Commemorated: | |||
Awards & Titles: | Distinguished Service Order | ||
Early Life :
Born in Fyzabad, West Bengal in India in 1878, the son of Lt. General Thomas Norris and Annie Baker.Family :
Probate record shows: BAKER, Robert Geoffrey - Major 82nd Punjabis, Indian Army. D.S.O. Died 23-24th February 1917 near Kut el Amara, Mesopotamia on active service. Probate at London 25th April to George Reginald Ward - Banker's Clerk. Effects £682 7s.Education & Career :
Career Soldier & Officer of HM Army
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 82nd Punjabis |
On the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the 82nd Punjabis were serving on the North West Frontier of India. In January 1916, they were dispatched to Mesopotamia, where they were engaged in the desperate British efforts to relieve the besieged garrison at Kut al Amara. The regiment suffered 223 casualties in the Battle of Dujaila Redoubt in March 1916. In January 1917, it fought in the Battle of the Hai Salient and then took part in the British advance towards Baghdad. In the fierce fighting at Shumran, while crossing the River Tigris, the regiment again suffered heavy casualties. After capture of Baghdad on 15 March, the 82nd Punjabis remained employed on guard duties, first at Baghdad, and then on the Persian frontier. They returned home in February 1919, and later that year, participated in the Third Afghan War. |
| 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 :
Basra, Iraq
Citations & Commemorations :
Appears in "The VC and DSO Volume III" as having been awarded the Distinguished Service Order - DSO. Gazetted 26th April 1917Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Cabul River No. 3225 E.C. | Pakistan |
| Joined : | Hardinge No. 3754 E.C. | Pakistan |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
17th December 1910 | 21st January 1911 | 28th January 1911 |
Robert was a Petitioner and Founder member of Hardinge Lodge No. 3754 when it was consecrated 17th November 1915 at Risalpur. The records for Cabul Lodge at United Grand Lodge show that he "Died July 1917". For Hardinge Lodge it shows "Died 14.3.17"
Discrepancies (Require checks, clarity or further research) :
The original entry for this under Cabul River Lodge was for a Major John Elliot Moir Baker. No reference can be found to this name in the records at United Grand Lodge. However, there is a Major Robert Geoffrey Baker who is recorded as having died in Active Service. This record therefore has been changed to Major R.G. Baker DSO for Cabul River Lodge and another entry added for J.E.M Baker.
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