Service Life:

Campaigns:

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

France & Flanders covers all the dates and corresponding locations which are outside the official battle nomenclature dates on the Western Front. Therefore the actions in which these men died could be considered 'normal' trench duty - the daily attrition losses which were an everyday fact of duty on the Western Front.

Detail :

De Ruvigny's provides us with a biography and a portrait image: "RIGBY, ERNEST, Corpl., No.28519, R.E.Motor Cyclists, 3rd Signal Coy., attd. 15th Hussars, yr. s of John Rigby, of Greenhays, Aigburth, Liverpool, Cotton Broker, by his late wife, Janie, dau. of the late I.Powell, of Liverpool; b. 17 Nov. 1888; educ. Liverpool College High School; was established in business in London as a Merchant; but volunteered his services as a motor scout and express rider, 5 Aug., the day following the declaration of war; went to France early in Sept.; proceeded tot he firing line, 15 Oct., attd. to the A Squadron, 15th Hussars, and was killed in action at Veldoek, near Ypres, 12 Nov. following, being shot through the heart; unm. Buried there in a the garden of a ruined chateau. He wrote only three days before that his commanding officer had offered him a commission. The Sergt.-Major of A Squadron, 15th Hussars, who first announced his death wrote offering the sympathy of the officers, non-commissioned officers, and men, and added: "He had won the esteem of us all by his pluck, unassuming manner, and the happy knack he had of overcoming every hardship with a smile, and he died as he had lived through the campaign, bravely, for whenever or whatever danger threatened he was always a volunteer, and had done splendid work as a cyclist on many an occasion."

Masonic :

Listed as a 26 year old Director of a Company at the time of initiation in 1913. The contribution register shows "Died in Action Novr 1914." In his short masonic career, he advanced no further than that of Entered Apprentice.

Gihon Lodge "Brethren who served King and Country were Bro. George Vizard who was killed in Natal in 1899, on 12th November 1914, Bro. Ernest Rigby, 15th Hussars was killed in action. The minutes record Bro. Rigby was “faithful” to our God, our country and our laws. In February 1944 Squadron Leader Bereford Marshall was killed."

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