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2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade
2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade were at Kuldana in India when war was broke out in August 1914. They returned to Britain, embarking from Bombay on the 20th of September arriving at Liverpool on the 22nd of October. They joined 25th Brigade, 8th Division at Hursley Park, Winchester and proceeded to France landing at Le Harve on the 6th of November 1914. They were in action at The Battle of Neuve Chapelle, The Battle of Aubers and The action of Bois Grenier. On the 18th of October 1915 24th Brigade transferred to 23rd Division to instruct the inexperienced troops. In March 1916 23rd Division took over the front line between Boyau de l'Ersatz and the Souchez River in the Carency sector from the French 17th Division, an area exposed to heavy shelling. In mid April they withdrew to Bruay returning to the Carency sector in mid May just before the German attack on Vimy Ridge, in the sector to their right. On the 15th of June 1916 24th Brigade returned to 8th Division. In 1916 They were in action at the Battle of The Somme. In 1917 they fought in The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line and then moved to Flanders and were in action in The Battle of Pilkem and The Battle of Langemarck. In 1918 they saw action during The Battle of St Quentin, The actions at the Somme crossings, The Battle of Rosieres, The actions of Villers-Bretonneux, The Battle of the Aisne, The Battle of the Scarpe and The Final Advance in Artois including the capture of Douai.
19th Sep 1914 Divisional HQ Opens
20th Sep 1914 2nd Btn Rifle Brigade depart India 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade were stationed at Kuldana in India when war broke out in August 1914. They sailed from Bombay on 20th of September for Liverpool.
2nd Oct 1914 Concentration
22nd Oct 1914 2nd Rifles arrive at Liverpool 2nd Battalion The Rifle Brigade land at Liverpool on the 22nd of October 1914 having sailed from Bombay on the 20th of September. They moved to Hursley Park to join 25th Brigade in the 8th Division.
27th Oct 1914 Exercise
29th Oct 1914 Route March
30th Oct 1914 Concentration Complete
31st Oct 1914 Mud
4th Nov 1914 On the Move
5th Nov 1914 On the Move
6th Nov 1914 2nd Rifles proceed to France 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade land at Le Havre as part of 25th Brigade, 8th Division.
6th Nov 1914 Delays
7th Nov 1914 Delays
8th Nov 1914 On the Move 
9th Nov 1914 Into Billets
13th Nov 1914 13th Londons on the March
30th Dec 1914 Message
9th May 1915 The Battle of Aubers Ridge: The Northern pincer 2.30am: all units in the North report that they are in position, having assembled at night.
4.06am: sunrise and all very quiet on this front.
5.00am: British bombardment opens with field guns firing shrapnel at the German wire and howitzers firing High Explosive shells onto front line. Many reports are received that British 4.7-inch shells are falling short, and even on and behind the British front line (Later it is agreed that this is due to faulty ammunition, as well as excessive wear to gun barrels).
5.30am: British bombardment intensifies, field guns switch to HE and also fire at breastworks. Two guns of 104th Battery, XXII Brigade RFA had been brought up into the 24th Brigade front and they now opened fire at point blank range against the enemy breastworks; they blow several gaps, although one of the guns is inaccurate due to the unstable ground on which it is located. The lead battalions of the two assaulting Brigades of 8th Division (24th Brigade has 2/Northants and 2/East Lancashire in front; 25th Brigade has 2/Rifle Brigade, 1/Royal Irish Rifles and 1/13 London Regiment (Kensingtons)) move out into the narrow No Man's Land (in this area it is only 100-200 yards across). German bayonets can be seen behind their parapet.
5.40am: On the further advance the 2nd East Lancs are hit by heavy machine-gun and rifle fire by the time they had progressed thirty yards from their own trench; the 2nd Northants, coming up ten minutes later, were similarly hit, but a party got through one of the gaps blown by the field guns, and into the German front trench. The attack of 25th Brigade is much more successful: the wire on the left had been well-cut and the infantry poured through, crossing the almost-undamaged breastworks and into the German fire trenches. They moved onto the first objective (a bend
in the Fromelles road), and the Rifle Brigade bombers extended the trench system they occupied to 250 yards broad. On the blowing of the two mines at 5.40am, the lead companies of the Kensingtons rushed to occupy the
craters, moved forward to capture Delangre Farm, and then formed a defensive flank as ordered.
