Part 70

=FERGUSON, WILLIAM=, Private, No. 1799, 10th (Service) Battn. Highland Light Infantry, eldest _s._ of the late Archibald Ferguson, Electric Crane Driver, by his wife, Helen (106, Green Street, Calton, Glasgow), dau. of the late William Thompson; _b._ Calton, 26 Nov. 1894; educ. Campbellfield Public School, Glasgow; was employed as machine man with Singers, Clydebank; enlisted 15 Dec. 1914; went to France in May, 1915; volunteered as a bomb thrower, and was killed at the Battle of Loos, 25 Sept. 1915, when in advance with a bombing party; _unm._ He is believed to have been buried at Cambrin.

=FERGUSSON, JAMES ADAM HAMILTON=, 2nd Lieut., 2nd Battn. Highland L.I., 4th _s._ of Sir James Ranken Fergusson, of Spitalhaugh, co. Peebles, 2nd Bt., J.P., by his wife, Alice Fanny, dau. of the late John Price Simpson; _b._ London, 22 March, 1892; educ. Ardvreck, Crieff, Winchester College, and Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd Lieut. Highland L.I., 14 Feb. 1912, was promoted Lieut. June or July, 1914, went to France with his regt., Aug. 1914, and was killed at the Battle of the Aisne, 20 Sept. 1914, being shot through the forehead after rising from assisting a wounded man; _unm._ He was a good golfer, a keen sportsman, and a most dutiful son.

=FERGUSSON, ROBERT FRANK=, Lieut., 1/5th Battn. Royal Scots Fusiliers (T.F.), elder _s._ of David Fergusson, of 7, Park Terrace, Ayr, Scotland, Bachelor of Laws, Solicitor, by his wife, Mary K., dau. of the late Andrew Galloway, of Ayr; _b._ Ayr, 6 April, 1893; educ. Ayr Academy, and Glasgow University; served his apprenticeship with his father, and afterwards completed it in the office of Messrs. Russell & Duncan, Solicitors, 105, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, with whom he was when the war broke out. During the two years he was in Glasgow he completed his law course for the B.L. degree and had passed three of his examinations. He received his commission, 1 Sept. 1914; was promoted Lieut. on the 30th of that month; left with his regt. for the Dardanelles on 20 May, 1915, and was killed in action there, 12 July, 1915; _unm._ Lieut.-Col. J. B. Pollok M’Call, Commanding the 5th Battn., wrote: “Whilst leading his men about 4 p.m. on 12th July he was struck in the heart. He was immediately carried down and at once attended to by our doctor. The doctor told me he was afraid he had no chance, as he feared a large blood-vessel was severed. Your son was sent on to try and get him to hospital, but he died on the way down, three hours after he was hit. He was partly conscious, but I do not think he suffered. He had been in the thick of the fight since early morning, and had done splendidly. I feel his loss to the 1/5th greatly. We buried him next day, and put a cross on his grave.” Capt. Cook also wrote: “He was killed on the 12th inst., in an action lasting from the 11th to the 15th. He did his part right nobly, leading his men across an open space of 200 yards amidst shell, rifle, and machine-gun fire. He reached his objective with few losses owing to his vigour and determination and the inspiring example he set his men. But unfortunately while busy with the work of reversing and consolidating the captured trench, he was struck down with shrapnel which at this stage was continuous. All was done that could be to make him comfortable and when night began to fall we had him taken back over the open to a dressing station where he received skilled aid, but he died the same evening. He was a gallant officer and a fine comrade and his loss is greatly deplored by all ranks.”

