Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Albert Communal Cemetery Extension | I. M. 8. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.117 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 48D GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of Rev. George William Botham, Rector of Anderby who was also a member of Hamilton Lodge (I.1893).Education & Career :
Tea Planter, Alford (1900) - Baraghdi (1902).
Merchant, (1909).
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 10/Northumberland Fusiliers |
10th (Service) Battalion Formed at Newcastle in September 1914 as part of K3 and attached to 68th Brigade, 23rd Division. Landed in France August 1915. Movedto Italy with the Division in November 1917. |
| 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 : | Hamilton No. 1600 E.C. | Lincolnshire |
| Joined : | Lyric No. 3016 E.C. | London |
| Joined : | Mount Everest No. 2439 E.C. | Bengal |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
28th May 1900 | 9th July 1900 | 13th August 1900 |
He was initiated into Hamilton Lodge No. 1600 but resigned October 1904. He joined Mount Everest Lodge No. 2439 on 31st May 1902, resigning 31.1.1906. He further joined Lyric Lodge No. 3016 on 27th February 1909 and was a member until his death. Register shows: "Killed in Action 3rd Aug 1916".
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