Lt Aubrey Crawshaw DENHAM

Died 1st April 1915, aged 34

Aubrey enlisted into the army at the outbreak of war and served in the 6th battalion from their formation. Unfortunately, Lieutenant Denham died in his parents home whilst the New Army was still in training. He was the only son of John William and Annie Denham of 3 Woodland Mount, Trinity Street in Huddersfield and is buried in the Huddersfield Cemetery

2/Lt George Arthur SMITH-MASTERS

Killed in action 19th August 1915, aged 20.

George left England with the battalion, arriving in France late July 1915. The battalion’s first taste of the trenches was mid August and, whilst digging early in the morning of the 19th August 1915, 2/Lt Smith-Masters ventured out of the trenches and was shot dead by a sniper. He was aged 20 and became the battalions first death in combat. George was the son of John Ernest and Eliza Margaret Smith-Masters, of Camer, Meopham in Kent and lived in Kidmore End, Oxfordshire himself. He is buried in Dranoutre Military Cemetery, 12km south of Ypres.

2/Lt Ernest DANN

Died of wounds 22nd November 1915, aged 25.

Ernest was a native of Queensland in Australia and educated at a school for missionaries in Blackheath before gained his M.A. from Oxford in 1911.  He enlisted into the army early in the war and arrived in France with the battalion on 30th July 1915. On the 21st November 1915 he was on a working party when he was hit by 2 bullets in the abdomen and severely wounded. Sadly he died the following day at the C.C.S. in Henu. Ernest was the youngest son of the Rev. George James and Hannah Dann of Bankipore in India and was buried in Henu Churchyard, off of the Arras-Doullens road 1km east of Pas-en-Artois.

On the 15th July 1916, the battalion attacked across a 2,000 yard stretch of open ground towards Pozieres as a part of a larger assault. In the assault twelve Officers and over 200 men became casualties with 3 of the Officers being killed. The following three are from that attack.

Captain Garth BIGNELL [incorrectly spelt Gurth elsewhere]

Killed in action 15th July 1916.

He was educated at Rugby and R.M. College in Sandhurst and was commissioned a 2/Lt in October 1910. Garth joined the 6th battalion when it was raised in August 1914 and went to France with them in August 1915. After a spell on Staff service he rejoined the battalion in July and was killed within days whilst leading his Company in the attack. He was about to marry Lucy Helen of Bournemouth, daughter of the late Major John Jervois, R.E. Garth was the only child of the late Colonel E.J.T. (also spelt E.D.F.) Bignell of the Indian Staff Corps and is buried in the Pozieres British Cemetery at Ovillers-la-Boiselle. His mother Mary Sybella died in London on the 14th August 1916, leaving no one from their family alive.

2/Lt John Norman HUNSTON

Died of wounds 15th July 1916, aged 20.

John was born at Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire and arrived with the battalion on the 5th April 1916. He was the son of Robert George Laskey and Helen Hunston of 32 Hallewell Road in Edgbaston, Birmingham. He is buried in the Becourt Military Cemetery, Becordel-Becourt, 2km east of Albert.

Johns elder brother, Robert Donald Hunston, was killed just two months later, aged 21 in the 7th battalion on the 28th September 1916 and is buried in the Mill Road cemetery, Thiepval.

2/Lt William Hugh Byam SHERVINGTON

Killed in action 15th July 1916, aged 26.

William arrived with the 6th battalion on the 27th March 1916 from the 9th battalion and fell during the assault on Pozieres. He was the son of Laura Shervinton from "Claremont", King Edward Avenue in Broadstairs and the late Col. St. Leger Shervinton. William has no known grave but is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial, as shown below.

2/Lt Cecil Cooper LE MESSURIER

Killed in action 15th November 1916, aged 32

Cecil was initially a Sergeant in the 15th London Regiment and was gazetted as a 2/Lt in the Bedfords on the 29th October 1915 and arrived with the battalion around August 1916, possible also with the large draft from the 1st August. He was the son of Alfred Noel and Louisa Arabella Le Messurier and the husband of Winifred Lucy Le Messurier of 16 Hungerford Road, Camden Rd., Holloway, London. Cecil is buried in the New Munich Trench British Cemetery, Beaumont Hamel.

