Buffs Officers

[Michael]

Jimmy

To add to Steve's info Fort, He was commisioned on 11/8/1900, Lieut on 5/9/1903 and Capt on 21/10/1911. He proceeded overseas on 18/1/15 and the regimental history states that he was appointed staff captain of the 85th Brigade. He gets another mention in the history for the day he died. The Bn was fighting to retrieve the lost "O" trench near Ypres. He and 2 others discovered a party of enemy bombers and rushed them. They demolished a sandbag wall while bombs were being thrown at them and cleared the enemy from the trench. Captain Fort was killed. None of the party were decorated for the action.

Cresswell was commissioned on 20/5/1899, Lieut on 5/5/1900 and Capt on 20/2/1904. He was adjutant of the 3rd Bn from 1/1/1912. He went overseas on 21/2/15 with the 2nd Bn. He was killed by a sniper as the Bn held the trenches while 85th Brigade attacked Spanbroekmolen on 12/3/1915.

Gulland went overseas as a 2nd Lieut on 2/10/1915. He died whilst with the 8th Bn on 16/6 1917 having been hit by shellfire in Dickebush on 10/6/1917. The Bn was heavily shelled as it was being relieved by the 9th Warwicks.

Geddes was born on 6/6/1866 and commissioned on 5/2/1897 into the Buffs, Lieut on 21/11/1889 severely wounded in Boer War, Capt on 25/10/1895 severely wounded in Boer War, Major on 4/4/1903, Lt-Col on 7/2/1911 to command the 2nd Bn Buffs. He went overseas on 18/1/1915 with the 2nd Bn.

He formed the Geddes Detachment during 2nd Ypres (a group of Battalions between the at Wieltje and the canal). A shell entered the room in which he was sitting in Verlorenhoek on 28/4/1915 and killed him instantly.

Geddes' sword and scabbard are on display at the Buffs Museum in Canterbury.

...WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Michael

[jimmyjames]

Michael

Many thanks for the info on Fort, Cresswell, Gulland and Geddes. I will dig out my notes on these officers and will post them later. I know that I have many pages of scribble on Colonel Geddes.

Regards

Jimmy

[jimmyjames]

Michael

I have tracked down my notes on Colonel Geddes and have managed to decipher my scribblings of a couple of years ago.

Born in Devon to Col John Gordon Geddes (late of 44th and 76th Regiments) and Mrs Madelaine Mary Geddes. Educated at Cheltenham College between 1879 and 1885, from where he went on to the Royal Military College Sandhurst.

As a captain he took part in the South African War as Adjutant of the 2nd Bn from February 1898 to April 1900. He served at Klip Drift and at Paardeburg where he was serverely wounded.

After Staff College, he was appointed Staff Capt (Intelligence) at Army HQ, promoted Major on 4th April 1903 and appointed General Staff Officer Grade 2 in October 1908. Qualified (on date unknown) as russian interpreter.

Appointed to command 2nd Bn (in India) in February 1911 and pronmoted to Lietenant Colonel (and, I think, full colonel) on 7th February 1915.

Battalion arrived at Plymouth on 23rd December 1914 and sent to France on 17th January 1915 and deployed to the Ypres Sector, and took part in Second Ypres.

On 23rd April a composite brigade of 3 Middx, 2 East Kent, 5 KOYLI and 1 York & Lancs was formed under Colonel Geddes to stem the German advance. His actions saved the situation and the brigade was withdrawn on 27th April.

As he was about to leave his HQ at St Jean on the morning of 28th April, a stray shell struck his HQ and he was killed.

Colonel Geddes was mentioned in FM French's despatches of 31st May 1915.

He is commemorated on the Cheltenham Borough War Memorial, the Cheltenham College Roll of Honour, the St James Church Cheltenham Roll of Honour and on the roll of honour in the chapel of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

He is also commemorated on the grave of his father in Cheltenham Borough Cemetery, along with his brother Brigadier John Gordon Geddes, who died of illness on 26th August 1919.

Regards

Jimmy

(Still trying to find my notes on the others)

[stevem]

Mick

Lawrence Fort was mentioned in dispatches in 1915, I have always assumed this was for his the action in which he was killed.

The letter gives the dates of his MID.

Regards

Steve

[Michael]

Jimmy

Thanks for the additional info on Geddes. It looks like he's from good military stock. I'm hoping his service record is one of the A Geddes's listed in Procat. I'll be checking soon and will let you know what additional info is in his file.

Steve, what a great document. There is no mention of his MID in the medal rolls but it is listed in the regimental history. Its a shame that we may never be able to confirm what the award was for although due to the fact that he was only in France for a month, I reckon your assumption is correct. The action during which he received his mortal wound was certainly worthy of some recognition.

Michael

[Moriaty]

I have just come across this old posting about officers of the Buffs and wondered if I could ask for some information on a couple of officers.

I am interested in Captain Alexander Falkland Gulland whose grandfather came from my part of Scotland and I wondered if you would be able to forward anything you have on him.

Also Major Roger Cecil Slacke who was killed in April 1915

Many thanks

Moriaty

[mhifle]

Hi

There is a Lt A F Gulland listed in the 3rd Battalion on the Nov 1916 Army List

Regards Mark

[mhifle]

Hi,

There is a Major R C Slacke with the 3rd Battalion on the Jan 1915 Army List.

Regards Mark

[stiletto_33853]

Mick,

Old thread, but if these are any use to you now.

