Dorsetshire Regiment - Roll of Honour of Officers of the Dorsetshire Regiment Who Died in the Great War Whilst Serving With 5th (Service) Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment

No	Date Died	Surname	Forenames	Rank	Decs	Age	Cause	Country	Location/Sector	Cemetery/Memorial	Notes
1915
1	7th August	CARUTHERS-LITTLE	Arthur William Palling	Capt	-	30	KIA	Gallipoli	Suvla Bay	Helles Memorial (Panel 137/140)	-
2	7th August	EASON	Sampson	Lt	-	38	KIA	Gallipoli	Suvla Bay	Helles Memorial (Panel 137/140)	-
3	7th/11th August	LE MARCHANT	Henry Neville	Capt	-	33	KIA	Gallipoli	Near Hill 50, Suvla Bay	Helles Memorial (Panel 137/140)	-
4	11th August	LLOYD	Gwion Llewelyn Bowen	Capt	-	27	KIA	Gallipoli	Near Hill 50, Suvla Bay	Helles Memorial (Panel 137/140)	-
5	22nd August	GEORGE	Frank William	2Lt	MiD	34	KIA	Gallipoli	Near Hill "W", east of Suvla Bay	Helles Memorial (Panel 137/140)	-
6	22nd August	LESLIE	Richard Fitzgerald William F.	Major	-	45	KIA	Gallipoli	Near Hill "W", east of Suvla Bay	Helles Memorial (Panel 137/140)	-
7	22nd August	MONTGOMERY	George Edward	Capt	-	22	KIA	Gallipoli	Near Hill "W", east of Suvla Bay	Helles Memorial (Panel 137/140)	-
8	22nd August	MOODY	Ambrose	Capt	-	22	KIA	Gallipoli	Near Hill "W", east of Suvla Bay	Helles Memorial (Panel 137/140)	-
1916
9	7th August	KITCHER	Henry Ernest	Capt	-	36	KIA	France	South of Arras	Wailly Orchard Cemetery (I.F.6)	-
10	16th September	SLATER	Thomas Alexander Fletcher	2Lt	-	21	KIA	France	Near Mouquet Farm, Thiepval, Somme	Thiepval Memorial (Pier/Face 7B)	-
11	25th September	DRYSDALE	Donald Roy	Lt	-	21	DOW	France	Hospital at Rouen	St Sever Cemetery, Rouen (A.9.4)	(1)
12	26th September	D'ERF WHEELER	Geoffrey Noel Popham	2Lt	-	19	KIA	France	Near Mouquet Farm, Thiepval, Somme	Thiepval Memorial (Pier/Face 7B)	-
13	26th September	ELLIOT	Wilfrid Edmund	2Lt	-	24	KIA	France	Near Mouquet Farm, Thiepval, Somme	Thiepval Memorial (Pier/Face 7B)	-
14	26th September	GANDON	Ralph	2Lt	-	21	KIA	France	Near Mouquet Farm, Thiepval, Somme	Thiepval Memorial (Pier/Face 7B)	-
15	26th September	HOOPER	Leonard John	2Lt	-	21	KIA	France	Near Mouquet Farm, Thiepval, Somme	Pozieres British Cemetery (II.A.44)	(2)
16	26th September	HUGHES	Aubrey Noel	2Lt	-	25	KIA	France	Near Mouquet Farm, Thiepval, Somme	Pozieres British Cemetery (II.A.44)	-
17	26th September	UMNEY	Cecil Francis	2Lt	-	20	KIA	France	Near Mouquet Farm, Thiepval, Somme	Regina Trench Cemetery. Grandcourt (VIII.E.5)	(3)
18	26th September	VINCENT	Alfred Copplestone Waldon	Capt	-	26	KIA	France	Near Mouquet Farm, Thiepval, Somme	Courcelette British Cemetery (XII.D.6)	(4)
19	3rd December	CURRIE	Claud George Ironside	Major	-	46	A	UK	London	Kensal Green (All Saints) Cem (158.4.45348)	(5)
1917
20	11th January	SHEPHARD	Ernest Arthur	2Lt	-	24	KIA	France	Bois d'Hollande, near Grandcourt	AIF Burial Ground, Flers (XV.J.17)	(6)
21	17th June	RITSON	Francis	Capt	-	26	KIA	Belgium	Near Oosttaverne	Torreken Farm Cemetery No 1 (A.4)	-
22	17th August	BALL	Alec Radford	2Lt	-	20	DOW	Belgium	CCS near Proven	Mendinghem Military Cemetery (III.F.19)	(7)
23	4th October	DANCER	Alfred Christopher	Capt	MC	24	KIA	Belgium	South of Poelcapelle	Tyne Cot Memorial (Panel 92)	-
24	6th October	STOCKWELL	George	Capt	-	38	KIA	Belgium	Southeast of Poelcapelle	Tyne Cot Memorial (Panel 92)	-
25	17th December	LINDSEY	Douglas	Lt	-	20	KIA	France	Near "Nuns Alley", east of Grenay	Loos British Cemetery (XX.D.12)	(8)
1918
26	1st October	VINCENT	William Jefferson	2Lt		19	KIA	France	Near Epinoy, northwest of Cambrai	Sucrerie Cemetery, Epinoy (A.8)	-
Notes: 1. DRYSDALE was wounded near Mouquet Farm, Thiepval, Somme on 16th September 1916. 2. HOOPER was originally buried in a battlefield grave to the north east of Mouquet Farm and reburied in Pozieres British Cemetery in 1920. 3. UMNEY was originally buried in a battlefield grave to the north east of Mouquet Farm and reburied in Regina Trench Cemetery in October 1919. 4. VINCENT was originally buried in a battlefield grave to the north east of Mouquet Farm and reburied in Courcelette Cemetery in March 1919. 5. CURRIE died of self-inflicted wounds. 6. SHEPHARD was originally buried in a battlefield grave to the west of Bois d'Hollande and reburied at the AIF Burial Ground, Flers in November 1925. 7. BALL was wounded west of St Julien on 17th August 1917. 8. LINDSEY was originally buried at Corkscrew Cemetery, Lievin and reburied in Loos British Cemetery in February 1925.

