Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Basra Memorial | Panel 18 and 63. Basra | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.130 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 58A GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Early Life :
Family Home1 East Park Terrace Southampton, Hampshire, England
Family :
PARENTSFather: Sydney Myer
Mother: Sophy Alex
SIBLINGS
Abraham J. Alex Myer (male)
Hannah C. Alex Myer (female)
Ernest Alex Myer (male) - Major, KIA 4/4/14
Montague Alex Myer (male)
Sydney Alex Myer (male)
Nephew of Horatio Myer MP for North Lambeth and a member of the LCC.
Education & Career :
Educated at University College School, London, following his brother Major Ernest Myer.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 9/Worcestershire Regiment |
9th (Service) Battalion Formed at Worcester in August 1914 as part of K1 and attached to 39th Brigade in 13th (Western) Division. Moved to Tidworth but by January 1915 was in billets in Basingstoke. Moved to Blackdown (Aldershot) in February 1915. Sailed from Avonmouth in June 1915 and landed on Gallipoli next month. January 1916 : Division evacuated from Gallipoli and moved to Egypt. July 1918 : Brigade transferred to North Persia Force. |
| Action : Mesopotamia |
At the outbreak of war the British, together with Indian troops, resolved to protect oil supply in the region by occupying the area around Basra at Abadan. This evolved into a series of campaigns towards Baghdad against the Turkish forces as Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) was part of the Ottoman Empire. Meetings in late 1914 and into 1915 led the Viceroy and Indian government at Simla to reconsider the limited involvement of troops and they decided to order further advances with a view to securing the Shatt-al-Hai, a canal connecting the Tigris and Euphrates river and potentially capturing Baghdad. The British government disagreed and wished to conserve forces for the Western front. The Viceroy was given permission to act as it wished, but told in no uncertain terms that no reinforcements should be expected.
The initial success experienced by the British and Indian forces quickly disintegrated in the face of Ottoman opposition. The Siege of Kut-Al-Amara began on 7th December with the besieging of an 8,000 strong British-Indian garrison in the town of Kut, 100 miles south of Baghdad, by the Ottoman Army. These campaigns produced few tactical benefits, indeed the catastrophic defeat at Kut in 1916 was a major setback. Badhdad was eventually taken in March 1917.
The conditions in Mesopotamia were dreadful. The climate, sickness and disease produced large losses in addition to battle casualties. About as many men died of disease as were killed in action. The Mesopotamia front was part of a strategy hoping for success at lower cost than the Western Front but no decisive victory was achieved.
Detail :
On the day on which MYER is recorded as dying 9 WORC R mounted a series of attacks against withdrawing Turks in the Husaini bend of the Tigris during the pursuit to Baghdad. Losses were 20 including 2 Offrs KIA. As MYER was not one of these he may have succumbed on that day to wounds suffered in a previous action.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Halcyon No. 3546 E.C. | London |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
15th January 1912 | 8th July 1912 | 23rd September 1912 |
Inner Guard
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley