Part 34
=BURRIDGE, HENRY GARDINER (Lal)=, Lieut., 107th Pioneers, Indian Army, _s._ of the late Lieut.-Col. Francis John Burridge, R.A. (2nd _s._ of the late William Burridge, of Bradford Court, West Somerset), by his wife, Kitty (The Croft, Lee-on-the-Solent), dau. of Capt. E. Stannard, R.H.A.; _b._ Bareilly, India, 20 Jan. 1890; educ. Winton House, Winchester, Wellington College (1902–8), and Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd Lieut. 8 Sept. 1909, he was attached to the North Staffordshire Regt. at Nowshera for a year, and on 31 Dec. 1910, was transferred to the Indian Army and posted to the 15th Ludhiana Sikhs; promoted Lieut. 8 Dec. 1911, he transferred to the 107th Pioneers in 1912, and was killed in action (being shot through the head) while ascertaining the extent of damage done by high explosives at La Bassée, 17 Nov. 1914; _unm._ He was buried in Bethune Cemetery, the men of his company carrying his body back some three miles. His Colonel wrote: “During the short time I knew him I got to recognise and admire his many qualities. He was always bright and jolly whatever his hardships might be, and I have seldom met a more unselfish fellow. He was always keen both at work and play, and was much loved by his men. Since we have been at the front I have much relied on his judgment, and he was my right hand. I miss him greatly. He had endeared himself to me.” At Wellington he was second of three brothers in the Anglesey, a school prefect, a member of the XI and XV, and a gentleman of the Hunt, and won the Challenge Cup in 1908. In 1908 he was passed for Sandhurst, but was sent to the infantry company attached to the R.M.A.
=BURRINGTON, HARLEY=, Private, No. 13615, Grenade Coy., 2nd Infantry Brigade, Canadian Expeditionary Force, 4th _s._ of the late Gilbert George Burrington, of Bridgwater, co. Somerset, Bank Manager, by his wife, Amelia Frances (Burnham, co. Somerset), dau. of Edward Bryant; _b._ Bridgwater, 1 Dec. 1883; educ. Haileybury College; went to Canada in 1902; enlisted on the outbreak of war; came over with the first contingent in Oct. 1914; went to France in Feb.; was wounded when coming out of the trenches at Festubert, and died in the General Hospital at Boulogne, 23 July, 1915; _unm._ He was buried in the Eastern Cemetery there.
=BURROW, THOMAS=, Private, No. 20447, 10th Battn. 2nd Infantry Brigade, Canadian Expeditionary Force, _s._ of the late James Burrow, Water Bailiff (died 1905), by his wife, Agnes (Grange Fell, Grange Over Sands, co. Lancaster), dau. of John Rigg, of Hill Farm, Cartmel; _b._ Grange Over Sands, 5 May, 1893; educ. National School there; went to Canada in 1913, and settled in Alberta. He joined the 103rd Calgary Regt. in 1913, and after the outbreak of war volunteered for service oversea. He came to England with the first Canadian Contingent, was severely wounded at 3 p.m. on 20 March, 1915, in action at Neuve Chapelle, and died the following evening; _unm._ He was buried in Merivale Cemetery, France.
=BURROWS, LEOPOLD CHARLES=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 10748), 203733, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=BURROWS, SAMUEL JOSEPH=, Private, R.M.L.I. (Ports.), 12278, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=BURSNALL, FRANCIS GEORGE=, Stoker, R.N.R., 1734U, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=BURT, ROBERT WILLIAM=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4559), S.S. 103678, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=BURTON, ALFRED WILLIAM=, Private, No. 7803, 1st Battn. North Staffordshire Regt., _s._ of the late William Burton; _b._ Haynford, 5 Feb. 1888; educ. there; enlisted 7 Dec. 1904; died 14 March, 1915, of wounds received in action at Neuve Chapelle two days previously. He _m._ at Haynford, 7 Oct. 1913, Edith Miriam, dau. of Charles Golding; _s.p._
=BURTON, JAMES ALBERT=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 7513), S.S. 102819, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=BURTON, JOHN=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 10637 (Ports.), H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=BURTON, REES THOMAS=, Private, No. 64831, Royal Field Artillery, _s._ of the late William Burton (died 20 May, 1898); _b._ Tylorstown, co. Glamorgan, 26 Sept. 1888; educ. there; enlisted 24 March, 1911, and had finished his three years’ service just five months before the outbreak of war; he immediately rejoined and was killed in action in France between 11 and 14 Sept. 1914; _unm._
=BURTON, WILLIAM HARRY=, Sergt., No. 1420, C Coy., 1st/14th Battn. (London Scottish) The London Regt. (T.F.), _s._ of Herbert Burton, of North Street, Atherstone, Foreman Hatter, by his wife, Annie, dau. of William Lucas; _b._ Atherstone, 15 March, 1887; educ. Atherstone Grammar School; joined the London Scottish 1910, and was killed in action at Vermelles, 27 May, 1915; _unm._ His Commanding Officer, Capt. Claud Low, wrote he “was killed by a shell at 10.15 this morning, in a trench about 2,000 yards east of Vermelles. At the moment of writing this letter your son has not been buried but I am making arrangements for this. If the shelling does not stop before nightfall it will be done then. It may interest you to know that when the shells commenced to strike in this section this morning, your son immediately took steps to get his men into safety, and it was in doing so, in the exercise of his duty as a non-commissioned officer, that he lost his life.”
=BUSH, ARTHUR DOUGLAS=, Private, R.M.L.I. (Ports.), 6857, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=BUSH, CHARLES FREDERICK=, Private, R.M.L.I. (R.F.R., B. 819), H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=BUSHELL, WILLIAM THEODORE=, L.-Corpl., No. 2816, A Coy., 16th Battn. (Queen’s Westminster) The London Regt. (T.F.), eldest _s._ of Arthur Forest Bushell, of 39, Moreton Place, Pimlico, S.W., and Biggin Hill, Westerham, Kent, by his wife, Sarah Ann, dau. of William Cooper, of Milton, Kent; _b._ Pimlico, 17 July, 1883; educ. Westminster Training College, and was for some 14 years in the employ of Messrs. J. W. Benson, Ltd., of Ludgate Hill. On 27 Feb. 1899, at the age of 15, he joined the 1st Cadet Battn. of the Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regt., and leaving them 11 Jan. 1900, joined the old 13th Middlesex Queen’s Westminster Volunteers 5 Nov. following, with whom he served till 8 Dec. 1904. After the outbreak of war he rejoined 2 Sept. 1914, and went to the Front at the end of Jan. The Westminsters were stationed at Houplines, near Armentières, until 28 May, when they were moved up to Ypres. At the Battle of Hooge they were in reserve and were heavily bombarded the whole time. Bushell was hit in the head by a piece of shrapnel shell, and was killed instantaneously at midnight on 16–17 June, 1915. He was _unm._, and was buried on the side of the Potjhe-Hooge Road, about half a mile from Potjhe. His Commanding Officer, Capt. Stanley Low, wrote: “He was killed by shrapnel whilst doing his duty nobly in the trenches. He was very popular and will be sadly missed by his comrades. I should like to say how well his brother (who recently joined us) behaved, by restraining his natural inclination to go to his brother’s assistance, and remaining on sentry go until someone came to relieve him”; and Lieut. R. S. Dickinson wrote of him as “One of the best soldiers” in his platoon. His third brother, Harry George, joined the Warwickshires on the outbreak of war, and was later transferred to the Westminsters, being with his brother when he was killed. He is now (1916) a 2nd Lieut. in the 10th Suffolks. His next brother, Arthur Frederick, is serving with the Army Service Corps.
=BUSK, EDWARD TESHMAKER=, Lieut., London Electrical Engineers (T.F.), _s._ of Thomas Teshmaker Busk, of Fords Grove, Winchmore Hill, and Hermongers, Rudgwick, co. Sussex, M.A., J.P., by his wife, Mary, dau. of Nathaniel Brindley Acworth, of the Hook, co. Herts, J.P., Chairman of Petty Sessions; _b._ Fords Grove afsd., 8 March, 1886; educ. Bilton Grange, Rugby, Harrow (Mr. Marshall’s House, 1900–04) and King’s College (Foundation Scholar), Cambridge, where he secured a 1st Class in Part 1 of the Mechanical Sciences Tripos (1907), and carried off the John Winbolt prize next year. He joined the staff of the Royal Aircraft Factory as Assistant Engineer in charge of physical experimental work on 10 June, 1912. There he devoted much of his time to the mathematics and dynamics of stable flight on the full size, as distinct from the model aeroplane. He introduced many valuable improvements, of which it is not permissible to give particulars at the present juncture, his work not being confined to the solution of aeroplane stability, but covering a wide and varied range. His valuable researches into the nature and cause of wind gusts and his work in connection with the offensive and defensive uses of aircraft in warfare may be specially mentioned. He also guided his branch in the production of aeroplane instruments, some of which were exhibited at the Royal Society in May and June, 1913, by permission of the Superintendent, Mr. Mervyn O’Gorman, C.B., Royal Aircraft Factory. By the autumn of 1913, Mr. Busk had carried his researches so far that complete stability without material loss of efficiency could be obtained for any aeroplane designed in accordance with his results. Such an aeroplane was then produced for the first time, and in Nov. 1913, he was able to make flights of several hours’ duration in winds up to thirty-eight miles per hour, without at any time using any balancing, controlling, or steering mechanism whatever, save for alighting purposes. He took Col. Seely on such an uncontrolled flight, and later on made demonstration flights before the King and Queen. The matter was introduced in practical form to the Royal Flying Corps by his taking his Commanding Officer, Col. Sykes, as passenger, from the Royal Aircraft Factory, Farnborough, to Salisbury Plain and back, while both passenger and flier, being freed from the use of controls, wrote notes and observations continuously throughout the journey. This trial was repeated by Col. now