Westminster Rifles) The London Regt. (T.F.), eldest _s._ of
James Henry Townsend-Green, of 5, Addison Road, Kensington, and
Chesham, Bucks, P.P.A.I., F.S.I., by his wife, Cornelia Augusta,
dau. of the late Samuel W. Russell; _b._ Kensington, 31 Jan.
1890; educ. Uppingham, and was by profession a Surveyor. He obtained
a commission as 2nd Lieut. in the Queen’s Westminster Rifles, from
the Uppingham O.T.C., 30 Jan. 1908, and became Lieut., 1 Nov. 1910,
and Capt., 26 Sept. 1914. In 1910 he secured a place in the King’s
Hundred at Bisley, and passed the Hythe School of Musketry in 1912,
with distinction in the Maxim Gun Course. On the outbreak of war he
volunteered for Imperial service; left for France, 1 Nov. 1914, and
was killed in action near Armentières, 3 March, 1915, only a few days
after returning from a week’s leave in London. Buried at Armentières;
_unm._ The Adjutant of his Battn. wrote: “He was one of those
people who inspire confidence, and I have always felt that if we were
asked to send out any party of men under an officer needing more than
ordinary intelligence, decision, and coolness, I should unhesitatingly
have chosen him; he has ever since he came out here been the man one
felt one could rely on in any emergency”; and his Commanding Officer
wrote: “He was always one of our very best, keenest, and most capable
officers, his work and his mark will remain in the Regt. which he loved
so well, and which loved him so well and in which his memory will
always be so affectionately cherished.”
=GREENAWAY, SIDNEY=, Private, R.M.L.I., Ch./13484, H.M.S.
Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off
the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.
=GREENER, WILLIAM ERNEST=, A.B., 234657, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in
action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=GREENHALGH, EDWARD=, E.R.A., 1st Class, 269845, H.M.S. Cressy;
lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=GREENHAM, ERNEST ALBERT=, Leading Seaman (R.F.R., B. 8820),
209091, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North
Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; _m._
=GREENLAND, FREDERICK JOHN=, A.B., 197040, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in
action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=GREENSTREET, ROBERT SMITH=, Private, No. 2535, 3/4th Battn.
Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regt., _s._ of the late Richard Reynolds
Greenstreet, of Lydd, Kent, Fisherman, by his wife, Mary Ann, dau. of
(--) Smith; _b._ Hythe, 8 June, 1880; educ. Lydd; was a Fisherman;
enlisted 23 Sept. 1914, and died in No. 2 Division War Hospital,
Selhurst, 5 Oct. 1915, of illness contracted while training. He
_m._ at Beckenham, 16 Oct. 1904, Beatrice Annie (109, Ecclesbourne
Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey), dau. of Charles Albert, and had three
children: Beatrice Elizabeth, _b._ 1 Sept. 1905; Florence Edith,
_b._ 12 June, 1909; and Emily Winifred, _b._ 6 June, 1914.
[Illustration: =Robert S. Greenstreet.=]
=GREENWOOD, ALFRED EDWARD=, Stoker, 2nd Class, S.S. 115507, H.M.S.
Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov.
1914.
=GREENWOOD, GEORGE JESSE FRANCIS=, Sergt., No. 89, 4th Battn.
Suffolk Regt. (T.F.), eldest _s._ of George Joseph Greenwood,
Foreman at Messrs. Brackett & Co., Engineers, Colchester, by his
wife, Emma Ann, dau. of John James Butler, of Chelmsford; _b._
Colchester, 7 Sept. 1883; educ. Colchester Bluecoat School; and for
many years up to Aug. 1914, held a position of trust with Brown & Co.,
Timber Merchants, Ipswich. He joined the 1st Vol. Battn. Suffolk Regt.
