Somerset Light Infantry - Roll of Honour of Officers of the Somerset Light Infantry Who Died in the Great War Whilst Serving With 7th (Service) Battalion Somerset Light Infantry

No	Date Died	Surname	Forenames	Rank	Decs	Age	Cause	Country	Location/Sector	Cemetery/Memorial	Notes
1915
1	16th September	NEPEAN	Francis Molyneux Yorke	Capt	-	46	KIA	France	Near Rue Petillon, east of Laventie	Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery (I.N.7)	-
2	27th October	MELHUISH	Ian Vaughan Bembridge	2Lt	-	23	KIA	France	"Red House", east of Laventie	Rue de Bacquerot Graveyard, Laventie (A.4)	-
3	29th November	ARMSTRONG	Henry Louis Winthrop	2Lt	MiD	35	KIA	France	Near Petillon, east of Laventie	Rue Petillon Military Cemetery (I.N.8)	-
1916
4	16th June	WRIGHT	Edwin George Englesby	2Lt	MC	23	KIA	Belgium	Ypres	Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery (I.B.5)	-
5	26th August	HATT	Edward Beach	Capt	-	23	KIA	France	"Caterpillar Valley", near Montauban	Bernafay Wood British Cemetery (N.33)	(1)
6	3rd September	SHUFFLEBOTHAM	Guy Mynors	Capt	MiD	20	KIA	France	"Wedge Wood", near Guillemont	Guillemont Road Cemetery (XIV.E.3)	(2)
7	17th September	SPILLER	Arthur James	2Lt	-	40	KIA	France	West of Guillemont	Thiepval Memorial (Pier/Face 2A)	-
1917
8	31st January	ELLIS	William Ewart Simpson	2Lt	-	19	KIA	France	South of Le Transloy	Combles Communal Cemetery Extn (III.B.11)
9	1st March	BUCKLAND	John Arnold	2Lt	-	20	KIA	France	South of Le Transloy	AIF Burial Ground, Flers (IV.M.2)	-
10	17th May	FOLEY	Geoffrey Robert	Lt	-	23	DOW	France	CCS at Aubigny	Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extn (IV.G.10)	(3)
11	25th June	BETTELEY	William Lawrence	2Lt	MC	46	KIA	France	South of Bullecourt	Noreuil Australian Cemetery (A.11)	-
12	5th August	MILLS	Frank Symons	Capt	-	32	KIA	Belgium	Boesinghe, north of Ypres	Bard Cottage Cemetery (III.A.2)	-
13	16th August	KINSEY	Albert Thornley	2Lt	-	19	KIA	Belgium	Near Langemarck	Sanctuary Wood Cemetery (V.B.17)	(4)
14	17th August	BUSSELL	Henry Richard	2Lt	-	38	KIA	Belgium	Near Langemarck	Tyne Cot Memorial (Panel 41/42)	-
15	1st October	JOSCELYNE	Lawrence Arthur	2Lt	MC	19	DOW	Belgium	CCS at Lijssenthoek	Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery (XX.C.18)	(5)
16	30th November	CAULFIELD	Gordon	2Lt	-	32	KIA	France	Near Masnieres, south of Cambrai	Cambrai Memorial (Panel 4/5)	-
17	30th November	TAWNEY	Robert Lionel	Lt	MC	21	KIA	France	Near Masnieres, south of Cambrai	Cambrai Memorial (Panel 4/5)	-
18	30th November	WILD	Lionel Tudor	Capt	MiD	29	KIA	France	Near Masnieres, south of Cambrai	Cambrai Memorial (Panel 4/5)	-
19	8th December	COX	Ernest	2Lt	-	21	DOW	France	CCS at Quievy, east of Cambrai	Quievy Communal Cemetery Extn (E.28)	(6)
1918
20	22nd March	BERRY	Samuel George	Lt	-	42	KIA	France	Near Annois, southwest of St Quentin	Grand Seraucourt British Cemetery (IV.J.9)	(7)
21	24th March	WILLSTEED	Grahame Ernest Lloyd	Capt	-	21	KIA	France	Clastres, near Grand Seraucourt	Grand Seraucourt British Cemetery (VII.A.5)	-
22	26th March	HAYWARD	Marcus Henry Hugh	2Lt	-	19	DOW	France	DS at Pierrepont-sur-Avre	Mezieres Communal Cemetery Extn (C.16)	(8)
23	26th March	WHITWORTH	Herbert Clifford	Lt	-	23	KIA	France	Near Annois, southwest of St Quentin	Pozieres Memorial (Panel 25/26)	-
24	27th March	BUTLER	Stanley Frederick	2Lt	MM	22	KIA	France	Near Annois, southwest of St Quentin	Pozieres Memorial (Panel 25/26)	-
Notes: 1. HATT was originally buried in a battlefield grave at the west end of "Caterpillar Valley", near Montauban, and reburied at Bernafay Wood Cemetery in November 1919. 2. SHUFFLEBOTHAM was originally buried in a battlefield grave to the west of "Wedge Wood", near Guillemont, and reburied at Guillemont Road Cemetery in February 1919. 3. FOLEY was wounded at north of Queant on 13th May 1917. 4. KINSEY was originally buried in a battlefield grave to the west of Wijdendrift, near Langemarck, and reburied in Sanctuary Wood Cemetery in January 1929. 5. JOSCELYNE was wounded to the west of Ypres on 28th September 1917 in an air attack on lines behind the front. 6. COX was wounded near Masnieres on 30th November 1917. 7. BERRY was originally buried at Annois Churchyard, to the south west of St Quentin, and reburied in Grand Seraucourt Cemetery in April 1924. 8. HAYWARD was wounded near Annois on 25th March 1918 and originally buried at Pierrepont-sur-Avre, southeast of Amiens. He was reburied at Mezieres Communal Cemetery Extension in August 1919.

