Munster Fusiliers, yst. _s._ of the late George Simms, of 7,
Porchester Gate, and Sumner Grange, Sunningdale, by his wife, Alice
Maud (Gilderdale House, Gerrards Cross), dau. of Thomas Pearson, of
Scarborough, Yorks; _b._ 7, Porchester Gate, London, W., 21 Oct.
1875; educ. Eastbourne College; gazetted 2nd Lieut., Royal Munster
Fusiliers, from the Militia, 1 Dec. 1897; promoted Lieut. 11 March,
1899, and Capt. 6 June, 1906; served in the South African War, 1902;
took part in the operations in Orange River Colony, Jan. to May, 1902
(Queen’s medal with two clasps), and with the Expeditionary Force in
France and Flanders, and was killed in action at Etreux or Oisy, 27
Aug. 1914; _unm._ Capt. H. S. Jervis, Royal Munster Fusiliers,
wrote: “It falls to my lot, as the Senior Officer surviving the action
of 27 Aug., to write and amplify the terrible news which I presume you
have already received from the War Office, of the death of your son.
To say that we all feel the acutest sorrow at your loss, which is also
ours, is to but inadequately express our feelings. He leaves a gap
which it will take many years to fill. On 27 Aug. his company was on
outpost duty with mine, in front of the Battn. which was to cover the
withdrawal of our Brigade. The latter got away safely, but to achieve
this the Battn. had to sacrifice itself. The enemy was coming from the
north and began working round to eastward of us. Your son’s company was
sent to the post of danger to prevent this. It was a most difficult
undertaking, inviting his complete isolation from the rest of us, but
he carried it through, fought a smart little action, and returned with
the loss of but three men. We then continued the withdrawal, and it
was discovered that the enemy had surrounded and cut us off. Again
George Simms was sent to the post of danger, this time in front. He
went off at the head of his men, and having revealed the enemy in an
entrenched position straight across the line of retreat, he proceeded
to attack at once. A murderous fire was opened on him and his men, and
a destructive cross-fire was brought to bear on them from a loopholed
house. While gallantly exposing himself as an example to his men, he
was shot in the body and fell dead. The whole five officers of his
company were killed--a magnificent example to the remainder of the
Battn. The next day the Germans sent out a party of our men whom they
had taken prisoners, to bury our dead, and your son was placed in a
grave with eight of his brother officers who fell in the same action.
His personal effects were buried with him, nothing being touched. His
kit was on our transport wagons, which may have escaped. When I came to
this Battn. four months ago, I was attd. to your son’s company so that
I might see how the new system was run, and it really was a lesson on
the art of managing men. The Brigadier, after inspecting his company,
said: ‘I should like to serve under Capt. Simms myself.’ No higher
praise is needed. The whole Battn. was devoted to him, and his company
was far the best of the Battn. In the Mess we shall miss him more than
anywhere, his invincible good temper, tact and sense of humour made him
an ideal senior member of the Mess.” In the War Office Record he is
spoken of as a sound Company Commander. He was awarded the 5th Class of
the Royal Victorian Order on the occasion of the presentation of new
Colours to the Battn. by His Majesty King Edward VII at Cork, 1 Aug.
1903.
[Illustration: =George Norman Simms.=]
=SIMPKINS, FREDERICK THOMAS=, Signal Boy, J. 21561, H.M.S. Good
Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=SIMPSON, ABRAM=, Private, No. K.P. 458, 8th Section, D Coy.,
Drake Battn. Royal Naval Division, _s._ of Abram Simpson, of 9,
Maltkiln Lane, Castleford; _b._ Castleford, co. York, 6 June,
1895; educ. Lock Lane School there; enlisted after the outbreak of the
war, 11 Sept. 1914, and was attd. to the Drake Battn. of the R.N.D.;
served with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at the Dardanelles;
was wounded in the hip during a bayonet charge on 14 May, 1915, but
returned to the trenches after a few days in hospital, and died, 20
June following, of wounds received in action; _unm._
[Illustration: =Abram Simpson.=]
=SIMPSON, ALBERT VICTOR=, A.B., No. 235888, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost
in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=SIMPSON, ALEXANDER MATHIESON=, Private, No. 14455, A Coy., No.