Gen. Brancker as pilot as well as many other officers. When at the Wilbur Wright Memorial Banquet (1914), Col. Seely made the first public announcement of his flight on the stable aeroplane produced at the Royal Aircraft Factory, the pilot’s name was veiled in anonymity, only a privileged few knowing that Lieut. Busk was, in fact, the designer of the R.E. 1 now known as B.E. 2C. He was flying over Laffan’s Plain in his own stable aeroplane on 5 Nov. 1914, when it was destroyed by fire at a height of some 800 ft. The cause of the accident is unknown, as he was engaged on experimental work of which he had not given information. Mr. Busk’s scientific attainments and versatility were shown by the variety of matters entrusted to him by the Superintendent of the Royal Aircraft Factory. He resembled other men of genius in the simplicity of his methods, and the speed at which he worked, and he was remarkable for the soundness of the scientific judgments he reached. His mother received the following letter from H.M. the King:--
Buckingham Palace, 11 Nov. 1914.
Dear Mrs. Busk,
The King has heard with much concern of the tragic death of your son Mr. Busk. His Majesty well remembers meeting him at the Royal Aircraft Factory on the occasion of Their Majesties visit to Aldershot last summer, and was much struck by his ability and technical knowledge of the machinery of aeroplanes.
The King and Queen also saw him give an exhibition of flying in a stable aeroplane of his own invention.
In offering you his sincere sympathy in your bereavement, the King feels that the Country has lost the services of one, who, by experiment and research, contributed, in no small measure, towards the Science of flying.
Yours very truly, (Signed) CLIVE WIGRAM.
Mr. Mervyn O’Gorman, C.B., Superintendent R.A.F. wrote: “He did the most magnificent things without announcing any intention and without applauding audience. He merely took all the sane precautions of a clever engineer. Later with his hair blown about by a hatless flight, he would walk into my office, report the success of an experiment. He knew it was interesting, he forgot that it was brilliant or it did not occur to him. He worked out a result, knew he was right, but simply had his results checked and then proved them in his own person over and again. He was a genius, that we knew and you knew. He knew what he was about when he relinquished his volunteer regimental duty for the risks of this service, he talked it all over with me and he took this course, because he knew that he served his country better that way”; and Lord Rayleigh, President, writing on behalf of the Advisory Committee for Aeronautics: “At the National Physical Laboratory the assistance he was constantly able to give, from his experience in actual flying and his wide knowledge of his subject, in the critical examination of the difficult problems presented for investigation was very greatly valued.... The Committee have had many opportunities of appreciating the services he was able to render to the development of flying, and to his country, and wish to offer their tribute of admiration of the courage, skill, and devotion he brought to his work.” He was also awarded the posthumous honour of the Gold Medal of the Aeronautical Society.
=BUTCHER, CHARLES GEOFFREY=, Lieut., 1st Battn. Dorsetshire Regt., 3rd _s._ of George William James Butcher, of 9, Tregunter Road, South Kensington, by his wife, Mary, dau. of Samuel Debenham; educ. St. Paul’s School, and was for some time in the H.A.C. He was gazetted to the Special Reserve in Aug. 1912. On 10 June, 1914, he joined the 2nd Battn. Dorsetshire Regt., and on the outbreak of war was appointed to the 1st Battn. At La Bassée on 22 Oct. 1914, he was wounded in the leg by a bullet, his life being saved by Sergt. H. Cox, of the Dorsetshire Regt. who carried him from the trenches into cover under a very heavy fire. For this Sergt. Cox received the D.C.M. Lieut. Butcher was mentioned in F.M. Sir John (now Lord) French’s Despatches [London Gazette, 17 Feb. 1915], and was promoted Lieut. 15 Nov. 1914, returning to the Front on 25 March. He was killed in action by asphyxiating gas at Hill 60 on 2 May, 1915, and was buried at Reninghelst, Belgium; _unm._ His Adjutant wrote: “I knew him very well and looked upon him always as a man of unusual character, ability, and promise; his loss is a severe one for the Dorset Regt.”; and another officer wrote “He is a real loss to the regt. in every way. I am sure he had great prospects before him as he was an extraordinarily keen subaltern and very popular with both officers and men. He was always ready for any amount of work.” Two of his brothers are in the Army and one in the Navy.