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

7th (Service) Battalion Somerset Light Infantry

No	Date Died	Surname	Forenames	Rank	Decs	Age	Cause	Country	Location/Sector	Cemetery/Memorial	Notes
1	16th June 1916	PARKER	James	Capt	-	34	KIA	Belgium	Ypres	Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery (I.B.4)	(1)
2	17th September 1916	LYON	Edward Lycett	Maj	MiD	39	DOW	France	CCS at Corbie, Somme	Corbie Communal Cemetery Extn (II.E.4)	(2)
3	17th August 1917	BEAUMONT-CHECKLAND	Montmorency Beaumont	Lt	-	33	KIA	Belgium	Near Langemarck	Tyne Cot Memorial (Panel 3)	(3)
4	18th November 1917	MALPAS	Reginald Arthur	Capt	-	34	DOW	UK	Hospital at Pancras, London	Brookwood Cemetery (K.180068)	(4)
5	20th November 1917	RICE	Ernest John	2Lt	-	26	KIA	France	Near Villers Plouich	Cambrai Memorial (Panel 4)	(5)
6	30th November 1917	PEARCY	Albert	2Lt	-	26	KIA	France	Near Masnieres	Cambrai Memorial (Panel 4)	(6)
7	3rd December 1917	WATSON	Dominic Macaulay	Lt	-	30	DOW	France	CCS at Tincourt	Tincourt New British Cemetery (III.F.20)	(7)
8	28th August 1918	SMITH	John Henry	2Lt	MM	28	KIA	France	Northwest of Vimy	Vis-en-Artois Memorial (Panel 4)	(8)
Notes: 1. PARKER was detached from the Royal Army Medical Corps and was Battalion Medical Officer. 2. LYON was detached from the 18th Hussars. He was wounded near Ginchy on 17th September 1916. 3. BEAUMONT-CHECKLAND was detached from the West Somerset Yeomanry. 4. MALPAS was detached from the Dorsetshire Regiment. He was wounded at ? on ? 5. RICE was detached from the Devonshire Regiment. 6. PEARCY was detached from the Devonshire Regiment. 7. WATSON was detached from the West Somerset Yeomanry. He was wounded near Masnieres on 30th November 1917. 8. SMITH was detached from the Devonshire Regiment.