=FERNS, HAROLD JOHNSON=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 3516), 196242, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=FERRAND, HERBERT HAROLD=, Coy. Sergt.-Major, No. 6, 4th Battn. East Yorkshire Regt. (T.F.), only _s._ of Thomas Watson Ferrand, of 6, West View, Grove Street, Beverley Road, Hull, Plumber, by his wife, Sarah Nicholls, dau. of the late John Fayers, of Hull; _b._ Hull, co. York, 15 May, 1876; educ. St Paul’s School, Hull, and on leaving there entered the employ of the Yorkshire Fire and Life Insurance Co., Lowgate, in which he held a responsible post at the time of his death. He joined the 1st V.B. East Yorkshire Regt. April, 1894; volunteered for service in South Africa, 8 March, 1900, and served there for one year and 92 days, receiving the Queen’s medal with four clasps, and after his return was for a long time Signal Instructor (Aldershot certificate, 31 Aug. 1903). On the outbreak of the European War, his regiment were at Camp at Deganway, they were ordered home, and went straight into training at Darlington and later at Newcastle, and from there went to the Front, 18 April, 1915. He came safely through the night attack at Ypres, on Saturday the 25th, and was killed by shrapnel on Sunday, 26 April, 1915; _unm._ He had the King’s T.F. medal for efficiency.

=FERRIS, CORNELIUS PERCY SPARLING=, Petty Officer, Tel. 178611, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=MOCKLER-FERRYMAN, HUGH=, Lieut., 2nd Battn. Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire L.I., elder _s._ of Lieut.-Col. Augustus Ferryman Mockler-Ferryman, of St. John’s House, Tavistock, Devon, late Oxfordshire L.I., by his wife, Evelyn, dau. of the late Sir Charles Whitehead; _b._ Maidstone, co. Kent, 3 May, 1892; educ. St. Neots, Eversley, Wellington College, and Sandhurst; received his commission as 2nd Lieut., 20 Sept. 1911, and was promoted Lieut., 27 April, 1914; went to France with his regt., on the outbreak of war; took part in the retreat from Mons, the Battles of the Marne and the Aisne, and was killed in action near La Soupir, 16 Sept. 1914, by a shell which burst in the middle of his company, killing and wounding several officers and men. He and two of his brother officers were buried that night in the churchyard of La Soupir; _unm._ A senior officer wrote: “The whole regt. mourns the loss of one of its best and most popular officers. You would be proud if you could hear the way in which the N.C.O.’s and men speak of him”; while a Corpl. in his company described him in a letter home as “a thorough sportsman, liked by everyone, and loved by his company.” Lieut. Mockler-Ferryman, who was a good cricketer and an excellent bowler, played for Berkshire County, Wellington College, and the Aldershot Command. In Switzerland, where he spent his winter leave, he came rapidly to the front as a curler, and in his last season as the youngest “skip” he contributed largely to Villars victories. He was a good shot and a keen fisherman.

=FESTER, WILLIAM ERNEST=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 7345), 224906, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=FETHERSTONE, ROSS LEA=, Private, No. 108219, 3rd Canadian Mounted Rifles, _s._ of Walter Fetherstone; _b._ North Bay, Ontario, Canada, 25 Nov. 1890; educ. Calgary, Alberta; joined the C.E.F. March, 1915, and died at Etaples, 30 Nov. 1915, of pneumonia, contracted while on active service. He _m._ at Akotoks, Alberta, 18 March, 1911, Kathleen (2060, Hamilton Street, Regina, Sask.), dau. of (--) Tabor, and had two children: Ernest Joseph, _b._ 18 Dec. 1913; and Sylvia Ethel, _b._ 3 Dec. 1911.

=FFIELD, BERNARD OSBORNE=, Flight Sub-Lieut., R.N., eldest _s._ of Bernard Ffield, of the Old Bank House, Coleshill, Warwickshire, Manufacturer, by his wife, Beatrice, elder dau. of the late William Hays, of Nevern Square, S.W., and Kilcraggan, co. Kilkenny; _b._ London, 17 Aug. 1894; educ. Wimbledon College; gazetted Sub-Lieut. R.N.A.S., 9 Sept. 1914, and received his brevet from the Royal Aero Club on 10 Dec. following. On 24 Dec. 1914 he was coming down from a height of about 2,000 ft. after a good flight, at the Royal Naval Air Station, Hendon, when, at about 200 ft. from the ground, the machine was seen to take a sudden vertical dive to earth, and was so smashed that it was impossible to ascertain what had gone wrong. He died the same evening, Christmas Eve, after receiving the last rites of his Church; _unm._ A senior brother officer wrote of him: “He was quite the best of all the others who had gained their certificates some three weeks before him. I watched most of his flights as I had to look after the flying. He was one of the neatest men I have seen; he was so beautifully gentle with his hands, and that is one of the secrets of a good pilot.”

