[Illustration: =Herbert George Arthur.=]
=ARTHUR, RICHARD VICTOR=, L.-Corpl., No. 8118, 3rd Battn. Coldstream Guards, 4th _s._ of John Meredith Arthur, of 46, Aston Lane, Handsworth, Grocer, by his wife, Emma Jane; _b._ Shirley, co. Warwick, 9 Feb. 1892; educ. Small Heath Secondary School, Birmingham; enlisted on or about 5 Oct. 1908, and was killed in action at Landrecies, 8.30 p.m., 25 Aug. 1914, during the retreat from Mons. He _m._ at St. Michael’s Church, Camberley, 27 July, 1912, Margaret Emily (12, The Mews, Watchetts Road, Camberley), dau. of Thomas Herridge, of Camberley, and had two sons: Richard John, _b._ 23 Nov. 1913, and Victor George, _b._ 28 Jan. 1915.
[Illustration: =Richard Victor Arthur.=]
=HARRIS-ARUNDELL, JOHN D’AUVERGNE=, Sergt., No. 25911, 14th Battn. (1st Royal Montreal Regt.), Canadian Expeditionary Force, 2nd _s._ of the late Robert Harris-Arundell, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, by his wife, Elizabeth Blanche, dau. of the late John D’Auvergne Dumaresq, C.M.G., Acting Administrator of the Government of Lagos, W. Africa, and grandson of the late William Reinfred Harris-Arundell, of Lifton, co. Devon, England; _b._ Fairmont, Martin co., Minnesota, U.S.A., 14 May, 1889; went to Halifax, Nova Scotia, with his family at the age of five; educ. Collegiate School, Windsor, N.S., and joined the staff of the Royal Bank of Canada in 1905, and when war broke out in Aug. 1914, was in Montreal. He was at the time a Corpl. in the Victoria Rifles of Montreal, and volunteered at once for active service, and on 24 Aug. his regt., then called 1st Royal Montreal Regt., went into training at Valcartier Camp. On the night of 23 Sept. they left for Quebec, where they embarked for England, arriving in Plymouth on 14 Oct., and after training at Salisbury, left for France on 5 Feb. At the Battle of Langemarcke on 24 April, 1915, he was shot through the heart while helping Lieut. Whitehead, who was wounded in the foot, to cross 200 yards under withering fire; _unm._ The ground was captured by the enemy, and Sergt. Arundell’s body was never recovered.
[Illustration: =John D’A. Harris-Arundell.=]
=ASBURY, ARTHUR GERARD=, Sapper, No. 45044, 3rd Field Coy., Canadian Divisional Engineers, _s._ of Joseph Asbury, bank accountant; _b._ Burton-on-Trent, 13 Oct. 1889; educ. Burton Grammar School and Hymers’ College, Hull; enlisted on the outbreak of war, Aug. 1914, and _d._ of wounds in No. 14 General Hospital, at Wimereux, 21 May, 1915; _unm._; buried there, No. 496.
=ASCOTT, VINCENT JOHN DAWSON=, Volunteer, Nyasaland Volunteer Reserve, _s._ of Capt. William Ascott, A.V.C., of West Bridge, Bideford, by his wife Frances Annie, dau. of the late William John Keyte; _b._ 26 Aug. 1892; educ. at Allhallow’s School, Honiton. Volunteered for active service, 3 Aug. 1914. He was killed in action at Karonga, Nyasaland, 9 Sept. 1914; _unm._ The official account states: “Field Force advanced from Karonga on afternoon of 8th. Enemy in strength of about 400 appears to have evaded our Force, and at sunrise on the 9th attacked Karonga, which was defended by Bishop in charge of a few K.A.R.’s and Resident, with police, in all about 55 natives and 8 civilians. This small garrison very gallantly resisted the attack for three hours until relieved by Column 3 under Capt. Griffiths. They drove off and pursued the enemy, who left 2 officers and 40 native soldiers dead on the field. Casualties in Karonga: Webb, slightly wounded; 1 askari killed and 4 wounded. Entire British Force came into action later. Enemy fought with great determination, and had to be dislodged by repeated bayonet charges, but ultimately fled towards Songwe. Total German losses: 8 officers killed and 2 wounded and captured with Medical Officer; two field guns and three Maxims captured. British losses: killed, Caldecott and Ascott; since died of wounds, Manning and Merriman; seriously wounded, Muirhead, Garnett, Mason, Sinclair; slightly wounded, Barton, Ness; missing, Williams and Harvey. All reports speak highly of gallantry of all engaged.” His Commanding Officer, in a letter of sympathy to his parents, wrote: “Your son died a gallant death firing one of the Maxim guns in the battle of Karonga, on 9 Sept.... I feel his loss doubly, as he was one of my Planter neighbours, and a very close friend.” Another comrade, writing to his aunt, wrote: “The whole of Nyasaland will be grieving that one so popular as a true English sportsman will never play again in those games in which he so much excelled. Zomba has lost a fine athlete and gained a noble hero.” He was mentioned in despatches [London Gazette, 3 Aug. 1916] for gallant and distinguished service in the field “while working maxim guns under heavy fire with coolness and effect.”