Battalion History

The Battalion was formed at Taunton on 13th September 1914 as part of "K2". Full title: 7th (Service) Battalion Somerset Light Infantry.

The Battalion soon reached its established strength and commenced training for active service at Woking at the end of September 1914, where it was assigned to 61st Infantry Brigade of the 20th (Light) Division. The Battalion moved to Godalming in February 1915 and then to Amesbury on Salisbury Plain in March 1915. The Battalion was moved to No 4 Canadian Camp near Larkhill in April 1915 to complete individual and collective training for active service. The Battalion embarked for Le Havre on 24th July 1915 for service in the BEF in France. On 26th July 1915 the 20th Division completed concentration in the St Omer area and all units underwent trench familiarisation and training which took place in the Fleurbaix area, near Laventie. The Battalion served with 61st Brigade, 20th (Light) Division in the BEF in France and Flanders throughout the war and a detailed list of engagements and operations can be viewed in a history of the Division here. At the Armistice the Battalion was located at St Waast, southwest of Mons and marched to Feignies where it remained until 23rd November 1918. The unit was moved to Vendigies, south of Valenciennes, then to Caurior and Cambrai, arriving there on 1st December 1918, when 31 men, all miners, were returned to the UK for demobilisation. On 3rd December 1918 the Battalion had moved to Bus-les-Artois, northwest of Albert. On 9th December 1918 the Battalion moved westward to Vauchelles where work commenced on building hutments. Military and physical training, as well as educational lectures continued throughout December 1918. From 1st January 1919 the Battalion was tasked with filling-in trenches and salvage work in the old Somme battlefield area whilst drafts of men were returned to the UK for demobilisation. In February 1919, demobilisation and individual training continued as well as labouring duties in the local area, and on 18th March 1919 the remaining officers and men formed a single Company. On 31st March 1919 the Battalion was awaiting dispersal instructions with the strength of the Battalion now 13 officers and 58 men. Disbandment occurred on 27th May 1919 when the unit cadre of 4 officers and 35 men were moved to Le Havre for onward journey to UK for demobilisation.

Regimental History

The Regiment was formed from the two Battalions of the 13th (1st Somersetshire) (Prince Albert's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot as the Prince Albert's Light Infantry (Somersetshire Regiment) on 1st July 1881 under the Childers Reforms. As the Regiment consisted of two Battalions, there was no need for it to amalgamate with another Regiment. The reforms also provided for a Depot at Jellalabad Barracks in Taunton, and, as the county Regiment of Somersetshire, the county's Militia and Rifle Volunteer Battalions were integrated into the Regiment as numbered Battalions - 3rd Battalion (formerly 1st Somerset Light Infantry Militia), 4th Battalion (formerly 2nd Somerset Light Infantry Militia), 1st Volunteer Battalion (formerly 1st Somersetshire Rifle Volunteer Corps), 2nd Volunteer Battalion (formerly 2nd Somersetshire Rifle Volunteer Corps), 3rd Volunteer Battalion (formerly 3rd Somersetshire Rifle Volunteer Corps). Within months of the formation, the Regiment was retitled to Prince Albert's (Somersetshire Light Infantry).

In 1908, under the Haldane Reforms, the Militia and Volunteers were reorganised with the 3rd and 4th Militia Battalions almalgamated to form the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Volunteer Battalions reorganised into the 4th and 5th Battalions of the Regimental Territorial Force (TF).

A detailed history of the Somerset Light Infantry can be viewed here and here.

Analysis of 7th Battalion SLI Officer Casualties

Year	Belgium	France	Total
1914	-	-	-
1915	-	3	3
1916	1	3	4
1917	4	8	12
1918	-	5	5
TOTALS	5	19	24

Page last updated: 4th January 2025

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