Rifle Brigade) The London Regt. (T.F.), _s._ of George Alexander
Pigden, of 23, Albert Road, Stroud Green, Hornsey, Town Councillor,
by his wife, Matilda; _b._ Barnsbury, 25 Feb. 1894; educ. Stroud
Green School, Hornsey County School and Clark’s College; joined the
Boy Scouts in 1908, the King’s Royal Rifles Cadet Corps, 1911, and the
London Rifle Brigade May, 1913. On the outbreak of war he volunteered
for foreign service, left England with the L.R.B. 2 Nov. 1914, and
within a week was in the trenches, where they remained over Christmas,
fraternising with the Saxons who were in the trenches 80 yards in front
of them that day. In April, 1915, the Regt. was resting at Armentières,
when the Canadians were gassed, and they were rushed up through Ypres
to their support, marching 17½ miles with full packs in 4½ hours.
Writing home on 28 April, Pigden said, “Threw away all my souvenirs on
march, only souvenir am now anxious about is myself,” and the following
day: “Am going out to repair telephone wire under fire to-night, so
cheer oh!” He was on signalling duty in a dug-out at Fortuin with four
others for fifteen days, and though all other parts of the line were
being hit, their little dug-out escaped until 2 May, 1915, when he was
killed by the bursting of a shell; _unm._ A comrade wrote: “We
were sent up to relieve the Canadians when gassed, there was a heavy
bombardment going on which lasted 15 days; as you can imagine our
wires were continually being broken by the shelling and it was almost
an hourly occurrence for one of our five to run out and repair them,
and even deliver the message by hand, we five did this perilous work
in rotation, and strange to say none of us were touched while on this
task, although other stations were losing heavily meanwhile. Your son
was hit by a shell in the left hand on the last day before retirement,
and in the afternoon another shell burst among us, I was only stunned,
and ran for stretcher-bearers, but it was too late, they declared your
son dead on arrival.”
[Illustration: =Arthur Ronald Pigden.=]
=PIGOTT, GERALD WELLESLEY=, 2nd Lieut., 127th Battery Royal Field
Artillery, only child of Lieut.-Col. Wellesley George Pigott, of
Blackmore House, co. Essex, J.P., commanding 12th Battn. Rifle Brigade
(now on active service), by his wife, Helen Louise, only dau. of the
late Capt. Thomas Donaldson, 3rd K.O. Hussars, by his wife, Helen
Louisa Elizabeth, eldest dau. of Richard Andrew Hyacinth Kirwan, of
Bawnmore, co. Galway, J.P., and grandson of the Rev. Wellesley Pigott,
M.A., Rector of Fugglestone-cum-Bemerton [4th _s._ of Sir George
Pigott, 1st Bart.]; _b._ South Weald, co. Essex, 3 Sept. 1890;
educ. West Downs, Winchester (1905–10), Wellington College (1910–13),
and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich (Feb. to July, 1914); gazetted
2nd Lieut. 3rd Battn. Essex Regt. 15 Aug. 1914; transferred to the
Royal Field Artillery, 15 Jan. 1915, and posted to the 127th Battery
at the Front in March; served in France and Flanders, and was wounded
at Brielen, during the 2nd Battle of Ypres, 13 May, 1915, by shrapnel,
which struck him in the head. He was taken to the dressing station and
from there conveyed to No. 2 Clearing Station at Bailleul, where he
died, 14 May, 1915. Buried in the British Officers’ Cemetery, Bailleul;
_unm._ The Officer Commanding the 29th Brigade, R.F.A., wrote: “He
was such a good lad, and had the making of a most capable officer, and
he will be greatly missed”; and the Officer Commanding 127th Battery:
“I am sure if your boy had lived he would have made a very good
soldier; he was very keen and had plenty of pluck.”
