Light Infantry, only _s._ of the late Frederic Hingston, of
Cardiff, Banker, by his wife, Mary (St. Oswald’s, Selwyn Road,
Eastbourne), dau. of Joseph Rome; _b._ Leicester, 6 June, 1877;
educ. Llandaff Cathedral School and Malvern College; gazetted 2nd
Lieut. from the Militia to the Duke of Cornwall’s L.I., 18 Oct. 1899,
and promoted Lieut. 13 May, 1901, and Capt. 13 Feb. 1909; served in
the South African War, 1900–1, and took part in the actions at Poplar
Grove, Driefontein, Vet River, Zand River, Johannesburg, Pretoria,
Diamond Hill and Belfast (mentioned in Despatches and Queen’s medal
with six clasps); and with the Expeditionary Force in France and
Flanders, 11 March to 26 April, 1915, and was killed in action on
the latter date, during the second Battle of Ypres. The General
commanding the Brigade wrote to Capt. Hingston’s widow: “I wanted,
as Brigadier-General Commanding the Brigade, to tell you how very
deeply and sincerely I sympathise with you in the heavy blow that has
fallen upon you. Your husband belonged to a great Regt. which has
given consistently splendid service throughout the campaign, and, if
I may say so, he was one of the finest officers of a fine Regt. I had
often spoken to your husband on the occasions of my frequent visits to
the trenches, and had always been much struck by his earnestness and
thoroughness, and by the keen interest which he took in all matters
relating to his company and his men. To them I know his loss is a
severe one, as it is indeed to all of us”; and a friend (“Eastbourne
Gazette,” 26 May, 1915): “He was good and thorough in whatever he
undertook. As an athlete he was just what a British Officer should be,
strong, active, bold, enduring and honourable. In Switzerland he was
well known as a remarkable fine ‘ski-er.’ In the winter, 1913–14, he
had won the British Ski-ing Association Cup at Wengen; and he had won
other trophies at this winter sport as well as at ice-hockey, at which
he was an adept. He was also a keen lawn tennis player and golfer.”
Capt. Hingston _m._ at St. James’, Piccadilly, 30 Nov. 1911,
Essy, yst. dau. of the late Col. William Charles Plant, Indian Army;
_s.p._
=HINMAN, ARTHUR GURR=, Lieut., 15th Battn., 4th Brigade,
Australian Imperial Force, 2nd _s._ of Arthur Hinman, of Moina,
Elphin Road, Launceston, Tasmania, by his wife, Lucy Maud, dau. of
William Gurr, of Launceston; _b._ Newstead, Launceston, Tasmania,
19 June, 1890; educ. at Launceston Church Grammar School, 1903–March,
1909, and on leaving there went to Ormond College, Melbourne
University, for the course of Metallurgy and Mining Engineering. When
he had finished his course there he did his practical work with the
Mount Bischoff Tin Mining Company, Waratah, Tasmania, and took his
degree of Bachelor of Mining Engineering at Melbourne University,
5 April, 1914. War breaking out the following Aug., he immediately
volunteered for Imperial service; was given a commission, and left
Melbourne for Egypt, 22 Dec. 1914. He took part in the landing at the
Dardanelles, 25–26 April, 1915, and was killed in action at Quinn’s
Post, 10 May, 1915; _unm._ On that night the 15th Battn. were
ordered to carry the Turkish trenches directly in their front. This was
accomplished but with heavy loss, and it was while gallantly leading
his men in the charge that Hinman was shot dead. Writing to Mrs.