6.10am: Brig.Gen. Oxley (24th Brigade) orders the support battalion, 1st Notts & Derbys, to support the attack of the Lancashires, but they are also held up with high losses, at almost unbroken wire. The front and communication trenches are by now very crowded and chaotic; German shelling adds to confusion. By now, the fire across No Man's Land was so intense that forward movement was all but impossible. The support battalion of the 25th Brigade, the 2nd Lincolns, was ordered forward, to cross by the craters; they did so, despite losing many men on the way. Men of the Brigade were at this time seen to be retiring to their front line, having apparently received a shouted order. German prisoners, making their way to the British lines, were mistaken for a counterattack and there was a great deal of confusion. Brig.Gen Lowry Cole, CO 25th Brigade, was mortally wounded when standing on the British parapet in an attempt to restore order.
8.30am: the attack had established three small lodgements in the enemy positions, but they were not in contact with each other and were under tremendous pressure. Otherwise the attack had come to a standstill and all movement into or out of the trench system had become impossible. The men in the German positions were cut off.
8.45am and again at 11.45am: Haig orders Rawlinson (CO, IV Corps) to vigorously press home the attack.
1.30pm: A renewed attack with 2nd Queens of 22nd Brigade in support, did not take place as the troops were heavily shelled in the assembly areas and many casualties were suffered even before the original support lines had been reached. Major-General Gough (CO, 7th Division, whose 21st Brigade had now also been ordered forward by Haig) reported that after a personal reconnaissance he was certain that forward movement was at the present time impossible.
5.00pm: General Haig, hearing of the continued failure of the Southern attack and the hold-up after initial success of the Northern attack, orders a bayonet attack at dusk, 8.00pm.
2nd Battalion Queens (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
9th May 1915 The Battle of Aubers Ridge: Evening and Night 2nd Battalion Queens (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
6.00pm: such chaos in the trench system and on the roads and tracks leading to it that it becomes clear that fresh units will not be ready for the 8pm attack. Haig cancels the attack and rides to Indian Corps HQ at Lestrem, to meet with all Corps commanders to consider the next moves.
7.30pm: the meeting breaks up having decided to renew the attack next day, taking advantage of night to reorganise. Efforts were made throughout the evening to reinforce the small garrisons of the lodgements in the enemy trenches. 26 men of the 2/Northants, of which 10 were wounded, returned to the British front.
2.30am 10 May: the 200 or so surviving Rifle Brigade and Royal Irish Rifles were withdrawn from their position, all efforts to reinforce them having been repulsed.
3.00am 10 May: the last few Kensingtons also returned from their position; all British troops were now out of the German lines. Around this time, First Army HQ, having by now got a good picture of the losses, failures and general conditions, called a Commanders conference for 9.00am, to take place at I Corps HQ on the Locon road, some 1.5 miles from Bethune.
9.00am 10 May: the Army and Corps commanders and staffs in attendance learned that there was insufficient artillery ammunition to continue two attacks. (The Secretary of State for War, Kitchener, had also just ordered a considerable portion of existing stocks to be sent to the Dardanelles); for example there were only some 3,000 18-lbr rounds left, and some of that was way behind the firing positions. They also heard that the 4.7-inch ammunition that had caused problems on IV Corps front was too defective for further use and that the fuzes on 15-inch heavy rounds were also defective and the shells simply did not burst on hitting the wet ground. All further orders for renewing the attack were cancelled at 1.20pm; the views of the conference were transmitted to GHQ. 7th
Division was ordered to move from it's position north of Neuve Chapelle to the south of it, with a view to strengthening a future offensive there.
British casualties from the 9 May attacks continued to move through the Field Ambulances for at least three days after the attack.
More than 11,000 British casualties were sustained on 9 May 1915, the vast majority within yards of their own front-line trench. Mile for mile, Division for Division, this was one of the highest rates of loss during the entire war.
