Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

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

Festubert (15-25 May 1915) was really a continuation of the Battle of Aubers Ridge that had been called off on 10th May, and in places fought over the same ground with the same depressing outcome. Some minor tactical success was achieved but it did not justify the 16,000 casualties. It did however reinforce the lessons of Neuve Chapelle and Aubers Ridge and conditioned planning and thinking that evolved into the tactical planning of the Somme in 1916.

Detail :

GAMBLE, Richard Sumner, 2nd Lieutenant, 7th (Service) Battn. East Lancashire Regt Eldest son of Sidney Gonpertz Gamble who was since February 1892 second in command of the London Fire Brigade. Born at Grantham on the 8th October 1881 and educated at Coleshill School and Luneberg Germany. On returning to England in 1899 he was apprenticed as mechanical engineer at Hunslet Engine Works, Leeds. Afterwards he continued his engineering studies at the Battersea Polytechnic. On 7 January 1905, he left England to take up an appointment as Assistant Manager of the Kallina Tea Estate, India, afterwards holding similar positions at KiiiKipara ami Jellalpore. Owing to ill-health he returned to England in October 1910. He however recovered and left in December 1911, to take up an appointment as Assistant Manager of the Sungei Ublier Estate, Perak, F.M.States. He was an enthusiastic volunteer and attained the rank of Sergeant in the Leeds Rifles and the Surma Valley Light Horse. Being a good horse and swordsman he carried off many of the best prizes at their competitions. The outbreak of war coincided with the end of the 1st period of his engagement in the Malay States. He therefore returned to England and at once placed his services at the disposal of the India Office, hoping that with his intimate knowledge of German. French, Hindustani,etc., he might be of considerable use to the Indian troops on their way from India. On 16 Jan 1915 he was gazetted 2nd Lieut., and was attached to the 7th Btn East Lancashire Regiment until 21 March 1915 when he received orders to report himself at Southampton and Le Havre where he was attached to the 6th Jat Light Infantry, Dehra Dun Division. On 16th May he was transferred to the to the 1st Gurkha Rifles who were in the trenches near Festubert. The last letter received from him dated 20th May 1915 concludes with I have just received orders to go and bomb some Germans out of a trench, so must say good-bye. From subsequent information it appears that the actual attack took place on the night of 21-22 May in the Trenches running through Ferme de Bois, 3000 metres north-east of Festubert and 2,500 metres south-west of Neuve Chapelle; 1000 metres west of the main road from La Bassee to Estaires. The attack was a comparatively small local affair. He was leading and was described by the observation officer as being well in front of his men and deliberately cut a large gap through the wire and then, thinking his men were just behind him, jumped over into the German trench. The German fire was so intensely hot that the men had to lie down, and never reached the trench: the casualties were all the European officers and 45 per cent of the men killed and wounded. The India Office records 2nd Lieut. R. S. Gamble. 7th East Lancashire Regt.. attached 1st Gurkha RiHes, officially reported missing, believed killed 22 May. Richard GAMBLE was also a member of Kinta Lodge No 3212.

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