[Illustration: =Gerald Wellesley Pigott.=]
=PILBEAM, LEWIS=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 2074), 212013, H.M.S. Good
Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=PILCHER, THOMAS PERCY=, Lieut., 2nd Battn. The Rifle Brigade,
2nd _s._ of Major-Gen. Thomas David Pilcher, C.B., now (1916)
commanding the 17th Division, by his 1st wife, Kathleen Mary, dau. of
Col. Thomas Goune, 17th Lancers; _b._ Farnborough, co. Hants., 25
Oct. 1893; educ. Wellington College, and the Royal Military College,
Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd Lieut., The Rifle Brigade, 4 Sept. 1912, being
then the youngest officer in the Army, and was promoted Lieut. 16 Nov.
1914; joined his regt. in Rawal Pindi, India, in Nov. 1912; served
with the Expeditionary Force in France from Oct. 1914 until he was
killed in action at Neuve Chapelle, 12 March, 1915, while leading his
platoon; _unm._ Buried in the Cemetery there. He was mentioned in
F.M. Sir John (now Lord) French’s Despatch of 31 May, 1915, for good
reconnaissance work, and gallant leading of his platoon. His commanding
officer, Lieut.-Col. Stephens, his Brigadier, Brig.-Gen. Lowry-Cole
(since killed in action) and his Divisional Commander, Major-Gen. F. J.
Davies, C.B., all bore tribute to his ability, courage, high sense of
duty and his popularity with both his brother officers and his men.
[Illustration: =Thomas Percy Pilcher.=]
=PILLAR, SAMUEL=, Private, No. 9437, 2nd Battn. Coldstream Guards,
3rd _s._ of the late William John Pillar, by his wife, Bessie
(Hughenden House, Queen Street, Dawlish, co. Devon), dau. of George
Henry Collings; _b._ Dawlish, 13 Jan. 1894; educ. there; enlisted,
11 Jan. 1912; went to France, 14 Aug. 1914, and was killed in action at
Rentel, 8 Nov. following; _unm._
=PILLAR, WILLIAM HENRY=, A.B., 224285, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in
action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=PILLING, WALTER=, A.B., 214963, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in
the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=PINCHIN, JOHN HERBERT=, Sergt., No. 5235, 1st Battn., The
Wiltshire Regt.; _b._ Devizes, co. Wilts, 12 May, 1882; educ.
Market Lavington and Easterton Elementary Schools, enlisted in Dec.
1898; promoted Sergt., July, 1914; served in the South African War,
1899–1902 (Queen’s medal with three clasps and King’s medal with two
clasps), and with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from
16 Aug. 1914 to 22 Sept. 1914, on which latter date he was mortally
wounded during the Battle of Mons, and died in the 1st Northern General
Hospital, Newcastle-on-Tyne, 23 Oct. following; _unm._
[Illustration: =John H. Pinchin.=]
=PINLDEBURY, WALTER=, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 5415), 180820. H.M.S.
Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=PINK, JOSEPH=, Gunner, R.M.A. (R.F.R., B. 501), late R.M.A. 5791,
H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=PINK, SIDNEY EDWARD=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 12242, H.M.S. Hogue;
lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=PIPER, EDWARD JAMES=, E.R.A., 1st Class (Pensioner), 148209,
H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=PITHER, JAMES HERBERT=, C.E.R.A., 1st Class (Pensioner), 160538,
H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=PITKIN, STANLEY=, Private, No. 8/462, 8th Southland Coy., Otago
Infantry Battn., New Zealand Expeditionary Force, 5th _s._ of
Edwin Pitkin, of Whaddon, Bucks, Agricultural Stockman, by his wife,
Annie, dau. of Robert Reynolds; _b._ Whaddon, co. Bucks, 8 Sept.
1894; educ. National School there; went to New Zealand in 1911, and
settled at Dipton, Southland, N.Z., as an Agricultural Worker; joined
the New Zealand Territorials in 1912; volunteered for Imperial service
on the outbreak of the European War in Aug. 1914; left for Egypt; took
part in the landing at the Dardanelles, 25 April, 1915, and died on
H.M. Hospital Ship Dongola, 7 May, 1915, of wounds received in action
in a bayonet charge there on the 2nd.