=BUTCHER, HARRY STANLEY=, A.B., J. 3004, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=BUTCHER, WILLIAM=, Signalman, J. 6825, H.M.S. Liberty; killed in action in the Heligoland Bight, 28 Aug. 1914.
=BUTLER, CHARLES=, Seaman, R.N.R., 3442C, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=BUTLER, FREDERICK=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 1441), 198254, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=BUTLER, HARRY WILLIAM=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 1990), 199217, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=BUTLER, JOHN=, Sergt., R.M.L.I., Ch./8249, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=BUTLER, JOHN=, Private, No. 3545, 5th Battn. The Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regt. (T.F.), eldest _s._ of Henry Butler, of Sutton Scotney, near Winchester, Hants, by his wife, Abigail, 3rd dau. of John Stocker, of Hampshire; _b._ Crookham, co. Berks, 24 April, 1885; educ. West Clandon (Surrey) Council School; and had worked on Lord Rendel’s estate at East Clandon for nine years; enlisted 16 Nov. 1914, and died at the London South-Western Fever Hospital, Stockwell, 25 Feb. 1915, of measles and double pneumonia, contracted while on active service. He _m._ at Edmonton, London, 25 April, 1907, Ellen (2, Westfield Cottages, Great Bookham, Surrey), 3rd dau. of William Savage, of Bones Cottage, West Clandon, and had four children: William John, _b._ 17 May, 1910; Henry Louvain, _b._ 18 Dec. 1914; Edith Annie, _b._ 22 July, 1908; and Dora Irene, _b._ 1 Aug. 1912.
=BUTLER, JOHN=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4345), S.S. 101226, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=BUTLER, WALTER=, Stoker, 1st Class, 311362, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.
=BUTLER, WILLIAM LEWIS=, Private, No. 3187, 1/13th Battn. (Princess Louise’s Kensington) The London Regt. (T.F.), _s._ of William Butler, of Prior’s Lea, Barrow-in-Furness, Solicitor, by his wife, Bertha, dau. of John Lewis; _b._ Barrow-in-Furness, 1 Dec. 1892; educ. Lancing College; volunteered on the outbreak of war, and joined the Kensingtons in Sept. 1914; went to France, March, 1915, and was killed in action, 19 April, 1915. He was buried in La Croix Marechal Cemetery, Rue David, near Armentières.
=BUTTERWICK, ALEXANDER MIDDLETON=, Rifleman, No. 3636, 9th Battn. (Queen Victoria’s Rifles) The London Regt. (T.F.), yr. _s._ of the late Charles Matthias Butterwick, of Walthamstow, House and Estate Agent, by his wife, Mary Ann, dau. of R. Adnams, formerly of Reading; _b._ Walthamstow, co. Essex, 20 April, 1895. After his father’s death, when a child, he was taken and brought up by his uncle, A. M. Butterwick (Master Mariner, retired), who saw service in Burma, 1885–7, now of Broxton, Kew, Surrey; educ. Richmond (Surrey) County School and Gunnersbury High School, and on leaving there became an articled pupil in the firm of Breadmore and Webb, F.A.I., Auctioneers and Estate Agents, of Richmond. After the outbreak of war he volunteered and enlisted in Queen Victoria’s Rifles in Nov. 1914; went to France, March, 1915, and was killed in action in Flanders, 13 July, 1915; _unm._ Buried in 13th Infantry Brigade Cemetery, Voormeezelle. At the time of his death his name was down for a commission. He was a keen athlete, and held prizes for drill and swimming, also certificates for life saving and first-aid.