There is no memorial to the attack at Aubers Ridge.
24th May 1915 The Battle of Bellewaarde Ridge At 0245 on 24 May (Whit Monday), a ferocious German artillery bombardment slammed down on British V Corps front. The clamour of shells, machine-guns and rifle fire was accompanied by a simultaneous discharge of chlorine gas on almost the entire length of the Cameronians in reserve dugouts, the Bluff, Ypres, March 1915 British line. German infantry assaulted in its wake. Although the favourable wind had alerted the British trench garrison to the likelihood of a gas attack the proximity of the opposing trenches and speed of the enemy assault meant many defenders failed to don their respirators quickly enough and large numbers were overcome. But the British defence rallied and the attackers were repelled by small arms fire, except in the north, where Mouse Trap Farm was immediately overrun, and in the south where (by 1000) German infantry broke into the British line north and south of Bellewaarde Lake. The centre of the line between these gaps held fast all day.
Heroic efforts were made to retrieve the situation at Mouse Trap Farm before it was decided, that evening, to withdraw to a more defensible line. The German break-in around Bellewaarde Lake prompted the commitment of Corps reserve troops, but their arrival took time and the depleted front line battalions had to wait until the early evening before the weakened 84th Brigade was able to attack and turn the enemy out of Witte Poort Farm. Following the belated arrival of 80th Brigade a joint night counter-attack was made after 2300; this assault, in bright moonlight, was a disaster and both 84th and 80th Brigades suffered heavy casualties. In the early hours of the morning the battle quietened. The following day saw a reduction in shelling and no attempts by the Germans to renew the offensive.
24th Sep 1915 Into Position
Rats doing the Tango
25th Sep 1915 In Action
25th Sep 1915 In Action
25th Sep 1915 In Action
25th Sep 1915 In Action
16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme
26th of November 1915 Special Order - To be read to all men
1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets
11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment
10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens
7th Jan 1916 On the March
19th Jan 1916 Reorganisation
9th February 1916 Call Ups
19th Mar 1916 Instruction
20th Mar 1916 Instruction
21st Mar 1916 Instruction
1st Jul 1916 In Action
1st Jul 1916 In Action
11th Jul 1916 Inspection
30th Jul 1916 Reliefs
31st Jul 1916 In the Fron Line
27th November 1916 Reliefs
11th Feb 1917 Reliefs Completed
19th Sep 1917 Reliefs
28th May 1918 Hard Fighting
17th June 1919 Operational Order No.7.
17th June 1919 Operational Order No.7.
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
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Those known to have served with2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade during the Great War 1914-1918. - Bailey Ernest. Rfmn. (d.31st Jul 1917)
- Bird Frederick Charles. Rfmn. (d.25th Sep 1915)
- Birtwistle DCM & Bar. Fred. CSM.
- Bostock Harold Leslie. Rfmn. (d.21st Jun 1916)
- Brandon William Henry. L/Cpl. (d.31st Mar 1918)
- Bruce Oliver. 2Lt. (d.9th June 1918)
- Burrell Frederick. (d.23 October 1916)
- Cates VC. George Edward. 2nd Lt. (d.9th March 1917)
- Cowling Bernard William Kingsbury. Rflmn. (d.24th Apr 1918)
- Cross DCM. Alfred James. Sgt. (d.31st July 1917)
- Denyer Charles. Rfn. (d.24th Sep 1917)
- Doyle Joseph. Rflmn. (d.31st March 1918)
- Dyer William Ewart. Pte
- Elliott Frederick Robert. Rflmn. (d.2nd Dec 1917)
- Godwin Louis Vionnet. 2nd Lt. (d.23rd October 1916)
- Hall William. Rfn
- Harmer James. Temp/Sgt.
- Herbert Harold Jesse. Rflmn. (d.17th November 1917)
- Hussey George William. Rflmn. (d.31st July 1917)
- Hyslop William Joseph. Pte.
