Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Book38, Newton Street, St. Helen's, Ipswich), dau. of the late William (and Elizabeth) Cunningham, and had a son, Herbert, _b._ 4 Aug. 1907. [Illustration: =Herbert Pallant.=] =PALMER, FREDERICK ERNEST=, A.B., 236457 (Ports.), H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =PALMER, GEORGE=, Stoker, 2nd Class, K. 22186, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914. =PALMER, GEORGE=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 1317), 197816, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =PALMER, GEORGE EDWARD=, Boy, 1st Class, J. 23449, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914. =PALMER, JOHN=, Gunner, R.M.A., 12655, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =PALMER, JOHN JOSEPH=, 2nd Writer, 346138, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =PALMER, MAURICE WESTON=, L.-Corpl., No. 1104, 5th Battn., Australian Imperial Force, 2nd _s._ of Attwell Lynch Palmer, of Pentney, Swaffham, co. Norfolk, Engineer, by his wife, Frances, dau. of William Daniel Weston, of the Lenwades, Moulton, near Newmarket; _b._ Letcham, Swaffham, 4 July, 1894; educ. Grammar School, Swaffham; went to Australia in Dec. 1913; was a 1st Class Steward in the Orient S.S. Co.; volunteered for Imperial service after the outbreak of war and joined the 5th Battn., A.I.F., in Sept. 1914; left for Egypt in Dec; went to the Dardanelles in June, 1915, and was killed in action there, 20 July following; _unm._ [Illustration: =Maurice W. Palmer.=] =PALMER, PERCY VICTOR=, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 9038), No. 206273, R.N., _s._ of William Palmer, of Towersey, near Thame, co. Oxford, by his wife, Harriett, dau. of John Rumble, of Norfolk; _b._ Kensington Gore, W., 12 Jan. 1883; educ. St. Barnabas' Church School, Pimlico, and was a chorister at St. John's, Wilton Road; entered Navy, 1899, and was lost on board H.M.S. Cressy when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914; _unm._ For services rendered during the Messina earthquake, while serving in H.M.S. Euryalus, he received a letter of thanks from the King of Italy, and was awarded the Messina silver medal. Palmer was also at Martinique when that earthquake happened. [Illustration: =Percy Victor Palmer.=] =PALMER, RONALD WILLIAM POULTON=, B.A. Oxon, Lieut., 4th Battn. Berkshire Regt. (T.F.), yr. _s._ of Edward Bagnall Poulton, D.Sc., F.R.S., Hope Professor of Zoology, Oxford University, and Fellow of Jesus College, by his wife, Emily, eldest dau. of the late George Palmer (of Huntley & Palmer, Ltd.), some time M.P. for Reading, and nephew of the late Right Hon. George William Palmer, also at one time M.P. for Reading, and of the late Sir Walter Palmer, Bart., M.P. for Salisbury; _b._ Oxford, 12 Sept. 1889; educ. Oxford Preparatory School, Rugby (School House), and Balliol College, Oxford, where he matriculated with an exhibition in 1908; took 2nd Class Honours in the Final Honour School of Natural Science (Engineering), and graduated B.A. 1911. On leaving Oxford he entered Huntley & Palmer's factory in Jan. 1912, to qualify himself for a Directorship, and after 18 months there, went to Manchester and continued his engineering studies in Mather & Platt's, attending courses at the Municipal School of Technology. On the death of the Right Hon. G. W. Palmer, in Oct. 1913, he became the heir and, had he lived, would have succeeded his uncle in the Marlston Estates, and by the terms of the will he took the name of Palmer. At Oxford he had served with the O.T.C. from 4 Dec. 1908 to 29 Dec. 1911, and on going to Reading was given a commission as 2nd Lieut., in the Berkshire Territorials, 30 April, 1912; and on the outbreak of war volunteered with his Battn. for foreign service, and was promoted Lieut. He went to the Front at the end of March, and was killed by a stray bullet, or by a sniper, at 12.20 a.m., 5 [not 4] May, 1915, while superintending work on the trenches in front of Ploegsteert Wood, Belgium. He was buried in the wood, close to "Hyde Park Corner"; _unm._ Col. O. P. Serocold wrote: "He was killed instantaneously, while on duty in the trenches, about 12.20 a.m. this morning, and as it was quite dark at the time, and before the moon rose, we think it must have been an unaimed chance bullet which struck him. Naturally Ronald was the most beloved and popular officer with all ranks, and one of those whom we could least spare. I shall miss him sorely, as he was a most trustworthy and capable officer, and would have gone high in soldiering, had he been spared"; and Capt. Thorne: "Ronald was engaged on work of trench repair, in company with Sergt. Brant, and was hit by an enemy sniper at 12.20 a.m. Death, mercifully, must have been instantaneous. This I am sure of, as I reached him a moment after he was shot; he never spoke or moved again, and the Doctor, who shortly after arrived, is of the same opinion. Sergt. Brant did everything that could be done, but it was obviously all in vain. I cannot express what we feel about it, men and all were devoted to him, and there is not one of us who would not have cheerfully exchanged our lives for his. He never shirked a job, whatever the risk was, and he fell, as he would have liked to do, in the execution of his duty. The regt. has lost one it could ill afford." Lieut. O. B. Challenor also wrote: "He was our company works manager, _i.e._, he looked after the trench, and found out what work on the parapet or elsewhere was necessary for the safety of the men. He was shot at 12.20 a.m. to-day, 5 May. It was a foggy night, and he was on the roof of a dug-out, looking at work that had been done, when a stray shot, which I think was a ricochet off our wire in front of the trench, hit him. It entered his right side, just below the armpit; death was instantaneous." He was a noted Rugby International, and captained the English Team which won all the International matches in the season before the war. The "Times" said: "By the death of Lieut. Poulton Palmer Rugby football has lost one of its most brilliant exponents. As a three-quarter back--he could play either in the centre or on the wing--his name will go down to posterity as probably the greatest player of all time. He was decidedly of the unorthodox type, and, although he had many imitators, was unequalled in his distinctive style and opportunism. The strongest points of his game were his resolute running and wonderful swerve. At the beginning of his career he was rather weak in his tackling, but this weakness was remedied by experience. As a captain he was a born leader; he was never flurried, and was always seen at his best when the score was against his side. Like all great players, he had his off days, but he was just the man to win games by his individual flashes of brilliance, and no English side could have been considered at full strength without him. Between the seasons of |