Lieutenant Hugh Brooksbank
Remembrance - The Yorkshire Regiment, First World War
Photos, - Individuals, Surname "P"

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Lieutenant Hugh Brooksbank
Private John PEARSON Captain Lawrence PEEL Lieut-Colonel William Ralph Peel Lieutenant Richard Herbert PHAYRE
Lieutenant Q/Master Edward PICKARD Private William Henry PICKERING Lieutenant John Selby PRATT  
Private John PEARSON
For a larger sized image, click on this thumbnail. Click anywhere in the new window to close it. 		  Private John PEARSON. 20725

7th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment.
Killed 10 July 1916.
Born Pickering (Yorks), Enlisted Malton, Resided Pickering.
Buried BOULOGNE EASTERN CEMETERY.

(Photo from the Beck Isle Museum Archives/Collection. Ref: Roger Dowson, <localmilhistory@aol.com>)
   
Captain Lawrence PEEL
Photo from that of 2nd Battalion Officers, 1914		   Captain Lawrence PEEL

2nd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment.
Born at Clitheroe 18 September 1884, 3rd son of William Peel, J P, of Knowlmere Manor, Yorkshire. Husband of the Hon. Mrs. L. Peel (now the Hon. Mrs. Martin, of The Brand, Loughborough, Leicestershire).
2nd Lieutenant 10 October 1903; Lieutenant 18 February 1905; Adjutant 1 December 1906 - 1 March 1910; Captain 11 February 1911.

Killed 23/24 October 1914 whilst leading his cycle company in a night attack near Ypres. Mentioned in Despatches. Aged 30.
Commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial. Panel 33.
   
Lieutenant Colonel William Ralph PEEL
Photo from that of 6th Battalion Officers 1915
but a larger view of the above can be seen by selecting the tumbnail image		   Lieutenant Colonel William Ralph PEEL, DSO & 2 Bars

W R Peel joined the 6th Battalion in October 1914 as a 2nd Lieutenant.
By July 1915, when the Battalion landed in Mudros Bay he was a Captain, and Adjutant to Lieutenant-Colonel E H Chapman.
On 7 August 1915 he was wounded during the Suvla Bay landings.
In January 1916 he was in temporary command of the Battalion (still as a Captain).
7 February 1916 saw the Battalion, including Captain Peel, in Alexandria.
By 17 July 1916 the Battalion had moved to the Western Front, at Agny.
In June 1917, now with the rank of Major, he was wounded again.

Peter Etherington (<Peter@etheringtonp.freeserve.co.uk>) provides the following information on this Officer;-
"I have traced Colonel Peel in the Green Howards Gazette. He had two DSO's by mid 1918 when serving as a Major in the 6th Battalion. He then tranferred to the West Yorks.......".
Peter Etherington subsequently obtained the following information from the London Gazette of 2 April 1919;-
"T./Maj. (A./Lt.-Col.) William Ralph Peel, Awarded a 2nd Bar to the Distinguished Service Order. D.S.O., 6th Bn., York. R., attd. l/10th Bn., Manch. R. (D.S.O. gazetted 4th June, 1917.)(1st Bar gazetted 16th September, 1918.)"

There is no mention of Colonel Peel in M L Ferrar's "Officers of the Green Howards, 1688 - 1931".
   
Lieutenant Richard Herbert PHAYRE
Photo from that of 2nd Battalion Officers, 1914		   Lieutenant Richard Herbert PHAYRE

2nd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Eldest son of Lt. Col. R. Phayre, O.B.E., D.L., and Mrs. Frances Anne Phayre, of "Belgaum," Woking, Surrey. Killed 26 October 1914. Aged 24.
Commemorated Panel 33, Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.

Born at Famborough, Hants., 31st March, 1890, son of Lieut.- Col. Richard Phayre, O.B.E., late 19th Foot.
2nd Lieut., 11th December, 1909 ; Lieut., 1st April, 1911.
Went to Belgium with the 2nd Battn. in October, 1914.
Killed near Gheluvelt in the 1st battle of Ypres, 27th October, 1914.
"He was a young officer of great promise, keenly interested in his profession and his regiment. His younger brother, Lieut. C. F. Phayre, Royal Munster Fusiliers, was killed on the 27th August " (G.H.G.).
   