- Irish G. A.. Rflmn. (d.3rd Oct 1915)
- Jones Frederick William. L/Cpl. (d.5th November 1918)
- Jones Sidney Walter. Rfmn. (d.27th May 1916)
- Joyce Edward. Rflmn. (d.1st December 1917)
- Joyce Edward. Rflmn. (d.1st December 1917)
- Kell Charles Henry. Pte.
- Leahy James. Pte. (d.13th Mar 1915)
- Lee Percy. Rflmn. (d.23rd October 1916)
- Mackeson MiD. Christopher. 2nd Lt. (d.16th Aug 1917)
- Matthews Frank Harold. Pte.
- McDonald John. Rflmn. (d.21st April 1917)
- McDonald John. Rflmn. (d.21st April 1917)
- Middleton Edward. L/Cpl.
- Mole Stephen Horace. Sgt.
- Nobbs Sidney Henry. Rflmn. (d.23rd Oct 1916)
- Noble VC Cecil Reginald. L/Cpl. (d.13th March 1915)
- Parham John Edwin. Pte.
- Pickett George. Rfln (d.31st May 1915)
- Rann Charles Henry. Sgt. (d.28th July 1917)
- Rice Henry. Rflmn. (d.6th March 1918)
- Ritchie Thomas Geddes. Rflmn. (d.26th October 1917)
- Roberts Robert. Rfmn. (d.25th Sep 1915)
- Romanini Louis. Rflmn. (d.7th Aug 1916)
- Smith Joseph. Rfmn. (d.25th Sep 1915)
- Smith W.. Rflmn. (d.3rd Oct 1915)
- Snuggs William Augustus Frank . Rflmn. (d.16th April 1915 )
- Thornburn John Henry. Pte (d.18th Apr 1915)
- Thornley Percy. Rflmn. (d.15th May 1915)
- Thurling Victor. CSM.
- Toynbee R V. Lt.
- Trimmer William Edward. Pte. (d.6th February 1915)
- Turnour Arthur William Winterton. 2nd Lt. (d.25/09/1915)
- Wardhaugh Frank. Rfmn. (d.30th July 1915)
- Whiting MM. John Cyril. L/Cpl.
- Wood Alfred A. Rifleman (d.10th May 1915)
- Woodey George Henry. Rflmn. (d.9th May 1915)
- Woodley Frank. L/Cpl. (d.9th May 1915)
- Wright Charles. Rflmn. (d.31st Mar 1918)
All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please Add a Name to this List
Records of 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade from other sources.
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Did you know? We also have a section on World War Two. and a
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L/Cpl. Cecil Reginald Noble VC 2nd Btn. C Company, Rifle Brigade (d.13th March 1915) Cecil Noble died of wounds on the 13th of March 1915 and is buried in the Longuenesse (ST. Omer) Souvenire Cemetery in France.
An extract from the Supplement to the London Gazette of 27th April, 1915 (No. 29146) records the award of the V.C. to this N.C.O. and to C.S.M. H. Daniels "For most conspicuous bravery on 12th March, 1915, at Neuve-Chapelle, when their battalion was impeded in the advance to attack by wire entanglements, and subjected to a very severe machine-gun fire, these two men voluntarily rushed in front and succeeded in cutting the wires."
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Rflmn. Charles Wright 2nd Btn. Rifle Brigade (d.31st Mar 1918) Charles Wright was my paternal grandfather. My dad was only 5 years old when Charles was killed on the Somme in 1918, at age 35. I have only just found out about him.
Rest in peace, granddad.
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2nd Lt. Christopher Mackeson MiD. 2nd Btn. Rifle Brigade (d.16th Aug 1917) Born on 20th January 1898 in Paddington, London, Christopher Mackeson was the son of Lieutenant Colonel William James and Bertha (nee Pattinson) Mackeson. In 1901, the family were living at 31 St. George's Place, Canterbury, Kent but by 1911 had moved to The Old Rectory, Hearne Lane, Hodnet with their two other children. In 1911, Christopher was a pupil at West Downs School, Romsey Road, Winchester. He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant, Rifle Brigade on 19th July 1916 and was killed in action on 16th August 1917 having been mentioned in despatches. He is buried at Brandhoek New Military Cemetery, Vlamertinghe, Belgium.
