Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Book5; _unm._ A comrade wrote of him: "On one occasion we were advancing and the enemy's trenches were about three or four hundred yards in front. At all events, a Sergt. of the Worcestershire Regt. twigged a wounded man lying out in front. At this time we were halted in a ravine preparing to advance, and the enemy's fire was very heavy; at any rate, the Sergt. shouted at his men that there was a wounded man in front: would some of them go out and take him in? But the fellows all passed it down the line that there was a wounded man out in front: would someone go out and bring him in? At any rate Tom heard it, and asked immediately where the wounded man was. The Sergt. showed him, and Tom shouted round at me, 'Will you come, Terry?' Then without waiting for an answer he was out over the top and started running towards the wounded chap. I rushed out after Tom, and between us we got the chap in. He told us he had been lying out there two days--in reality he had been there since about 11 a.m. that morning; it was then about 6 p.m. He was wounded in the shoulder, side, arm and thigh, and had lost an awful lot of blood. He was in that much pain that he thought he had been there two days. The Dublins and Munsters were that weak then that they combined the two regiments and called us the Dubsters. Well, after bringing in that chap we advanced, and succeeded in routing the Turks and dug ourselves in in a new position, from which the New Zealanders relieved us the next day. Well, that is just one of the many little moves I was in with poor old Tom. Now I wasn't present when Tom was killed; I was in the trenches, and Tom was in charge of a ration party going back along a nullah to draw the company's rations, when he was killed by a sniper. It appears this sniper had command of this part of the nullah, and blankets and sandbag barricades were put to knock off the sniper, but all to no purpose; he must have been concealed on a hill. It was him that killed poor Tom. The bullet pierced his brain, and he only lived for a couple of minutes afterwards, during which time he was unconscious, so never spoke after being hit. The medical officer was present on the spot, but could not do anything. Tom is buried in a very nice cemetery in a separate grave." His yr. brother. Richard O'Keeffe, is now (1916) on active service with the London Regt. [Illustration: =Thomas O'Keeffe.=] =OLDBURY, FREDERICK=, Chief Armourer, 340522, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914. =OLDFIELD, GUY CHRISTOPHER OTTLEY=, Lieut., 2nd Battn. The Queen's Royal Surrey Regt., attd. King's African Rifles, only _s._ of Lieut.-Col. Christopher George Oldfield, late Royal Artillery, by his wife, Margaret Elizabeth, dau. of the late Cortlandt J. Le Bailly, and gdson. of Sir Richard Charles Oldfield; _b._ Poona, India, 17 Sept. 1888; educ. Clifton College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd Lieut. Royal West Surrey Regt. 19 Sept. 1908, and promoted Lieut. 1 April, 1911; was seconded for service with Uganda Battn. of the King's African Rifles, 3 Dec. 1913; served in the Jubaland Expedition in the spring of 1914, and was killed in action at Tsavo, Mombassa, British East Africa, 6 Sept. 1914, while defending the Nairobi Railway against a superior German force armed with maxim guns; _unm._ His body was recovered two days later and buried at Tsavo. A brother Officer wrote: "It is quite impossible for me to convey to you in words how we all loved the dear lad. Such a shining example of a true Christian gentleman and sportsman." [Illustration: =Guy C. O. Oldfield.=] =OLDHAM, JOHN HASLOPE=, 2nd Lieut., 3rd Battn. Duke of Cornwall's L.I., attd. 2nd Battn. King's Own Yorkshire L.I., only _s._ of Ernest Haslope Oldham, of Oakfield, Chudleigh, co. Devon, by his wife, Alice, dau. of Charles Baker, of Portland Square, Bristol; _b._ Southgate, co. Middlesex, 7 Jan. 1891; educ. Blatchington Place, Sussex, Lancing College, and Hertford College, Oxford (graduated B.A. July, 1913), and on leaving there became junior master at Summer Fields, St. Leonards-on-Sea, in Sept. 1913; obtained a commission as 2nd Lieut. in the Reserve of Officers, 16 July, 1913; volunteered on the outbreak of war, and gazetted to the 3rd Duke of Cornwall's L.I., 11 Aug. 1914; went to France, 4 Jan. 1915, where he was attd. to the 2nd King's Own Yorkshire L.I., and was killed in action during the Battle for Hill 60, near Ypres, 18 April, 1915; _unm._ Buried near where he fell. His Col. wrote: "He behaved in a most gallant manner and will be a great loss to my battn."; and his Capt. "He was most capable and keen on his work and had done most awfully well all the time he had been out there. He was absolutely fearless, and he fell in the attack on Hill 60 gallantly leading his men forward. He was hit by a bullet early in the charge, but ignoring his wound he went on to the top of the hill. He had just jumped up on the parapet and started to run over the crest of the hill, when he was shot and killed instantly." An In Memoriam, from the Summer Fields Magazine, stated: "It came as a great shock to us all to read of the death of Lieut. J. H. Oldham who fell at the head of his men on Hill 60. Mr. Oldham, who was educated at Lancing College, and Hertford College, Oxford, came to us as a master in Sept. 1913, and during his 12 months' stay endeared himself to everybody by his unaffected kindliness, his energy and unselfishness. He was always ready to help the youngest boys, constantly improvising new indoor games for their benefit, and just as keen as he could be on the outdoor games, and the work of the school. We little thought when we said good-bye to him at the end of last Summer Term that we should see him no more, but it was like him to be among the very first to volunteer for active service, without hesitation as without fuss. He was sent to the Front in Jan. and died fighting gallantly early in April. Only a few days before his death he had sent cheery messages to the boys, with snapshots taken in the trenches and numerous inquiries and good wishes for their welfare. His noble example and good influence here will long be remembered." [Illustration: =John Haslope Oldham.=] =OLDHAM, LESLIE WILLIAM SEARLES=, Major, R.E., only _s._ of the late Brigade Surgeon Charles Frederick Oldham, by his wife, Harriet Bertha (The Lodge, Bealings, Suffolk), dau. of Thomas Bailey, of Gloucester; _b._ London, 3 Feb. 1870; educ. Cheltenham College, and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich; gazetted 2nd Lieut. R.E. 27 July, 1889; promoted Lieut. 27 July, 1892; Capt. 5 May, 1900 and Major, 27 July, 1909; was in command of the R.E. with the Chitral Relief Force from Gilgit, 1895; was present at the actions at Chakalwat and Nisa Gol and was mentioned in Despatches. In 1899 he joined the Indian Public Works Department and did excellent work especially in connection with water supplies. After the outbreak |