Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry - Roll of Honour of Officers of the DCLI Who Died in the Great War Whilst Serving With 1/5th Battalion TF DCLI

No	Date Died	Surname	Forenames	Rank	Decs	Age	Cause	Country	Location/Sector	Cemetery/Memorial	Notes
1916
1	19th July	RATCLIFF-GAYLARD	Eric Ronald	2Lt	-	21	KIA	France	Near Laventie	Laventie Military Cemetery (II.E.19)	(p201)
2	2nd August	BRETT	Ernest Hugh William	2Lt	-	19	KIA	France	Near Laventie	Laventie Military Cemetery (II.D.19)	(p201)
3	22nd September	THOMAS	Francis Bernard Vivian	Lt	-	19	KIA	France	Near Laventie	Laventie Military Cemetery (II.F.22)	(p201)
4	13th December	MADDRELL	John Dennis Hugh	Lt	-	20	DOW	France	Hospital at Etaples	Etaples Military Cemetery (I.B.77)	(p202) (1)
1918
5	23rd March	TYACKE	Charles Noel Walker	Capt	-	34	KIA	France	Verlains, southwest of Ham	Ham British Cemetery (II.A.7)	(p372)
6	25th March	COOMBE	Leslie Clarence	2Lt	-	21	KIA	France	West of Voyennes	Pozieres Memorial (Panel 45)	(p372)
7	27th March	CARUS-WILSON	Trevor	Lt Col	DSO, TD, MiD**	48	DOW	France	Hospital at Rouen	St Sever Cemetery, Rouen (Offrs.B.5.13)	(p366) (2)
8	28th March	BEER	Lewis Charles	2Lt	-	31	KIA	France	Near Marcelcave, Villers-Bretonneux	Pozieres Memorial (Panel 45)	(p378)
9	29th March	PALMER	Henry John	Lt	-	24	KIA	France	Near Marcelcave, Villers-Bretonneux	Pozieres Memorial (Panel 45)	(p379)
10	11th April	MORCOM	Percival John Hosking	Lt	-	22	KIA	France	Near Grand Pecour, Lys Canal	Ploegsteert Memorial (Panel 6)	(p382)
11	12th April	CHAPPLE	Reginald Charles	2Lt	-	30	KIA	France	Calonne-sur-la-Lys	Ploegsteert Memorial (Panel 6)	(p382)
12	12th April	SMITH	Leon Walter	Lt	-	21	KIA	France	Calonne-sur-la-Lys	Ploegsteert Memorial (Panel 6)	(p382)
13	1st June	BLANCHARD	Frederick John	Capt	MiD	26	KIA	France	St Venant, southwest of Merville	Aire Communal Cemetery (III.B.8)	(p392) (3)
14	3rd September	MALTON	Paul Locock	2Lt	-	24	POW	France	German field hospital near Lille	Lille Southern Cemetery (III.C.33)	(p392) (4)
Notes: (The numbers marked with a "p" in the Notes column refers to the page in "The History of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry", by Everard Wyrall, where the death of the officer is mentioned or indicated). 1. MADDRELL was wounded east of Contalmaison Wood on 22nd November 1916. 2. CARUS WILSON was wounded near Moyencourt on 25th March 1918. He died on a hospital train en route to Rouen. 3. BLANCHARD may well have been attached to 2/5th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment at the time of his death. 4. MALTON was severely wounded near the Forest of Nieppe on 20th August 1918 and captured by the Germans. He died in a German field hospital after a leg was amputated.

Battalion History

The brass “collar dog” insignia worn by men of Pioneer Battalions in the British Expeditionary Force. The design is of a crossed rifle and pick, representing the battalion's dual fighting and labouring role.

The 5th Battalion TF was formed at Bodmin in 1908 following the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907, brought about by the Haldane Reforms, as the 5th Battalion Territorial Force (from the 2nd Volunteer Battalion (formerly 2nd Cornwall Rifle Volunteer Corps, raised initially in 1860) . The Battalion formed a 1st Line (1/5th Battalion) and then a 2nd Line (2/5th Battalion) at Bodmin in September 1914. A 3rd Line (3/4th Battalion) was formed at Bodmin in early 1915.

The 1/5th Battalion was part of the Devon and Cornwall Brigade, Wessex Division, and on 4th August 1914 were at annual camp in Exmouth and moved on mobilisation initially to Falmouth, and then to Perham Down Camp, Salisbury Plain by the end of August to prepare for overseas service. The Battalion was then ordered to provide men to bring the 1/4th Battalion up to war establishment strength which left it under strength and temporarily no longer fit for overseas service. The Battalion was posted to Newquay and then to Falmouth in April 1915 for Coastal Defence duties. By April 1916 the Battalion was up to strength and was posted to Perham Down Camp, Salisbury Plain, to commence intensive training for combat operations, being placed under command of 61st (2nd South Midland) Division as the Divisional Pioneer Battalion. (A Pioneer Battalion's duties, as well as being a fully equipped and trained infantry battalion, included road and rail repairs, demolition, digging trenches, constructing defences and other labouring duties).

