hockey, and he played against Cambridge in 1909, 1910, and 1911.” Early in his school days at Rugby he began to feel that love for work in boys’ clubs which was to become the chief among his many interests. It was further developed at Oxford in the Balliol Boys’ Club, in the Rugby School Mission and by contact with kindred spirits of whom the brightest have, with him, given their lives for their country. When in 1912 he went to Reading, with all his strenuous work at the Factory, he found time to help in the management of a Boys’ Club in the parish of St. John’s, and in Manchester he gave time and thought to the same absorbing interest. His friends have felt that to write of him, as many of the papers did. as a football player and nothing else, was to give an entirely false impression of the man, and to miss what to him was the paramount duty as well as the keenest pleasure of life.
Ronald W. Poulton Palmer.
PALMER, SAMUEL EDWARD, Private, No. 3234, Royal Sussex Regt. (T.F.), s. of William Owen Palmer, of Durgates, Wadhurst, Gardener, by his wife, Mary Ann, dau. of William Manktelow, of Woods Green, Wadhurst; b. Wadhurst, co. Sussex, 12 Jan. 1895; educ. Boys’ School there; was employed by Miss Olvir, Durgate’s Farm, Wadhurst, Farm Hand; joined the Church Lads’ Brigade, and became a member of the Wadhurst Fire Brigade; joined the 5th Sussex, 22 Feb. 1915; left Woolwich for France, 10 July, 1915, and was killed in action 2 Jan. 1916, by the bursting of a German shell, while on duty with a fatigue party; unm.
PALMES, GUY NICHOLAS, Lieut., 1st Battn. King’s Own Yorkshire L.I., 4th s. of the Rev. George Palmes, Vicar of Naburn, Squire and Lord of the Manor of Naburn, by his wife, Eva Blanche, yr. dau. of Henry Dalbiac, of Holbrook Park, Sussex; b. Naburn Hall, co. York. 14 July, 1894; educ. Malvern College, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and on leaving there was gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the K.O.Y.L.I. 1 Oct. 1914, and promoted Lieut. Nov. following; went to France, Jan. 1915, and was killed in action near Ypres, 8 May, 1915; unm.
PANNELL, WILLIAM FRANCIS, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4661), 307771, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
PANTLAND, ROBERT WILLIAM, Pensioner, Ch. E.R.A., 118003, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; m.
PARAGREEN, FREDERICK ARTHUR, Gunner, R.M.A. (R.F.R., I.C. 41), 10860, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
PARDOE, HARRY JAMES, Boy, 1st Class, J. 26738 (Ports.), H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914.
PARFITT, HERBERT EDWARD, No. 725, 2nd Class Air Mechanic, Royal Flying Corps; killed while acting as Pilot to 2nd Lieut. E. W. C. Perry on a B.E. 8 machine at Amiens, 16 Aug. 1914. Buried in the Cemetery at St. Acheuil.
PARHAM, FREDERICK, Leading Stoker, C.G., 286907, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
PARKE, WALTER EVELYN, Lieut., 2nd Battn. Durham L.I., 2nd s. of Lieut.-Col. Lawrence Parke, of Moreton Heath, Moreton, co. Dorset, 7th Hampshire Regt., late Durham L.I., by his wife, Evelyn, dau. of the late T. Evans Lees; b. Wimborne, co. Dorset; educ. Swanage (Mr. Pellatt) and Winchester College; was gazetted 2nd Lieut. in the Durham L.I., 16 Aug. 1911, and promoted Lieut. 5 Aug. 1914; went to France, Sept. 1914, and was killed in action at Hazebrouck, 13 Oct. following, while acting as Machine Gun Officer; unm. Buried near Hazebrouck. Lieut. Parke was mentioned in F.M. Sir John (now Lord) French’s Despatch of 14 Jan. [London Gazette, 17 Feb.] 1915. While at Winchester he was captain of the Cricket XI.
