Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Merville Communal Cemetery | ||
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.134 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 8A GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son (only child) of Joel Herbert and Helen Gertrude Seaverns, of 25, Grosvenor Rd., London, S.W.I.Education & Career :
Harrow 1907-11, Christ Church, Oxford, 1911-14
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 1st Battalion London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) |
1/1st (City of London) Battalion (Royal Fusiliers) August 1914 : at Handel Street in Bloomsbury. Part of 1st London Brigade, 1st London Division. Moved on mobilisation to guarding the London-Newhaven railway. 4 September 1914 : sailed with Brigade from Southampton to Malta, arriving Valetta 14 September. 11 February 1915 : left Malta, arrived at Avonmouth on 21 February. 11 March 1915 : landed at Le Havre and joined the 25th Brigade in 8th Division. 8 February 1916 : transferred to 167th Brigade in 56th (London) Division. 6 February 1918 : absorbed the disbanded 2/1st Bn and renamed 1st Bn. |
| Action : The Battle of Aubers |
Fought on 9th and 10th May 1915 and intended to support the French attacks near Arras, this battle was notable for the remarkable bravery of infantry having to cope with inadequate planning, poor artillery support and not least a very competent enemy that had learnt the lessons of Neuve Chapelle just two months before. It also highlighted the problems of quantity and quality in artillery shell supply - a symptom of the general unpreparedness of Britain to fight a major European war, and not really rectified until well into 1917. Possibly one of the least known but most heartbreaking battles of the war, fought in an attempted pincer attack around the village of Neuve Chapelle with the intention of securing the 'high' ground that dominated the approaches to Lille.
Detail :
In the action of May 9th, 1915, opposite Aubers Ridge, he commanded the forward Platoon of the right wing of his Battalion, and fell mortally wounded, dying on the next day.
Lieutenant R. G. B. Bowen, his old friend at Harrow and Oxford, and an Officer in his Battalion, was killed in the same engagement.
Lieut.-Colonel E. G. Mercer, C.M.G., ist City of London (Royal Fusiliers), wrote : He was a keen Officer and loved by the men of his Platoon, and their advance into a storm of shot and shell, after he had fallen at their head, was the finest testimony that could be paid him.
An Officer who formerly served under him in the ranks wrote : I shall always remember him as a gentleman and a thorough soldier and Officer. On many occasions he went entirely out of his way to see to the comfort of his men?always so full of spirit, and so keen for the welfare of those under him : he was justly admired by all ranks, and the men would go anywhere for him.
Captain Glover, his Company Commander, afterwards killed in action in France, wrote : ? Joel Seaverns was magnificent that day.
12 Freemasons fell in this battle, mostly men of battalions of the London Regiment. His brother officer and Brother Mason, Captain G M Dundas MOUAT of the 1/1 Battalion fell with him in this battle.
Source: HARROW MEMORIALS OF THE GREAT WAR Vol II
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Apollo University No. 357 E.C. | Oxfordshire |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
28th October 1913 | 2nd December 1913 | 27th January 1913 |
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