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War
Memorials Elsewhere, - Marlborough College (Wilts) |
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A
section of the First World War Commemorations in the Marlborough College Memorial
Hall. Captain J Maughan's name is amongst those shown.
See below for a general view of the commemorations in the Memorial Hall.
Photo Courtesy of Sophie Leaver (<sophie.leaver@acgarchitects.co.uk>),
Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt Architects.
Marlborough College is an independent boarding and day school in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. The school was founded in 1843 for the sons of Church of England clergy.
749 members of the Marlborough community – pupils, beaks and staff – lost their lives in the First World War. Parts of their stories are contained in records held by the College, in particular in the Rolls of Honour which are kept in the Memorial Hall, and in the copies of The Marlburian of that time. The former consist of a photograph and a citation for each of those who died; the latter tell the story of many of them while at school, as well as in many cases obituary or In Memoriam notices when news of their death was received. This valuable archive – the Rolls of Honour and copies of The Marlburian 1900-1925 – has now been digitally recorded, so that it is accessible and searchable.
The Marlborough College Memorial Hall is the principal memorial to the 749 men who gave their lives in the First World War. It was opened by H.R.H. The Duke of Connaught on 23rd May 1925, and comprises a semi-circular auditorium of stepped seats. At the rear of the auditorium are the Ancaster stone tablets of First World War names with initials in red and the rest in grey colouring. On the walls on either side of the door of a wing off the auditorium are the marble tablets of Second World War names (415).
4 soldiers of the Yorkshire Regiment are commemorated on the Marlborough College War Memorial.
Captain Freeman Archibald Haynes Atkey. 9th Battalion Yorkshire
Regiment. Son of Frederick Walter and Ellen Louisa Atkey. Killed 5 July 1916.
Aged 33.
Buried BECOURT MILITARY CEMETERY.
The following information is taken from the Marlborough
College Roll of Honour;-
"Freeman Archibald Haynes Atkey was educated at Roger Cholmeley's School,
Highgate, and Pembroke college, Cambridge, of which he was a Scholar. He came
to Marlborough as an Assistant Master in 1908.
He enlisted in the Middlesex Regiment in September 1914. Three months later
he was given a Commission in the 9th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment.
In August 1915 he went to France as a Captain. He was wounded in February
1916, but soon rejoined his Regiment.
Captain Atkey was killed by a sniper on 5 August 1916 (sic) before a successful
attack by his Company near Thiepval."
Biographical notes by Miss Jayne Ringrose, Honorary Archivist, Pembroke College;-
"Born 17 April 1883. The third son of F W Atkey of 9a Sackville Street,
London, and Clevelands, Wimbledon. Educated at Highgate School from 1986.
Entered Pembroke as a Classical Scholar in 1901. In 1904 was placed in the
1st Division of the 1st Class of the Classical Tripos. In the following year
he took a First Class in Part II of the Historical Tripos. A Chancellor's
Medallist in Classics. As an undergraduate was prominent as an oarsman. In
1914 was Sixth Form master at Marlborough College. He had been in the front
nearly a year and was wounded in the early spring."
2nd Lieutenant Erasmus Darwin.
4th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Son of Horace and Ida Darwin, of The Orchard,
Cambridge. Grandson of naturalist Charles Darwin and statistician Thomas Farrer,
1st Baron Farrer. Died 24 April 1915. Aged 33.
Commemorated Panel 33, YPRES
(MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL.
The following information is taken from the Marlborough
College Roll of Honour;-
"The son of H Darwin Esqr F.R.S. of Cambridge, and grandson of Charles
Darwin and of the 1st Lord Farrer, was born on 7th December 1881 and was at
Marlborough College (Cotton House) from September 1895 to Midsummer 1901.
He became an Exhibitioner of Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1902 and was Senior
Optime in 1904. From Cambridge he went through the Shops of Messrs. Mathers
& Platt of Manchester, and at the outbreak of war was Secretary of Bolckow
Vaughan & Co. Ltd. of Middlesbrough.
In September 1914 he was gazetted 2nd Lieutenant in the 4th Battalion .. Yorkshire
Regiment, with which he crossed to France in the Northumbrian Division in
April 1915. This Division was almost immediately engaged in the Second Battle
of Ypres. Erasmus Darwin was killed during a successful attack at Fortuin
near St. Julien on 24th April 1915."
The following biographical information is taken from Robert Coulson's "Biographies
of Yorkshire Regiment Officers";-
"Erasmus Darwin was the grandson of Charles Darwin the renowned naturalist
and was born in Cambridge on 7 December 1881.
He was educated at Horris Hill, Marlborough College and then Trinity College
at Cambridge where he specialised in mathematics and mechanical sciences.
He then worked for Mather and Platts in Manchester, the Cambridge Scientific
Instrument Company and at the outbreak of war was company secretary for Bolckow
and Vaughans Ironworks in Middlesbrough.
Erasmus Darwin spent just six days on the Western Front before being killed.
The 4th Battalion landed at Boulogne on April 18th 1915 and were immediately
moved up to the Ypres Salient. At 1-00am on April 24th the battalion were
by the canal to the east of Ypres and later in the morning they were ordered
on to Potijze.
From here they advanced through the wire in an attempt to push the Germans
back into St Julien.
“The battalion lost heavily crossing the open level ground.”
2nd Lt Erasmus Darwin died in this action on April 24th 1915 at the age of
33."
Captain Francis Dodgson. 8th Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment. Son
of Henley F. Dodgson, of Bovingdon, Herts. Educated at Marlborough College
and Trinity College, Cambridge. Killed 10 July 1916. Aged 27.
Buried SERRE ROAD CEMETERY No.2.
