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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment
Pte. William Ratcliffe
British Army 28th Divisional Cyclist Company Army Cyclist Corps
from:Salford, Lancashire
My grandfather William Radcliffe, enlisted in the Kings Own Royal Lancaster Regiment on 24/01/1911. He was serving in India with the 2nd Battlion at the outbreak of WW1, and was brought back to England. It appears that on arrival in the UK, he was transferred to the newly formed 28th Divisional Cyclist Company latterly XVI Corps Cyclist Battalion. William arrived in France 19/01/1915 and served there until 24/10/1915 when the unit embarked for service in Salonika. I regrettably have no other details until his ultimate ill health discharge on 15/01/1919.
Col. Charles Rathbone
Royal Flying Corps
Colonel Rathbone was a prisoner at Holzminden and Schweidnitz POW Camps. He escaped from Holzminden on the night of 23-24 July 1918 and reached freedom in Holland. He had previously escaped from Schweidnitz. Colonel Rathbone was Senior British Officer at Holzminden.
Pte. James "Longfellow" Rathbone
Britsh Army Motor Company Army Service Corps
from:Bromborough, Cheshire
My Grandfather, James Rathbone, was chauffeur to Lord Leverhulme prior and after the War. I have a letter written from John Roebuck of the Star Works, Coventry, written in July 1915. It relates to a bus that my grandfather was to collect, but it does not specify what it was required for. The letter states that if asked, my grandfather was only to say that Sir William (Leverhulme) required it for a very special purpose and that he was not to give away any information to anyone about any other vehicles that Sir William had in use. Very mysterious!
Grandfather spent the war years in the East Africa Campaign as a Motor Driver, but what action he saw I was never told. He embarked at Devonport on the HMAT Beltana on 19th August 1916 and arrived in Kilindini on 3rd October 1916. He contracted malaria on 30th March 1917 and was admitted to hospital in Mombasa, but transferred to Nairobi on 4th April 1917. He was discharged on 9th April 1917 when he returned to duty. He also seems to have passed through Dar es Salaam, but how long he spent there is not known.My grandfather died during WWII, not as a direct result of enemy action, but he was repairing a roof, possibly as a result of bomb damage, when he fell and sustained head injuries. He was in the Home Guard in WWII and carried out Fireman duties. I still have his fireman's axe. Sadly I never met my grandfather as I was born after he died.
Maj Joseph Holroyd Ratton
British Army 163rd Siege Bty Royal Garrison Artillery
from:Cresswell Park, Blackheath
(d.2nd September 1917)
Major Joesph Ratton served with the 163rd Seige Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery in WW1. He died 2nd of September 1917 age 35 years.
Extract from "Stonyhurst College War Record. A Memorial of the part taken by Stonyhurst Men in The Great War.". Issued by the Authorities of Stonyhurst College, Printed by Bemrose & Sons Ltd, Derby, 1927. Page 245: Major Joseph Holroyd Ratton, Royal Garrison Artillery. In a little over two years Lieut-Col. Ratton, late I.M.S., was called upon to make the sacrifice of his two sons 2nd Lieut. W. H. Ratton (1901), Queen's T.F., who died on 9th of July 1915, and then of his elder son, Major Joseph Ratton, R.G.A.
Joseph Ratton was born in February, 1882, and came to Stonyhurst in 1893. His mother was a Holroyd, a great-granddaughter of the Hon. Sir George Sawley Holroyd, Kt., a Judge of the Court of King's Bench. Both his grandfathers were officers of the 3rd Madras Light Cavalry. His father, Lieut.-Col. Ratton, M.D., of Blackheath, late Indian Medical Service, served in the Abyssinian War, in 1868.
He was noted for his Catholic social activities, and was the author of several works on medical and exegetical subjects. In 1901, after leaving Stonyhurst, Joseph passed into the Royal Artillery through the Royal Military Academy. He was promoted Captain in July, 1914, and Major in July, 1916. The greater part of his service was spent in West Africa, during which he explored the hinterland of the Gold Coast and of the French Ivory Coast.