=PITT, GEORGE ROBERT=, Private, R.M.L.I., Ch. 16457, H.M.S. Hogue;
lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=PITT, JOHN=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 5268), 203612, H.M.S. Hogue; lost
in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=PLATER, WILLIAM JOHN=, Private, No. 8980, 1st Battn. Coldstream
Guards, 3rd _s._ of William John Plater, of Ichnield Cottage,
Little Kimble, co. Bucks, Cowman, by his wife, Jane; _b._ Great
Kimble, 2 July, 1891; educ. there; enlisted 27 Jan. 1911; went to
France, 12 Aug. 1914, and was killed in action, 4 Oct. following;
_unm._ Lieut. Beckwith Smith, D.S.O., wrote: “I knew Private
Plater well, as practically throughout his soldiering he was under my
command. He was in my platoon throughout, and I can only say that I
wish every man in my platoon and in the British Army had been like him.
During the retreat from Mons he suffered the most frightful blisters
on his feet, but I never once heard him grumble and he never fell out.
He was one of the 50 men I took with me on the night of 4 Oct. 1914,
when I was told off to try and take two German trenches at the point
of the bayonet. These two trenches were one behind the other, and the
first one was not more than 100 yards from our own. This first was
unoccupied, but the second one was full of Germans, and Private Plater
was killed on reaching the parapet of this trench. We got into the
trench and killed all the Germans in it, but were unable to hold it, as
there were a lot more Germans coming up. I tell you all this because
I did not see Private Plater killed myself, and as we retired we were
unable to bring his body away with us. The men who were actually next
to him both stopped to make sure he was dead before leaving him. Will
you please convey to Private Plater’s sister my own personal grief at
the loss of such an excellent soldier. The company, the regt., and, in
fact, the whole army feel the loss of such men, as they are hard to
replace. He died a death of which every soldier and every Coldstreamer
is proud. Every man who took part in that charge that night was worthy
of a D.C.M.”
[Illustration: =William John Plater.=]
=PLAYFAIR, LAMBERT=, Lieut., 1st Battn. Royal Scots, attd. 1st
Squadron Royal Flying Corps, only _s._ of Harry Playfair, of
Siloni Bari Tea Estate, North Lakhimpur, Upper Assam, India, by his
wife, Jessie, dau. of the late A. P. Sandeman, and grandson of the late
Lieut.-Col. Sir Robert Lambert Playfair, K.C.M.G., LL.D., by his wife,
Agnes (18, Queen’s Gardens, St. Andrew’s, Fife), dau. of Major-Gen.
Thomas Webster, of Balgarvie, co. Fife; _b._ Dibrugarh, Assam,
India, 7 Dec. 1893; educ. at Oakham, and passed into Sandhurst with a
Prize Cadetship, 14 Jan. 1912; gazetted 2nd Lieut. Royal Scots, 5 Feb.
1912, joined the 2nd Battn. in March, and afterwards the 1st Battn.
at Allahabad; left India with his Regt. for England in Oct. 1914, and
in March, 1915, entered the Royal Flying Corps as observer on active
service. On 6 July, 1915, when engaged in signalling to our guns the
positions of the enemy’s batteries, his aeroplane was assailed first by
one German machine and then by another. These were driven off in turn
whenever they ventured to approach, Lieut. Playfair in the intervals
resuming his observation duties--then the two German machines which
had the great advantage of superior speed, made a combined assault
but rather than give way he ordered an attack on the two, although
he had only five rounds left. He was shot through the heart and his
body was skilfully brought back to our lines by his pilot, 2nd Lieut.
O. D. Filley, who afterwards received the Military Cross for this
engagement. He was buried in Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery, Belgium;
_unm._ His Colonel wrote that he was an unusually capable officer,
that his death was heroic, and that it was indeed an honour to have
had such an officer under one’s command. His Major reported that he
was extraordinarily brave, feared absolutely nothing, loving fighting
in the air, and was such an example of grit and ability that his death
was a great loss to the squadron, and added that he “knew of no one who
could gather so much information from a single reconnaissance as Lieut.
