Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Book1915, from wounds received in action at Aubers Ridge, and was buried in Merville Cemetery, France (Grave H. 46); _unm._ His Commanding Officer, Capt. Noel, wrote: "I can honestly say that he was a fine soldier. I especially owe him a debt of gratitude, because if it had not been for him, I should probably not be alive now. I was rather badly wounded at Neuve Chapelle, and your son bandaged me up under heavy fire; he then practically carried me and put me in a shell hole, and later in the day came back to me when my life was in danger from shells, and helped to carry me back to our lines. I mentioned his name to the Colonel directly I was able to write, and he would surely have earned some decoration if he had lived, because both in the trenches and at Neuve Chapelle he showed great bravery and indifference under fire. He was popular all round and regretted by everyone, and I am proud to say he was in my company." [Illustration: =Frederick R. Bickerton.=] =BIDDLECOMBE, EDWARD GEORGE=, Sergt., R.M.A., 8781, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =BIGGE, HON. JOHN NEVILLE=, Capt., King's Royal Rifle Corps, only _s._ and _h._ of Arthur John, 1st Lord Stamfordham, P.C., G.C.I.E., G.C.V.O., K.C.B., Private Secretary to his Majesty the King, by his wife, Constance, dau. of the late Rev. William Frederick Neville, Vicar of Butleigh, Somerset; _b._ London, 14 Oct. 1887; educ. Evelyn's, Eton and Royal Military College, Sandhurst; was Page of Honour to Queen Victoria and to King Edward VII., and on leaving Sandhurst obtained his commission as 2nd Lieut. 4th Battn. King's Royal Rifle Corps, at Colchester, 6 Oct. 1906, afterwards proceeding with them to India. He became Lieut. 10 March, 1909, was for a short time acting A.D.C. to the Earl of Minto when Viceroy of India, and to Viscount Hardinge for the Coronation Durbar; was transferred to the Egyptian Army, 8 July, 1913, and appointed A.D.C. to Sir Reginald Wingate, Gov.-Gen. of the Sudan and Sirdar of the Egyptian Army. On the outbreak of war he was unable, according to the conditions of service, to leave the Egyptian Army, but in Sept. 1914, he was appointed A.D.C. to Gen. the Hon. Julian Byng, then nominated to the command of the 3rd Cavalry Division of the Expeditionary Force. He landed at Ostend on 7 Oct., was promoted Capt. 1 March, and remained on Gen. Byng's Staff until the end of April, 1915, when at his own request he returned to regimental duty and joined the 1st Battn. King's Royal Rifle Corps, then attached to the 6th Brigade, 2nd Division. On the occasion of the night attack carried out by the 1st Army on 15-16 May, he was in command of the C Company. Soon after the advance began he was seen to be wounded in the leg, but refused assistance from one of his men, said he was all right, and told the rifleman to go on. He was never seen again. [Illustration: =Hon. John Neville Bigge.=] =BIGGS, GEORGE EDWARD=, Private, No. 26058, 14th Battn. (Royal Montreal Regt.), Canadian Expeditionary Force, 5th _s._ of the late Edward Biggs, of Rainham, Essex, by his wife, Eliza; _b._ Dagenham, co. Essex, 27 Jan. 1885; educ. Rainham; emigrated to Canada in 1910, and settled in Toronto. He enlisted immediately on the outbreak of the war in Aug. 1914, came over with the first Canadian Contingent, and after training during the winter on Salisbury Plain, left for France, 3 April, 1915. He was eighteen days in the trenches during the Battle of Hill 60, and was killed in action at Richebourg, 20 May, 1915, while acting as bomb thrower, and was buried near Festubert. He _m._ at Rainham, 17 Aug. 1907, Daisy Constance (Anglo Cottages, Purfleet, Essex), 2nd dau. of Frederick Allen; _s.p._ =BILLING, CHARLES GEORGE=, Capt., Royal Marine L.I., Chatham, attached to Deal Division, eldest _s._ of the late Rev. George Billing, M.A., sometime (1871-88) missionary under the S.P.G. at Ramnad, Madras and Calcutta, afterwards vicar of Sturry and Platt, by his wife, Caroline Flora (28 Bromley College, Bromley), dau. of the Rev. Joseph Gabbett, co. Limerick, Ireland; _b._ Ramnad, Madura District, Madras, 15 May, 1882; educ. King's School, Canterbury, Dover College and Greenwich. He received his commission in the Royal Marines, 1 Jan. 1901, and was promoted Lieut., 1 Jan. 1902, and Capt., 1 Jan. 1912. Served on the China Station, 1903, West Indies, 1906, the Mediterranean, 1908, the Pacific, 1912, etc., and received pilot's certificate in Flying Corps, Oct. 1913. He was appointed to the H.M.S. Doris, 1914, and was stationed near Ascension Island till April, 1915, when he came home. He left Plymouth for the Dardanelles, 10 May, 1915, and was killed in action, 13 June following; _unm._ [Illustration: =Charles George Billing.=] =BILLING, SAMUEL ALFRED=, No. 2449, 16th Battn. (Queen's Westminster Rifles) The London Regt. (T.F.), _s._ of George Timothy Billing, of 22, Ribblesvale Road, Hornsey, Inspector, Finsbury Borough Council; _b._ London, 16 Feb. 1896; educ. Stationers' School, Crouch End, was an articled clerk to the Borough Accountant of Hornsey, but on the outbreak of war enlisted, 27 Aug. 1914, and was killed in action at Houplines, near Armentières, France, 27 Feb. 1915; _unm._ A comrade wrote: "His grave is here ... a mile from the firing line, a simple white cross with the simplest inscription, and the plaque bearing the regimental arms and the grand old Latin phrase, 'Dulce et decorum est pro patriâ mori.'" =BILLINGTON, LESLIE CHARLES=, 2nd Lieut., 4th, attached 2nd, Battn. Lancashire Fusiliers, only _s._ of Charles Billington, of Heimath, Longport, co. Stafford, Metallurgist, by his wife, Annie Jane, dau. of George Richard Cockhead; _b._ Wolstanton, co. Stafford, 25 Dec. 1895; educ. Bishop's Stortford College, and entered Manchester University as an engineering student in Oct. 1913. He was in camp with the University O.T.C. at the outbreak of war, and was gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the 4th Battn. of the Lancashire Fusiliers, 14 Oct. 1914. On going to the Front he was attached to the 2nd Battn., and was killed in action during the taking of German trenches at Pilken, near Ypres, 6-9 July, 1915; _unm._ Writing on Aug. 1, Major Bowes said: "I have been making enquiries from the N.C.Os. and men of his platoon, and from what I can gather he was leading a party of men up to the German trenches during the violent attack which lasted from July 6 to the 9th. His party was told off as bomb throwers. He fell on the parapet of the trenches and nothing was recovered from his body. One thing I can say and that is, he showed the greatest courage, and never flinched when he was told off for the dangerous job. It was a most ghastly time for us all, and during those three days and four nights we lost ten officers killed and eight wounded, including the Commanding Officer and Adjutant, and all the captains except one, and eighty-five men killed and 234 wounded and missing. The place where this fight took place is called Pilken, about |