=FFITCH, HARRY HERBERT=, Lieut., 1st Canterbury Regt., New Zealand Expeditionary Force, _s._ of Henry Ffitch, of 34, Glandovey Road, Fendaton, New Zealand, Farmer, by his wife, Florence, dau. of George Dunnage; _b._ Springfield, New Zealand, 28 July, 1888; educ. High School, Christchurch; was a Lieut. in the New Zealand Territorial Force; passed his examination for Capt. 6 Oct. 1913, and on the outbreak of war volunteered for foreign service, and was gazetted Lieut. 14 Sept. 1914. He was killed in action at the landing at Gabe Tepe, 26 April, 1915. Sergt.-Major F. G. Hall-Jones, in describing the action in which Lieut. Ffitch met his death, wrote: “You will have read how we landed in the morning of 25 April, and advancing over a shrapnel-swept hill, were split up into small groups of tens and twenties. I took a small party to where reinforcements appeared to be urgently needed, and this locality appeared to be the apex of the triangle (based on the beach) which formed our front. It was, I think, a little to the right of what subsequently became Quinn’s Post, and I understand that the exact position subsequently became a ‘no man’s land,’ untenable by either friend or foe. The fire all the afternoon was very hot, the Turks having been reinforced, and the Australian officer (Capt. Leer) withdrew us from the scrub-covered open to the crest a few yards back, and met his death in so doing. At dusk, the fire ceasing somewhat, we again advanced, brought in the wounded, and endeavoured to keep the Turks from advancing up the other side of the hill; but eventually they outflanked us, and we again sought the crest and dug in. It was then that I first saw your son, although he was probably there all the afternoon, and gave him a message that our Major Dawson (3rd Auckland Coy.) wished to confer with him. The plans hastily improvised by these two undoubtedly saved the situation, and incidentally prevented the Turks from piercing our lines and firing down the big gully (Shrapnel Gully) behind us. The tactics adopted were: Dig in, send forward occasional scouts and organise small flanking parties. You will understand that our small party, consisting of 50 to 80 men, drawn from various Australian and New Zealand battns., was quite ‘in the air’ at the apex of the triangle, and the Turks were able to fire at us from three directions. Your son organised a party on our right flank in such a way that they not only prevented the enemy from troubling us from that quarter, but also enfiladed a body of Turks attacking our men 500 yards away. Let the facts speak their own tribute. The Turks advanced to the crest--they must have been at least 300 strong--and dug in only 20 yards away. Their jabbering was consistent throughout the night; they even talked to isolated units of our men, said they were Indians, and passed us false words of command. We fired rapidly the whole night through, and deceiving them as to our numbers prevented them from charging. I cannot even now remember with equanimity our condition--exhausted, cold, and over-strained--desirous only of hurling ourselves at the enemy and ending the tension one way or another. Mr. Dawson and Mr. Ffitch passed along frequently during the night with words of advice, encouragement and restraint, and I realised later their good sense in preventing us from charging. Had we gone forward we should have been wiped out. At dawn the Turks sent small parties creeping forward in the scrub, and we continually jumped up and took a pot shot at them. In this your son excelled, and the word was occasionally whispered near me, ‘Ffitch has got another one.’ I understand that he accounted for six that morning. Then, after another shot, he ejaculated, ‘Missed him,’ re-loaded, and jumped up to fire again. But the enemy was waiting, and even as he took aim a bullet cut through the belt of his wrist-watch, entered his cheek and killed him instantaneously. But his example and the spirit he had inspired in us did not pass with him, and by adopting his tactics we succeeded in beating back wave after wave of the enemy during that exhausting morning until a large party of Australians relieved us.”