Those Officers of Other Regiments Who Died in the Great War Whilst Serving With

5th (Service) Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment

No	Date Died	Surname	Forenames	Rank	Decs	Age	Cause	Country	Location/Sector	Cemetery/Memorial	Notes
1	24th August 1915	PEEL	Thomas Alfred	Lt	MiD	29	DOW	Greece	CCS at Lemnos	East Mudros Military Cemetery (II.H.143)	(1)
2	11th January 1917	KELLY	Robert Maitland	Lt	-	35	KIA	France	Bois d'Hollande, near Grandcourt	Thiepval Memorial (Pier/Face 1A)	(2)
3	5th April 1918	KAY	Rev William Henry	Capt	MC	29	KIA	France	Near Vermelles	Mazingarbe Communal Cemetery Extn (III.C.3)	(3)
4	3rd October 1918	COWPER	Geoffrey Moore	Capt	MiD	27	DOW	France	CCS at Duisans	Duisans British Cemetery (IV.B.2)	(4)
5	3rd October 1918	READ	Rev Eric Oswald	Capt	-	30	KIA	France	Near Epinoy, northwest of Cambrai	Chapel Corner cemetery (C.3)	(5)
6	14th October 1918	WORTHINGTON	Claude Swanwick	Lt Col	DSO*, TD	41	DOW	France	Hospital at Le Treport	Mont Huon Military Cemetery, Le Treport (VIII.J.14)	(6)
Notes: 1. PEEL was detached from the RAMC and was Battalion Medical Officer. He was wounded at Suvla Bay on 22nd August 1915. 2. KELLY was detached from the North Devon Hussars. 3. KAY was detached from the Army Chaplains Department. 4. COWPER was detached from the RAMC and was Battalion Medical Officer. He was wounded east of Epinoy, northwest of Cambrai on 1st October 1918. 5. READ was detached from the Army Chaplains Department. 6. WORTHINGTON was detached from the Manchester Regiment. He was wounded near Epinoy on 3rd October 1918.

