Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Bookents coming forward to assist the first attacking party which had gained the Germans' first line of trenches. Capt. Ussher, seeing what damage the German machine-guns were doing, tried to direct the fire from his guns on to theirs, and while looking over the parapet so that he could direct the fire effectively was hit by a bullet in the centre of his forehead. He died at once without recovering consciousness, and was buried the next day at Beuvry, near Bethune. His last words before he was killed were "Keep down, keep down," to a brother officer who was with him. The 129th Baluchis were the first Indian Regt. to go into action, and one of the men received one of the two first V.C.'s ever granted to the native troops. [Illustration: =Stephen Ussher.=] =VACHELL, RICHARD TANFIELD=, Capt., 1st Battn. Northumberland Fusiliers and Royal Flying Corps, only _s._ of Horace Annesley Vachell, of Beechwood, Bartley, Southampton, Author and Dramatist, by his wife, Lydia, dau. of Chauncy Hatch Phillips, of San Luis Obispo, California; _b._ San Luis aforesaid, 29 June, 1890; educ. Harrow and Royal Military College, Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd Lieut. in the 1st Battn. Northumberland Fusiliers, 13 June, 1910; promoted Lieut. 27 Nov. 1913, and Capt. in July, 1915; joined the 1st Battn. at Gharial in the Murree Hills in 1910, and served with it continuously, except for a short period in 1912, when he acted as A.D.C. to Lord Sydenham, the then Governor of Bombay, until the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914, when he proceeded with it to France. He took part in the retreat from Mons, but was wounded in Oct. and invalided home. Shortly after returning to the Front he joined the Flying Corps as an observer, again returning to England in April to train for his pilot's certificate, which he obtained in June, 1915. He returned to France at the end of July, and died at Choques, 1 Aug. 1915, of wounds received on 31 July, being buried in the military cemetery there; _unm._ Capt. Vachell was a good all-round sportsman. While at Harrow he was a member of the football eleven and fifteen; was an ardent Skihari, and represented the regt. at polo in the Jubbulpore Tournament in 1912. He contributed several articles to the St. George's Gazette under the _nom de plume_ of "The Sprouter," notably "With the American Section at the Delhi Durbar," which exhibited his strong sense of humour. He was mentioned in F.M. Sir John (now Lord) French's Despatch of 14 Jan. [London Gazette, 17 Feb.] 1915. [Illustration: =Richard Tanfield Vachell.=] =VALLENTIN, JOHN FRANKS, V.C.=, Capt., 1st Battn. South Staffordshire Regt., only _s._ of the late Grimble Vallentin, of The Manor House, Walthamstow, by his wife, Lucy (33, Prince of Wales Mansions, S.W.), dau. of Col. John Finnis, 11th Bengal Native Infantry Regt. (killed at Meerut, 10 May, 1857, the first victim of the Mutiny); _b._ in London, 14 May, 1882; educ. Wellington College; served in the South African War, 1901-2, with the Sussex Militia, taking part in the operations in Orange River Colony, April to Dec. 1901, and in the Transvaal from that time until May, 1902 (Queen's medal with five clasps); gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the Royal Garrison Regt., 29 July, 1903; transferred to 1st South Staffords, 7 June, 1905, and promoted Lieut. 7 Sept. 1907, and Capt. 12 June, 1909. He went to France, 5 Oct. 1914, and was wounded on 31 Oct. at Ypres, and taken to hospital, where he was detained. On 2 Nov., on hearing Major Loder Symonds had been killed, he insisted on coming out of hospital to take command of what was left of the regt., the Col. having been seriously wounded on 31 Oct. He was killed in action at Zillebeke, 7 Nov. following; _unm._ The regt. on this occasion, with the remains of the Queen's Regt., captured six machine guns, and recaptured the trenches which had previously been lost by the French. The machine guns captured on this occasion were destroyed and buried. He was awarded the V.C. posthumously "for conspicuous bravery on 7 Nov., at Zillebeke, when leading the attack against the Prussian Guard under a very heavy fire, he was struck down, and on rising to continue the attack, was immediately killed. The capture of the enemy's trenches which followed was in a good measure due to the confidence which the men had in their captain, arising from his many previous acts of great bravery and ability." Lieut.-Col. Ovens, C.M.G., commanding 1st South Staffords, wrote: "Capt. Vallentin's splendid heroism and unfaltering courage and determination have been justly rewarded with the Victoria Cross. He was Captain of our Polo Club and the best player in the regt. He was a specialist in musketry, and a first-rate all-round man. At manœuvres and in the field General Officers have commented on the excellence of his work. The Chief Engineer of the 7th Division told me Capt. Vallentin's scheme of defence and his trenches were the best he had seen. He was wounded and in hospital at Ypres on 6 Nov. 1914, and hearing the regt. was making an attack that night, he came out of hospital and took command. He was again wounded whilst leading his men forward, and was instantly killed. His is a great loss to his splendid old regt., and is deeply regretted by all who knew him." [Illustration: =John Franks Vallentin.=] =VANE, JOHN=, Stoker, Petty Officer, 305666, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =VANRENEN, ARTHUR SAUNDERS=, Lieut.-Col., 5th (Service) Battn. Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, eldest surviving _s._ of the late Gen. Donald Campbell Vanrenen, Indian Army, by his wife, Julia (9, Lansdowne Place, Cheltenham), dau. of the late J. S. Sullivan, Bengal Medical Service; _b._ Meerut, India, 14 Dec. 1862; educ. Cheltenham; entered the Militia in 1879; was gazetted Lieut. from it, to the Lincolnshire Regt., 12 May, 1883; and promoted Capt. 23 Dec. 1893; served with Malay States Guides, 19 Nov. 1897-1908, being acting Commandant from 1905. He retired from the Lincolnshire Regt. on 3 Jan. 1903, but on the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914 offered his services, and was gazetted Major, 7th Battn. of that regt., 23 Sept. following, and Lieut.-Col. commanding 5th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 3 March, 1915; went to the Dardanelles, 10 July, 1915, and was killed in action at Kapanya Dagh, 15 Aug. 1915, after the landing at Suvla Bay. He was buried on the hill where the battle took place. He _m._ at Bruges, Belgium, 28 Oct. 1897, Louisa Frances (Holmhurst, Bideford), dau. of Edwin Empson Isemonger, Colonial Treasurer of the Straits Settlements, and had two children: Esmé Mildred, _b._ 2 Aug. 1898; and Joyce Marguerite, _b._ 12 May, 1903. [Illustration: =Arthur S. Vanrenen.=] =VANSON, ROBERT WILLIAM=, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B 9073), 199912, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =VARLEY, HORACE WILLIAM=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 4856), S.S. 1766, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =VARLEY, WILL |