Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Mill Road Cemetery, Thiepval | I.A.22 | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.128 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 27A GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of Mr J W and Mrs A E Lee of 1 Station Road Saltburn by the Sea, YorkshireService Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 1/5 West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) |
1/5th Battalion August 1914 : in York. Part of West Riding Brigade, West Riding Division. Moved on 10 August to Selby, end of the month to Strenshall and late October to York. In March 1915 moved to Gainsborough. 15 April 1915 : landed at Boulogne. 15 May1915 : formation became 146th Brigade, 49th (West Riding) 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.
Detail :
Here's his commission as Second Lieutenant, London Gazette #29425, 1st January 1916 The Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment). Staff Serjeant Ernest William Lee, from the Yorkshire Mounted Brigade Army Service Corps, to be Second Lieutenant. Dated 21st December, 1915.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Handyside No. 1618 E.C. | Yorkshire (North & East Ridings) |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
14th November 1911 | 12th December 1911 | 9th January 1912 |
Asst Steward
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