Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Grave: | Corbie Communal Cemetery Extension | II.D.55. | |
| 2. Website: | Household Brigade Lodge No. 2614. | ||
| 3. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.129 | |
| 4. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 42A GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of Lady and the late Sir Allan Mackenzie, Bart., of Glen Muick, Aberdeenshire.Education & Career :
Eton
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards |
3rd Battalion August 1914 : in Wellington Barracks, London District. Moved overseas 27 July 1915, landing at Le Havre. 19 August 1915 : attached to 2nd Guards Brigade, Guards 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 :
The Grenadier Guards in the Great War 1914-1918 Vol 2. Sir Frederick Ponsonby whoy writes of the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards “Almost at the outset Captain A. K. Mackenzie was hit and fell, as he led his company to the attack. Though mortally wounded, he got up again and struggled on, still waving his men forward. Once more he fell, and this time was unable to rise, but even then he managed to raise himself on one knee and cheer the company on. Afterwards he was carried down on a stretcher, but never recovered and died in the ambulance on the way.”
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Household Brigade No. 2614 E.C. | London |
| Joined : | Athlumney No. 3245 E.C. | London |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
29th November 1913 | 26th January 1914 | 23rd February 1914 |
Discrepancies (Require checks, clarity or further research) :
Some references use incorrect spelling of given name - Alan. He was Allan, after his father.
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