Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

31 July - 10 November 1917. By the summer of 1917 the British Army was able for the first time to fight on its chosen ground on its terms. Having secured the southern ridges of Ypres at Messines in June, the main attack started on 31st July 1917 accompanied by what seemed like incessant heavy rain, which coupled with the artillery barrages conspired to turn much of the battlefield into a bog. Initial failure prompted changes in the high command and a strategy evolved to take the ring of ridges running across the Ypres salient in a series of 'bite and hold' operations, finally culminating in the capture of the most easterly ridge on which sat the infamous village of Passchendaele. The Official History carries the footnote ?The clerk power to investigate the exact losses was not available? but estimates of British casualties range from the official figure of 244,000 to almost 400,000. Within five months the Germans pushed the British back to the starting line, which was where they had been since May 1915.

Detail :

664, NICHOLLE, Edward, Company Quartermaster Sergeant, 1/Newfoundland Regiment Ypres, Passchendaele.

On 9th October 1917 the Newfoundland Regiment was involved as part of 29th Division in actions east of the Poelcappelle-Houthulst Road astride the Staden Railway. In desperate conditions of mud cold and rain it held the Brigade front north of the railway. It seems that during these actions Company Quartermaster Sergeant NICHOLLE was wounded and died of wounds on 10th October. This is subject to confirmation. Edward NICHOLLE was initiated into FIDELITY Lodge No 1659 on 1st May 1914, Passed on 22nd January 1915 and Raised on 29th January 1915. His occupation was a Salesman. Edward NICHOLLE was one of the brethren who were omitted from the 1921 Roll of Honour published by the United Grand Lodge of England. This was probably due to his Lodge Secretary either not being aware of his death, or omitting to send the return to London in due time.

Masonic :

His war service covers 4 years in the contribution record in the register of the Lodge. It is closed out by the annotation "Died of wounds in France 10.10.17."

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