Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Bookving with the Leinsters at the Front. [Illustration: =Walter D'Ancie Appleyard.=] =ARBUTHNOT, KENNETH WINDHAM=, Major, 2nd Battn. Seaforth Highlanders, 6th _s._ of William Reierson Arbuthnot, late of Plawhatch, East Grinstead, co. Sussex, by his wife, Mary Helen, dau. of Philip Anstruther, late Colonial Secretary of Ceylon (by his wife, née Stewart-Mackenzie, of Kintail, granddau. of Francis Lord Seaforth, and a descendant of the Sir Walter Scott who originally raised the Seaforth Highlanders); _b._ 23 July, 1873; educ. privately, at Bath College and Sandhurst; obtained a commission as 2nd Lieut. in the Seaforth Highlanders, 19 July, 1893, and was promoted Lieut. 3 July, 1895; Capt. 29 April, 1900; Brevet Major 22 Aug. 1902; and Major 10 June, 1909. He took part in the operations in Chitral in 1895, serving with the Relief Force and receiving the medal with clasp; and with the Sudan Expedition, 1893. He was present at the Battle of Khartoum, and for his services received the King's medal with clasp and the Egyptian medal. In the South African war, 1901-2, he was employed with the Mounted Infantry, taking part in the operations in Cape Colony (Feb. 1901), the Orange Free State (Feb.-March, 1901), and the Transvaal (March, 1901-31 May, 1902). He was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 29 July, 1902], given the brevet of Major and the Queen's medal with five clasps. After his return to England he acted as Adjutant of the 4th Volunteer Battn. of his regt., 10 Aug. 1907, to 31 March, 1908, and of the Territorials, 1 April, 1908, to 9 June, 1909, and was Brigade-Major, Gordon Infantry Brigade (Scottish Command), 12 Oct. 1911, to 9 Aug. 1914. On the declaration of war he rejoined his regt., went to the Front in Nov., and was killed in action at the second Battle of Ypres, 25 April, 1915. He was buried on the left side of the St. Jean-St. Julien Road, about 1,000 yards south of St. Julien. Major Arbuthnot _m._ on 26 April, 1911, Janet Elspeth, dau. of Major Sinclair Wemyss, Gordon Highlanders, and had two children: John Wemyss, _b._ 11 Feb. 1912, and Robert Michael Wemyss, _b._ 9 March, 1914. [Illustration: =Kenneth W. Arbuthnot.=] =ARCHER, FRED=, Private, No. 5229, 2nd Battn. Coldstream Guards, _s._ of Charles Archer, of 163, St. Anne's Well Road, Nottingham; _b._ Nottingham; enlisted 24 Oct. 1903; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from 12 Aug. 1914, and was killed in action at Rental, 28 Oct. 1914. =ARCHER, GEORGE=, Private, No. G 8965, 4th Battn. The Middlesex Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders; killed in action, 10 Oct. 1915. =ARCHER, JOHN WILLIAM BUTTS=, Lieut., The Buffs (East Kent Regt.), only _s._ of the Rev. George Archer, Rector of Stilton, Peterborough, by his wife, Beatrice, dau. of Capt. William Pitt Butts, The Buffs; _b._ Longfield, Halifax, co. York, 14 March, 1890; educ. Stubbington, in France, and at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich; gazetted 2nd Lieut. 5 Oct. 1910, and Lieut. 9 March, 1912; served at Singapore 1910-12, and in India, 1912-14. Recalled to England at the outbreak of war, he arrived home late in Dec. and spent a few days at his home at Stilton before proceeding to France on 16 Jan. The regt. was at once moved up to the firing line, he was wounded in the fighting at Ypres 15 Feb. 1915, and died the following day; _unm._ The story of his death is told in a letter of his Commanding Officer. It appears that on the night of 15 Feb. (almost exactly a month after he went to France), Lieut. Archer was sent out with his men to the relief of a regiment which was holding a trench which had been attacked by the Germans in the dark. He succeeded in fighting his way to the trench at the expense of half his men and of his own gallant life. The effort to hold the trench was successful. It was Lieut. Archer's task thus to take the lead in the counter-attack which the Brigade made to retake the trenches which had been lost, but the other regiments were so badly knocked about by a bitter shell fire that they could not get up to support him and his gallant little handful of men, and so the work was splendidly done by this small company themselves. When he fell, mortally wounded, they carried him at enormous risk to themselves, into a dug-out in the trench, and here he died about twenty-four hours afterwards, for it was impossible to get him out of the trench and into hospital in face of the terrible fire which was maintained. [Illustration: =John William Butts Archer.=] =ARCHIBALD, WILLIAM=, Major, 2nd Lowland Field Co., R.E. (T.F.), 29th Division, _s._ of the late William Richmond Archibald, of Mossend, Schoolmaster; educ. at Glasgow High School; was with Messrs. William Jacks & Co., of Glasgow, iron and ore merchants; joined the old 2nd Lanarkshire R.E.V. after the Boer war, and in 1908, when the Volunteers were reorganised, became attached to the Works Company of the Lanarkshire Fortress Engineers at Bellshill, being given the rank of Lieut. Subsequently after the disbandment of this unit, he was posted as supernumerary to the 2nd Lowland Field Co., became Captain, 12 Sept. 1914, and Major Commanding 26 Jan. 1915; served with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at the Dardanelles; was wounded on the evening of the 18 June, 1915, while on his way to visit the section officers, and died the same day. A brother officer wrote: "The death of Major Archibald is a great loss to the country; he was an exceptional soldier and officer." Major Archibald _m._ at Dundyvan, Coatbridge, co. Lanark, 9 Aug. 1911, Helen Gibson, dau. of the late James Mitchell, of Coatbridge, iron master and had issue two daus.: Margaret Allan, _b._ 5 June, 1912, and Elizabeth Campbell McLellan, _b._ 25 Sept. 1914. [Illustration: =William Archibald.=] =ARGENT, WILLIAM ROBERT=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 10426), 229038, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =ARLAIN, EDWIN=, Stoker, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in the action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =ARMES, JOHN HENRY=, A.B., R.F.R., B. 1756, 211569, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in the action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov 1914. =ARMITAGE, THOMAS WILLIAM=, Ch. E.R.A., 1st Class, 157690, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =ARMSTRONG, ELLERAY FRANCIS=, L.-Corpl., No. 63046, 3rd Battn., Canadian Expeditionary Force, only _s._ of Elleray Armstrong, of Eastmoor Drive, Carlton, Nottingham, by his wife, Jane Davidson, dau. of the late Walter Watson Walker, of Manchester; _b._ Stretford, near Manchester, 9 Feb. 1893; educ. Elmswood College and Sale Grammar School; went to Canada in 1912, and settled down to business in Montreal, returning for a short visit in June, 1914, for a deferred celebration of his twenty-first birthday; volunteered after the outbreak of war, and enlisted, 9 Nov. 1914; came over with the Second Contingent, landing in England, 7 March, 1915; went to France, 1 May, and was killed in actio |