Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen | ||
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.127 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 12C GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of the Rev. C. E. Knight (Rector of Chawton, Alton, Hants and Emma G. Knight, of Summerlands, South Farnborough, Hants. Educated at Keble College, Oxford joining in its Lent term, 1900 and became a member of the 1st Hockey XI, 1900 - 1901.He was the great-great nephew of Jane Austen.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 4th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment |
4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion August 1914 : in Bedford. A training unit, it moved within a few days of declaration of war to Felixstowe, for duty with the Harwich Garrison. 25 July 1916 having been converted for war service it landed at Le Havre and was attached to 190th Brigade, 63rd (Royal Naval) Division. |
| Action : The Second Battles of Arras 1918 |
26 August - 3 September 1918. In a replica of the experience on the Somme which was happening concurrently a few miles further south, the old battlefields around Arras, so bitterly fought over in 1917 were taken and the Germans challenged on the Hindenburg Line. The Drocourt-Queant sector, which had proven such an obstacle in previous years was taken by the 3rd September and with the Hindenburg line broken in the sector the advance was again possible.
Detail :
He was Captain of the 3rd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment (Territorial Force) from 1907.
"Served in German S.W. Africa and afterwards on the Western Front."
4th Bedfordshires WAR DIARY FOR APRIL 1918:
"9 Apr 1918 Capt. R.B. Knight assumed command of Batt. 22 Apr 1918 - Talmas Batt marched to TALMAS. Lieut.Col. A.G. MACDONALD, D.S.O. (R.Berkshire.R.) assumed Command on joining. 3 May 1918 LT-Col A.G.Macdonald D.S.O struck off on Transfer to IV as G.S.O. 2/Lt C.M.Marshall struck of [sic] sick to E. Capt.R.B.Knight assumed command of Battn. 20 May 1918 - support line at Forceville 2/Lt K.J.Little and 2/Lt J.H.Lee 90 O.R's gassed. Battn releived [sic] 7th Royal Fusiliers in support line Lt-Col F.W.Smith D.S.O. D.C.M. joined and assumed command of Battn. 28 May 1918 Major A.G.Hayward M.C. joined and assumed 2nd in Command of Battn. 14 O R's joined Battn."
The war diary does not mention Knight being wounded or killed. The Reading Mercury records, "KNIGHT- Died of wounds on September 5th, Captain Knight, Bedfordshire Regiment, aged 36, son of the late Rev. C.E. Knight, late Rector of Chewton, Alton, Hants, and Mrs. Knight, of Summerlands Farnborough."
He is recorded on the Dorset Freemasons War Memorial at Sherborne, the Keble College War Memorial and the Farnborough War Memorial.
See also: IWM Collection.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Lodge of St Cuthberga No. 622 E.C. | Dorset |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
6th May 1907 | 29th July 1907 | 2nd September 1907 |
Initiated at Wimborne into St. Cuthberga Lodge No. 622. Annotated in the Contribution Record as "Killed in Action Sept 1918."
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