Lt EHL Southwell, 9th Rifle Brigade. Killed 15 Sep 1916 on the Somme

[stiletto_33853]

Remembering Evelyn Southwell today, and all the men that fell on 15/9/16.

 

Andy

[MBrockway]

Yes. Up in Scotland with only sporadic Internet access, but remembered Evelyn yesterday while at the Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge.

Mark

Edited 10 March , 2018 by MBrockway
Photo from that day added

[stiletto_33853]

On 9/21/2015 at 16:37, purvis15 said:

Just had a look at a personal list of officer casualties kept by my Gt Gt Uncle Herbert Purvis who was wounded on 15th Sep and his list shows only 2Lt Round as unwounded. Herbert himself was the only company commander (B Coy) not killed. The CO, Adjutant, medical officer and the other Coy Cmdrs all died. Herbert was hit in the legs by MG fire at the limit of the advance just in front of Bulls Road near to where Capt Merewether (D Coy) was killed which he witnessed shortly before he was hit himself. Two brave KRRC Riflemen dragged Herbert back to the communication trench which led back to Gap trench at the cost of their own lives - sadly he never knew who they were. He talks of being carried for a way by an FOO but also having to crawl over piles of dead Germans to get back to where the guards were who carried him back to their RAP. Quite a day, and he was the lucky one.

 

Rob,

Thought you might want to hear what 2nd Lt. Round had to say regarding your Gt Gt Uncle. In a letter dated 20/9/16

 

"Dear Mum - I trust you got my field P. Card saying i was still alive and kicking after the 'push' ! Some push it was too, as you can guess from all accounts & I have killed a Hun! I think it was a little bit cold blooded: in one of the trenches we had captured some Huns were coming along the trench probably with the intention of giving themselves up: they all had their hands up, except the leading man & he had one up & one in his pocket" I was at the head of a crowd of rifle men & shouted to him to put his hands up: he probably did not understand poor brute, however he didn't take his left hand out of his pocket & I was taking no risks, so over he went - those behind him shouted 'Ach no, no' ;  we let them go back to our trenches in rear - one of the officers called "58 Purvis" so named because he is 58 and still a subaltern was in great form: he had rather a wonderful career; his son was Captain in this Batt & was killed on 25th Sept. last year: 58 Purvis one idea after this was to get out to this Batt & kill as many Huns as he could: at the time of his sons death he was apparently a Captain in R.N. a very high post. He chucked it up, got a commission in R.B.'s and was sent to Seaford, 14th or 15th Batt. He had great difficulty in getting himself posted to this Batt, but by dint of worrying W.B. & the Ad. Co out here he succeeded: in the push the other day he is said to have killed every Hun he came across - eventually he was wounded himself - but is doing well. 

 

Andy

[Guest]

Dear all,

 

I have just come across with this posting and would like to make contact with you. My wife is related to Captain Evelyn H L Southwell (1st cousin, twice removed) and I can provide further details of the immediate family.  Coincidently we are up in Gloucestershire and plan to visit Worcester cathedral next Tuesday to view the memorial there.  We also hope to speak to an Archivist or Librarian to see if there is any further information on him.  Please message me with your e-mail addresses.  Thanks and regards, Phil Broomfield

[stiletto_33853]

Phil,

 

Thank you for letting us know, certainly Mark and myself would love any further details you might have on Evelyn. You might want to look at this thread regarding Evelyn and his good friend Malcolm White.

 

Andy

 

 

Edited 7 April , 2018 by stiletto_33853

[Perth Digger]

Hi Phil

Welcome to the Forum.

Like Andy and Mark I have an interest in Evelyn Southwell, as I am working on all officers killed on 15 September 1916. I'd too be interested in hearing anything you may have on him and his family. I doubt that I have anything of interest to you that Andy or Mark do not also have, but if there is anything, I'd be happy to help.

 

Mike

[MBrockway]

Coincidentally I am in Leamington next weekend for a book launch and was hoping to combine it with a trip to Worcester to show the better half around my old school and the cathedral.

 

I've marked the location of Evelyn's window on this plan of the cathedral.  It's in the east cloister close to the south door into the cathedral and nearly opposite the cafe in the Slype.

 

You might also be interested in a look at the memorial to Rev Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, "Woodbine Willie", in St George's Chapel in the main body of the cathedral, so I've marked that too.

 

Evelyn's father would certainly have know Woodbine Willie.  Canon Herbert Southwell is likely to have lived at either 5 College Green (on the school side) or 5 College Yard (on the city side).  I think CWGC has College Yard, but the 1911 Census and the 1912 Kelly's Directory both have that address as the boarding house of the choir school.