I have in my database of pictures and bio's the following:-

Captain Eustace Bruce BURNSIDE

Lieutenant Charles Hebrert GRIBBLE

Captain Ralph William HOMAN

Major Bernard Lewis STRAUSS

2nd Lieut. Geoffrey Winfold Penfold WYATT

2nd Lieut. Filmer Blake SPICER

2nd Lieut. Edgcumbe Leopold STILES

Lieutenant Guy Talbot BAKER

Lieutenant Arthur Louis GULLICK

2nd Lieut. Charles CANEY

2nd Lieut. Harold Salton HILDER

Captain William Alexander Cosgrave HEDLEY

2nd Lieut. Adrian George HUBBARD

Captain Dudley George PEARCE

Major Charles Meredith Bouverie CHAPMAN (attd RFC)

Brig.-General. Julian HASLER

Andy

[Moriaty]

Thanks v much for the very speedy replies about Captain AF Gulland and Major RC Slacke, I noted that in a much, much earlier posting Jimmyjames had a picture of Captain Gulland, but wondered if this was the one from the web site about men of Cheltenham who died in the war???

Moriaty

[Michael]

Moriarty

Here is Gulland. He went overseas on 2/10/15 as a 2nd Lieutenant. He was hit during heavy shelling as the 8th Buffs were being relieved on 10/6/1917. He died on the 16th.

Slacke was born in Ireland in 1880, the son of Sir Owen Slacke. He went to Repton and Cambridge. He joined the Buffs from the militia in 1902 (6th Royal Irish Rifles), serving in Burma, India and Aden. He married Violet in 1910 and they had a child in 1912. He went overseas on 25/11/1914 as a Captain and joined his Bn on 3/12/14. He was killed whilst attached to the 2nd Queen's on 16/5/15 and was originally buried in an orchard near Festubert.

Andy

I would be grateful for the photos/bios. If you've got a photo of CMB Chapman, you're in for a free lunch at Kew !

Mick

[stiletto_33853]

Mick,

We aim to please, does not come out so well with the resize, but its a nice picture. Hmmmmmmmmmmm lunch is on Mick. Send me your e mail address and I will get the full size pictures off to you mick.

Andy

[Michael]

Wow, thanks. I'll send you my email address along with a lunch token.

[stiletto_33853]

His bio says he was mortally wounded while directing Anti Aircraft fire during an enemy attack on the Aerodrome on the night of September 30th, 1917, and died a few hours afterwards on the following day.

Andy

[Michael]

The wording on his grave stone is;

"HE REJOICED THAT HE WAS COUNTED WORTHY TO SUFFER".

Mick

[Moriaty]

Michael

Thanks so much for the picture of Gulland and the information about Slacke.

Slacke was a cousin of my grandmother's in Ireland and was known as Rory rather than Roger or Cecil! Where did you get this information from???

I visited Gulland's grave in Lijssenthoek about two weeks ago. His grandfather Charles Gulland was the Town Clerk in the village of Falkland in Scotland, hence his middle name of Falkland.

Many thanks

Moriaty

[Moriaty]

Michael

Re Rory Slacke

Following on from your info about him originally being buried in an orchard near Festubert, there was a story in the Dundee Advertiser of August 1918 relating a story from a David Grant of Freuchie, near Falkland in Fife, Scotland, who said that just before the the Battle of Festubert on 5 June 1915, “the grave of an officer before the Buffs attached to the West Surreys brought memories of Falkland again. Out into the devastation of No Man’s land, he (David Grant) crawled, heedless of danger. It was the tomb of Major Slacke. Reverently he marked it out, and returned again to lay upon it the floral offerings which other soldiers from devoted Fife had brought from villages behind the lines.”

Moriaty

[Michael]

Slacke was a cousin of my grandmother's in Ireland and was known as Rory rather than Roger or Cecil! Where did you get this information from???

From his service record which gives both Roger Cecil and Rory depending on the document

Mick

[Moriaty]

It sounds as if Rory Slacke is another name to add to my long list of service records I must check out!

Thanks again

Moriaty

[DaveBrigg]

Michael, I still have the info and picture for Francis Ingle Sowter (You kindly posted a copy of the relevant section from the war diary). I tried mailing it to you earlier, but it got bounced back a couple of times, so I'm not sure whether you have it or not.

[Michael]

Dave

I have the info you sent me in Jan last year. This included a portrait photo and a shot of the family home in Brigg.

Mick

[Michael]

Michael

Re Rory Slacke

Following on from your info about him originally being buried in an orchard near Festubert, there was a story in the Dundee Advertiser of August 1918 relating a story from a David Grant of Freuchie, near Falkland in Fife, Scotland, who said that just before the the Battle of Festubert on 5 June 1915, “the grave of an officer before the Buffs attached to the West Surreys brought memories of Falkland again. Out into the devastation of No Man’s land, he (David Grant) crawled, heedless of danger. It was the tomb of Major Slacke. Reverently he marked it out, and returned again to lay upon it the floral offerings which other soldiers from devoted Fife had brought from villages behind the lines.”

Moriaty

Moriarty

Thanks for posting this. It's a great story but I find it a bit hard to believe. What do you think?

Mick

[Michael]

Dave

I have the info you sent me in Jan last year. This included a portrait photo and a shot of the family home in Brigg.

Mick

By strange coincidence I visited his grave on Monday

[norwood]

Hi, I found a memorial card for Arthur Louis Gullick in a book I bought and was wondering if you had a pic of him ? The card says he "Fell in action in France, 3 oct 1915"

Norwood