Playfair.”
[Illustration: =Lambert Playfair.=]
=PLAYFAIR, HON. LYON GEORGE HENRY LYON=, Capt., 126th Battery,
29th Brigade, R.F.A., only _s._ and _h._ of George James, 2nd
Baron Playfair, C.V.O., Brigadier General and Hon. Col. 2nd Highland
Brigade, R.F.A., by his 2nd wife, Augusta Mary, dau. of Henry Thomas
Hickman, of Chorlton House, Leamington; _b._ London, 19 Oct. 1888;
educ. St. Andrew’s, Eton and the Royal Military Academy (where he
passed in second); gazetted 2nd Lieut. R.F.A. 18 Dec. 1908, Lieut. 18
Dec. 1911, and Capt. 18 Dec. 1914; served with the Expeditionary Force
in France and Flanders, and was killed in action near Zonnebeke, while
acting as observing officer for his battery, in a trench close to the
German lines, 20 April, 1915; _unm._ One of his gunners wrote of
him: “A finer officer or better gentleman, it would be hard to find.”
[Illustration: =Lyon G. H. L. Playfair.=]
=PLEACE, WILLIAM GEORGE=, Corpl., R.M.L.I., 12239 (R.F.R., Ch. B.
1553), H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=PLUMB, ARTHUR EDWARD=, Private, R.M.L.I. (R.F.R.), Ch. 9435,
H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15
Oct. 1914; _m._
=PLUMB, WILLIAM=, Private, R.M.L.I., Ch. 12774, H.M.S. Pathfinder;
lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East
Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.
=PLUME, GEORGE=, Master-at-Arms (R.F.R., Ch. A. 1814), 350101,
H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=MANSEL-PLEYDELL, EDMUND MORTON=, of Whatcombe, co. Dorset,
Lieut., 3rd (Reserve) Battn. Dorsetshire Regt., attd. 3rd Battn.
Worcestershire Regt., elder _s._ of the late Lieut.-Col. Edmund
Morton Mansel-Pleydell, of Whatcombe, co. Dorset, J.P., D.L., 12th
Lancers (died 13 Oct. 1914), by his wife, Kathleen Emily (Croft
House, Botley), 4th dau. of the late Sir Thomas Francis Grove, 1st
Bart.; _b._ Bangalore, India, 23 Dec. 1886; educ. Wellington,
and Sherborne; was for some time a Lieut. of the Royal Agricultural
Contingent, Senior Division, O.T.C. (T.F.), and on the outbreak of war
was given a commission as 2nd Lieut. in the Dorsetshire Regt., 30 Nov.
1914; trained at Wyke Regis until 25 Jan. 1915, when he was ordered to
Rouen, and there transferred to the Worcestershire Regt.; proceeded
to the front, 2 March, and was killed in action at Kemmel, during the
Battle of Neuve Chapelle, on the 12th, while leading his platoon in a
charge against the German trenches; _unm._ Buried there. His Col.
wrote: “He was my most promising officer, and would have, had he lived,
I am certain, distinguished himself.” He was a well-known footballer,
forward member of the London Devonians, Lennox, Richmond, Trojair and
Stund Clubs; a good rider to hounds, and polo player, a successful
cricketer and shot, and a pig sticker while in Morocco.
[Illustration: =E. M. Mansel-Pleydell.=]
=PLUMMER, ARCHIBALD ALFRED=, Private, No. 8652, 2nd Battn.