4 Platoon, 1st Battn. Cameron Highlanders, only child of the late
Alexander Lee Simpson, of Glasgow, Slater, by his wife, Maggie, widow
of (--) Logan, dau. of John Mathieson, Coal Miner, grandson of William
Simpson, of Glasgow, Schoolmaster (by his wife, Sarah, dau. of Robert
Lee, of (--), Ireland), and great-grandson of Alexander Simpson, of
Girvan, co. Ayr, who emigrated to Rockhampton, Australia, about 1850;
_b._ Glasgow, Jan. 1890; brought up by his aunt, Miss Sarah
Simpson, of 68, John Street, Dunoon, Argyle, and educ. Glasgow and
Dunoon Grammar Schools; was a Painter; enlisted about Oct. 1914; went
to France, and was killed in action at the Battle of Loos, 25 Sept.
1915. He _m._ at Dunoon, 1914. Annie (Orwell Cottage, Edward
Street, Dunoon), dau. of (--) Smith.
[Illustration: =Alexander M. Simpson.=]
=SIMPSON, ANTHONY HENRY=, Lieut., 1st Battn. Royal Warwickshire
Regt., yr. _s._ of James Herbert Simpson, of Rugby, M.L., by
his wife, Charlotte Maria, dau. of Henry Wilson; _b._ Rugby, 28
Dec. 1887; educ. Hillbrow School, Rugby (1896–1901); Rugby School
(1901–6), and Corpus Christi College, Oxford (1906–11, Scholar), and
was afterwards an assistant master at Tonbridge School, where he was
an officer in the O.T.C.; gazetted Lieut. to the Special Reserve of
the Royal Warwickshire Regt., 24 Dec. 1914; went to France, 19 Jan.
1915, and died at the Base Hospital, Boulogne, 1 Feb. following, from
bronchitis contracted while on active service; _unm._ Buried in
the Cemetery there.
[Illustration: =Anthony Henry Simpson.=]
=SIMPSON, ARCHIBALD=, Leading Seaman, 220490, H.M.S Good Hope;
lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=SIMPSON, ARCHIBALD CRANBY=, Trooper, No. 13/442, No. 3 Troop,
4th Waikato Mounted Rifles, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, _s._
of (--) Simpson, by his wife, Katherine (Ohaupo, New Zealand);
_b._ Turakina, New Zealand, 1891; educ. Government Schools, and
St. Patrick’s College, Wellington; volunteered for Imperial service
on the outbreak of war and joined the Waikato Mounted Rifles, 14 Aug.
1914; left for Egypt Oct. following; went to the Dardanelles in May
and died about 19 May following, of wounds received in action there
the same day; _unm._ His Major wrote: “As far as I can remember
your boy was wounded on 18 May, when the Turks attacked us. I cannot
say if he spoke after being wounded, as he was taken away by the
stretcher-bearers to the dressing station, and from there to the
clearing hospital. I understand he died whilst being taken from the
dressing station to hospital, and was wounded in the head. He was given
a Christian burial in the North Cemetery, and now lies on the portion
of the Gallipoli Peninsula which he fought so bravely to hold. You have
the satisfaction to know that he fought like a man and died like a hero
for his King and Country. He was a brave man and a true comrade, and I
felt the loss of his assistance.”
=SIMPSON, EDWARD=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 9675, H.M.S. Good Hope;
lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=SIMPSON, GEORGE=, Private, No. 10129, 1st Battn. East Kent Regt.
(The Buffs); served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.;
killed in action, 23 March, 1915.
=SIMPSON, HUBERT ZEPH=, Assistant-Paymaster, Royal Naval Reserve,
H.M.S. Hawke, elder _s._ of the late Zephaniah Simpson, member
of the London Stock Exchange (1875–1913), by his wife, Lucy Eva (61,
Grosvenor Road, Westminster, S.W.), dau. of John Tucker, of Barnstaple,
Solicitor; _b._ Herne Hill, S.E., 20 Nov. 1880; apprenticed to
the Shaw, Savill & Albion Co., 12 Feb. 1896, and qualified as Master,
16 Oct. 1903, but, after serving with that company and in the Glen and
Union Lines, was compelled through near sight to give up his career and
start anew. He obtained an Assistant Pursership in the R.M.S.P. Co.,
and in 1907 was made Purser, being one of the very few Pursers to hold
a Master’s Certificate. On 30 May, 1913, he was appointed Purser of the
R.M.S.P Arcadian, on which he served until the outbreak of war. He had
joined the Royal Naval Reserve as Midshipman, 13 April, 1897, being
promoted Sub-Lieut. 25 July, 1903; but eye trouble having rendered him
unfit for combatant service, he retired, and in April, 1909, applied
for appointment as Assistant Paymaster, which he received, 5 Sept.