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2Lt. Oliver Bruce 2nd Btn. Rifle Brigade (d.9th June 1918) Oliver Bruce (1896 - 1918) is my 1st cousin 2x removed.
I am researching my family history and came across these details of his military career in which he was a casualty in France on the 9th of June 1918
He served with 7th Black Watch as a Private and was commissioned into the 6th Rifle Brigade as Second Lieutenant and transferred to
2nd Rifle Brigade.
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Rfmn. Harold Leslie Bostock 2nd Btn. Rifle Brigade (d.21st Jun 1916) Harold Bostock was taken prisoner in a field at Nestle in Flanders and was taken to Stendal POW Camp.
Possible cause of death was a lung infection.
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Rfmn. Ernest Bailey 2nd Btn. Rifle Brigade (d.31st Jul 1917) My great uncle, Ernest Bailey, was 19 years old when he died in the Battle of Passchendaele.
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L/Cpl. Frederick William Jones 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade (d.5th November 1918) Frederick Jones served with the 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade. This information is taken from Islington Council's Record of Residents who lost their lives during WW1.
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Rfln George Pickett 2nd Btn Rifle Brigade (d.31st May 1915) George was already in the regular army and enlisted in 1910.
He was injured with gunshot wounds in the battle of Aubers Ridge on 1915-05-09. He was transported back to Lincoln at the General Hospital and died 1915-05-31 from his injuries.
He is buried at the war graves section in Lincoln Newport Cemetery. He was from Ashtree Lane, Chatham, Kent.
RIP.
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Pte. John Edwin Parham 2nd Btn. Rifle Brigade I heard a story how John Parham and fellow soldiers saved the life of the Prince of Wales after he was visiting the Front on his charger and entourage when a shell fell very close to where the Prince was and his horse panicked and fell into a shell hole, trapping the Prince and horse in mud. John ran over with fellow friends and linked there belts together and managed to pull the Prince of Wales to safety who said to the men that he would recommend them for their bravery.
My grandfather was a man who saw the war as a service to the country, did not believe in glory and, I was told, he burnt his medals.
In 1964 I was given two cavalier statues which I still have and they stood over my grandfather's fire place for years covered in soot so when I got them home I soaked them in soapy water only to find they had a false bottom in them and inside to my horror was documents that melted away in front of my eye's never knowing what they where and why were they inside the bottom of the cavaliers.
We, as a family, wonder whether the saving of the Prince of Wales had any truth to it.
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Rflmn. William Augustus Frank Snuggs 2nd Btn. Rifle Brigade (d.16th April 1915 ) William Snuggs was born in Hammersmith in 1893. His father, William, was a Journeyman Butcher. By 1901 the family had moved to Winchester Street, Acton and the CWGC record shows his mother living at 43 Shakespeare Rd, Acton, London.
He served with the 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade seeing action in France. He died on the 16 April 1915 and is buried in Merville Communal Cemetery in Northern France. He is remembered on the War Memorial, St Mary's Church, Acton, London.
It is highly probable that William died from his wounds whilst receiving treatment in the hospital. Merville was captured in early October 1914 and remained in allied hands to the 11th of April 1918. It was a railhead until May 1915, and then became a billeting and hospitalcentre. The 6th and Lahore Casualty Clearing Stations were there from the autumn of 1914 to the autumn of 1915, the 7th CCS from December 1914 to April 1917.
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Rflmn. Bernard William Kingsbury Cowling 2nd Btn. Rifle Brigade (d.24th Apr 1918) Bernard Cowling was killed in action, aged just 18, on 25th of April 1918, on the Somme, when the German attacks of Operation Michael during that harrowing spring were finally brought to a halt.
He was initially buried on the battlefield but was exhumed in 1919 by an Australian Graves Unit and re-interred in Crucifix Corner Cemetery, Villers-Bretonneux.
Bernard was the son of a Wesleyan Methodist Minister, Benjamin Isaac Kingsbury Cowling, and in his short life had lived in several areas in England. He was educated at the Redditch Secondary School, Worcestershire (now Trinity High School and VIth Form Centre) and Kingswood School, Bath. He enlisted in Guildford, Surrey.