Hinman, a brother officer, Capt. J. A. Good, said: “We landed, as no
doubt you are aware, on the first day, and the various companies and
platoons of the 15th Battn. were separated. Arthur’s platoon being out
on the left, and apparently had a bad time. A few days after this we
all rejoined the Battn., and took up our position on Pope’s Hill, but
on the seventh day we were ordered to occupy the now famous position
of Quinn’s Post. At this time he and I were the only officers of the
original Tasmanian Companies in the 15th who remained, and often at
night, as we sat in our dug-out, we wondered who would be the first
to go, for it seemed impossible that we should remain long unwounded
when so many had been hit. Arthur did splendid work on the post, and
everyone sincerely regretted his death. The post was exceptionally
difficult to hold owing to the close proximity of the Turkish trenches,
which were only about 15 yards away in places. The position on the day
prior to his death was as follows: The Turks held a line of trenches
directly in front of our trenches; at either flank we were separated
by about 50 yards, but in the centre our trenches were only 15 yards
apart. Orders were issued that we were to go forward and occupy these
trenches, and instructions were issued accordingly. Three parties,
consisting of about 50 men each, were to be sent forward, one party
to each flank and one to the centre. The intention being to occupy
these trenches and dig communication trenches from our old lines to
the new one. Lots were drawn by the Battn. officers to decide who
would take charge of these parties, but Arthur drew a blank, and did
not go with the first party, who had a comparatively easy time, as
they surprised the Turks and captured the trenches, with the exception
as we afterwards discovered of about 30 yards of trench in the left
centre. Without capturing this extra line it was impossible to hold the
remainder, and Arthur gallantly collected a number of men, and charged
forward with the intention of securing this position. It was in this
charge that he met his end. Although the conditions in Gallipoli were
severe I never heard him once complain. He was ever ready and anxious
to perform any work that was required. By his splendid work and control
of his men (who speak highly of him and sympathise with you in your
loss), he gallantly assisted to hold a position which was recognised
by all as being the most difficult of all positions to hold”; and an
officer of the 3rd L.H. Field Ambulance (Capt. G. Aberdeen) wrote:
“The 15th Battn. had a bad time. It was owing to this fact that maybe
none of them have been able to let you know details of Arthur that
I am writing this. The 15th Battn. were stationed at Quinn’s Post,
probably the most vulnerable and certainly the most dangerous part of
our firing line, and had been stationed there almost since the day of
landing. The Turkish trenches approach very closely to ours, at one
spot being only 20 yards away. They are on the crest and we occupy the
side of the hill. From the first day the position has been a real hell
for our boys. A moment’s exposure meant a bullet, snipers, machine
guns, shrapnel, high explosive, and hundreds of bombs are in almost
daily use by the Turks in their endeavours to drive our men out of this
important position. But in spite of the fact that about 40 officers
and over 1,000 men out of a total of 1,400 have been hit, the 15th
Battn. has never yielded up one inch of ground. The performance speaks
for itself. Since our landing the Turks have been making persistent
counter-attacks, and about 11 May they made a very determined and
sustained one. At Quinn’s Post they were driven off time after time,
and finally in a fine counter-attack our men went forward and seized
their firing trenches. Arthur was in charge of ‘Supports’ who were
brought up almost at once to dig in. Our men worked hard to make the
trenches good. But the enemy had dug them very cleverly, and when
daylight came commenced an enfilade of fire with hidden machine guns.
The position soon became untenable. The order was given to retire to
our own trenches, and our men obeyed it most unwillingly. Arthur saw
all his own men safely started, but on the way back the hail of lead
from the machine guns caught him, and in an instant he was gone. The
Turkish losses had been so heavy that shortly after this fight they
asked for an armistice to bury their dead. This was arranged. It may
be some small comfort to you to know that Arthur’s body was recovered
by his men, and that he was given a Christian burial by one of our
Padres. He lies about 10 yards in front of No. 5 post, Quinn’s Post, a
position which will be historic in Australian military history.” He was
_unm._
[Illustration: =Arthur Gurr Hinman.=]
=HINSON, OLIVER FRED=, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 5073), 180810, H.M.S.
Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=HINTON, ERNEST HENRY=, Officer’s Steward, 3rd Class, L. 3046,
H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=HINTON, SIDNEY ARTHUR=, Acting Bombardier, R.M.A., 12189, H.M.S.
Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=HINVES, ALFRED EDMUND=, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 67213), 206243,
H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=HIPPISLEY, HAROLD EDWIN=, 2nd Lieut., 1st. Battn. Gloucester
Regt., yr. _s._ of William John Hippisley, of Northam House,
Wells, Somerset, Land Agent, by his wife, Mary, dau. of the late
Samuel Barnes, of Surlingham, Norfolk; _b._ Wells, 3 Sept. 1890;
educ. King’s School, Bruton, Somerset, from which he passed the London
University Matriculation Examination; and at the Royal Agricultural
College, Cirencester, where he was Gold Medallist (Estate Management
and Forestry), and obtained the National Diploma of Agriculture;
admitted Professional Associate of Surveyors’ Institute and passed
Fellowship Examination; gazetted 2nd Lieut. Special Reserve of
Officers, Gloucester Regt., from the Royal Agricultural College, O.T.C.
3 Aug. 1912; and was attached to the 1st Battn. on the outbreak of war;
went to France with the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, of the Expeditionary
Force in Aug. 1914; took part in the Battle of Mons, the subsequent
retreat, the fighting on the Marne and the Aisne, and the advance into
Belgium, and was killed in action at Langemarck, 23 Oct. 1914, on which
occasion his platoon lost three-fifths of its strength, but succeeded
in holding the position. Buried near Langemarck. He was an excellent
all-round sportsman. He was capt. of the cricket and football teams
at King’s School, Bruton, and of the cricket and hockey teams at the
R.A.C., Cirencester, and played cricket and hockey for Somerset, and
cricket for the United Kingdom. He _m._ at St. Cuthbert’s, Wells,
5 Aug. 1914, Ivy Gwendoline, dau. of the late J. Hussey Cooper, of the
Lodge, Wheatley, Oxford; _s.p._
[Illustration: =Harold Edwin Hippisley.=]
=HIRST, EDWARD=, Sick Berth Steward, 351015, H.M.S. Cressy; lost
in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=HISCOX, THOMAS ANDREW=, Private, No. 1369, 15th Battn. (Civil
Service Rifles), The London Regt. (T.F.), eldest _s._ of William
Thomas Hiscox, of H.M. Customs and Excise, and 18, Somerville Road,
Bishopston, Bristol, by his wife, Jane E., dau. of Andrew Paterson, of
Ayr; _b._ Charlestown, co. Cornwall, 4 Feb. 1891; educ. privately
at Penzance and at Clark’s College, London; was appointed a 2nd
Division Clerk in 1911, and when war began was a Clerk in the Treasury,
Whitehall; joined the Civil Service Rifles in 1911; volunteered for
foreign service; went to France, 17 March, 1915, and was killed in
action at Festubert, 27 May following, being shot by a sniper while in
an advanced trench; _unm._
=HITCHCOCK, EDWARD WILLIAM=, Stoker, P.O. 308869, H.M.S.
Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off
the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.
=HITCHEN, ARTHUR BENJAMIN=, Rifleman, No. 2804, 1/7th Battn.
(Leeds Rifles), West Yorkshire Regt. (T.F.), _s._ of John William
Hitchen, of 35, Meanwood Street, Leeds, by his wife, Charlotte
Adelaide, dau. of Charles Smith Butcher, of Leeds; _b._ Leeds,
18 Dec. 1896; educ. St. Peter’s Square Board School there; joined the
Leeds Rifles, 19 Sept. 1914; went to the Front, 15 April, 1915, and was
killed in action at Laventie, 7 May, 1915; _unm._
[Illustration: =Arthur Benjamin Hitchen.=]
=HITCHINS, HENRY WILLIAM ERNEST=, Lieut.-Col., Commanding 1st
Battn. The Manchester Regt., only _s._ of the late Major-Gen.
Henry White Hitchins, R.E., and grandson of the late Lieut.-Gen.
Benjamin Hitchins; _b._ London, 31 May, 1865; educ. privately
and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd Lieut. to
the 1st Battn. The Manchester Regt. (the Old 63rd), 25 Aug. 1886.