Early in 1914, he trekked alone from the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast to the source of the Niger, mapping a part of the country that had not till then been surveyed.
On the outbreak of war he was Intelligence Officer of the Gold Coast, and on the conclusion of the Togoland campaign, became Acting Military Governor of Togoland, at Lome, the capital. Later, he commanded a battery on the Cameroons Expedition, and assisted in the capture of Jaunde. On the completion of this expedition he was sent to France, where he commanded a siege battery at the battles of Vimy Ridge, Messines, and Ypres, and was killed at Ypres at his guns, in action, by a shell splinter in the heart.
That was the mode of death he always told his relatives that he would prefer, if he was to be killed, that is, instantaneously. He was killed on a Sunday, having been to Mass and Holy Communion that very morning.
His cousin spoke of " his manliness and nobleness of character "; there was always an " attractive personality and a sincerity that drew one almost instinctively to him." Another relative spoke of him as "one of the finest characters I have ever known, and his death a fitting end to a glorious life. I have often heard Joe say he would much rather die as he did than from an illness."
When he was killed, his batman, on hearing the news, cried like a child. All letters received by his father agreed in bearing witness to his popularity as a manly gentleman, most considerate to all in his company. The Captain of his Battery wrote: "September md, 1917. He was killed instantaneously at two o'clock this afternoon by a splinter at his old position, where he lost his late Captain and others." He added: "We are all sincerely and heartily grieved to lose such a fine C.O. and man as he was. He was most considerate to all, always insisted on sharing the work with us fairly, and was extremely popular. We hardly seem to be able to realise that he can no longer come in with his cheery smile and poke fun at us."
2Lt Wilfred Holroyd Ratton
British Army 22nd Btn. London Regiment
(d.9th July 1915)
Second Lieutenant Ratton was a Barrister-at-Law and was 24 when he died. He is buried in the Jinja Roman Catholic Churchyard in Uganda.
Lt. Arthur Rullion Rattray MID.
British Indian Army Royal Indian Marines
Pte. Frank Rattray
British Army 11th Battalion Labour Corps
from:Edinburgh
Capt. J. N. Rattray
Canadian Army 1st Canadian Tunnelling Coy.
2nd Lt. James Alec Stewwart Rattray
British Army 5th Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery
from:London
(d.23rd Sep 1917)
Alas, we know very little about 2nd Lieutenant James Rattray other than he served in 5th Siege Battery of the R.G.A. and died on 23rd September 1917 and was subsequently buried in Bard Cottage Cemetery, Boesinghe (Nr Ypres).
If anyone has any additional information or photographs, we would dearly love to see them.
2/Lt. James Alec Rattray
British Army 5th Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery
from:Plymouth
(d.23rd September 1917)
Soon after the outbreak of war on 4th of August 1914, James Rattray was serving with the 38th Battery Royal Garrison Artillery. It's 60 Pounder guns were allocated to the newly formed 38th (Welsh) Division and based at Pwllheli and Porthcawl where, due to different elements of the division being based in different parts of Wales, training as an entire entity was difficult. During this period, James was married on 26th October 1914 to Violet May Hill.
In early June 1915, 38th Battery left the 38th Division and became part of the 42nd Heavy Artillery Group and, at the same time, James was transferred to Base Details. On 6th June 1915, James was promoted to Corporal and joined the British Expeditionary Force in France, being attached, between arrival and 9th October 1915, to several Trench Howitzer schools and two newly formed trench howitzer batteries in the base areas around Rouen.
The 9th October 1915 saw James fall ill with complications leading to nephritis (inflammation of the kidney) and, after a short stay in hospital in Rouen at No.1 Stationary Hospital, he was evacuated to England on the 17th October where, after a stay in Hospital in Brighton, he was transferred to No.2 Depot Royal Garrison Artillery (Fort Rowner, Gosport). James stayed at Gosport for the next two months, most likely assisting in the training of new recruits, before moving on 17th December 1915 to a more specialist training role with B Siege Depot at Bexhill. The stay with this depot was short lived, however, as, on 27th December 1915, he was once again posted this time to 95th Siege Battery, then in training at Horsham.