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Rflmn. Harold Jesse Herbert 2nd Btn. Rifle Brigade (d.17th November 1917) Harold Herbert was killed relieving the 47th Canadian Infantry Battalion and the 2nd Lincolnshire Regiment NW of Passchendaele village (almost certainly close to Hill 52, Vindictive Crossroads. Enemy barrage reported as heavier than on any previous occasion during tour of duty in Official War Diary. He was buried at Hill 52 and later re-interred at Poelcapelle British Cemetery. Aged 34 at death, he left a wife Annie, and four children, Elsie, Harold (Vic), Leonard and Bunty. He was a master builder in Islington, North London before his military service.
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L/Cpl. Edward Middleton 2nd Btn. Rifle Brigade Lance Corporal Ted Middleton of A Company, 2nd Battalion, The Rifle Brigade was taken prisoner on 24th of April 1918 at the second battle of Villers-Brettoneux.
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Rflmn. George Henry Woodey 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade (d.9th May 1915)  George Woodey was born in Warrington in 1893. He was the 4th child of Thomas and Ruth Woodey of 89 Catherine Street.
As a boy, he attended the Heathside Primary School and attended the services at the Working Mens Mission on the corner of Lilford Street and Hoyle Street (a building which still stands today). By all accounts, he was a keen footballer and played for the Mission team.
On the outbreak of the war and at the age of 21 years old, he left his job at the Warrington Wire Rope Works on Bewsey Road and on the 2nd of September 1914 at Warrington Public Baths, he signed up to join the Army. George joined the Rifle Brigade and was entered into the 2nd battalion.
His attestation states that he was 5' 3" tall and weighed 106 lbs. (about 7 stone). He had a 35 inch chest which expanded by 2".
The following day, 3rd of September1914, he arrived at Winchester Barracks. After a period of training, he was posted to France on the 17th of February 1915, joining the rest of the 2nd Battalion at Estaires.
Between the 10th and 14th of March 1915, he took part in the battle of Neuve Chapelle in which a total of 12 officers and 365 other ranks were killed or wounded in the regiment. The regimental diary states that the remaining men took part in operations to recover the wounded and bury the dead; all of which was completed by the 16th.
April 1915 was spent in various trenches and billets around Sailly-sur-la-Lys carrying out small attacks, resting and repairing and reinforcing the trench systems
Then in the early morning of the 9th of May 1915, George and his fellow soldiers embarked on what, for many of them, would be their last day. The Battle of Aubers Ridge was underway. The bombardment by the British artillery opened up at around 05:30 in the morning and many of the shells fell short, killing and wounding many of our own lads.
At 05:40, the first line advanced and captured the German trench, followed by the second line of the regiment. Many heavy losses were reported in the regimental diaries at this point. By 08:00, almost all of the company officers were either dead or wounded. Between 12:00 & 14:00 about 50 additional men were sent to reinforce the soldiers in the captured trench, but only about 20 survived the crossing of no-mans land. By 19:50 the Germans counter-attacked but were beaten back, partly due to the commanding officer of the RB using a captured German machine gun to repel them. Another counter-attack at 03:00 on the 10th May forced the British to relinquish the trench and retreat back to their own lines.
At 05:00 on 10th of May, 3 officers and 195 men marched back to their billets. 77 men & 9 officers were dead. 340 men and 18 officers were wounded and 194 men, 9 officers were missing. George Henry Woodey was one of those 194 who were missing, presumed dead.
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Pte. William Joseph Hyslop 2nd Btn. Rifle Brigade William Hyslop served during World War 1 in The Rifle Brigade with the 2nd and 13th Battalions and with the 11th Kings Royal Rifle Corps from Nov 1914 till Feb 1919. At some time, he suffered from a gas attack, and in the last weeks of the war was captured. His details are part those records lost in 1942 due to enemy action.