He was promoted Capt. 11 May, 1895, and in Nov. 1897, was appointed
Adjutant of the 3rd Volunteer (now the 9th Territorial Battn.) of his
regt. In addition to his work us Volunteer Adjutant, he voluntarily
performed the duties of Adjutant of the Depôt, and made great efforts
throughout the district in recruiting. His organising powers were much
appreciated by Col. Gunter, Commanding 63rd Regimental District, to
whom he generally acted as staff officer. The number of volunteers
increased from 600 to over 1,000, which fact proves his zeal and
popularity. Later he commanded the Regimental Depot. To quote the
local press: “As a Regimental Officer he enlisted the affection and
respect of all with whom he had been associated. Officers and privates
appreciated his high sense of duty, and loved him for his kindness
of disposition and his chivalrous unselfish nature.” On 1 July,
1901, he obtained his Majority, and from 1 June, 1906, was second in
command. He was thus 13 years and 9 months a Major, 8 years and 10
months of which as “appointed second in command;” his double period in
that appointment being due to the absorbing of the senior second in
command of the two battns., which were disbanded in 1906. During his
28 years of close association with the Regt., especially during his
long period as Major and second in command, his zeal, good work and
influence must have greatly helped to form the character and efficiency
of the battn., qualities which were to be so splendidly demonstrated
in France and Flanders. In 1906 Major Hitchins proceeded to India,
serving with his old battn. the 1st Manchesters; was at Delhi for the
Coronation Durbar; and for a time Commandant of the Pachmarhi Depot.
On the outbreak of war in 1914, Major Hitchins was temporarily in
Command of the 1st Battn., in the absence of the then Lieut.-Col. He
was responsible for the mobilising of the battn. which left India with
the Lahore Division at the end of August, and was first in action at
Picantin on 23 Oct. 1914. In Nov. he was again in temporary command.
The battn. had its full share of long and laborious work in the
trenches, and on 20 Dec., at the critical fight for Givenchy, it was
in action for 30 successive hours, and earned from the Gen. commanding
the Lahore Division the name of “The Gallant Manchesters.” In his
thanks to them and the 4th Suffolks, the Gen. paid a tribute to their
“splendid work and gallant conduct first in recapturing some of the
lost trenches at Givenchy on 20 Dec., then in holding those trenches on
21 Dec. against overwhelming attacks of the enemy.” He said: Givenchy
was the most important point in the whole of the line held by the
Lahore Division, and that its retention in our hands was due to the
courage and steadfastness of the officers and men of those two brave
battns. The General commanding the Indian Army Corps, addressing the
1st Manchesters, thanked them for “their very fine bit of work in
the fight.” He described them as “a very gallant battn. holding the
most important point on the right of the British line, and by their
gallant conduct in holding on to it, rendering greater service than
they probably realised.” Field-Marshal Earl Kitchener, in the House
of Lords in Jan. 1915, in his survey of the then recent fighting,
mentioned the engagement at Givenchy as the only important event of
that period in which the British and German forces were concerned.
At the taking of Givenchy, for which the battn. earned this praise,
Lieut.-Col. (then Major) Hitchins was in actual command of three and
a half out of four double companies of the Regt. During this action
he was shot through the thigh. Arriving in England on Christmas Eve
he was sent to hospital, where he received his Colonel’s thanks for
his good work, and the valuable and very loyal assistance he had
given him all along, and he expressed the hope that such “splendid
services” would receive reward. On 1 April, 1915, he embarked again for
the Front, and on the 19th the Commander-in-Chief inspected the 1st
Manchesters, and spoke in the highest terms of their gallant behaviour,
and congratulated Major Hitchins on being at the head of such “a
splendid Battn.” Subsequently he was appointed to the Lieut.-Colonelcy
of his own battn. (being gazetted two days before his death, to date
from 10 March), and was in command at the Second Battle of Ypres. Col.