Battalion History

The Battalion was formed at Dorchester in August 1914 as part of "K1". Full title: 5th (Service) Battalion Dorchester Regiment. It soon reached its established strength and commenced training for active service at Belton Park, Grantham in September 1914, and was initially assigned to 11th (Northern) Division, as Divisional Troops. The Battalion was re-assigned to 34th Infantry Brigade, in the same Division, in January 1915. The Battalion completed individual and collective training for combat operations at Witley Camp, Surrey and embarked at Liverpool on SS Aquitania for Lemnos on 3rd July 1915. The Battalion was landed at Suvla Bay on 6th August 1915, losing many casualties to sickness and in attempting to advance northeast from Suvla Bay. On 25th August 1915 the Battalion was amalgamated with 11th Battalion Manchester Regiment and was temporarily retitled "No 2 Composite Battalion of 34th Brigade". The Composite Battalion took over reserve and support trenches near Suvla Bay and on 9th September the Battalion received its first reinforcement of Dorsets, a total of 150 men. A further Dorset draft of 100 men arrived 15th September, and the strength of the Dorset part of the Battalion at this time totalled 350. Another draft of 150 Dorsets arrived on 21st September and on 23rd September the 5th Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment was reconstituted, the strength of the Battalion on 1st October 1915 being 578 all ranks, Men were put to work clearing and clearing the beach areas of Suvla Bay and improving sanitation as well as manning support and reserve trenches west Antefarta Sagir. Reinforcements trickled in during October though sickness was rife, and the strength of the Battalion on 31th October was just over 600 all ranks, just prior to 2 officers and 164 men arriving on 1st November. This month was spent in the Suvla Bay area on fatigues and on 28th November a severe storm swept the area causing casualties due to exposure. The Battalion spent early December in the West Beach area clearing up after the storm until 15th December when the Battalion was evacuated to Mudros, before being shipped to Imbros on 21st December 1915.

On 26th January 1916 the Battalion with 11th Division began to move to Egypt, landing at Alexandria on early February and concentrating at Sidi Bishr. On 19th February 1916 the Division was ordered to take over a section of the Suez Canal Defences. The Division received orders on 17th June 1916 for a move to France to reinforce the BEF. Embarkation at Alexandria was completed on 3rd July 1916 and by 7th of that month the Divisional HQ had been set up at Flesselles, north of Amiens. By 27th July 1916, the Division had taken over part of the front in Third Army sector, in the area south of Arras. The Battalion stayed with 11th Division for the remainder of the war and a full history of the combat operations carried out by the 11th (Northern) Division in the war can be viewed here.

At the Armistice the Battalion was stationed at Les Trieux, northwest of Maubeuge, where it remained until 25th November 1918 continuing with military and physical training. On 26th November the Battalion began its move to Denain, west of Valenciennes, via Bry and Thiant, arriving on 28th November. On 30th November the strength of the Battalion was 42 officers and 667 men. The Battalion remained at Denain for the New Year and dembolisation started on 2nd January continuing throughout January. n Most of the work carried out by the Battalion was salvaging and the construction of the Divisional Staging Camp. Educational lectures began in early February and continued throughout the months of February and March, and Battalion strength on 28th February was 31 officers and 294 men. On 9th March 1919 a draft of 6 officers and 108 men was transferred to units in the Army of Occupation and the battalion was reorganised into a single Company. Further drafts were transferred to 15th Battalion Hampshire Regiment in the Army of Occupation in March and demobilisation continued in April and May. The strength of the unit cadre on 31st May 1919 was 5 officers and 40 men which was returned to the UK in early June 1919.

Regimental History

The Dorsetshire Regiment was formed on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, which saw the amalgamation of the 39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot and the 54th (West Norfolk) Regiment of Foot. These two units became respectively the Regular 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Regiment, with the Regimental Depot based at Depot Barracks, Dorchester. The 1881 reforms also redesignated the Militia and Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVC) units within the Regimental District of Dorsetshire as Battalions of the Regiment - the Dorsetshire Militia forming the 3rd (Militia) Battalion and the 1st Dorsetshire RVC forming the 1st 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 1st Volunteer Battalion formed the 4th Battalion in the Regimental Territorial Force (TF).

After the Declaration of War on 4th August 1914 and at various stages up to 1st July 1918, the Dorchester Regiment had formed, disbanded, reorganised, and reconstituted up to 14 Regular, Territorial Force, Service, Home Service, Garrison and Reserve Battalions.

A detailed history of the Dorsetshire Regiment can be viewed here and here.

Page last updated: 18th May 2024

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