(Was originally commemorated on the THIEPVAL MEMORIAL, - an example of a body
being recovered and identified after the name was put on a memorial as having
no known grave.)
Also commemorated on the Trinity College, Cambridge, War Memorial.
The following information is taken from the Marlborough
College Roll of Honour;-
"Son of H F Dodgson Esq. of Frognal Rise, Hampstead, was born on May
10th 1889 and was at Marlborough College (B.3) from 1904 to 1907. He was in
the Gym VIII of 1907. He went to Trinity College Cambridge where he took his
B.A. in 1911. He volunteered for service with the 8th Battalion Yorkshire
Regiment. He was promoted Captain in 1916. He was killed in action leading
his Company at the third and successful attack on Contalmaison. July 11th
1916."
The following biographical information is taken from Robert Coulson's "Biographies
of Yorkshire Regiment Officers";-
"Francis Dodgson was born in Sheffield in 1890 (sic) and was educated
at Marlborough College followed by Trinity College Cambridge which he entered
in 1908.
An original territorial officer of the 8th Battalion he is listed as a Lieutenant
with “C” company in September of 1914. He arrived with the battalion
in France on August 26th 1915 at Boulogne.
They were first in the trenches at Bois Grenier south of Armentieres in October
of 1915 and in the spring of 1916 were fighting at Gouay Servins and in the
Angres sector. They moved down to prepare for the Somme offensive in late
June.
Francis Dodgson and his battalion were not involved on the first day of the
Somme battle but came into the line for an attack on Horseshoe Trench on July
5th 1916.
This attack went in at 6-00 p.m and by later in the evening the trench was
secured.
July 8th found them in trenches in front of Becourt Wood where the roof of
the battalion HQ was blown in causing casualties.
Contalmaison village was the next objective and Captain Dodgson and his men
assembled in Horseshoe Trench late morning on July 10th.
The advance towards Contalmaison began at 4-50 p.m. on July 10th when the
8th Battalion scrambled out of Horseshoe Trench. Five hundred yards from the
village heavy machine gun and rifle fire from the front and left flank and
then unexpected fire from the rear caused many casualties among the Yorkshires.
Late in the evening the village of Contalmaison did fall to the British troops.
Captain Francis Dodgson was killed in this action on July 10th 1916 at the
age of 27, just weeks before his planned wedding to Miss Marjorie Secretan.
Francis Dodgson is buried in Serre Road No2 Cemetery, the largest on the Somme.
He is also remembered on Bovingdon War Memorial and in the local church are
plaques to both him and his brother Guy who died in 1918 with the Hertfordshire
Regiment. A third brother Phillip also fought and survived the war.
Today just to the west of Contalmaison village stands a private memorial to
Captain Dodgson (erected by his mother) and interestingly his original wooden
grave marker can be seen at Salisbury Cathedral.
A great deal of information on the life of Captain Francis Dodgson, and his
career with the 8th Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, is told in "Marjorie's
War" by Reginald and Charles Fair, published by Menin House and
available from Amazon
Books.
Captain John MAUGHAN. 4th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Son of John
and Annie Maughan, of Jervaulx, Middleham, Yorks. Killed on 17 February 1916.
Aged 26.
Buried POPERINGHE NEW MILITARY CEMETERY.
The following information is taken from the Marlborough
College Roll of Honour;-
"Son of J Maughan Esq., Jervaulx, Yorks, was born on January 4th 1890,
and was at Marlborough College (C.2) from September 1903 to March 1908. After
leaving he worked with Messrs Addleshaw of Manchester.
When war broke out he already had a Commission in the 4th Battalion Yorkshire
Regiment (Territorial) and in November 1914 he was promoted to Captain. In
April 1915v he landed in France and wa sin action at Ypres a few days after.
He was mentioned in despatches and was killed at Poperinghe on February 17th
1916."
The following biographical information is taken from Robert Coulson's "Biographies
of Yorkshire Regiment Officers";-
"John Maughan was born at Abbey Hill, Jervaulx in Yorkshire on January
4th 1890.
From 1903 to 1908 he attended Marlborough College where he was an active member
of the Officer Training Corps.
After college he followed a military career and was commissioned into the
4th Battalion in 1908. By November 1914 he had risen to the rank of Captain
and in April of 1915 he travelled with the 4th Battalion to France.
His war was mainly spent in the Ypres Salient seeing action at the 2nd Battle
of Ypres and being present during the great German gas attack on Whit Monday
1915 when the battalion were in trenches astride the Menin Road at Hooge.
In February of 1916 the battalion were in the line close to Hill 60 to the
south east of Ypres when in actions known as the “Operations at the
Bluff” Captain John Maughan was killed in action on February 17th 1916
aged 26."
First World War Commemorations in the Marlborough College Memorial Hall.
Photo Courtesy of Sophie Leaver (<sophie.leaver@acgarchitects.co.uk>),
Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt Architects.
Detailed
view of Some of the First World War Commemorations in the Marlborough College
Memorial Hall.
(2nd Lieut. Sidney Clayton Woodroffe, VC. Rifle Brigade. Killed 30 July 1915.
Aged 19.)
Photo Courtesy of Grainne Lenehan, the Marlborough College Archivist (<glenehan@marlboroughcollege.org>).
The
Marlborough College Memorial Hall seen from the Chapel Terrace (date approx.
1925)
Photo Courtesy of Grainne Lenehan, the Marlborough College Archivist (<glenehan@marlboroughcollege.org>).
The
Marlborough College Memorial Hall Interior
Photo Courtesy of Sophie Leaver (<sophie.leaver@acgarchitects.co.uk>),
Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt Architects.
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