=BUTTON, JOHN SAMUEL=, Seaman, R.N.R., 1540D, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=BYATT, HARRY VIVIAN BYATT=, Capt., R.A.M.C., elder _s._ of Henry Byatt, author, late of 36, Warwick Gardens, Kensington; _b._ Kensington, 16 Dec. 1882; educ. Summer Fields, Summertown, Oxford, 1891; obtained an entrance scholarship at Charterhouse School, Godalming, 1896, and left there with the Charterhouse Science Exhibition, 1901, entering Clare College, Cambridge, with a Science Scholarship the same year. He left Cambridge with a second class in the Natural Science Tripos, and proceeded to the London Hospital, qualifying M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., 1907. He was gazetted Lieut. R.A.M.C. the same year, and appointed to Netley Hospital. From there he proceeded to Poona in 1909, was promoted Capt. 29 Jan. 1911, and after five years’ service in India, joined the Expeditionary Force in France in Oct., being attached to the 2nd Battn. Rifle Brigade. He attended to the trenches between Laventie and Estaires, and died 11 March, 1915, from wounds received at Neuve Chapelle while dressing the wound in the head of Machine Gun Sergt. Marriage. He was buried at Estaires. His Commanding Officer wrote: “Your son was hit while attending to a wounded man and I never saw him again. He was taken to the 25th Field Ambulance at Estaires and died there. He was shot by a rifle bullet in the chest.” While at Clare College he was first secretary and then captain of the Clare Rowing Club, and under his leadership Clare rowing improved so greatly that the well-known footer college was placed in the first division on the river for the first time for many years.
=BYE, FRANK EDWIN=, Private, R.M.L.I., Ch./17384, H.M.S. Hawke; lost in action in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914.
=BYHAM, EDWARD ARTHUR GEORGE=, Private, R.M.L.I. (Ports.), 12937, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=BYRNE, HERBERT HENRY=, Leading Seaman, 184370, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=BYRNE, JAMES=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 2235), 204649, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=BYRNE, THOMAS=, Private, No. 5334, 2nd Battn. Royal Dublin Fusiliers, _s._ of the late Thomas Byrne, Royal Irish Rifles, by his wife, Anne (Castledermot, co. Kildare), dau. of James Grace; _b._ Carlow, 14 Aug. 1895; educ. Castledermot; joined the Army in Aug. 1911, and was killed in action at Ypres, 13 Jan. 1915; _unm._
=CADGER, WILLIAM LAW=, Leading Stoker (R.F.R., B. 4793), 293766 (Ports.), H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=CADMAN, ISAIAH=, Private, No. 10213, 3rd Battn. Cheshire Regt., _s._ of the late Samuel Cadman, of Bilston, co. Staffs, Collier, by his wife, Ann (9, Taylor’s Buildings, Heywood, Lanes, Manchester), dau. of Joseph Reynolds; _b._ Awsworth, co. Notts. ...; educ. Bilston; enlisted 12 Aug. 1914; went to France, 18 Dec., and was killed in action at Neuve Chapelle, 13 March, 1915; _unm._
=CAESAR, AUGUSTUS BENJAMIN=, Private, No. 1896, 1st Battn. (Royal Fusiliers) The London Regt. (T.F.), yr. _s._ of the late Julius Cæsar, of 49, Chippenham Road, Elgin Avenue, W., formerly of Southampton, M.P.S., F.S.M.C., by his wife, Emma (49, Chippenham Road, Elgin Avenue, W.), dau. of James Baker; _b._ at 49, Chippenham Road aforesaid, 12 April, 1897; educ. at Vale College, Maida Vale, W., afterwards at the City of London Freeman’s School, where he obtained the bronze medal for rifle shooting at Bisley; he was an optician and microscopical demonstrator attached to the firm of H. F. Angus & Co., Wigmore Street, W.; joined the 1st City of London Regt., 17 Aug. 1914; trained at Croydon; left for Malta, 19 Sept. 1914; returned to England, Feb. 1915; went to France, 9 March, 1915, and was killed in action on Sunday, 9 May, 1915, at the Battle of Aubers Ridge.
=CAFFYN, HAROLD HUNT=, Capt., 1st Battn., North Staffordshire Regt., eldest _s._ of Stephen Mannington Caffyn, of 6, Cedar Gardens, S.W., M.D., by his wife, Kathleen, Novelist (Iota) (Lacey Green, Princes Risborough), dau. of William de Vere Hunt, of Waterloo House, co. Tipperary; _b._ at Mount Sandria, South Australia, 10 Feb. 1882; educ. Rugby and Sandhurst; gazetted second Lieut., unattached, 8 Jan. 1901; posted to the 2nd North Staffordshires 9 March following and promoted Lieut., 16 Feb. 1904; served in the South African War (Queen’s medal with 2 clasps) 1901–2, and afterwards in India and retired in 1912. Subsequently he was for eighteen months Private Secretary to Sir Wilfred Collett, Governor of British Honduras, but after the outbreak of war volunteered and was gazetted Capt., 14 Nov. 1914. He rejoined his old regiment in Jan., went to France, 7 Jan., 1915, and was killed in action in front of the trenches near Armentières, 21 March, 1915, while reconnoitring; _unm._
=CAHILL, HENRY THOMAS=, Chief Stoker (R.F.R., A. 1709), 152629, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; _m._