1910. He was appointed to H.M.S. Hawke, 1 Aug. 1914, and was lost when
that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; _unm._
Admiral Fremantle, writing in May, 1913, described him as “a keen and
zealous officer, who would give valuable assistance in war time”; and
the Secretary of the R.M.S.P. Co. wrote: “During the years he was with
us he won the esteem of those with whom he served and the warm regard
of his brother officers, and he will be very greatly missed, not only
by our own people ashore and afloat but also by numbers of passengers
with whom he travelled.”
[Illustration: =Hubert Zeph Simpson.=]
=SIMPSON, JAMES=, Corpl., No. 9856, 2nd Battn. East Surrey Regt.,
_s._ of Frank Simpson, of 72, Larch Road, Balham Surrey; served
with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in action, 11 Feb.
1915.
=SIMPSON, JOHN=, Private, No. 1798, 6th Battn. King’s Royal Rifle
Corps, _s._ of Thomas Simpson, of Clitheroe, Cotton Weaver;
_b._ Clitheroe, co. Lancaster; educ. there; enlisted 16 Sept.
1914: served with the Expeditionary Force in France, and was killed in
action, 8 May, 1915; _unm._
=SIMPSON, JOHN=, Petty Officer, 1st Class, 164860, H.M.S. Aboukir;
lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=SIMPSON, JOHN EDMUND=, Capt., King’s Own Yorkshire L.I.,
elder _s._ of the late Rev. John Curwen Simpson, of Thurnscoe,
South Yorks, by his wife, Frances Maria (Dale Lodge, Brompton, near
Scarborough), dau. of Samuel Sheppard, of Taunton; _b._ Bayswater,
London, 9 July, 1873; educ. St. James’, Southleigh, and St. Paul’s,
Stony Stratford; joined the Volunteers, gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the
King’s Own Yorkshire L.I., 5 May, 1900; promoted Lieut. 26 April, 1901,
and Capt. 8 Jan. 1907, and from 1910 to 1913 was Adjutant of the 3rd
Special Reserve Battn. at Pontefract. On the outbreak of war he went
to France with his regt. and was shot through the chest while leading
his men in an attack on a farm house occupied by Germans, at Messines
in Flanders, 31 Oct. 1914; buried in a field near to where he fell;
_unm._ Capt. Simpson was mentioned in F.M. Sir John French’s
Despatch of 8 Oct. 1914 [London Gazette, 9 Dec. 1914], for gallant
and distinguished service in the field. His brother, (Capt. Launcelot
Simpson, M.V.O., another “K.O.Y.L.I.” officer, after being wounded at
Le Cateau, is now (1916) a prisoner of war at Gütersloh, Westphalia,
Germany.
[Illustration: =John Edmund Simpson.=]
=SIMPSON, WILLIAM=, Private, No. 1320, 4th Battn. Northumberland
Fusiliers, _s._ of the late William Simpson, by his wife, Eliza
(17, Warkworth Street, Lemington-on-Tyne), dau. of William Tiplady,
of Kibblesworth, co. Durham; _b._ Dewley, Throckley, 2 Jan.
1897; enlisted following the declaration of war; served with the
Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders, and was killed in action
west of Wieltte, 25 May, 1915; _unm._ Sergt. R. Rewcastle, of B
Coy., in forwarding to his mother a Bible taken from his pocket, wrote:
“He died nobly while doing a duty that would have increased the safety
of his comrades. He was buried the same day, and a cross marks the spot
where he lies.”