2/Lt Arthur JESSON

Killed in action 16th November 1916, aged 28

2/Lt Jesson joined the battalion on the 11th December 1915 and survived the Somme battles of 1916 only to be caught in the heavy shelling as the battalion sheltered on Waggon Road, Beaumont Hamel on the 16th November. Arthur was initially posted as missing on the 16th and later confirmed as having been killed that day. He was the son of the late Charles and Mrs. Jesson of Gumley, Market Harborough in Leicestershire. He has no known grave and is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial.

Lt Giles Havergal SHAW

Killed in action 11th April 1917.

5th Battalion, attached to the 6th Battalion. The 6th Battalion attacked La Folie Ferme and Le Bergere on the 10th April, in conjunction with the 111th Brigade’s attack on Monchy-Le-Preux. No further information has appeared abot Giles to date.

Lt Frederic George THOMPSON

Killed in action 11th April 1917, aged 28.

Frederic seems to have served in the 7th battalion at some stage but was in the 6th at the time of his death. He fell as the battalion held their newly won positions around La Bergere, south of Monchy le Preux along the Arras-Cambrai road. Frederic was the son of Louisa S. Thompson of 79 Castle Road in Bedford and the late Frederic Thompson.

2/Lt Bernard Valentine COLCHESTER

Killed in action 25th April 1917, aged 27.

Bernard arrived with the battalion on the 12th December 1915 and survived the Somme battles of 1916 as well as two further assaults during the Arras battles in April 1917. On the 24th or 25th April Bernard was amongst the large Officer casualty list suffered as the battalion attacked the wide open Greenland Hill and were badly mauled by a nest of machine guns to their south. He was the son of Marguerite Branford Colchester from Great Shelford in Cambridge, and the late Edward Cromwell Colchester.

2/Lt Herbert Edward FOSKETT

Killed in action 28th April 1917, aged 24.

Herbert trained with the 5th Battalion but was attached to the 6th Battalion when he fell. He arrived with the 6th in France on 16th April 1917 with 3 other Lieutenants; 3 of them were killed on the 28th April and the other 1 was wounded on the 24th April, hence survived the carnage of the 28th. On the 28th April, the Battalion attacked Greenland Hill for the second time in a few days but only 58 men survived the carnage of their attack. Herbert was the son of Mary Foskett of Western Road in Tring, Herts, and the late Herbert Foskett.

Lt Ronald Henry Evan ROSE

Killed in action 28th April 1917.

Ronald, like Herbert above, arrived less than two weeks before his death on Greenland Hill, from which only 58 men survived.

2/Lt Clement Roy Blackshaw SMITH

Killed in action 28th April 1917, aged 19.

2/Lt Smith had not been with the battalion many weeks before he fell in his first and last battle. He was in the 3rd battalion attached to the 6th. Clement was the son of Clement Charles Smith, J.P. and Jessie Smith of Walton Hall in Felixstowe. Suffolk. He has no known grave but is remembered on the Arras Memorial to the missing.

Lieutenant Edmund Arthur Howe LILLEY

Killed in action 31st July 1917 whilst attached to the 112th Trench Mortar Battery.

2/Lt Charles Edmund KIRK

Killed in action 6th August 1917, aged 36.

Charles was from Bedford originally and served initially in the 7th Dragoon Guards. Charles was killed whilst on a working party in no-man’s land but his body was recovered and he is buried in Kemnel Chateau Military Cemetery, 8km south-west of Ypres. He was the son of Ann and the late John Kirk and husband of Hilda May Kirk of 3 Cossington Road in Canterbury.

Captain Frederic Gerald Bazalgette LUCAS MC

Died of wounds 10th August 1917, aged 23

Frederic was gazetted as a 2/Lt 31st August 1914 and landed in France 30th July 1915.

