Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Book1911 (medal); returned to England with his regt. in Oct. 1914; went to France, 5 Nov. following, and was killed in action near Fauquissart on the night of 1-2 Dec. 1914, when, after visiting his sentries he had gone forward alone about 1.30 a.m. to reconnoitre, it having been surmised that fresh German troops had taken up positions in front of our line of trenches. He was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and an ardent explorer and keen big game shot. Besides expeditions on the White Nile, in Kashmir and Mesopotamia, he returned to India in 1908 through Russia, Central Asia and Turkestan, the latter part of this journey he made with native following only, which no English traveller had done before crossing 23 passes over 10,000 feet high, the highest being the Karakorum, 18,317 feet above sea level. He _m._ at Grayshott, co. Hants, 27 April, 1910, Madeleine Eléonore, dau. of David de Pury, of Grayshott and Neuchatel, Switzerland, and had two children: John de Pury, _b._ 10 Oct. 1911; and Lorraine Marie, _b._ 30 July, 1914. It is feared that his younger brother, Lieut. Trevor Whitaker, R.N., lost his life on active service in the North Sea in Jan. 1915. A still younger brother, Capt. and Adjutant Raymond Whitaker, Rifle Brigade, is now (1916) on active service, attd. to the R.F.C., and his youngest brother, L.-Corpl Geoffrey Whitaker, is in the Eton College O.T.C. [Illustration: =Harold Whitaker.=] =WHITBY, CHARLES BARRY DOUGLAS=, Private, No. 26022, 14th Battn. (1st Royal Montreal Regt.), 3rd Brigade, Canadian Expeditionary Force, eldest _s._ of Charles Joseph Whitby, of 9, The Paragon, Bath, M.D. Cantab., by his wife, Clare, dau. of Joseph Hayden; _b._ Cambridge, 13 Nov. 1884; educ. Reading School, went to Canada about 1904, residing first in Montreal, later in Emerson and other places, then returning to Montreal, where at the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914, he held a position on the Staff of the "Gazette." He at once enlisted and went into training at Valcartier, came to England with the first Canadian Contingent, and competed his training on Salisbury Plain. He crossed to Flanders with his Division early in 1915, and took part in the action at Neuve Chapelle. On 22 April, 1915, the Second Battle of Ypres was opened by the discharge of poison gas against the Turcos, who were driven back leaving the Canadian left exposed. On the morning of the 24th the 14th Battn., shelled out of a shallow dug-out they had prepared over night, in a field near St. Julien, retreated uphill under very heavy fire. Near the summit Private Whitby was hit and fell in a ditch, joking as he fell. He was never seen again by his comrades, but was officially reported "wounded and missing." Later a report by the enemy stated that he had been picked up by them, had died on May 8 or 9, and was buried on Hill 20 (Kersselaare), not far from where he fell. In letters received from his comrades he was described as "a splendid soldier, always among the first to offer himself for any dangerous duty." While at the front Private Whitby contributed several descriptive articles on life in the trenches to the "Montreal Gazette." [Illustration: =Charles B. D. Whitby.=] =WHITCHURCH, LESLIE SEDGWICK=, Capt., 21st Prince Albert Victor's Own Punjab Cavalry (Frontier Force), Indian Army, attd. 5th Dragoon Guards, 2nd _s._ of the late Rev. Walter Beaumont Gurney Whitchurch, Rector of Spixworth, Norfolk, by his wife, Margaret Elizabeth (Old Catton, Norfolk), dau. of (--) Sedgwick; _b._ Lockeridge House, co. Wilts, 6 April, 1880; educ. Marlborough and Sandhurst, where he took the Queen's Gold Medal for Military Proficiency and the Sword of Honour, with six other prizes, and on passing out, broke the College "record" and was given six months seniority; gazetted 2nd Lieut., Indian Army, unattd., 19 July, 1899; entered Indian Staff College, 1 Oct. 1900, and was promoted Lieut. 19 Oct. 1901; and appointed Squadron Officer in 21st Cavalry, 29 May, 1902, and became Capt., 19 July, 1908; served on the N.W. Frontier of India, Waziristan, 1901-2 (medal with clasp), and also took part in the operations against the Darwesh Khel Waziris, 1902; was home on leave when the European War broke out, and at once applied to be attd. to a British Regt.; trained reserves for the 9th Lancers at Tidworth for a short time; was sent to France to join 5th Dragoons, 10th Squadron, and was killed in action at Messines on 31 Oct. following, during the First Battle of Ypres; _unm._ His commanding officer wrote: "He was a most gallant and capable officer, and I was most fortunate to have had him with me. He was killed when most gallantly holding on to an advanced post which he had occupied with a few men on the edge of the town, when the enemy made a very determined attack on the town we were holding. He held on there though the enemy in force were only a few yards away from him. He was quite dead when I reached him. I grieve to have to tell you we were unable to bring him back. All I can say is that it was not possible. I reported especially upon his conduct as having been most gallant." [Illustration: =Leslie S. Whitchurch.=] =WHITCOMBE, DOUGLAS JAMES AUBREY=, Private, No. 6/176, Canterbury Infantry Battn., New Zealand Expeditionary Force, _s._ of Frederick Whitcombe, of 24, Buckley's Road, Linwood, Christchurch, New Zealand, by his wife, Alice, grand. dau. of Lieut.-Col. Mein, C.B., of Dumfries; and grandson of John Aubrey Whitcombe, of Hillfield, Gloucester; _b._ in New Zealand, May, 1893; volunteered on the outbreak of war; killed in action in Gallipoli, 7 Aug. 1915; _unm._ =WHITCOMBE, GERALD AUBREY=, Trooper, No. 13/750, Auckland Mounted Rifles, New Zealand Expeditionary Force; 2nd _s._ of George Whitcombe, of Kawhia, New Zealand; by his wife Margaret Janet, dau. of Albert West Sedcat, and grandson of John Aubrey Whitcombe, of Hillfield, Gloucester; _b._ New Zealand, Oct. 1890, volunteered on the outbreak of war; killed in action in Gallipoli, 8 Aug. 1915; _unm._ =WHITCOMBE, JOHN=, L.-Corpl., No. 15193, Royal Canadian Dragoons, only _s._ of Charles Henry Whitcombe, of Sunnyside, Crudwell, Malmesbury, F.R.C.S., by his wife, May, dau. of Richard Billiald, of Nottingham, and grandson of John Aubrey Whitcombe, of Hillfield, Gloucester; _b._ Westerham, co. Kent, 18 May, 1889; educ. the New School, Halifax, co. York, and the Royal Latin School, co. Bucks; was for two years in the Eastern Telegraph Co., but went to Canada in 1907 and took up farming at Pilot Mound, Manitoba. On the outbreak of the European War he joined the Fort Garry Horse, Aug. 1914; came over with the first contingent in Oct.; went to France in June, 1915, when he was attached to the Royal Canadian Dragoons; and died near Ploegsteert, 1 July, 1915, of wounds received in action same day; _unm._ He was buried in the Maple Leaf Military Cemetery, Romarin, near Nieppe, Belgium. [Illustration: =John Whitcombe.=] =WHITE, ALFRED=, Leading Seaman, 200784 Devonport, |