(which in 1907 became the 4th Territorial Battn. of the Suffolks)
6 Feb. 1900, and reached the rank of Sergt. On the outbreak of war
volunteered for foreign service, and went to France 6 Nov. 1914; was
home on a few days’ leave in April, returning to the Front on the
6th, and was killed in action near Neuve Chapelle, three days later,
9 April, 1915. Lieut. Pretty wrote: “At the time he met his death he
was just turning away from examining the enemy’s position through his
glasses, and was necessarily exposing himself to some risk. He was
doing his duty cheerfully and bravely.... His body rests in a military
graveyard [at Rouge Croix] about half a mile behind the firing line.”
Sergt. Greenwood was a well-known member of the Felixstowe Rifle Club,
and a prize winner at the county meeting, and had the Volunteer Long
Service Medal. He _m._ at St. Botolph’s Church, Colchester, 2
Sept. 1907, Nellie May (53, Newton Road, Ipswich), eldest dau. of
George Woods, of Colchester, and had two children: George Charles,
_b._ 24 June, 1908; and Millicent Alice, _b._ 11 April, 1912.
[Illustration: =George J. F. Greenwood.=]
=GREENWOOD, JAMES=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4866), S.S.
104269, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of
Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=GREENWOOD, JOHN FRANCIS BERNAL=, Lieut., 1st Battn. King’s Own
(Royal Lancaster) Regt., eldest _s._ of Lieut.-Colonel Joseph
Greenwood, R.E., by his wife, Clara, dau. of John Bernal, of Albert
Lodge, Limerick; _b._ Limerick, 22 March, 1885; educ. Military
College, Plymouth; joined the Army, 13 July, 1903, and was given a
commission 18 Jan. 1908, and promoted Lieut. 21 May, 1911. He served
in India, 1908 till Nov. 1912, and while there obtained Cavalry Higher
Equitation (with Royal Dragoons, Lucknow, 1 Oct. 1909), Mounted
Infantry (Umballa 1911–12), and Supply and Transport (Rawal Pindi)
Certificates, and commanded a section in the Mounted Infantry School,
Umballa. He passed Higher Standard examinations in Hindustani (24
April, 1911), and Pushtu and Lower Standard Persian (13 July, 1911),
and held a certificate as an interpreter in French (gained June, 1914).
In Jan. 1913, he was seconded for two years’ service with the Army Pay
Department, but rejoined his Regt. in Jan. 1915, being attached to the
3rd Battn. from which he was drafted to the 1st Battn. at the Front
in April. He was killed in action at St. Julien, during the Second
Battle of Ypres, Sunday, 2 May, 1915, and was buried by the Germans
about 2 miles N.E. of Ypres. Major Wilson wrote: “On 2 May, at about
3 p.m., the enemy used gas, and under cover of the gas they advanced
(about 700 strong) against a position (a farmhouse) held by 10 men of
C Coy. 1st Battn. Lieut. Greenwood, a Corpl. and three men, all of C
Coy., rushed to the farmhouse (about 200 yards) to assist the 10 men
holding the farm. The enemy continued their advance under rifle and
machine gun fire to within 300 yards of our position and placed their
maxim guns behind a hedge. During the attack Lieut. Greenwood, using
his revolver, and the men with rifles, accounted for a good number of
the enemy. Lieut. Greenwood, after using all his revolver ammunition,
took up a rifle and fired a few rounds, when he was shot in the head
by enemies’ maxim gun. His death was instantaneous. The enemy having
partly surrounded our small party, we were eventually ordered to retire
as it was impossible for so few men to hold the position any longer.
His body was unavoidably left behind together with about 10 men. He
showed great gallantry during the fighting.” He _m._ at the R.C.
Garrison Church, Lucknow, India, 20 July, 1910, Frances Mary Georgina,
eldest dau. of the late James Watson Anderson, of Saltburn-by-Sea,
York, and of Bacon’s Crescent, Exeter, Devon, and had one child, Henry
Vincent Bernal, _b._ 16 Aug. 1911.