PARKER, ARTHUR, Private, R.M.L.I., Ch./17068, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
PARKER, BASIL STEWART, Capt., 2nd Battn. The Hampshire Regt., eldest s. of the late Rev. George Parker, Rector of Quainton, co. Bucks, and Tickencote, co. Rutland, by his wife, Elizabeth Maria Hislop (47, Sea Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth), dau. of the late John Lorimer, of Edinburgh; b. Oxford, 2 July, 1878; educ. Oxford Preparatory School and Bedford Grammar School. He served through the South African War, first with the Imperial Yeomanry, and afterwards in the Hampshire Regt., to which he was gazetted 2nd Lieut. 27 July, 1901. He took part in the operations in Cape Colony, North of the Orange River, May, 1900, and in those in the Transvaal, 30 Nov. 1900 to 31 May, 1902, receiving the Queen’s medal with two clasps, and the King’s medal with two clasps, and was promoted Lieut. 20 Aug. 1904, and Capt. 12 June, 1909. From March, 1906–09 he was Adjutant of his Battn., and from 1912–13 held a similar appointment in the Mounted Infantry in South Africa. In 1911, at Harrismith, he was a member of the 2nd M.I. Polo Team which won the Inter-Coy. Polo Cup. When the Dardanelles Expedition was organised the 2nd Hants. formed part of the 29th Division, which did such splendid work, that it became to be known as the “Old Guard of the Army.” He left England with his regt. 20 March, 1915, and took part in the first attack on 25 April. His Coys. W and X, under Major Leigh, landed about 10 a.m. that morning, from boats on W beach, and proceeded to the first ridge and there took up a position, where they stopped practically the whole day covering the other regts. landing. His Commanding Officer writing home on 30 April said: “Basil Parker is going strong, he is doing orderly runner for me as we have not got our horses yet; he did splendidly.” And on 1 May, Capt. Parker wrote: “What we call a quiet day, and only being shelled. It is a glorious day, sitting in the trenches, and a gentle trickle of sand falling on you all the time. We moved yesterday into reserve, but at 4 a.m. were sent back into the firing line. So much for our rest cures out here. This life seems to suit me. I never felt better in my life. Reveille at 4 a.m. and bed at 8 p.m. daily. I drink unlimited tea, no sugar or milk in it, and biscuits; can’t get bread at any price. I am as filthy as I feel, black with dust and exposure. We still wear caps. Isn’t it sad about the Col. and Deane; they were both shot dead, not wounded. I have to write early here as we neither have electric light or candles in this trench, and go to bed and rise with the sun”: and the following day: “We had a vile night, an attack which lasted from 10.30 p.m. to 2 p.m. to-day. As usual we have caught it fairly hot. Leigh and Reid were both killed during the night, and three more subs. were wounded to-day. We were under awful shrapnel fire to-day in the open. I feel a bit more filthy than usual; have not had my clothes or boots off for fourteen days.” He was wounded in the head on 6 May, or as he puts it, “Got myself into trouble yesterday, and got a bullet in my head, or very near it. It came in absolutely in the centre of my cap (was fired from the right), and came out where the top of the cap and the part that fits your head joins. I have had luck, because on its way through it took a piece out of my head like a cheese scoop down to the bone without damaging the skull. I could not at first make out what had happened. I felt a huge bang on the head, as if a polo ball had hit me, and asked the man next me, ‘What on earth is that?’ ‘You’re hit on the head, sir.’ It began to bleed badly, so I went back a little and got it tied up with the dressing you had sewn in my coat. I was hit at noon, but commanded my company till dark.” He was able to rejoin on 3 July, and after being continuously in action since landing, the 2nd Hants were sent to Lemnos for rest and refreshment on 7 July. Here they were joined by fresh drafts and returned to Gallipoli on 28 July, about 900 strong. They remained “on the beach” eight days and then moved up to the front trenches—the intention being to create a diversion in the Southern part of the peninsula whilst a new attack was made at Suvla Bay, six or seven miles to the north. The 2nd Hants were told on the evening of 5 Aug. that they would go up next day, and all were in excellent spirits. Cooks were sent on to prepare food, etc., and at 5.30 a.m. on Aug. 6 the advance began, the force going up the communication trenches, and the distance from the front trench being about three or four miles, and Achi Baba being about three-quarters mile distant. The trenches were close to the village of Krithia and very near the great Gully. By 7 a.m. the 2nd Hants had occupied three lines of trenches, having on their right the 4th Worcesters, and on their left the 1st Essex. The front Turkish trench ran forward at an angle and was about 50 yards distant on the left and 100 yards more on the right. The space between the opposing trenches was swept by gun fire from a distance, as well as from the trenches themselves. It was known that an attack on the Turkish trenches would be made at 4 p.m., and until that time many of the force rested. The General sent up an encouraging message to the Hants saying that this would be the last time he would call upon them to make a great charge. Exactly at 4 p.m. Capt. Parker, who was in command, called out: “Time’s up, my lads,” and those in the first trench immediately leapt out, those in the second at once taking their places and leaping out a minute later, and those in the third doing the same. All were well up in a good deal less then five minutes, and with a cheer they rushed forward. It was a glorious charge, and every one showed splendid courage. The Turks were startled, and took a minute or two—not much more—to get their machine-guns (of which they had one for about every five yards, and which during the bombardment they had hidden in the trenches) into position, so that our men got some way across the open space. Apparently, however, none reached the Turkish trench. All were mown down. Of the second line, a few got across. Of the third line, which had fewer men, more than half got through, and those who were left of the battn. held the trench until they were relieved by the Royal Scots and Royal Fusiliers. A private said positively that the Turks were driven from their front trench which remained in our hands, as perhaps did some others. The open ground was so heavily swept by gun fire that it was impossible to bring in the wounded or the dead, even at night. Some may have crawled in, but the severely wounded must have died. As none could be recovered and identified, they were posted as missing. In the evening of the 6th only 250 out of 900 of the Hants answered their names. It was in this action that Capt. Parker was killed about 4 p.m. He had gone forward out of the trench to direct a portion of the line and was hit by a bullet in the left side; the bullet coming out near the left breast was deflected by his cigarette case and again entered his body and came out on his right side. He died four minutes afterwards with his head resting on the leg of a lieutenant. He was brought back to the dressing station, and buried at 7.10 a.m. on the following morning in C. Communicating trench between the firing line and twelve tree copse. He never spoke after he was hit, and was unconscious until he died. He was carried to his last resting-place by men of the Battn. he had commanded, and in which he was so much liked. A cross made by the Royal Engineers marks the spot. Capt. Parker m. at St. George’s Cathedral, Cape Town, 5 April, 1913, Kathleen Lambert (“Lausanne,” Leigh Road, Cobham, Surrey), dau. of Lawrence Newman-Walker of Cape Colony, M.D., F.R.C.S., and had a son, Gerald Stewart, b. Indore, Central India, 3 April, 1914.