=FIDDES, JAMES WILLIAM DICK=, Private, No. 8/783, 10th North Otago Coy. Otago Infantry Battn. New Zealand Expeditionary Force, 2nd _s._ of J. Fiddes, of Duntroon, Otago, New Zealand, by his wife, Margaret; volunteered for Imperial Service on the outbreak of war; left for Egypt in Oct.; took part in the landing at the Dardanelles, 25 April, 1915, and died of wounds received in action there, 8 May, following; _unm._

=FIELD, EDWARD WILLIAM=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4765), 293724, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=FIELD, FRANCIS HENRY=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 1629), 198808, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=FIELD, STEPHEN=, Capt., Royal Army Medical Corps, only surviving _s._ of the late George Purdey Field, M.R.C.S., Aural Surgeon to St. Mary’s Hospital, London, and for 15 years Dean of the Medical School, by his wife, Pauline (By-the-Brook, Mortimer West End), dau. of Robert Faulder White; _b._ London, W., 16 April, 1880; educ. Mr. Hall’s School, Potters Bar, co. Herts; Framlingham, and Harrow, and St. Mary’s Medical School; gazetted Lieut. R.A.M.C., 28 Jan. 1907, and was promoted Capt. 28 July, 1910; served in Jamaica, Somaliland (medal), and with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders; was taken prisoner during the retreat from Mons, and died at the Prisoners’ Camp, Wittenberg, Saxony, 10 April, 1915, from typhus fever, contracted while tending soldiers ill of the disease. He _m._ in London, Margaret, dau. of (--) Price, and had a son and a dau.: Stephen, _b._ 15 Aug. 1906; and Stephanie Margaret, _b._ 15 Aug. 1904.

=FIELDER, ALBERT EDWARD=, Leading Stoker, Coastguard, 299691 (Po.), H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=FIELDER, GEORGE WILLIAM=, Private, No. 2197, 1/5th Battn. King’s Own Yorkshire L.I. (T.F.), eldest _s._ of George William Fielder, now serving as Mate in the Navy on H.M. Patrol Ships; _b._ Goole, co. York, 15 April, 1895; educ. Alexander Street Council School there; enlisted March, 1914; went to France, and was killed in action in Flanders, 9 July, 1915. Buried in Poperinghe; _unm._ His comrade spoke of him as “the Little man with the Big heart.”

=FILLEUL, LEONARD AMAURI=, B.A. Oxon., 2nd Lieut., 3rd Battn. Somerset L.I., attd. to the Oxford and Bucks L.I., 2nd _s._ of the Rev. Philip William Girdlestone Filleul, Rector of Alfold, Billingshurst, Sussex, late Rector of Devizes, by his wife, Elizabeth, dau. of (--) Rodway and niece of Rowland Rodway, Adcroft, Trowbridge; _b._ Bath, 6 Feb. 1888, and was educ. Cleveland House, Weymouth; Trent College, Derbyshire; and Lincoln College, Oxford. He was in the University O.T.C., and rowed four years in his College Eight, and the last year in the winning trial Eight, and on leaving Oxford in 1911, became a master at Monkton Combe School, Bath. The same year he became attached to the 3rd Battn. Somerset L.I. as supplementary officer, and on the outbreak of war volunteered for foreign service, and after a short period of training with the Somerset Special Reserve Battn., Plymouth, was sent to the Front, 25 Sept., with a draft of the Oxford and Bucks. L.I. He was killed in action near St. Julien during the first Battle of Ypres, 21 Oct. 1914, and was buried midway between St. Julien and Poelcappelle, on the Ypres-St. Jean-Poelcappelle Road; _unm._ The Colonel of his own regt. wrote: “It was a great disappointment to learn on my arrival here that Filleul had been appointed to another regt., and was not coming out to join us at the Front, for he was a most capable officer, and very popular with his brother officers.” The former Colonel of his battn. wrote: “Filleul was my subaltern in two separate years, and of all the young fellows who were attached to the battn. he was far and away the best soldier. And not only the best soldier but one of the pleasantest and most delightful companions I have ever met. Always willing, keen and cheery, I loved having him with me, and I placed more reliance upon his judgment and ability than on many a more experienced man”; and the editor of the “Oxford Magazine” wrote: “He was one of the very best of his time, an inspiring leader, devoted to the College, and enthusiastically beloved.” At Trent College he won the Gold Medal of the National Service League for military proficiency, and at the same time received a book prize from Earl Roberts.