[Illustration: =William Simpson.=]
=SIMPSON, WILLIAM RUSSELL=, Trooper, No. 8531, 2nd Squadron, 5th
Reserve Regt. of Cavalry, attd. 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys),
_s._ of James Simpson, of 5, Bruce Street, Edinburgh, Vanman, by
his wife, Agnes Baird, dau. of William Russell; _b._ Edinburgh,
21 June, 1889; educ. South Morningside School; was in the employ of
W. Bell & Son, Cab Proprietors, Edinburgh; volunteered and enlisted 9
Sept. 1914; died at York, 14 Jan. 1915, of pneumonia contracted while
training; _unm._
=SIMS, HERBERT=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 8741, H.M.S. Good Hope;
lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=SIMS, JOHN=, Naval Cadet, Royal Navy, H.M.S. Bulwark, eldest
_s._ of Charles Sims, of Lodsworth, Petworth, A.R.A., by his
wife, Agnes Helen, dau. of the late John Macwhirter, R.A.; _b._
Hammersmith, London, W., 17 Oct. 1898; educ. The Wells House, Malvern
Wells; entered the Navy, Sept. 1911; appointed to H.M.S. Bulwark, 16
Aug. 1914, and was lost when that ship was blown up off Sheerness, 26
Nov. 1914.
=SIMS, JOHN=, Stoker (Coastguard), 148321 (Ports.), H.M.S. Cressy;
lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=SIMS, WILLIAM JOHN=, Stoker, 1st Class, 304106, H.M.S. Good Hope;
lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=SIMSON, HERBERT=, Chief Petty Officer, 158864, H.M.S. Good Hope;
lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=SINCLAIR, WILLIAM JOHN=, Private, No. 10942, Machine Gun Section,
4th Battn. Canadian Expeditionary Force, yr. _s._ of George
Thomas Sinclair, M.A., of 91, Comiston Road, Edinburgh, formerly
of Craigengar, Culross, by his wife, Marian, dau. of John McEwen,
Register House, Edinburgh, and grandson of the Rev. William Sinclair,
of Kirkwall, Orkney; _b._ Sanquhar, co. Dumfries, 10 Oct. 1889;
educ. High School, Dunfermline, and George Watson’s College, Edinburgh,
and on leaving there was employed in the British Linen Company’s Bank,
Dunfermline; went to Canada in 1910 to take up an appointment in the
Bank of Montreal; volunteered for Imperial service on the outbreak of
war, and joined the 4th Battn.; came over with the first contingent
in Oct.; went to France in February, and was killed in action at St.
Julien, near Ypres, 23 April, 1915; _unm._ Buried at Vlamertinghe,
three miles west of Ypres. Lieut. Washington wrote. “He died a hero’s
death. Rushing to the aid of a wounded comrade he was hit, and died
shortly after. He was absolutely fearless and game to the last, and his
behaviour under terrific fire was splendid. His memory is much honoured
by myself and the Machine Gun Section.” His brother, Lieut. Fraser
McEwen Sinclair, of Glencraig, co. Fife, R.A.M.C., is now (1916) on
active service in Egypt.
[Illustration: =William John Sinclair.=]
=SINDALL, RICHARD ERNEST=, Capt. (Shelford Detachment), 1st
Battn. Cambridgeshire Regt. (T.F.), 2nd _s._ of William Sindall,
of The Elms, Shelford, Cambridgeshire, Contractor, and a Member of
the Cambridge Town Council, by his wife, Henzell Margaret, dau. of
Thomas Usher Crass; _b._ Cambridge, 11 April, 1889; educ. Perse
School, Cambridge; gazetted 2nd Lieut. Cambridgeshire Regt., 1 Oct.
1908, promoted Lieut. 1 March, 1910, and Capt. 23 June, 1913; left for
the Front with his regt., 14 Feb. 1915, was seriously wounded by the
bursting of a shell on 26 June near Armentières, and died from his
wounds, 1 July, 1915; buried at Bailleul; _unm._ The 1st Battn. of
the Cambridgeshire Regt. was warmly congratulated by Brig.-Gen. Longley
for the part it took in the Battle of St. Eloi. He stated that the
way that they advanced under very heavy shell and rifle fire towards
St. Eloi was splendid and that they were of the greatest assistance
in holding the village when the German attack was at its worst. Col.
Copeman, in a letter published by the Cambridge Daily News, said: “We
were in the thick of the great fight last Sunday, and I am proud to
tell you that the regt. did very well, so the General told me. It was
an unexpected attack, and we were hurled into the midst of terrific
shell and rifle fire which lasted from 4.30 on Sunday to about 5 a.m.
Monday.” A special correspondent with the Cambridgeshire Regt. wrote:
“The people of Cambridgeshire must not be allowed to forget that the
1st Cambridgeshires took part in what has been reported as the greatest
engagement of the present war and the world’s history. At 10 p.m.
amid the dull boom of our artillery and the terrific, earsplitting
explosions of the French 75’s, we went out ready to do our part. The
officers in charge of the company were Capt. R. E. Sindall, Capt.