His Military Cross citation appeared in the London Times 22nd September 1916 and was for commanding his company for three hours, after his O.C. was killed despite being wounded himself. This would have been during the assault in August around Bazentin-le-Petit. Despite surviving the Somme and Arras battles, Captain Lucas was killed during heavy shelling on the 9th August 1917 whilst the battalion were in the line. He was the son of Gerald Bazalgette Lucas and Emma Grace Lucas of "Meadowside" in Pembury, Kent and is buried in the Bailleul Communal Cemetery, midway between St. Omer and Lille.

Captain John HISLOP, MC

Killed in action 22nd September 1917

John Hislop has proved elusive in my searching! He was certainly with the battalion as a 2/Lt from January 1916 but possibly not earlier. His Military Cross was gazetted 2nd June 1916 and was probably for the fighting on the 19th April 1916. His death on the 22nd September 1917 was probably after being caught by enemy artillery on the battalion’s relief as they marched back to the support lines from reserve. To round it off, John has no known grave but is remembered in the Tyne Cot Memorial.

2/Lt George Edward INCH

Killed in action 22nd September 1917, aged 27

George was in the 1st battalion but was attached to the 6th when he fell. The battalion were on the way up to the trenches to relieve the 6th Cheshires when the relief was spotted by enemy observers and the area was swamped with shells. George was killed along with Captain Hislop (above), along with another 30 casualties. He was the son of George Edward and Alice Inch of 2 Charlotte Street in Bolton, Lancs and the husband of Mary Inch. He has no known grave but is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.

2/Lt Nelson Wynne RYCROFT

Killed in action 25th September 1917

Nelson was killed during heavy shelling as the battalion held the front lines. He has no known grave so he is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the missing.

Captain and Adjutant Harold John CUNNINGHAM MC

Died of wounds 4th October 1917, aged 25.

Harold was the only son of the late John William Cunningham of Harrow and Mrs Cunningham of Spencer House St Albans. He entered Tonbridge School (going into Judde House) in 1905 becoming Captain of the school for 1910/11. He joined the OTC in September 1910 and was promoted to sergeant. He was also a violinist and won the school music prize. On leaving school he trained at Willam Deacon's Bank and afterwards joined the Chartered Bank of India. On outbreak of war he applied for a commission and was gazetted a Temporary 2nd Lieutenant in the 6th Battalion on the 16th November arriving in France in July 1915. He became Adjutant in February 1916 and was promoted temporary Lieutenant on April 15th 1916 and Temporary Captain on August 11th 1917. He was awarded the Military Cross in the gazette of June 3rd 1917 for his actions at the Battle of Arras in April which left the battalion a mere skeleton.

On October the 4th 1917 the battalion was moving up to the front line SE of Ypres under heavy shell fire to take part in the Battle of Broodseinde. They had been sheltering for some hours in some extensive dugouts known as Canada Tunnels and when the time came to move again Cunningham was outside with Lt Clifford, the Battalion Intelligence Officer, directing the companies as they filed into the open. A shell burst quite near them and he was so severely wounded that he became unconscious almost immediately and died ten minutes later at an adjacent dressing station to which he had been carried by Lt Clifford who was also wounded. The only words he spoke before he died was to enquire about Lt Clifford's wounds and to encourage him to go to the dressing station. Captain Cunningham was just 25 years old and a much loved and admired Officer as the letters after his death show. Harold can be seen opposite, the photograph being taken in 1911.

(My thanks to John Hamblin for the Roll of Honour information)

2/Lt William AMBRIDGE

Killed in action 7th/8th April 1918.

William had only recently moved from the disbanded 8th battalion to the 6th, arriving with them on the 27th February 1918. 2/Lt Ambridge was killed along with George Binns (above) on the 8th April whilst the battalion held the lines on the Somme. William is buried in the Gommecourt British Cemetery No.2, Hebuterne, 15km due north of Albert, just north of Beaumont Hamel.