Unable to find work on discharge, he volunteered to join the BEF intervention in Russia, to fight the Bolsheviks. This campaign ended in Sep 1919. He received a copy of Bolos & Barishynas, the doings of the Sadleir-Jackson Brigade. In his copy he has written details including 45th Batt Royal Fusiliers Reg. No.128992. No.1 Machine Gunner.
Several years later in civilian life, his health started to deteriorate as an effect of gassing. However, according to his family, his application for a pension was rejected on the grounds he could not prove the effect resulted from gas attacks in World War 1.
As his grandchild I can recall the agony suffered by the destruction of one lung and the slow decay of the other. He died in 1951.
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Sgt. Alfred James Cross DCM. 2nd Btn. Rifle Brigade (d.31st July 1917) Great uncle Alf Cross was one of 8 children. He signed up with the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles when he was 18 in 1914.
He was the son of Charles William and Harriett Cross, Ellen's Lodge, Ditchley, Enstone.
He saw action in The Battle of Neuve Chapelle, The Battle of Aubers and the action of Bois Grenier (a diversionary attack coinciding with the Battle of Loos) in 1915, The Battle of Albert (the first phase of the Battle of the Somme) in 1916 and the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line in 1917. On 18th June 1917, in the run up to the Third Battle of Ypres he received the Distinguished Conduct Medal. His citation reads: "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He led out a patrol and established two posts about 70 yards from an enemy strong point. He set a splendid example of courage and initiative."
He was killed on the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres aged 21.
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CSM. Victor Thurling 2nd Btn. Rifle Brigade I have a photograph of my grandfather, Victor Thurling, at Allan House where he convalesced after having been wounded. I do not know the date or his rank at the time. He joined The Rifle Brigade in 1912 and I think started he war as a Rifleman and finished in 1919 as a Company Sergeant Major.
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L/Cpl. John Cyril Whiting MM. 2nd Btn. Rifle Brigade As a child I was brought up by Grandma and Granddad Jack Whiting, he passed away when I was only nine so I never got to talk to him about anything really but I was always with him. He collected me from infant school every dinner time wearing his black beret and khaki trench coat.
It was only when I got older and saw his medals that I started to have an interest in what he had done. To this day I'm still trying to find out about how he won his Military Medal all that he had ever said to the family was as he said it "Having a shit under shell fire". I have recently found a letter from Lt-General Sir Aylmer Hunter Weston, Commanding VIII Corps congratulating him for his gallant conduct during the period 17th to 19th November 1917.
He also never spoke to the family about where he came from or his family, all that they knew was he had run away to join the Army. With more research I have found he was from a family of land workers living in Berkshire. From an early censor I found that there were five in the household Isaac (Grandfather Draymen) Christmas (Father Yes, Isaac had him christened with that name. Engine Driver plough shuttle), Rosina (Mother).
They had three boys John (my grandfather)1896-1966, William 1898-1914 and Donald 1900-1905.
John was a gifted musician and won a scholarship to a college when and where I don't know, it was from here I think he ran away to join the Army.
William was in the Royal Berkshire Regiment when he was wounded in a retreat (again I have no information). He succumbed to his wounds at the Military Hospital in Aldershot, Hants.
Little Donald (I have no information at all).
I was told the he did go to visit his parents in Wallingford either during leave or post war, but wasn't welcomed according to family he never contacted them ever again.
At some point he was promoted to staff sergeant and became the Bandmaster of the 2nd Btn. The Rifle Brigade, until around 1936. He was called up again in 1939 this time to the Royal Tank Corps as a training NCO in Warminster, Wiltshire.
Post WWII he worked for the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough.
Granddad Passed away in October 1966.
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Sgt. Stephen Horace Mole 2nd Btn. Rifle Brigade At Aubers Ridge on 9th of May 1915 Stephen Mole was shot and wounded. He lay for three days and was rescued by a German officer and taken to their hospital. His leg was saved.
He was returned to Britain where he served until 1921. He died in 1970. He saw his great grandson born, who went on to serve as an officer in Iraq.
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Rflmn. Sidney Henry Nobbs 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade (d.23rd Oct 1916) Sid Nobbs is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
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Recomended Reading.Available at discounted prices.
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