[Illustration: =Vincent J. D. Ascott.=]
=ASCROFT, ROBERT GEOFFREY LEES=, 2nd Lieut., 1/10th Battn. The Manchester Regt. (T.F.), only _s._ of the late James Henry Ascroft, of Oldham, Solicitor (_d._ 1900), by his wife, Mabel Gertrude, dau. of John Lees, of Primrose House, Oldham, Cotton Spinners, and nephew of the late Robert Ascroft, M.P.; _b._ Oldham, 25 April, 1896; educ. Charterhouse, and on the outbreak of war volunteered and was gazetted 2nd Lieut. 25 Aug. 1914; went to the Dardanelles, May, 1915, and was killed in action there, 4 June, 1915. His commanding officer wrote: “Geoffrey was absolutely fearless and had endeared himself to all ranks by brave deeds which he had performed previously. His comrades all speak of his pluck and say, ‘he did not know what fear was.’” His brother-in-law, 2nd Lieut. J. B. Emmott, of the same regt., was killed in action the same day.
[Illustration: =Robert Geoffrey L. Ascroft.=]
=ASH, BASIL DRUMMOND=, Lieut., R.N., and Flight Lieut., R.N.A.S., _s._ of the Rev. Cyril Alfred Drummond Ash, B.A., Keble College, Oxford. Incumbent of Saxton, Tadcaster, co. York, by his wife, Hester Elizabeth, dau. of the late F. J. Alexander, B.C.S., India; _b._ Southport, Queensland, Australia, 16 May, 1890; educ. Preparatory School, Arlington House, Brighton, and Mr. Foster’s School, Stubbington, Fareham, Hants; joined the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, as a Cadet, 18 Sept. 1905, and became sub.-Lieut. 12 Sept. 1910, and Lieut. 1 Oct. 1912; served as Midshipman in H.M.S. Dreadnought (Flagship of Admiral Sir Francis Bridgeman, Home Fleet), Prince of Wales (Flagship of Admiral Prince Louis of Battenberg, Atlantic Fleet); and Africa (Capt. Leveson, Home Fleet); as sub-Lieut. and Lieut. in H.M.S. Philomel and Espiègle, in the Persian Gulf, Oct. 1911, to Nov. 1913; and in the R.N.A.S., 27 Jan. 1914, to 29 Sept. 1914, on which latter day he was lost in Seaplane 77 off the coast of Scotland, while engaged in scouting for German submarines. All his commanding officers testified to his ability as a Naval Officer. He was _unm._
[Illustration: =Basil Drummond Ash.=]
=ASH, WILFRID JOHN=, Lieut., 3rd Batt. Middlesex (Duke of Cambridge’s Own) Regt., _s._ of Herbert Edward Ash, of Keilawarra, Warlingham, Surrey, Solicitor; _b._ Croydon, 29 July, 1890; educ. Littlejohn’s, Greenwich; Haileybury and Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd Lieut., 2nd Battn. Middlesex Regt., 5 Oct. 1910; exchanged to 3rd Battn., then at Lebong, India, July, 1911; promoted Lieut., 23 July, 1913. Lieut. Ash was in England on leave when war broke out. He was recalled to rejoin his regt. at Cawnpore, and sailed for India in September. Two or three days before Christmas Day, 1914, he was back again in England with the 3rd Middlesex, who had come over as a complete unit. He went with the regt. to France in January, 1915, and was killed in action on the afternoon of Sunday, 14 Feb. 1915, between Ypres and St. Eloi, while leading his men in a successful counter attack against the enemy’s trenches. Col. E. W. R. Stephenson, Commanding the 3rd Battn. Middlesex, wrote that he “died gallantly leading his men in an attempt to capture a trench that had fallen. Previous to this, he saved the life of my nephew, Moller, who had been severely wounded, and after placing him in a place of safety, he again entered the fight.... He nobly did his duty, and we deplore his loss.” Private Worsfold also wrote: “On the afternoon of Sunday, 14 Feb., we were ordered to attack a position occupied by the enemy, north-west of Ypres and west of the canal ... on the morning of the same day we had been badly cut up, and the Surreys, who afterwards came up in support, opened to let us through. Lieut. W. J. Ash, who had been previously wounded in the arm, was still leading up to the last moment.”
[Illustration: =Wilfrid John Ash.=]
=ASHBY, GEORGE=, Stoker, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in the action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=ASHTON, EDWARD STANLEY JOHN CHARLES=, Corpl., No. 1248, Army Service Corps, elder _s._ of Charles Ashton, of 21, Endymion Road, Finsbury Park, by his wife, Alice Elyzabeth Sophia, dau. of George Nelson Howlett; _b._ Finsbury Park, 19 June, 1894; educ. Ealing Grammar School, and St. Frances Xavier’s College, Bruges; joined the Army at the outbreak of the war, 11 Aug. 1914, and died at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, 16 June, 1915, from heart failure caused by rheumatic fever contracted while at the Front; _unm._