=FINCH, EDWARD TERENCE DOYNE=, Torpedo Lieut., Royal Navy, elder _s._ of Arthur Edward Finch, by his wife, Charlotte, dau. of the Rev. Philip Walter Doyne; _b._ Madras, India, 6 Nov. 1887; educ. Connaught House, Weymouth, and H.M.S. Britannia (1902–3); entered the Navy as a cadet, 15 Sept. 1903; became Midshipman, 15 Oct. following; Sub-Lieut., 15 Dec. 1906; Lieut., 15 June, 1908, and served in H.M. ships Hannibal, Prince George, Cornwall and Suffolk. He then commanded in turn H.M.T.B. 85 and H.M.T.B. 078, and afterwards H.M.T.B.D. Dasher and H.M.T.B.D. Brazen. He left this last destroyer in order to qualify as a Torpedo Lieut. in H.M.S. Vernon, and on obtaining this qualification he was appointed to the Bulwark, 13 Aug 1913, and was killed when that ship was blown up off Sheerness, 26 Nov. 1914; _unm._

=FINCH, LEONARD EDWARD=, Quarter-master-Sergt., No. 3793, 9th Lancers, _s._ of the late Alfred John Finch, of Brockley, Kent; _b._ St. John’s, co. Kent, 27 June, 1874; educ. there; enlisted 2 March, 1895; served through the South African War, 1899–1902 (Queen’s medal with five clasps and King’s medal), and with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders, Aug.-Sept. 1914, and died at the Military Hospital, Colchester, 17 Oct. 1914, of wounds received in action in France, 29 Sept. 1914. He _m._ at St. Thomas’ Cathedral, Bombay, 1 Oct. 1904, his cousin Ethel (3, Norham Villas, Hillingdon Heath, near Uxbridge, Middlesex), dau. of James Finch, of Greenwich, and had two sons and a dau.: Kenneth Leonard, _b._ 12 April, 1908; Edwin George, _b._ 3 Aug. 1909; and Eileen Margaret, _b._ 15 April, 1906. Quartermaster-Sergt. Finch had the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.