Lincolnshire Regt., _s._ of William Plummer, Labourer; _b._
Bungay, co. Suffolk, 9th May, 1892; enlisted in the 3rd Battn. Norfolk
Regt. 28 Jan. 1909, was transferred to the Lincolns and was killed
in action with the Expeditionary Force in France, 10 March, 1915;
_unm._
=PLUMMER, ARTHUR HENRY=, 2nd Lieut. 5th Battn. The King’s
Liverpool Regt. (T.F.), 3rd. _s._ of the Rev. Francis Bowes
Plummer, Rector of Halewood and Hon. Canon of Liverpool, by his wife,
Edith Mary, dau. of Rev. Canon Barker, Rector of Hexham; _b._
Walton-on-the-Hill, 5 Nov. 1891; educ. Trent College, Derbyshire,
(Jan. 1901 to July, 1910, holding a scholarship for the last five
years), and Trinity College, Oxford (Oct. 1910 to June, 1914), where he
studied medicine and gained the first place in the 2nd Class Honours
List of the Final School of Physiology. After the outbreak of war in
Aug. 1914, he tried to secure some position in the Army where he could
make use of his medical knowledge. Failing to realize his hopes, he
applied for a commission in the 5th Battn. Liverpool Regt. (T.F.), and
was gazetted 2nd Lieut. 19 Oct. After four months at Blackpool, with
the reserve unit, he was, in Feb. 1915, transferred to the Service
Battn. at Canterbury, and shortly afterwards (21 Feb.) left England to
join the First Army in France. For four months he was engaged in hard
fighting in the trenches near Bethune and, to use his own words, “was
often as nearly blown to pieces as possible.” He was killed in the
late afternoon, 17 May, 1915, in action near Festubert. Writing to his
father, the Commanding Officer said: “He was killed whilst occupying
with his platoon our foremost trench, doing his duty gallantly and
fearlessly. In addition to his military command, he was throughout the
long battle indefatigable in his attention to the wounded, and his
medical skill brought timely relief to many a stricken comrade. His
fine manly character and kindly disposition had already endeared him to
all of us.” Capt. H. K. S. Woodhouse, commanding C Coy., wrote: “After
a very hard morning, my company was told to go in support of another
regt. and your son accompanied me with his platoon. I left him to go
to some other duties, and did not see him again alive.... He was shot
in the neck while he was directing some men to their places, and the
bullet must have touched his spine, for he fell and was unconscious for
an hour before he died.... He was buried in the rear of the English
fire trench, alongside his platoon sergeant, who was killed earlier in
the day.” While at Trent he was a member of the O.T.C. (1906–1910),
Senior Prefect, Gold Medallist and Captain of Cricket and Football
(1909–1910).
[Illustration: =Arthur Henry Plummer.=]
=PLUNKETT, GERALD=, B.A., Barrister-at-Law, Sub-Lieut., A Coy.,
Collingwood Battn. Royal Naval Division, yst. _s._ of Patrick
Joseph Plunkett, of 14, Palmerston Road, Dublin, and grandson of the
late Walter Plunkett, of Bryne House, co. Meath; _b._ Dublin,
11 Aug. 1887; educ. Belvedere College (S.J.), Dublin (where he took
honours each year in Intermediate Examinations), and New College,
Oxford (B.A.); was called to the Irish Bar, 1910, and was a member
of the North-West Circuit; joined the Trinity College O.T.C. on the
outbreak of war, and was given a commission, 20 Oct. 1914; served with
the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at the Dardanelles, and was
killed in action there, 4 June, 1915. He was Platoon Commander and
gallantly led his men in the attack on the Turkish position that day,
cheering them on to the last. He was emptying his revolver into the
Turks when he was shot in the head, and killed instantly; _unm._
[Illustration: =Gerald Plunkett.=]
=POCOCK, FRANK WILLIAM=, Sergt., No. 1851, 13th Battn. (Princess
Louise’s Kensington) The London Regt. (T.F.), eldest _s._ of Frank
Pocock, of 14, Tadema Road, Chelsea, by his wife, Rose Hannah, dau.
of John Vickers; _b._ Chelsea, 11 Sept. 1891; educ. Harwood Road
Council School, Fulham, was a Timber Merchant’s Salesman; joined the
Kensingtons 24 Feb. 1909; completed his term of service 23 Feb. 1914,
but on the outbreak of war in Aug. following rejoined his regt. on the
6th; volunteered for foreign service; went to France on 3 Nov., was
wounded in the ear at Neuve Chapelle on 16 March, and was killed in
action at Festubert, 9 May, 1915, while leading his platoon from one
German trench to another; _unm._ Buried there. Lieut. Penn wrote
that he “faced the enemy unflinchingly and died a noble soldier’s
death.”