After spending the previous months at Horsham, James returned to France with 95th Siege Battery, sailing from Folkestone to Boulogne, on 12th of May 1916. Armed with 9.2" Howitzers, they were attached to 35th Heavy Artillery Group on 23rd May 1916 and took up positions at Bayencourt at the beginning of June. It was from these positions that James and his battery were to take part in the initial stages of the Battle of the Somme.
In mid July 1916, 95th Battery moved from the northern part of the battlefield to the south, where they moved forward with the British advance from Maricourt to Guillemont where they were based at the end of the battle. It was during this battle that James was promoted to Sergeant in the field on 2nd of October 1916. During November, the battery moved from Guillemont to Hem and from there to Le Forest where they suffered heavy casualties. February and March 1917 saw them transferred northwards to the Vimy sector where they were to take part in the actions involving the capture of Vimy Ridge during the Battle of Arras.
On 16th of August 1917, James was granted his commission and was transferred, as a 2nd Lieutenant to the 5th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, to whom he arrived on the 17th while they were based at La Belle Alliance Farm about a mile north of Ypres. Here, the battery was in almost constant action during the 3rd Battle of Ypres which had begun just over a fortnight earlier, firing on German positions in the Poelcapelle area.
On 20th August 1917, the 5th Siege Battery moved further north to Krupp Farm, firing on positions near Poelcapelle, Spriet, and Pheasant Farm. Throughout this time, the battery was under much fire itself and suffered several casualties almost daily. On 23rd of September 1917, James himself became one of these casualties when killed in action during a heavy German counter-battery bombardment, using 8" and 5.9" howitzers, at Krupp Farm. Soon afterwards, when it was safe to do so, he was buried along with some other of the day's casualties, in the military cemetery at Bard Cottage where he still lies today. He was 27 years of age and his commission had only a week earlier been announced in the London Gazette.
L/Cpl. Gilbert Raven
British Army 228th Coy. Royal Engineers
from:Barnsley, Yorkshire
From the records of the Berrington War Hospital, Gilbert Raven was Wounded in Action on the 6th Apr 1917. Patient was partly buried by the shells by which he was injured. He was quickly returned to CCS. Examination showed long gutter shaped wound over right side exposing crest of ilium with deep flesh wound on inner thigh. Muscles involved severely lacerated. Both wounds were sutured at CCS. After 7 days patient was transferred to England.
Pte Wilfred Raven
British Army 15th Btn Durham Light Infantry
from:Leicestershire
(d.16th Sept 1916)
I have discovered that Wilfred Raven was my second great uncle. He left Leicestershire to join in the efforts of World War 1 by joining the Durham Light Infantry. He died on the 16th of September 1916. He was just 19 years old. His memory lives on.
Sgt. John Charles Ravenscroft
British Army 19th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers
from:Salford, Lancashire
(d.17th April 1918 )
John Ravenscroft entered the 1st World War on 23rd of November 1915 as a Sergeant in the 19th Lancashire Fusilers (19th Batallion). He is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
L/Cpl. Thomas Aloysius Rawcliffe
British Army Military Foot Police Military Police Corps
from:Chorley, Lancs.
(d.4th Jan 1917)
Thomas Rawcliffe died on 4th January 1917 age 26 and is buried in the Ste. Marie Cemetery in France. He was the son of Thomas and Mary Rawcliffe, of Chorley, Lancs.
Sister. Rawes
Queen Alexandras Nursing Service No. 16 Stationary Hospital
Cpl. William Stephen Rawliffe
British Army 2nd Btn. C Coy. Middlesex Regiment
from:Preston, Lancashire
William Rawcliffe born 20th of March 1883 served with C Coy, 2nd Middlesex Regiment. He was captured on the 27th of May 1918, the 1st day of the Third Battle of the Ainse, at Genicourt approx 10km south of Verdun. He arrived unwounded at Giessen camp.
He returned to Preston after the war and married in 1920. He had one daughter, born in April 1921. He died in Preston in 1928, reportedly never having fully regained his health after the prison camp experience.