Lieutenant Q/Master Edward Pickard
Photo from that of 2nd Battalion Officers, 1914		   Lieutenant Q/Master Edward PICKARD

Born at Bradford 4th February, 1873, son of George Pickard of Bradford.
Pte., 16th October. 1891 ; Lce.-Corpl, 1st December, 1891 ; Corpl, 2nd June, 1892 ; Sergt., 12th August, 1895 ; Cr.-Sergt 12th October, 1896 ; Sergt.-Major, 1st October, 1903; Hon. Lieut. and Qr.-Mr., 28th July, 1909 ; Hon. Capt., 4th June, 1917; Hon. Major 3rd June, 1918 ; Major and Qr.-Mr., 8th August, 1918; Lieut.-Col.
5th November, 1927 ; retired, 16th February, 1928.
Served in the Boer War, 1899-1902, and was present in the operations near Colesberg in January, 1900. In the march along the Modder River, including the Relief of Kimberley, the actions at Paardeberg, Kitchener's Kop, Poplar Grove, and Driefontein, and occupation of Bloemfontein. In the advance on Dewetsdorp and action at Leuukop. In the march to Pretoria and actions at Brandfort, Vet and Zand Rivers, Kroonstadt and Johannesburg. In the advance eastwards and actions at Diamond Hill and Belfast (mentioned in despatches, medal for distinguished conduct in the field. Queen's medal and 6 clasps. King's medal and 2 clasps). Awarded the King's Coronation medal, 1911.
In the war of 1914-18 served as Qr. Master to the 2nd Battn., and was present at all the operations in which it was engaged, which included the 1st battle of Ypres, 1914, battles of Neuve Chapelle, Festubert, Givenchy and Loos in 1915, the Somme, July to September, 1916, Arras, and 3rd battle of Ypres in 1917, St. Quentin, March and April, 1918, Ypres, April and May, Cambrai, 2nd battle of Le Cateau, Selle River and the Sambre, 1st to llth November, 1918 (twice mentioned in despatches, bronze star and clasp, Belgian Croix de Guerre, promoted to Captain and Major, granted higher rate of pay, silver and bronze medals). O.B.E., 3rd June, 1923. Served in Ireland with 3rd Battalion during the rebellion.
"Major Pickard came to France with the 2nd Battn. and was one of the few of any rank who served continuously with it from the beginning of the war to the Armistice, and his services are not likely to be forgotten by his comrades. The rest of the staff of the Battalion was changed times without number, but Major Pickard remained a tower of strength to the many newcomers and a very present help in time of trouble to his comrades (Regtl. History of the War).

Died at Nottingham, 17th July, 1928.
   
Private William Henry PICKERING
No photo available yet.		   Private William Henry PICKERING. 8392.

2nd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Son of Fred and Florence Pickering, of 9, Jedburgh St., Middlesbrough, Yorks. Died 8 July 1916. Aged 27.
Born Middlesbrough, Enlisted Richmond, Resided Middlesbrough.
Commemorated Pier and Face 3 A and 3 D, Thiepval Memorial.

John Sly (<sly211@btinternet.com>) has researched the career of Private Pickering in connection with Private Pickering's medals. John has written a short biography of Private Pickering, and this may be read by selecting the link below.
   
Lieutenant John Selby PRATT
For a larger sized image, click on this thumbnail. Click anywhere in the new window to close it.

There is also a photograph of Lieutenant Pratt in the 10th Battalion, taken in 1915, which is shown beneath the text on the right.		  
Lieutenant John Selby PRATT

The following information on Captain Lewis Wilberforce Goldsmith has been provided by John Hamblin (<jc.hamblin@btopenworld.com>);-

John Selby Pratt was born in 1897 the younger son of Charles Pratt of Marley House, Haselmere in Surrey, late Senior Government Inspector of Railways in India.
He went to the the Dragon School from 1905 to 1908 where he was a dayboy and in School House. He was a promising athlete and won prizes for Under 10 100 yards in 1906, Cricket ball under 13 in 1907 and also in 1908. He was also in the Cricket 2nd XI in 1908.
In 1908 he went on to Blundell's School and got into the Junior House XI in 1909, was first in the U14 100 yards in 1910 also first in the 220 yards U13 and second in the high jump U14 when only 12 years old. He got his cricket colours in 1912 and his Rugby XV colours in the same year at the age of 15.

On the outbreak of war he obtained a commission in the 10th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment at the age of 17. He became a Lieutenant in 1916.

On the 11th of April 1917 he was killed by a sniper at St Martin sur Caquel near Arras as he went ahead of his Company (of which he was in command) with a machine gun to find a gap in the wire entanglement to get his company through. He was 19 years old.

His Commanding Officer wrote:-
"I have lost one of my best and most gallant officers. His action in going forward in the hope of finding a gap was most gallant and showed wonderful devotion to duty. He was very popular with officers and men."
He was mentioned in dispatches by Sir Douglas haig dated the 9th of April 1917, two days before he was killed.

Lieutenant Pratt is buried at Wancourt British Cemetery Plot VII Row D Grave 33

A photograph of the 10th Battalion Officers taken in 1915 shows Lieutenat Pratt, 4th from the right in the back row. Select the image below for an enlarged version which opens in a new window.

10th Battalion Officers, 1915