Thiepval Memorial
Memorial to the Missing of the Somme
Roll of Honour
A
Second Lieutenant
Louis Frederick Aberdeen
London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers)
3rd Bn. attd. 12th Bn. London Regiment (The Rangers)
9th September 1916, aged 20.
Pier and Face 9 D and 16 B.
Son of Louis and Catherine Harriet Aberdeen, of 12, Sidney Avenue, Palmer's Green, London.
Louis Frederick Aberdeen
London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers)
3rd Bn. attd. 12th Bn. London Regiment (The Rangers)
9th September 1916, aged 20.
Pier and Face 9 D and 16 B.
Son of Louis and Catherine Harriet Aberdeen, of 12, Sidney Avenue, Palmer's Green, London.
5813 Private
George Christopher Abbott
8th Bn. East Lancashire Regiment
15th July 1916, aged 21.
Pier and Face 6 C.
Lived at 72 Olympia Street, Burnley, Lancashire.
George Christopher Abbott
8th Bn. East Lancashire Regiment
15th July 1916, aged 21.
Pier and Face 6 C.
Lived at 72 Olympia Street, Burnley, Lancashire.
12595 Private
Robert Abbott
1st Bn. East Lancashire Regiment
1st July, 1916, aged 28.
Pier and Face 6 C.
Son of John and Alice Ann Abbott, of 23, Rowley St., Burnley; husband of Minnie Abbott, of 3, Monmouth St., Burnley.
Robert Abbott
1st Bn. East Lancashire Regiment
1st July, 1916, aged 28.
Pier and Face 6 C.
Son of John and Alice Ann Abbott, of 23, Rowley St., Burnley; husband of Minnie Abbott, of 3, Monmouth St., Burnley.
3/6953 Private
George William Adams
10th Bn. Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
19th July 1916, aged 23.
Pier and Face 15 A and 16 C.
Son of Mrs. Isabella H. Adams, of 3, Lapicide Place, Leith, Edinburgh.
George William Adams
10th Bn. Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
19th July 1916, aged 23.
Pier and Face 15 A and 16 C.
Son of Mrs. Isabella H. Adams, of 3, Lapicide Place, Leith, Edinburgh.
Ellesmere College Archives Photograph # 2632
Harold is standing, far right.
Captain
Harold Mereydyth Adcock
"D" Company, 10th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers
5th July 1916, aged 25.
Pier and Face 3 C and 3 D.
Son of Alice Margaret Adcock, of 15, Charleville Mansions, Barons Court, West Kensington, London, and the late Charles Adcock. Educated at Ellesmere College, Shropshire (Member O.r C.) Christ's College, Cambridge (Medieval and Modern Languages Tripos, 1912, Member O.T.C.). Schoolmaster at Real Gymnasium, Frankfurt-an-der-Oder, Prussia, and later at Bablake School Coventry (O.C. Cadet Corps). Gazetted, Sept., 1914.
The information below supplied by 'The Ellesmerian Club', the alumni organisation for Ellesmere College where Harold was a pupil.
Harold Meredyth Adcock was born in Horsham,Sussex on 23rd August 1890, the only son of Charles and Alice Adcock. He arrived at Ellesmere College, north Shropshire in January 1902 when there were one hundred and ninety-two pupils on the nominal roll. He was allocated to the ‘Arthur’ dormitory and placed in Form Upper II under the guidance of Mr. Kaye. For the next six years Harold played a very active part in college life, not just on the sports field but in many extra-curricular activities ranging from drama to public debating.
It was on the sports field that he excelled. He represented the college and his dormitory in hockey, cricket, football, swimming and athletics, earning his full Colours in several of them. His cricketing prowess was summarised; “A very steady & painstaking bat. It is not too much to say that we owe our success in several matches to him alone. He has all the makings of a first class bat…..”. His skills on the football pitch led him to be a member of the college’s 1st XI team and he was to captain the ‘Arthur’ cricket team in the 1906 season.