[Illustration: =John F. B. Greenwood.=]
=GREENWOOD, LEWIS LEONARD=, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 8929), S.S. 2077,
H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=GREENWOOD, ROBERT=, L.-Corpl., No. 6222, A Coy. 1st Battn. 1st
Brigade, Canadian Expeditionary Force, eldest _s._ of the late
Robert Greenwood, of Camberwell, by his wife, Rosetta, dau. of (--)
Burley, and gdson. of Edwin Greenwood, of 244, Haydons Road, Wimbledon,
S.W.; _b._ Leytonstone, Essex, 25 Jan. 1895; educ. John Ruskin
Council School, Camberwell; went to Canada in Feb. 1914, and settled at
Thamesford, Ontario, as a Farmer’s help; volunteered on the outbreak
of war and joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Aug. 1914; came
over with the first contingent in Dec. 1914; trained at Bustard Camp,
Salisbury; went to France, Feb. 1915, and was killed in action at,
or near, Givenchy, 15 June, 1915, being blown to pieces by a shell;
_unm._
[Illustration: =Robert Greenwood.=]
=GREER, WILLIAM=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 7916), S.S.
103607, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North
Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; _m._
=GREGORY, BERT WALTER=, A.B., J. 699, H.M.S. Laurel; killed in
action in the Heligoland Bight, 28 Aug. 1914.
=GREGORY, CHARLES ARTHUR=, Private, No. 20023, C Coy., 11th
Battn. (Pioneers) King’s Liverpool Regt., 2nd _s._ of Tom Jackson
Gregory, of London, Master Mariner, by his wife, Helena; _b._
Liverpool, 18 Aug. 1893; educ. Our Lady of Mount Carmel School there;
enlisted 17 Sept. 1914, and on the night of 21 June, 1915, while in
the trenches, off the Menin Road, one and a-half miles from Ypres, was
shot through the head by a sniper. He was taken to Bailleul Casualty
Clearing Station, where he died the following day, and was buried in
the military annex to Bailleul Cemetery (Grave No. 1420). He _m._
at Liverpool, 29 Dec. 1914, Catherine, dau. of Thomas Standish, of
Liverpool.
[Illustration: =Charles Arthur Gregory.=]
=GREGORY, ERNEST=, Leading Seaman, 209700, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost
in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=GREGORY, JAMES WILLIAM=, A.B. (R.F.R.), B. 3896), 185803, H.M.S.
Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 1914;
_m._
=GREGORY, NATHANIEL=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 12747 (Ports.), H.M.S.
Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=GREGORY, THOMAS=, Officer’s Cook, 2nd Class, L. 3030 (Ports.),
H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20
miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.
=GREGSON, DAVID WALKER=, Private, No. 6221, 1st Battn. 1st
Brigade, Canadian Expeditionary Force, _s._ of John Gregson, of
Fergus, Ontario, Canada; _b._ West Garafraxa, Wellington Co., P.
Ontario, 10 June, 1898; educ. Fergus, Ontario; enlisted 16 Aug. 1914,
and was killed in action at Ypres between 22–30 April, 1915. He was
buried beside a house in a small garden seven miles S.E. of Ypres.
=GREIG, JOHN WILLIAM HENRY=, 2nd Lieut., attd. 25th Punjab
Cavalry, Frontier Force, 5th _s._ of Hunter Hepburn Greig, of 71,
Heathfield Road, Wandsworth Common, S.W., formerly of Perth, by his
wife, Phœbe Jane, dau. of Alexander Elliot, of Kelso; _b._ Perth,
6 May, 1886; educ. Perth Academy and Denstone College, Stafford, and
was a member of the staff of the Chartered Bank of India. He had joined
the Indian Army Reserve of Officers, and after the outbreak of the war
was attached (Feb. 1915) to the 25th Punjab Cavalry at Calcutta. He
was killed in action at Tochi Valley, near Miranshah, North Western
India, 26 March, 1915, while fighting against the Zadrai Tribes, and
was buried at Miranshah; _unm._ His 6th brother, the Rev. George
Anthony Greig, Chaplain to H.M.S. Russell, died at Malta Royal Naval
Hospital, 28 April, 1916, from gas poisoning, caused by the Russell
striking a mine the previous day.