Hitchins directed operations till on the night of 26 April, 1915, he
was shot through the heart. He was carried by his men to a ruined farm
house, where it was ascertained life was extinct. The imperturbable
courage and coolness shown by Col. Hitchins impressed all ranks. To
quote a brother officer, Capt. Buchan, D.S.O.: “The Colonel was as
brave as a lion.” He is justly described as “the gallant Colonel of
the Gallant Manchesters,” who met a soldier’s death whilst commanding
with conspicuous bravery the battn. he loved so well, who trusted him
so thoroughly, and who followed him so loyally to the death. A Military
Memorial Service was accorded to Lieut.-Col. Hitchins at the depôt
of his regt. at Ashton-under-Lyne, in the presence of the troops,
the mayor and corporation and public bodies. Col. Hitchins was twice
mentioned in despatches “for gallant and distinguished service in the
field,” first on 31 May, 1915, and again on 1 Jan. 1916. General Sir
Horace Smith-Dorrien specially named the 1st Battn. The Manchester
Regt. as deserving of the highest praise for its great services at
the end of April, at Ypres. General Sir James Willcocks, G.C.M.G.,
K.C.B., K.C.S.I., D.S.O., commanding Indian Army Corps, in his personal
tribute, wrote: “I had the honour and pleasure of knowing Col. Hitchins
and his glorious battn. of the Manchesters very well.... His zeal and
affection for his corps were remarkable; he was a very fine specimen
of a soldier and a man, and commanded one of the finest battns. I
ever served with. It is impossible to beat them at anything, and I
always felt sure that any task they had to perform would be carried
through, no matter at what cost. Col. Hitchins died as he had always
lived, doing his duty nobly.” Lieut.-Gen. Sir Henry Watkis, K.C.B.,
late commanding Lahore Division, thus expressed himself: “He was an
officer whose soldierly qualities came to be recognised at once under
the great test of active service.... No one more deserved the promotion
he received than Col. Hitchins, who so gallantly led the repeated
charges of the battn. which I was so proud to address as ‘The Gallant
Manchesters’ on that occasion. Five months afterwards he again led
his battn. against the enemy in the second Battle of Ypres.... In him
the service and his country lost a very brave officer and gentleman.”
Major-Gen. Carnegy, C.B., late commanding the Jullundur Brigade, in
his long personal tribute, mentioned: “Col. Hitchins was known as a
very gallant officer, frequently exposing himself at the call of duty
in the trenches with almost reckless bravery, and consequently was
greatly admired by the men. He died as a gallant British officer and
gentleman, laying down his life for his country, and I feel I have
lost a good friend and comrade.” To these and other great testimonies
to his fine qualities as a soldier is added the knowledge that he won
the confidence and devotion of his men. A message from His Majesty was
received by the family again graciously expressing his sympathy and
condolence, and informing them of His Majesty’s high appreciation of
the services of the late Lieut.-Col. H. W. E. Hitchins. Col. Hitchins
was a zealous Freemason and belonged to several lodges in England and
in India. His favourite sport was hunting, he was known as a fine
horseman, a keen judge of a good horse, an enthusiastic polo player,
he was interested in racing and devoted to animals. Col. Hitchins was
_unm._
[Illustration: =Henry W. E. Hitchins.=]
=HOAD, HENRY JAMES WILLIAM=, Cook’s Mate, M. 3079, H.M.S. Good
Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=HOAD, PERCY EWART=, Private, No. 2196, 1/5th Battn. The Royal
Sussex Regt. (T.F.), _s._ of George Hoad, by his wife, Sarah (now
wife of (----) Parsons, of White Cottage, The Strand, Rye), dau. of
John Hoad; _b._ King’s Gate, Wittersham, co. Kent, 10 July, 1898;
educ. Rye; enlisted 15 Aug. 1914; went to France, 10 July, 1915, and
was killed in action there by a shell, 28 July following; _unm._
=HOARE, THOMAS=, Private, No. 9067, 2nd Battn. The Buffs (East
Kent Regt.), _s._ of James Hoare, of North Street, Sheldwick,
Faversham; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed
in action, 3 May, 1915.
=HOARE, WILLIAM HENRY=, A.B., 238331, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in
action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=HOBAN, WILLIAM=, Private, No. 6468, 3rd Battn. Coldstream Guards;
_b._ Castlerea, co. Roscommon; enlisted 23 Nov. 1905; served in
Egypt, 16 Jan. 1908 to 23 March, 1911, and with the Expeditionary
Force in France and Flanders from 12 Aug. 1914; killed in action at La
Tretoire, 8 Sept. following. Buried by the side of the road through La
Tretoire Wood; _unm._
=HOBBS, ALFRED HERBERT=, Signalman, No. 183651, R.F.R., Ch.