 

You will probably want to enter from College Green , but note that that entrance does not go through the Refectory (now College Hall) but uses a separate passage under the refectory's dias that is not shown on the floorplan.

 

 

 

Enjoy your visit!

Mark

 

[Guest]

I had a successful visit to Worcester on Tuesday where I met with Dr David Morrison who directed me to the memorial window and allowed me to visit the Library to view the archives where he had left out some books containing press cuttings and reports, one report of 1919 relating to the unveiling of the memorial window as well as more detail about his father Canon Herbert Burrows Southwell.

 

Herbert Burrows Southwell was in fact a Canon at Worcester from 1912 until his death in 1922.  One of the press cuttings gives further detail of the unfortunate day of his death when en-route to Whittington parish church where he was to take a service.  He was aged 66 years.  He is recorded as buried at St. Philip & St. James, Whittington, Worcs.

 

His wife Sarah Anne Southwell (nee Willis) was born in Bapton, Wiltshire and is my wife's 2nd Great Aunt.  Sarah died in 1934, aged 78.  They had two children; Evelyn Herbert Lightfoot Southwell, born 19th March 1886 Lichfield, Staffs and Gladys Maud Southwell, born 20th July 1891, Lichfield.  It appears she died a spinster but I haven't as yet been able to obtain a record.  I am in touch with Whittington church to ascertain whether they are buried together there.  

 

Once I have more detail I will share this with you.

 

All the best,

Phil

 

 

[stiletto_33853]

Phil,

Glad that you had a successful day.

 

Andy

[MBrockway]

I have scary memories of going out through a tiny door from the cathedral library, squeezing down a short narrow passageway and emerging out onto the triforium above the nave.

 

It was initially very exhilarating - an incredible bird's eye view down into the nave and just a ledge with no balustrade nor guard rail, but I was the first through and as the tiny ledge began to fill up with my classmates it quickly became clear that we were rapidly running out of room unless some of us went back into the library ... unfortunately those still inside could not see this and we had a tense few minutes before we were able to reverse the flow and make some space.  Still makes me shiver!

[KRMatthews]

Off on a tour of the battleground of Flers–Courcelette today, if anyone has anything in particular they would like to try to get me to get images of let me know. katie-rose.matthewsAThotmailDOTcoDOTuk Thanks

Katie

[MBrockway]

Remembering today Evelyn Southwell 102 years after he fell on The Somme.

 

 

 

 

His memory lives on

 

Mark

 

Edited 15 September , 2018 by MBrockway

[stiletto_33853]

RIP Evelyn, not forgotten

 

Andy

Edited 15 September , 2018 by stiletto_33853

[MBrockway]

Remembering once again Lt. Evelyn Southwell, 9/RB, killed in action in the attack on Flers on this day, 15th September 1916.

 

Not forgotten  

 

In Scotland at present, so unable to add pictures.

 

Mark

 

[stiletto_33853]

Remembering Evelyn today. Not forgotten.

 

Andy

[MBrockway]

Another year passes and we remember Evelyn Southwell still.

 

Evelyn in the 1908 Oxford Blue Boat ...

A cheery Evelyn at the Western Front seven/eight years later ...

Not forgotten

 

Mark & Andy

 

 

[stiletto_33853]

Remembering Evelyn and all of the men of the 14th Division who lost their lives on this day in 1916..

Andy

[MBrockway]

At a time when we're all remembering those who have passed, I give you in commemoration of Evelyn this year this extract from a letter to his father, Canon Southwell, written on 06 Sep 1916 a little over a week before his death before Flers.

It says a lot about comradeship and how men cope with ever present death amid the horrors of war ...

 

Evelyn, the scholar, deep in his books at Shrewsbury ...

 

Evelyn Southwell - not forgotten

 

[stiletto_33853]

Remembering Evelyn and all those that fell on this day in 1916

 

Andy

[MBrockway]

Another year gone - they pass so quickly now - ten years since I started this thread and remembering Evelyn still.

 

This image has him during training on Salisbury Plain around May 1915 while 14th (Light) Division were working up for embarkation

Photo courtesy of Shrewsbury School and Mike Morrogh, Esq. and sourced from excellent “The Slow Dusk Project" here, Courtesy of Magdalen College, Oxford.

 

Mark

Edited 15 September , 2023 by MBrockway

[stiletto_33853]

remembering Evelyn today