Keenlyside, Lieut. Shaw, and Lieut. Bates. Lieut. Seaton and Lieut.
Sir H. G. Butlin, also officers of the company, were already gaining
experience in the trenches, and had a rough time of it. After drawing
tools and sandbags, we went forward. Ceaseless numbers of ‘flares’ were
sent up, and when passing a gate, the man with the biggest laugh in our
company, L.-Corpl. E. Vawser, was hit. He was promptly attended to,
and hopes were expressed that he would soon be better. An R.E. officer
took charge of us, and we were allotted our job. All the while bullets
and shells were flying around us, and one could mark the passage of the
shells through the air by a streak of light from them. It was rather
a terrifying experience for us to be baptized with such a hail of
bullets, and I must say that I never saw one case of funk in the whole
company. The boys may be heartily congratulated on their sang froid,
and the Cambridgeshire people have good reason to be proud of them.
After our spell close up, we manned some reserved trenches, eventually
arriving ‘home’ at 8 a.m. after a good hard night’s work.” His brother,
Capt. W. T. Sindall, of the same regt., was invalided home from the
Front on 6 April, 1916.
[Illustration: =Richard E. Sindall.=]
=SINGER, JOHN=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 6779), 194593, H.M.S. Hogue; lost
in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=SINGLETON, JOSHUA=, Leading Carpenter’s Crew, 345952, H.M.S.
Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=SINNOTT, PETER=, Private, No. 11726, 1st Battn. King’s Own
Scottish Borderers, _s._ of Peter Sinnott, of 1, Ellis on Street,
Gateshead; _b._ Edinburgh, 17 March, 1896; enlisted 26 Nov. 1913;
served with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, and was killed in
action at the Dardanelles, in an attack on the Turkish trenches, 28
June, 1915; _unm._
[Illustration: =Private Sinnott.=]
=WILMOT-SITWELL, STANTON DEGGE=, Lieut., Portsmouth Battn. Royal
Marine L.I., 2nd _s._ of Francis Stanton Wilmot-Sitwell, of Monk’s
Well, Beaulieu, Barrister-at-Law, by his wife, Mary Innes, elder dau.
of Capt. Charles Elliot Farquharson, 21st Lancers, and grandson of
Robert Sacheverell Wilmot-Sitwell, of Stainsby House, co. Derby, J.P.,
D.L.; _b._ The Grove, Bolton’s, London, S.W., 25 July, 1896;
educ. Newlands, Seaford, and Malvern College, where he was a prefect;
was given a 2nd Lieutenancy in the Royal Marines, 29 Aug. 1914, and
promoted Lieut. 27 March, 1915; went out with the R.N.D. in the
Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, Feb. 1915, landed at Gaba Tepe with
the Anzacs, and was killed in action on the slopes of Achi Baba, 13
July following; _unm._
[Illustration: =Stanton D. Wilmot-Sitwell.=]
=SIZER, WILLIAM JOHN THOMAS=, Seaman, R.N.R., 4851B., H.M.S.
Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=SKARRATT, WILLIAM=, Private, R.M.L.I. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 1986),
12977, R.F.R., H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept.
1914.
=SKEATES, ARTHUR WILLIAM=, Stoker, 1st Class, 309112, H.M.S.
Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=SKELTON, HENRY=, Trimmer, No. 3376, Trawler Eagle, _s._ of
John Skelton, of 31, James Street, Holderness Road, Hull, Coalheaver on
sea-going ships, by his wife, Fanny, dau. of George Hullah, of Beeford;
_b._ Hull, co. York, 23 March, 1886; educ. Blenkin Street School,
Holderness Road, there; was employed in the firm of Thomas Wilson,
Sons & Co., Ship Owners, Hull, as a fireman on the steamers sailing
from Hull to New York and Boston, but on the outbreak of war in Aug.
1914 joined a trawler which had been taken over by the Admiralty for
mine-sweeping purposes, and was accidentally drowned at Cromarty, 13
Jan. 1915. He was returning from a few hours’ leave, and the weather
being very bad the small boat he was in was capsized. He _m._ at
St. Philip’s Church, Sculcoates, 11 April, 1908, Catherine (14, May
Terrace, Walker Street, off Hessle Road, Hull), dau. of Tom Clark, and
had two sons: Arthur, _b._ 21 Sept. 1912; and Henry, _b._ 18
April, 1914.
