Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.

Detail :

STOCK EXCHANGE MEMORIAL. "Second Lieutenant, Machine Gun Corps. Killed in action 7th July 1916. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Latton Friend; husband of Gertrude A. Francis (formerly Friend), of The White Cottage, Loughton, Essex. Buried in GORDON DUMP CEMETERY, OVILLERS-LA BOISSELLE, Somme, France. Special memorial B. 17. Member of the Exchange. Also listed on the Loughton War memorial, Essex. Note: There are now 1,676 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 1,053 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 34 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Extract from the Stock Exchange Memorial Book: SECOND LIEUTENANT PHILIP EMLYN FRIEND, East Lancashire Regiment, was the only surviving son of the late W. Latton Friend, of Beckenham, and Mrs. Friend, of 6, Lexham Gardens. Before the war he was with his uncle, Dale Womersley, on the Stock Exchange, having become a member in 1904. He had always been a keen rider and on the outbreak of war enlisted in the 11th Hussars. Shortly after he was transferred to the Royal Scots Greys, with whom he trained at Dunbar. In April 1915 he was gazetted to the 3rd East Lancashire Regiment. He went out in August to the 2nd Battalion, and served with them till January 1916, when he was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps. He was killed on 7 July 1916. His Colonel wrote to his widow: "I put special value on his courage and constancy. During the heavy fighting last September, after a great part of the defensive works had been demolished by shell fire, he retained such power of command that his platoon manned what remained of the parapet with great gallantry and opened an effective flank fire which drove back every attempt to counter-attack from that quarter. He was always cheerful, and a great favourite". A brother officer wrote: "I wish you to know that both the officers and men of this Machine Gun Company feel his loss beyond words. I always thought him a soldier and a gentleman. I never wish to have a finer man under me".

Essex Newsman 22 July 1916 "FRIEND.-Sec.Lieut. P.E. Friend, killed in France, 7th July inst., by the bursting of a shell, deeply mourned by his mother and widow, who have lost in him a noble and brave British officer, who fell fighting for his country.- Mrs. Latton-Friend, Imperial Club, 6 Lexham Gardens, Kensington."

Masonic :

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