On 21st May 1916 the Battalion, totalling 34 officers and 999 men, embarked at Southampton on HMT Arundel and HMT Australino for Le Havre arriving on 22nd May 1916. The Battalion was moved to St Floris, near Merville, arriving on 24th May 1916 and commenced intensive pioneer training with 19th Battalion Welsh Regiment (Glamorgan Pioneers) , the pioneer battalion of the 38th (Welsh) Division. On 12th June 1916 the Battalion commenced pioneer work for the 61st Division in the Laventie area and on 19th July 1916 each of the 3 brigades of the Division received a company of pioneers to "consolidate new positions when taken" during the Battle of Fromelles. The attack by the Division was a disaster. In late October, the Battalion was moved to the Somme area and on 17th November 1916 was attached to the 4th Canadian Division for work between Contalmaison and Pozieres.

During 1917 the Battalion, with the 61st Division, were involved in Operations on the Ancre, the German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line in March 1917 where the 61st Division was one of the Divisions employed in the cautious pursuit of the enemy, when the Germans carried out a deep withdrawal from the area of the Somme to formidable pre-prepared positions that the British called the Hindenburg Line. The Division was involved during the Battle of Langemarck, part of "Passchendaele", but was moved to the Arras area in late September 1917 before moving to the Cambrai area in early November in preparation for the offensive in that area in November. The 61st Division was initially held in reserve and was still in the area when the enemy made a determined counterattack on 30 November. The Division was ordered to reinforce the units under attack in the area of La Vacquerie and for some days was involved in a hard fight to stem the enemy attack. By 31st December the Division had been withdrawn from the Cambrai area and the Battalion was stationed at Proyart.

On 21st March 1918, with the Battalion stationed in Holnon Wood, the Germans launched what was intended to be a decisive offensive, attacking the British Fifth and Third Armies in the Somme area in overwhelming strength. The 61st Division was holding the forward zone of defences in the area of Ham, north west of Saint Quentin, and lost many men as it fought a chaotic but ultimately successful withdrawal back over the Somme crossings over the next ten days. The Battalion fought as infantry during this period, the Companies being split up, and fighting a rearguard action had to retreat through Beauvois to Germaine, to Hombleux and then to Verlaines, where the Battalion was ordered to counter-attack. This action was included in Field Marshal Haig's Despatch of the battle. However the Germans pressed on and the Battalion was forced to retire to Moyencourt and Herly, then to Etalon and Fresnoy-les-Roye where the survivors from the split up Companies rejoined the Battalion HQ and Transport Lines. After the Battalion was moved to Mezieres and Le Quesnel it was put to work digging defensive posts before being bussed to Marcelcave, west of Amiens. Again the Germans attacked in Force and the Battalion, now in the front line in Hangard Wood, was forced to retire after a counter attack was attempted. Here the Battalion was relieved by Australians and was moved to Cagney for rest and refitting.

The 61st Division was moved to the Lys River area on 10th April 1918, a day after the Germans launched Operation Georgette in the general area of Estaires. The Battalion was stationed near Calonne, and immediately put to work digging defences between Paradis, L'Epinette and Lestrum. The line was attacked by the Germans in overwhelming strength on 11th April forcing the Battalion to withdraw to the area of Grand Pacout, south of Merville, and then through Calonne, La Hennerie to the bank of the Lys Canal south of Le Sart, mixed with units of the 51st Division. The Battalion was forced to fall back across the canal to Le Sart where it rejoined the 61st Division and was billeted near St Venant.

By the end of April the German offensive on the Lys had failed and during May, June and July the Battalion was heavily involved in preparing defensive positions and road and rail works. The Battalion had moved to Blessy, near Aire, and then to Hazebrouck area to continue pioneer work in late July to prepare for any "push" in August or September, following the major Allied advance at Amiens on 8th August. By the 21st August the Battalion were very busy repairing the road network around Merville and Robermetz and the Germans had started their retreat from the Lys Front and by 6th September the Lys Salient had disappeared, at which time the Battalion was based at Estaires.

Full details of the Battalion's actions and movements throughout the Great War can be viewed in the Battalion War Diary, which can be seen at the National Archives in Catalogue WO 95/3050/1-2-3-4-5-6.

Fatal casualties of DCLI personnel of the 1/5th Battalion : Officers 14 - men 266.

Regimental History

The DCLI was formed on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms which saw the amalgamation of the 32nd (Cornwall Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot and the 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot. These two units became respectively the Regular 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Regiment, with the Regimental Depot based at Victoria Barracks, Bodmin.

The 1881 reforms also redesignated the Militia and Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVC) units within the Regimental District of Cornwall as Battalions of the DCLI - the Royal Cornwall Rangers forming the 3rd (Militia) Battalion, the 1st Cornwall Battalion RVC forming the 1st Volunteer Battalion and the 2nd Cornwall Battalion RVC forming the 2nd Volunteer Battalion.

In 1908, as part of the Haldane Reforms, the Militia Battalion was reorganised and restructured forming the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion and the two Volunteer Battalions formed the 4th Battalion and 5th Battalion of the Regimental Territorial Force (TF). After the Declaration of War on 4th August 1914 and at various stages up to 1st June 1918, the order of battle of the DCLI was made up of 16 Regular, Territorial Force, Service, Labour and Reserve Battalions. The two Volunteer Battalions, raised in 1916 for Local Home and Coastal Defence duties, were later transferred to the Royal Defence Corps.

A detailed history of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry can be viewed here.

Page last updated: 5th January 2025

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