[Illustration: =John W. H. Greig.=]
=GREIG, STEWART=, L.-Corpl., Ch./15295, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in
action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=GRENFELL, FRANCIS OCTAVIUS, V.C.=, Capt., 9th Lancers, 8th
_s._ of the late Pascoe Du Pre Grenfell, of Wilton Park,
Beaconsfield, by his wife, Sophia, dau. of Vice-Admiral John Pascoe
Grenfell, Brazilian I.N., and nephew of Francis Wallace, 1st Baron
Grenfell, P.C., G.C.B.; G.C.M.G., Field-Marshal; _b._ Hatchlands,
Guildford, 4 Sept. 1880; educ. Eton (Mr. Durnford’s House, 1894–99);
received a commission in the 3rd (Militia) Battn. Seaforth Highlanders,
13 Dec. 1899; gazetted 2nd Lieut. King’s Royal Rifle Corps, 4 May,
1901, and Lieut. 28 Jan. 1905; transferred to 9th Lancers 6 May, 1905;
promoted Capt. 7 Sept. 1912; was Adjutant 1 Nov. 1912 to 13 Jan. 1914;
served (1) in the South African War, 1901–2; took part in operations in
Cape Colony and Transvaal, 1901, and in those in Orange River Colony,
Jan. to 31 May, 1902 (Queen’s medal with five clasps); and (2) with
the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders; was twice mentioned
in Despatches [London Gazette, 20 Oct. and 16 Nov. 1914] by F.M. Sir
John French, and was killed in action, after being twice wounded at
Hooge, 24 May, 1915; _unm._ He was awarded the Victoria Cross “For
gallantry in action against unbroken infantry at Audregnies, Belgium,
on 24 Aug. 1914, and for gallant conduct in assisting to save the guns
of the 119th Battery, R.F.A., near Doubon, the same day,” being the
first officer to receive it in the European War. At Eton he was in the
Cricket XI in 1899, and Master of the Beagles. Like his brother, Capt.
R. N. Grenfell, he was one of the finest polo players of his day. He
did much for modern polo with his brother, was in the Champion side
several times, and was instrumental in forming the Old Etonians Polo
Team, which at one time was nominated as the Polo Cup Challenger. One
of the best known men in the army, he enjoyed a popularity that few men
achieve.
[Illustration: =Francis Octavius Grenfell.=]
=GRENFELL, HON. GERALD WILLIAM=, Lieut., 8th (Service) Battn.
The Rifle Brigade, 2nd (and at the time of his death elder surviving)
_s._ of William Henry, 1st Baron Desborough, K.C.V.O., by his
wife, Ethel Anne Priscilla, Lady of the Bedchamber to H.M. the Queen,
dau. of the Hon. Julian Henry Charles Fane, and granddau. of John, 11th
Earl of Westmorland; _b._ 4, St. James’s Square, London, S.W.,
29 March, 1890; educ. Eton (where he gained an entrance scholarship
and the Newcastle scholarship) and Balliol College, Oxford (where he
obtained the Craven scholarship in 1911), and was about to be called
to the Bar; volunteered after the outbreak of war and was gazetted 2nd
Lieut. 8th Rifle Brigade, 12 Sept. 1914; served with the Expeditionary
Force in France and Flanders from May, 1915, and was killed
instantaneously by machine gun fire at Hooge, Flanders, 30 July, 1915,
while leading a counter-attack; _unm._ Capt. A. C. Sheepshanks
wrote: “He died splendidly, leading his men over open ground up hill
in the face of a tremendous fire from machine guns. His Platoon Sergt.
