Fallen Officers of the Great War     |     Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry

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      Roll of Honour of Officers of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry

     Who Died in the Great War

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Formation and Early History of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI)

The DCLI was formed on 1st 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 July 1918, the DCLI had formed, disbanded, reorganised, and reconstituted up to 16 Regular, Territorial Force, Service, Labour and Reserve Battalions.

A detailed history of the Regiment can be viewed here.

 Regimental Details of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry

 (As Published in the Army List of August 1918)

 

Aim of the Website/Project

The aim of this part of the website is simple.   It is to collate into one place an accurate record of the service and death of the 267 officers of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry who died in the Great War and to make a permanent record of their sacrifice.   These officers served and died for their country on land, sea and in the air and are listed here in a DCLI Officers Regimental Roll of Honour.

 

Accuracy and Research

The author has taken every reasonable care to ensure that the information on this website is as accurate as possible.   Please contact the author should errors or omissions be discovered by visitors to the site in order that corrective action can be taken.   Contact details are shown below.  Research is continuing for further information which will be posted on the site as soon as it is checked and verified. 

 

First World War Casualties

The formal dates of the First World War as recognised by the UK Government are between 4th August 1914 and 31st August 1921 inclusive, and any member of the UK and Commonwealth/Empire Armed Services who died in this period, or as a result of their service during this period, are officially registered and commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) either by an approved headstone on the grave, or if this is not possible or practical, the name being inscribed on a relevant Memorial to the Missing.

 

The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) During the Great War

During the Great War the DCLI was organised into Regular, Territorial Force, Service, Labour and Reserve Battalions as described here.   These Battalions earned a total of 57 Battle Honours during the war and a list of these Honours can be found here.

 

Facts and Figures

A total of 267 officers of the DCLI lost their lives in the Great War and a detailed analysis of these casualties can be viewed here.   All are buried or commemorated on Memorials To The Missing throughout the world as official war casualties. 

 

147 officers are buried or commemorated in France and 71 in Belgium.   Other burials or commemorations are in Egypt, Gallipoli, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Malta, Palestine and Salonika.  There are 21 officers buried in the UK.   53 officers of the Regiment were killed or died whilst detached to other Services, Headquarters, Units and fighting Battalions of other Regiments and a list of these officers can be viewed here.

 

A total of 10 officers of other Regiments lost their lives in the Great War whilst serving with fighting Battalions of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry.   A list of their names in this Roll of Honour and details of their death can be viewed here.

 

Project Development

In addition to the basic sources of information outlined on the main Project Home Page, an enormous amount regarding the DCLI is available through the following organisations and publications:

  •  Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC)

  •  "Officers Died in the Great War" (ODGW)

  •  History of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry 1914-1919 - by Everard Wyrall

  •  British Regiments 1914 - 1818:  by Brigadier E A James

  •  Bodmin Keep - Cornwall's Army Museum

  •  Battalion War Diaries and Histories (available in Catalogue WO 95 at the National Archives)

  •  General Register Office (GRO) Index To War Deaths 1914 - 1921, Army Officers

  •  Army Lists (1914 - 1921) (from the National Library of Scotland)

  •  Cross of Sacrifice - Officers Who Died 1914 - 1918 

  •  Bond of Sacrifice (Volumes 1 and 2)

  •  De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour 1914 - 1918

  •  War Office officer personal files held in Catalogues WO 339 and WO 374 at The National Archives

  •  Medal Index Cards held in Catalogues WO 372 at The National Archives

  •  Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914 - 1918 held in Catalogue WO 329 at The National Archives

  •  British First World War Trench Maps, 1915 - 1918 (from the National Library of Scotland)

  •  National and Local contemporary press

  •  The Times Digital Archive 1785 - 1985

  •  The London Gazette

  •  War Memorials and commemorative plaques

  •  The RAF Museum Archive (for RAF/RFC Casualty Cards)

  •  Royal Flying Corps Research Data Website 

  •  Fatal Air Accidents in Britain Website (Period 1914 - 1920) 

  •  The Great War Forum

  •  The Imperial War Museum National War Memorial Register

  •  The National Army Museum

  •  The Long, Long Trail - Discovering the British Army and its Soldiers in the Great War

  •  The Wartime Memories Project

  •  Ancestry.co.uk  -  Military Records

These sources, with others, together form the basis for the Regiment Roll of Honour of Officers of the DCLI who died in the Great War.

 

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The CWGC commemorates those official casualties who died in service, or died due to service, during the First World War.   The formal inclusive dates of the war are between 4th August 1914 31st August 1921 and any member of the UK and Commonwealth/Empire Armed Services who died during this period are officially registered and commemorated by the CWGC either by an approved headstone on the grave, or if this is not possible or practical, the name being inscribed on a Memorial to the Missing.

 

There are some apparent anomalies in the individual records in the Debt of Honour Register maintained by the CWGC and these are listed here with the suggested corrective action taken, and the long term aim is to correct all of these inaccuracies.

 

In December 2020, the Commission reviewed their policy on amendments to the Casualty Database.   One of the outcomes of the review was that they would no longer add Honours and Awards to the database where there is no entitlement to post-nominal letters.   Therefore the recording of "Mentioned in Despatches", for instance, would no longer be carried out. 

 

Officers of Other Corps and Regiments Honoured and Remembered in this Website/Project

Also recorded and honoured in this website/project are the names of fallen officers of the following Yeomanry, Royal Engineer and Infantry Regiments:

Site Author/Webmaster

The site author/webmaster can be contacted here:   fallenofficersofthegreatwar@gmail.com

 

 

Soldier Cross 

 

Copyright and source - Imperial War Museum, under Share and Re-use

 

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.