On the Big School stage, he ‘trod the boards’ and took on various roles in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ (1905), ‘King Henry IV, Part 1’ and ‘Twelfth Night’ (1906). He was an active member of both the Debating Society and the Games Committee, progressed through the ranks of the Officer Training Corps, was appointed Prefect and finished his career as Prefect of Hall. Academically, less is known but he was awarded several prizes over the years and took on the role of Editor of The Ellesmerian magazine in his last year or so.
On leaving Ellesmere in December 1908, Harold went to Hanover for six months before he entered Christ’s College, Cambridge where he read for the Medieval and Modern Languages Tripos. He was a Scholar of his College, and took an Honours Degree in 1912. During his residence, he was a member of the University O. T. C., played hockey, coxed the 1st Lent and 2nd May boats in 1910 and edited the college magazine.
From Cambridge, Harold held an appointment with the Prussian Government at the Realgymnasium at Frankfort-on-Oder. He then joined the staff of Bablake School, Coventry as a modern languages master. Here he organised the Officer Training Corps and was on summer camp at Warwick Castle when war was declared.
He immediately applied for service through the Cambridge University O. T. C. and was gazetted to the 10thBattalion, the Lancashire Fusiliers in September 1914, being promoted full Lieutenant on 1st February 1915.
Harold embarked for the Western Front on 16thJuly 1915 and served with the battalion in the trenches until he was invalided home with an attack of enteric that December. He was promoted Captain on 24th April 1916 and returned to France soon after. In early July he was the company commander of ‘D’ company, the 10th Battalion, the Lancashire Fusiliers.
The regimental history records: "At 12:15 am on July 5th the artillery opened a bombardment of Quadrangle Trench, under cover of which the 9th Northumberland Fusiliers and the 10th Lancashire Fusiliers crept to within a hundred yards of the enemy position. At 12:45 am the two battalions charged. In the 10th Battalion ‘C’ Company (Capt. D.W, Thacker) and ‘D’ Company (Capt. H.M. Adcock) captured Shelter Alley and Quadrangle Trench without much fighting except on the left, where they met with rifle and machine gun fire...Unfortunatley, the company commander, Capt. H.M. Adcock, was killed as he leapt into the German trench".
In the ‘Wheatleyean’ magazine (Bablake School) he was remembered as follows: “ It is given to few to make in the space of a short year so marked an impression on the life of the school…..He was a man for whom a more than ordinary distinguished career would have been prophesised…. Whilst we lament his loss, and whilst we venture to offer our condolences to his relatives in this terrible bereavement, we are proud to feel that one of our masters has set such an example of sacrifice and devotion to duty, and hope that we, each in his lesser way, may follow his example”.
Harold’s body was never recovered, his life and sacrifice is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial and on memorials at St. John’s the Baptist Church, Coventry; Bablake School and Ellesmere College.
The plaque alongside the War memorial at Ellesmere College.
29370 Private
Thomas Adcock
13th Bn. Liverpool Regiment
16th August 1916.
Pier and Face 1 D 8 B and 8 C.
Lived at 15 Garden Street, Padiham, Lancashire.
Thomas Adcock
13th Bn. Liverpool Regiment
16th August 1916.
Pier and Face 1 D 8 B and 8 C.
Lived at 15 Garden Street, Padiham, Lancashire.
6174 Acting/Sergeant
Joseph Ainsworth
1st Bn. East Lancashire Regiment
1st July 1916, aged 36.
Pier and Face 6 C.
Husband of Martha Alice Baldwin (formerly Ainsworth), of 24A, Richardson St., Montreal, Canada, late of Padiham, Lancs.
Joseph Ainsworth
1st Bn. East Lancashire Regiment
1st July 1916, aged 36.
Pier and Face 6 C.
Husband of Martha Alice Baldwin (formerly Ainsworth), of 24A, Richardson St., Montreal, Canada, late of Padiham, Lancs.
16407 Private
George Amos
11th Bn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment)
1st July 1916, aged 22.
Pier and Face 10 C 10 D and 11 A.
Picture courtesy of John Barker
George Amos
11th Bn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment)
1st July 1916, aged 22.
Pier and Face 10 C 10 D and 11 A.