=SKIN, ALBIN SAMUEL=, A.B., 237656, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in
action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=SKINNER, ARTHUR=, Private, No. G. 1454, 2nd Battn. Royal Sussex
Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in
action, 9 May, 1915.
=SKINNER, JOHN THOMAS=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 5048), S.S. 1834, H.M.S.
Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov.
1914.
=SKINNER, PHILIP JOHN LANCELOT=, Sub-Lieut., R.N., yst. _s._
of Major Charles Lancelot Andrewes Skinner, of 57, Eccleston Square,
S.W., late 4th Hussars, by his wife, Lady Kathleen, née Ponsonby, yst.
dau. of Walter William Brabazon, 7th Earl of Bessborough; _b._
The Chantry, Ipswich, 23 Jan. 1894; educ. St. Andrews, Eastbourne,
and Osborne and Dartmouth Royal Naval Colleges, where he was cadet
capt., H.R.H. the Prince of Wales being under his charge; served as a
cadet on H.M.S. Cumberland; joined H.M.S. Hercules as a Midshipman in
1911, afterwards served on H.M.S. King George V.; was appointed acting
Sub-Lieut. H.M.S. Formidable, 29 July, 1914; and was lost when that
ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel, 1 Jan 1915. The
following is an extract from one of the many letters received from some
of the bluejackets and other survivors off H.M.S. Formidable: “We found
him a most kind and considerate officer, a fearless and true British
sailor, and a splendid type of the true English gentleman. He was
esteemed and respected by all who knew him, both by officers and men,
and we loved him.”
[Illustration: =Philip John L. Skinner.=]
=SKINNER, RONALD SWEYN=, Sergt., No. 737, 9th Battn. (Queen
Victoria Rifles) The London Regt. (T.F.), _s._ of the Rev.
Frederick William Skinner, Vicar of Tibenham, co. Norfolk, by his wife,
Agnes Mary, dau. of Edward Cooke; _b._ Ashwe11thorpe, co. Norfolk,
22 Nov. 1888; educ. Banham Grammar School; joined the Queen Victoria
Rifles in Nov. 1910, was promoted Sergt. Jan. 1915, and on the outbreak
of war proceeded to the Front with them; he died of wounds received in
action at Hill 60, Flanders, 3 Feb. 1915; buried Dranoutre; _unm._
His Capt. wrote: “From the first moment he went into action in the
trenches he showed himself a bold and resolute soldier who thought
first of his duty and nothing of himself. He had recently been named
for a commission. At all times he showed a fine example and exercised
a most beneficial influence thereby over the men under his command. I
cannot think how we shall get on without him: men such as he proved
himself over and over again are hard indeed to replace.” He was Capt.
of the Olympic Rifle Club five years, and shot for his company at
Bisley two years.
=SKINNER, WILLIAM=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 1816), 187806, H.M.S. Good
Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=SCOT SKIRVING, ARCHIBALD=, Capt., 5th Battn. Royal Irish
Fusiliers, yr. _s._ of Robert Scot Skirving, M.B., of Sydney,
N.S.W., by his wife, Lucy, dau. of the late Trefferson Hester, M.D.;
_b._ Sydney, New South Wales, 7 Sept. 1884; educ. Sydney Grammar
School; Eton House, Tonbridge; and the University of Sydney, at which
last he graduated as M.B. and C.M. in 1911 with high honours, being
the second man of his year. A resident medical officer in the Royal
Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney till 1913, he proceeded in that year
to England to take the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons, but
on the outbreak of war at once volunteered for active service. He had
previously joined the University Scouts in 1907, and the 2nd Australian
Infantry Regt. in 1909, transferring from the latter in the following
year to the N.S.W. Scottish Rifles, which became the 25th Australian
Infantry under the new regulations, and after being temporarily
attached to the Black Watch was given a commission as Lieut. in
the Royal Irish Fusiliers, 4 Sept. 1914, and promoted Capt. 2 Dec.
following. He died 9 Aug. 1915 (on board the hospital ship Valdivia),
from wounds received near Suvla Bay, and was buried at sea five miles
south of Imbros Island. The letters of his fellow officers show him to
have been as able and keen in his military duties as he was capable and
distinguished in his profession of medicine.
[Illustration: =Archibald Scot Skirving.=]