=POCOCK, WILLIAM JONATHAN=, Stoker. 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4447),
S.S. 103463, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast
of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=PODD, JOHN EDMUND=, Sergt., No. 106, 4th Battn. Suffolk Regt.
(T.F.), 2nd _s._ of Henry Podd, of 23, Wykes Bishop Street,
Ipswich, by his wife, Mary Ann, dau. of Daniel Button; _b._
Ipswich, 13 Oct. 1885; educ. Cavendish Street School, St. Clement’s,
Ipswich; was a Machinist at Stoke Foundry, Ipswich; joined the Suffolk
Territorials, 2 Sept. 1902; volunteered for foreign service on the
outbreak of war; went to France, 8 Nov. 1914, and was killed in action
at Neuve Chapelle, 12 March, 1915. He _m._ at Butley Church,
co. Suffolk, 12 May, 1913, Kate Edith Elizabeth (15, Cobbold Street,
Ipswich), dau. of David Mayhew, of Butley, and had a son: John Edmund,
_b._ posthumous 10 June, 1915.
[Illustration: =John Edmund Podd.=]
=POINTER, WILLIAM=, A.B., 220380, H.M.S Aboukir; lost in action in
the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=POLING, CHARLES WILLIAM=, Bombardier, R.M.A. (R.F.R., I.C. 32),
H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1
Nov. 1914.
=POLLARD, CLIFFORD=, Boy, 1st Class. J. 23543 (Ports.), H.M.S.
Hawke; _s._ of William Pollard, of 15, Greenfield Road, Holmfirth,
near Huddersfield; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea,
15 Oct. 1914.
=POLLARD, EDWARD BRANCH=, Lieut., 8th (Service) Battn. King’s Own
Scottish Borderers, attd. 176th Coy. Royal Engineers, yst. _s._
of George Richard Macintosh Pollard, of Burns Cottage, Moffat, co.
Dumfries, M.D., by his wife, Grace, dau. of the Rev. J. Macfarlane.
LL.D.; _b._ Clapham, co. Surrey, 1 March, 1883; educ. Royal School
of Mines, and on finishing his mining and metallurgical course went to
the Mundydroog mines, Mysore, in Oct. 1907, where he was in the Mounted
Rifles Coy. of the Kola Gold Fields Volunteers. When war was declared
in Aug. 1914, he was in Northern Nigeria. As soon as practicable he
threw up his mining appointment, returned to England in Nov. 1914,
and was given a 2nd Lieutenancy in the 8th Battn. King’s Own Scottish
Borderers, 6 Dec. 1914, being promoted Lieut. 27 Jan. 1915. He was for
some time Transport Officer at Borden Camp, but on 17 April, 1915,
was seconded to the 176th Coy. R.E., and sent to do mining operations
in the North of France. On 7 July six of his men were entombed in a
tunnel by the explosion of a German shell. He immediately organised a
rescue party under heavy fire, and his men were subsequently saved by a
brother officer. In order to get at some timber which had to be moved,
he himself got up on the top of the debris, thereby exposing himself
to the snipers, and was shot in the forehead, from which wound he died
at Abbeville, on the 26th; _unm._ Buried in Moffat Cemetery. His
Adjutant wrote: “His conduct in this necessary but dangerous work was
beyond all praise. I reported the whole incident, and trust his conduct
will receive due award.” In 1905 he gained the Remanet Scholarship,
and in 1907 won the Edward Matthey Prize; obtained his A.R.S.M. in the
same year, and was also a M.Inst.M.M. In 1907 he was selected by the
Institute of Mining and Metallurgy for Post-Graduate Course in various
parts of the world.
