Current Information:

Age-48

69, Park Mansions, Knightsbridge

Becourt Military Cemetery, Becordel-Becourt, France

Since arriving in France in July, 1915, 18th Division, including 10th Essex of 53 Brigade, had been in the Somme area of the front line. On 31st January, 1916, 10th Essex were holding the front line near Becourt when they were raided by the ‘Travelling Circus’, an elite unit of the German infantry who performed these stunts up and down the line. A  shell blocked a dugout and unable to escape 12 men were taken prisoner and 1 was killed. Another shell hit the telephonists dugout wherein was the Commanding Officer, Lt Col Jasper Radcliffe whose head was crushed by a falling beam.