Picture courtesy of John Barker
9780 Private
David Armfield
2nd Bn. Manchester Regiment
9th July 1916, aged 30.
Pier and Face 13 A and 14 C.
Husband of Ellen Hannah Armfield, of 6, Thom St., Padiham, Lancs.
David Armfield
2nd Bn. Manchester Regiment
9th July 1916, aged 30.
Pier and Face 13 A and 14 C.
Husband of Ellen Hannah Armfield, of 6, Thom St., Padiham, Lancs.
202831 Private
Edwin Armitage
1/4th Bn. Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
18th November 1917.
Pier and Face 11 A.
Lived at 81 Rectory Road, Burnley, Lancashire.
Edwin Armitage
1/4th Bn. Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
18th November 1917.
Pier and Face 11 A.
Lived at 81 Rectory Road, Burnley, Lancashire.
15095 Private
William Armstrong
8th Bn. Kings Own Royal Lancaster Regiment.
18th August 1916, aged 19.
Pier and Face 5 D and 12 B.
Son of John and Jane Elizabeth Armstrong, of 15, South St., Huncoat, Accrington.
William Armstrong
8th Bn. Kings Own Royal Lancaster Regiment.
18th August 1916, aged 19.
Pier and Face 5 D and 12 B.
Son of John and Jane Elizabeth Armstrong, of 15, South St., Huncoat, Accrington.
10871 Private
Charles Henry Arney
5th Bn. Dorsetshire Regiment
26th September 1916, aged 25.
Pier and Face 7B.
Son of Henry and Emma Jane Arney, of Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, Dorset.
Picture courtesy of Marlene Sayers, great niece of this soldier
Charles Henry Arney
5th Bn. Dorsetshire Regiment
26th September 1916, aged 25.
Pier and Face 7B.
Son of Henry and Emma Jane Arney, of Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, Dorset.
Picture courtesy of Marlene Sayers, great niece of this soldier
3/8755 Private
Robert Asdale
2nd Bn. West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own)
1st July 1916, aged 19.
Pier and Face 2 A 2 C and 2 D.
Son of Mary Jane Grafton (formerly Asdale), of Meadley's Square, Knaresborough, Yorks, and the late James Asdale.
Robert Asdale
2nd Bn. West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own)
1st July 1916, aged 19.
Pier and Face 2 A 2 C and 2 D.
Son of Mary Jane Grafton (formerly Asdale), of Meadley's Square, Knaresborough, Yorks, and the late James Asdale.
9703 Acting/Corporal
William Aspinall
20th Bn. Royal Fusiliers
29th July 1916.
Pier and Face 8 C 9 A and 16 A.
Lived at 16 Todmorden Road, Burnley, Lancashire.
William Aspinall
20th Bn. Royal Fusiliers
29th July 1916.
Pier and Face 8 C 9 A and 16 A.
Lived at 16 Todmorden Road, Burnley, Lancashire.
241320 Private
Arthur Astin
1/5th Bn. East Lancashire Regiment
28th April 1917.
Pier and Face 6 C.
Arthur Astin
1/5th Bn. East Lancashire Regiment
28th April 1917.
Pier and Face 6 C.
268339 Private
Sydney Arthur Austin
2nd/7th Bn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment
9th April 1917.
Pier and Face 9 A 9 B and 10 B.
Sydney Arthur Austin
2nd/7th Bn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment
9th April 1917.
Pier and Face 9 A 9 B and 10 B.
32143 Private
Henry Ayre
Royal Army Medical Corps, 44th Bn. Field Ambulance
15th September 1916, aged 25.
Pier and Face 4 C.
Lived at 119 Healey-Wood Road, Burnley, Lancashire.
Son of William and Hannah Ayre, of 28, David St., Burnley.
Henry Ayre
Royal Army Medical Corps, 44th Bn. Field Ambulance
15th September 1916, aged 25.
Pier and Face 4 C.
Lived at 119 Healey-Wood Road, Burnley, Lancashire.
Son of William and Hannah Ayre, of 28, David St., Burnley.