=FINCH, SYDNEY GEORGE=, Stoker P.O. (R.F.R., B. 4716), 280524, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=FINDLAY, GEORGE HALLIDAY=, W.T. Operator, 2nd Class, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=FINDLAY, NEIL DOUGLAS=, C.B., Brig.-Gen., Commanding Royal Artillery, 1st Division, Expeditionary Force, 2nd _s._ of Thomas Dunlop Findlay, of Easterhill, co. Lanark; _b._ Easterhill, co. Lanark, 7 May, 1859; entered Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, 19 Jan. 1877; gazetted Lieut., 18 Dec. 1878, and promoted Capt., 28 April, 1887; Major, 21 Dec. 1896; Brevet Lieut.-Col., 29 Nov. 1900; Lieut.-Col., 1 Sept. 1904; Brevet Col., 15 Oct. 1905; Col., 2 March, 1908; and Temp. Brig.-Gen., 14 July, 1910; and was Adjutant R.A., 1 March, 1894, to 14 Jan. 1896. He served with the Hazara Expedition in 1888, being mentioned in the despatches, and receiving the Medal and Clasp; and in the South African War, 1899–1900. He took part in the operations in Natal in Dec. 1899; the relief of Ladysmith; operations in Natal, March-June, 1900; and in the Transvaal, East of Pretoria, July to Nov. 1900. For his services in this campaign he was twice mentioned in despatches [London Gazette, 8 Feb. and 22 Feb. 1901], and twice by General Sir R. H. Buller (30 March and 9 Nov. 1900), and received the brevet of Lieut.-Col. and the Queen’s medal with six clasps. On his return from the Cape he was immediately (5 March, 1901) appointed Brigade Major, Royal Artillery, Aldershot, 1st Army Corps, which post he held till 14 April, 1904. He was A.A.G. at the War Office, 2 March, 1908 to 1910, and on 14 July, 1910, was appointed to the command of R.A. 1st Div. Aldershot Command, consisting of the 25th, 26th, 39th and 43rd Field Artillery Brigades. Brig.-Gen. Findlay took the Royal Artillery (1st Division) to France with the Expeditionary Force, 15 Aug. 1914, and was killed in action, near Courchamp, 10 Sept. 1914, while directing the fire of the batteries. He was made a C.B. in 1905. He _m._ at St. Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge, 17 Feb. 1892, Alma (Alphington, Frimley, Surrey), dau. of Thomas Lloyd, of Minard, co. Argyle, and had two daus.: Anne, _b._ 18 Dec. 1892; and Constance, _b._ 3 Dec. 1894.

=FINES, GEORGE WILLIAM=, Private, No. 47995, 15th Battn. (48th Highlanders), Canadian Expeditionary Force, _s._ of Charles Fines, of Spaldington Howden, by his wife, Jane, dau. of the late George Danby Cottingham; _b._ Blacktoft, near Howden, co. York, 16 July, 1889; educ. Little Weighton Church of England School; emigrated to Canada along with a brother in 1911, and was engaged on farm work. On the outbreak of war he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and was wounded in the trenches in France while on night duty, and died while being conveyed to the hospital, 23 Nov. 1915; _unm._ He was the first Spaldington man to fall.

=FINK, GORDON=, Private, No. 674, A Coy., 16th Battn. 4th Brigade, Australian Imperial Force, _s._ of Hon. Theodore Fink, of Melbourne, Barrister and Solicitor, ex-Minister of the Crown, Member of the University Council, etc., by his wife, Kate, dau. of the late George Isaacs; _b._ Broceliande, South Yarra, Melbourne, 21 Nov. 1884; educ. Ormond College, Melbourne University; Bachelor of Laws, 1907; admitted a Barrister, Victoria, 1908; served in the Australian Field Artillery, 1907–9, being promoted 2nd Lieut. in the later year; went to the Malay States in 1910, but returned in 1911 and settled in Western Australia; called to the Bar there 1913. On the outbreak of war he enlisted at Perth, left for Egypt with the second Expeditionary Force, and was killed in action near Gaba Tepe, Gallipoli, while gallantly carrying ammunition to the firing line, 2 May, 1915; _unm._ A comrade (Private Harry W. Leake) wrote: “On the evening of 2 May our battn. made an advance forward to take up a new position, and Gordon, who was Major Mansbridge’s observer, left the Major to assist the ammunition carriers get the boxes of ammunition up to our new trenches. There was one place where they had to go through a perfect hail of bullets, and Gordon was the only one who would face it. He got across safely with two or three boxes, and was then unfortunately shot through the head. Death was evidently instantaneous.” Major Mansbridge, in a letter to the “Perth Daily News,” said: “Gordon Fink, who was my observer and always at my side, asked if he could give a hand carrying ammunition up the side of a hill we call ‘Bloody Angle.’ I reluctantly gave permission, and that was the last I saw of him. His body was found 14 days later shot through the head.”