[Illustration: =Edward Branch Pollard.=]
=POLLARD, GEOFFREY BLEMELL=, Lieut., 119th Battery. R.F.A., elder
_s._ of Alfred William Pollard, Assistant Keeper of Printed Books,
British Museum, by his wife, Alice, dau. of George Francis Gloyns
England, of Crediton; _b._ Kensington, 5 April. 1888; educ.
King’s College School, Wimbledon, and St. Paul’s School, Hammersmith,
where he was head of the Army Side, Captain of Shooting, Lieut. of
the Cadet Corps, and Captain of his House. Passed 2nd into Woolwich
in 1906 (thereby gaining an exhibition from his school), joined the
146th Battery, R.F.A., in 1908, transferred subsequently to 40th and
119th. Qualified as a 1st Class Interpreter in French, 1910. During
the retreat from Mons, between Elouges and Dour, “he was in the very
hottest on the very first day and behaved splendidly” (letter from
Brigadier-General Headlam), helping Major E. W. Alexander and Capt.
Francis Grenfell (both of whom obtained V.C.’s for their work that
day) to manhaul the guns of the 119th when it was impossible to get
the horses to them. He was killed while on observation duty in advance
of his battery, 24 Oct. 1914, and buried the following day in the
Churchyard at La Couture. He was mentioned in F.M. Sir John (now
Lord) French’s Despatch of 14 Jan. 1915. His war-letters “printed for
friends” 1915, under the title: “On Active Service.”
[Illustration: =Geoffrey Blemell Pollard.=]
=POLLARD, HOWARD=, Proby., 2nd Cook’s Mate, M. 7798, H.M.S. Hogue;
lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=POLLEY, ALFRED CHARLES=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 2949), 179128, H.M.S.
Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov.
1914.
=POLLEY, HARRY=, Private, No. 941, 15th Battn. Australian Imperial
Force, eldest _s._ of David Polley, of Woodstock, Brambletye
Road, Earswood, co. Surrey, Gardener, by his wife, Lucy Rebecca, dau.
of Shadrach Fairs; _b._ Redhill, co. Surrey, 13 Feb. 1875; educ.
St. Matthew’s Schools there; was for some time a Grocer’s Assistant at
Home and Colonial Stores, Edgware Road; went to Australia in 1909, and
settled at Lismore, New South Wales, working as a Cowman and General
Hand; volunteered for Imperial service on the outbreak of European War
in Aug. 1914, and joined the 15th Battn. A.I.F.; left for Egypt in
Dec.; went to the Dardanelles 1 June, 1915, and died on the Hospital
Ship Maheno, 29 Aug. following, of wounds received in action at Suvla
Bay the previous day; _unm._
[Illustration: =Harry Polley.=]
=POLLOCK, FREDERICK ROBERT=, Lieut., 1st Battn. Coldstream Guards,
elder _s._ of the late Robert Erskine Pollock, of Avening Court,
co. Gloucester, K.C., J.P., Barrister-at-Law, by his wife, Mary Viner,
only dau. and heiress of Frederic Carl Playne, of Avening Court,
aforesaid, Capt. 1st Battn. Rifle Brigade (who served through the
Crimean War and Indian Mutiny), and grandson of Robert John Pollock,
Barrister-at-Law, Lieut. 8th Madras Cavalry [2nd son of the Right Hon.
Sir Frederick Pollock, 1st Bt.]; _b._ 74, Queens Gate, S.W., 24
Oct. 1885; educ. Eton College and Royal Military College, Sandhurst;
gazetted 2nd Lieut. Coldstream Guards, 13 Aug. 1904, promoted Lieut. 15
June, 1907, and from 29 Dec. 1909 to Feb. 1914, served with the West
African Frontier Force. On the outbreak of the European War he went to
France with the Expeditionary Force, and served through the retreat
from Mons, the Battles of the Marne and the Aisne, and was killed while
leading his men in an attack near Langemarck, Belgium, 23 Oct. 1914;
_unm._
[Illustration: =Frederick Robert Pollock.=]