Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Thiepval Memorial, Picardie | Pier&Face 9D & 16 B. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.123 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 45B GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of H. Clifford Gosnell, and the late Alice Augusta Gosnell.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 2nd Battalion London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) |
1/2nd (City of London) Battalion (Royal Fusiliers) August 1914 : at Tufton Street in Westminster. Part of 1st London Brigade, 1st London Division. Moved on mobilisation to guarding the Amesbury-Southampton docks railway. 4 September 1914 : sailed with Brigade from Southampton to Malta, arriving Valetta 14 September. 2 January 1915 : left Malta, arrived at Marseilles on 6 January. 21 February 1915 : joined the 17th Brigade in 6th Division. 14 October 1915 : transferred with the Brigade to 24th Division. 9 February 1916 : transferred to 169th Brigade in 56th (London) Division. |
| Action : The Battles of the Somme 1916 |
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.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | William Rogers No. 2823 E.C. | London |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
20th November 1913 | 19th February 1914 | 19th March 1914 |
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