saw him pitch forward with a bullet in the head, and thinks he was hit
again in the side as he fell. He must have been killed instantaneously
as he was not seen to move afterwards. Both as his company commander
and his friend I shall miss him enormously. His platoon all loved him,
and he had somehow inspired them with a fighting spirit, and it was
only a few days ago that I told the Col. that Bill’s platoon was the
best fighting platoon I had”; and A. A. Tod, second in command of the
8th Battn.: “We were great friends, and though I didn’t know him before
he joined, I, like all the others, was immediately drawn to him by his
delightful personality. I know you must be inundated with letters, so
feel rather diffident about adding to the number, but somehow it seems
to help to write about a dear friend that has gone. We all loved Billy,
and his men, to my certain knowledge, adored him. It couldn’t have been
otherwise, because ever since he went to France he was always to the
fore, and what the men always like, never expected them to do anything
he couldn’t do himself. His gallantry was remarkable, and fear was a
word he didn’t know the meaning of. As you know, he died at the head
of his men leading a counter-attack. It’s but poor consolation, but I
am positive that of all deaths it is the one he would have chosen....
That was a fearful day, and no one can describe the horror of seeing 20
officers and well over 500 men fall in one Battn. in about 14 hours.”
His elder brother, Capt. J. H. F. Grenfell, and twin cousins, Capt. F.
Grenfell, V.C., and Capt. R. N. Grenfell, were also killed in action,
and his yst. and only surviving brother, the Hon. Ivo G. W. Grenfell,
is now with the Coldstream Guards. His sister, the Hon. Monica
Grenfell, is a Red Cross Nurse in France.
[Illustration: =Hon. Gerald Wm. Grenfell.=]
=GRENFELL, HON. JULIAN HENRY FRANCIS=, Capt., 1st (Royal)
Dragoons, D.S.O., eldest _s._ and h. of William Henry, 1st Baron
Desborough, K.C.V.O., by his wife, Ethel Anne Priscilla, Lady of the
Bedchamber to H.M. the Queen, dau. of the Hon. Julian Henry Charles
Fane, and granddau. of John, 11th Earl of Westmorland; _b._ 4, St.
James’s Square, London, 30 March, 1888; educ. Eton and Balliol College,
Oxford; gazetted 2nd Lieut. 1st Dragoons, 15 Sept. 1909 (24 Aug. 1910);
and promoted Lieut. 6 Oct. 1911; temporary Capt. 15 Nov. 1914, and
Capt. 31 Jan. 1915; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and
Flanders from 7 Oct. 1914; was mentioned in F.M. Sir John French’s
Despatch of 20 Nov. 1914–14 Jan. 1915 [London Gazette, 17 Feb. 1915]
for gallant conduct in the field; was severely wounded in the head by
shrapnel, 13 May, while reconnoitring near Ypres, and died in hospital
at Boulogne, 26 May, 1915; _unm._ He had made a special study of
reconnaissance work, and was awarded the D.S.O. [London Gazette, 1 Jan.
1915] for having on 17 Nov. “succeeded in reaching a point behind the
enemy’s trenches, and making an excellent reconnaissance, furnishing
early information of a pending attack of the enemy.” A poem, “Into
Battle,” written by him in the trenches appeared in “The Times,” and of
it Sir W. Raleigh, Professor of English literature at Oxford, wrote: “I
don’t know if you really know that Julian’s poem is one of the swell
things in English literature. It is safe for ever, I know it by heart,
and I never learned it. It has that queer property which only the best
poems have, that a good many of the lines have more meaning than there
is any need for, so that new things keep on turning up in it.” At Eton
he ran well in the steeplechase in 1905, and at Oxford rowed in the
college crew. In 1907 and 1908 he was three in the Balliol eight in
the Ladies Challenge Plate, and in the following year he was bow in
the Balliol four which won the Wyfolds at Henley, and rowed for the
O.U.B.C. coxswainless fours. He was a member of the Belsize Boxing Club
and proved himself a formidable opponent. His chief sport was shooting.