4295, R.N., 2nd _s._ of Harry Edward Hobbs, of 20, North Road,
Brighton (for many years second officer of the Brighton Volunteer Fire
Brigade), by his wife, Elizabeth, dau. of William Johnson; _b._
Upper Holloway, 20 Nov. 1877; entered the Navy, 1894; served in the
Somaliland Expedition (medal); passed into the Reserve, 24 Nov. 1906,
and was caretaker at the Croydon Gas Offices; mobilised Aug. 1914,
and was lost on H.M.S. Cressy when that ship was sunk in the North
Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. He _m._ at Spurgeon Tabernacle, West Croydon,
10 March, 1904, Frances Kate (102, Albert Road, Lower Addiscombe
Road, Croydon), 2nd dau. of James Mugridge, of Brighton, and had four
children: Herbert Lionel James, _b._ 13 May, 1913; Kathleen Eva
Rose, _b._ 7 July, 1907; Vera Irene May, _b._ 24 March, 1909;
and Eugenie Violet Joyce, _b._ 7 May, 1911.
=HOBBS, FRANK MATTHEW=, 2nd Lieut., 4th Battn. The Royal
Fusiliers, only _s._ of Frank Henry Hobbs, of Carnarvon, Claremont
Road, Tunbridge Wells, by his wife, Jane Ann, dau. of Matthew Vowles;
_b._ Tunbridge Wells, co. Kent, 5 June, 1895; and was educ. at
Ardingly College. There he was in the O.T.C., obtained Certificate A.
and won the silver cup three years in succession for efficiency, also
the silver medal, and was in the cricket XI and played goal for the
College football team. He was also awarded the bronze medal for life
saving from drowning, and the certificate as an instructor of the same.
On 11 Dec. 1913, he was gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the 4th Royal Fusiliers,
and went to France with the first Expeditionary Force on 13 Aug.
following. He served through the retreat from Mons, the Battle on the
Marne, and retirement on Paris, and was killed at Vailly, near Braisne,
during the Battle of the Aisne, 14 Sept. 1914, by shrapnel wounds in
the head; _unm._ The late Brigadier-General McMahon wrote of him:
“He is a very great loss to me, as he has done his duty most nobly
and gallantly, always calm and thoughtful, and a most excellent and
promising officer.”
[Illustration: =Frank Matthew Hobbs.=]
=HOBBS, HERBERT=, Leading Signalman (R.F.R., Ch. B. 4295), 193651
H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=HOBBS, JAMES WILLIAM BIGGS=, Gunner, R.M.A., 12509, H.M.S. Hogue;
lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=HOBBS, JOHN=, 2nd Lieut., 1st Battn. Royal Scots (Lothian
Regt.), yst. _s._ of the late William Hobbs, of Toddington, co.
Bedford, Butcher, by his wife, Millicent, dau. of John Carr; _b._
Toddington, 8 Feb. 1890; educ. Toddington National School; enlisted
in Sept. 1908, in the Royal Scots, won his third, second and first
certificates in the Army, and left for India in Oct. 1900; while
there was sent to a college at Bangalore to qualify for the higher
education, and received his certificate for acting schoolmaster. On the
outbreak of war he returned to England with his regt. and was gazetted
2nd Lieut. 14 Dec. 1914, leaving for France 19 Dec. the same year.
He died of wounds received in action at Armentières 28 June, 1915,
and was buried at Bailleul. Lieut. Hobbs was mentioned in F.M. Sir
John French’s Despatch of 31 May, 1915, for gallant and distinguished
service in the field and received the Military Cross in June. He
_m._ at St. Mary Bolton, South Kensington, 26 Nov. 1914, Helen
Coote (8, Crown Road, Maldon), 2nd dau. of Arthur Brady, of Maldon,
Essex; _s.p._ She is now a nurse at the Essex County Hospital.
[Illustration: =John Hobbs.=]
=HOBBS, JOSEPH LEVINE=, Sailmaker, 167871, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when
that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; _m._