Pte. Charles William Rawlings
British Army 9th Battalion Essex Regiment
from:Ilford, Essex
Charles Rawlings was my Grandfather. Born in January 1888 he and his two brothers all enlisted for the start WWI with the Essex Regiment.
Both his brothers were sadly killed in action, one in 1917 the other in 1918. Charlie was taken prisoner and thankfully survived until a ripe old age, passing away in 1974. He would never have anything bad spoken about the German soldiers and in fact I have a letter from one that befriended him at the camp, sent after the end of the war.
Pte. James Phillips Rawlinson
British Army 8th Btn. Cheshire Regiment
from:Dukinfield, Cheshire
(d.20th February 1917)
Pte. Walter Henry Rawson
British Army 9th Btn. Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
from:Henllan, Denbighshire
(d.7th June 1917)
Walter was the son of Dinah Rawson, Steeple Street, Henllan, Denbs.
Pte. Joseph Rawstron
British Army 1st Btn. East Lancashire Regiment
(d.6th Jul 1915)
Joseph Rawstron served with the 1st East Lancashire Regiment, 4th Division, 11 Brigade during WW1. He departed from Southampton on the 22nd of August 1914 on the ship Braemar Castle landing at Le Harve. Sadly, he died on the 6th of July 1915 whilst engaged in the Battle at Boesinghe when a shell landed in his trench killing Joseph and 5 of his regiment. His body was never found however his memorial plaque is displayed at Menin Gate along side his fallen comrades.
Pte. Arthur Ray
British Army 84th Company Machine Gun Corps
Originally Arthur Ray was in the 1st Batt Suffolk Regiment. After acquiring his War Medal, internet research has allowed me to narrow down his service details
Private Edward Ray
British Army 3th Btn. Worcestershire Regiment
from:Hockley, Birmingham
(d.4th Sep 1917)
Edward Ray was the husband of Ellen Grainger, of 2 Back, 42, Whitmore St., Hockley, Birmingham. They had three sons (Jack, Albert and Edward John) and one daughter, Lilly. He died of multiple shell wounds on both legs and thighs in No.3 Canadian CCS and is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. I would like to know where he fought and when he was wounded.
Pte. Frank Ray
British Army 12th (Yeo) Btn. Somerset Light Infantry
from:Salisbury, Wiltshire
Pte. Harry Ray
British Army 2nd Btn. Middlesex Regiment
from:Edmonton, London
(d.26th Mar 1918)
Harry Ray was my Nans brother, my nan would tell me about when he came home on leave and the mess he was in, they had to burn some of his clothes. He served with the 2nd Battalion, Middlesex Regiment and was killed on the Somme on 26th March 1918. My nan always said he was a sniper. He is buried at Assevillers New British Cemetery in France. I have been a few times to visit the grave.
Pte. John William Ray
British Army 8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry
from:2 St Vincent St, Gateshead
(d.26 Mar 1918)
John Ray was my grandfather's cousin, though I only found out about him when I started doing family history. He was born in 1888 and was a hairdresser before the war. He married in 1910 and in the 1911 census he was living with his in-laws. Reading between the lines, this arrangement might have been a bit awkward, as he'd obviously got his wife Jane (nee Bowman) pregnant well before their marriage. He was killed during the German offensive of March 1918 which inflicted heavy casualties on the Allies and is buried in Assevillers war cemetery. He left behind a daughter, Mary Annie, aged 7 and two boys: John (5) and Robert (3).
Gnr John Ray
British Army 355th Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery
from:Liphook
L/Cpl. Arthur Raybould
British Army 2nd Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment
from:Birmingham
(d.9th Oct 1917)
Arthur Raybould is buried at Tyne Cot Cemetery.
Pte. William Raye
British Army 12th Btn. Durham Light Infantry
from:Durham
Grandad, William Raye served with the Durham Light Infantry in WW1 and also listed in Perth, Western Australia for WW2. Sadly he died before I was old enough to hear his stores.
Cpl. M. Raymon
Army 1st Btn. Durham Light Infantry
Cpl. James Alexander Rayne
British Army 1st Battalion Seaforth Highlanders
from:Merton, Surrey
(d.24th April 1916)
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