His next brother, Lieut. G. W. Grenfell, and his cousins, Capt. F.
Grenfell, V.C., and Capt. R. N. Grenfell, were also killed in action
(see their notices).
[Illustration: =Hon. Julian H. F. Grenfell.=]
=GRENFELL, RIVERSDALE NONUS (“RIVY”)=, Capt. Buckinghamshire
Yeomanry (Royal Bucks Hussars), att. 9th Lancers, 9th and yst.
_s._ of the late Pascoe Du Pre Grenfell, of Wilton Park,
Beaconsfield, by his wife, Sophia, dau. of Vice-Admiral John Pascoe
Grenfell, Brazilian I.N., and nephew of Francis Wallace, 1st Baron
Grenfell, P.C., G.C.B., G.C.M.G., Field-Marshal; _b._ Hatchlands,
Guildford, 4 Sept. 1880; educ. Eton; received a commission as Lieut.
in the Royal Bucks Hussars, 1 Sept. 1908, and was promoted Capt. Aug.
1914; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders
from 18 Aug., att. to the 9th Lancers, and was killed in action at
Vendresse during the Battle of the Aisne, 14 Sept. 1914; _unm._
He was one of the best known players in English polo. He was a member
of the Hurlingham Committee, which is the governing body of the game,
and was among the best Nos. 1 in English polo during the past decade.
He played twice in English teams that beat Ireland, and was No. 1
in the Roehampton side that won the Championship Cup in 1909, while
three years before he was one of the Freebooters who secured the
championship. In 1909 he organised an Old Etonians team, which played
a prominent part in London polo. With his twin brother, Francis,
he played in the final match for the House Football Cup in 1898,
when Durnford’s won by a narrow margin. He was whip of the Beagles,
Francis being Master of the Beagles at Eton. He was Founder, Chairman
and Treasurer of the Islington branch of the Invalid Children’s Aid
Association, and a Memorial Fund is being raised to endow this branch,
now called the Francis and Rivy Grenfell Branch. His twin brother and
his two cousins were also killed in action in the European War, while
his elder brother, Pascoe St. Leger, was killed in the Matabele War,
1896, and his seventh brother, Robert Septimus, Lieut. 12th Lancers,
was killed at Omdurman, 4 Sept. 1898.
[Illustration: =Riversdale N. Grenfell.=]
=MORGAN-GRENVILLE, THE HON. RICHARD GEORGE GRENVILLE=, Master
of Kinloss, Capt., 1st Battn. The Rifle Brigade, eldest _s._ of
the late Major Luis Ferdinand Courthope Morgan-Grenville, York and
Lancaster Regt., by his wife, Mary, 11th Baroness Kinloss, Lady of
the Crown of India, dau. of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd and last Duke of
Buckingham and Chandos, 10th Lord Kinloss, P.C.; _b._ Chandos
House, London, 25 Sept. 1887; educ. Eton and Sandhurst; gazetted to the
1st Battn. Rifle Brigade, 24 Jan. 1906, and promoted Lieut. 22 Jan.
1910, and Capt. 5 Aug. 1914; went to France with the Expeditionary
Force; was twice wounded, but each time recovered and returned to
the Front; was twice mentioned in Despatches by F.M. Sir John (now
Lord) French [8 Oct. 1914, and 10 Jan. 1915] for gallantry in the
field, and was recommended for the D.S.O., but was killed in action at
Ploegsteert, 19 Dec. 1914. He was _unm._, and was buried in the
wood there. His brother, Lieut. the Hon. Thomas G. B. Morgan-Grenville,
4th Battn. Rifle Brigade, is now (1916) on active service.
[Illustration: =R. G. G. Morgan-Grenville.=]
=GREY, GERALD=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 3266), S.S. 100998,
H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1
Nov. 1914.