Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Wevelgem Communal Cemetery | ||
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.135 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 3C GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | Military Cross | ||
Family :
Son of William and Jessie Solly, of Westgate-on-Sea; husband of Katie Maud Solly, of Handsworth, Birmingham.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 3rd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers ATT 101 TMB |
| Action : The Final Advance in Flanders |
28 September - 11 November 1918. As the pressure mounted in other sectors the opportunity was seized to escape the confines of the Ypres Salient. Within five days the British Second Army had pushed the Germans back over the 1917 battlefield and were advancing on Courtrai. After action at Courtrai the advance continued into Belgium until the Armistice on 11th November.
Detail :
Lieutenant William Buckle SOLLY, M.C., 3rd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, attached 101st Trench Mortar Battery. Died of wounds on 19th October 1918, aged 30.
On the outbreak of war, he returned home from Russia where he had been working as an assistant manager of an oil company having previously served as a policeman in Shanghai for 2½ years. He immediately enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers and was commissioned in 1915. He was severely wounded in France in 1917 and was awarded the Military Cross in August 1917. The citation to his MC reads:
"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He, with three men, got a Stokes mortar into action against a strong-point that was temporarily holding up the attack of an infantry battalion, with the result that the whole garrison were killed or taken prisoner. His initiative in handling his gun very largely contributed to the success of the attack, during which six enemy guns were taken. This officer was severely wounded later."
His death was reported in the Thanet Advertiser 28th December, 1918:
"Captain William Buckle SOLLY, M.C., Lancashire Fusiliers, attached Trench Mortar Battery, who died on October 19th of wounds received the same day, was the only son of Mr. and Mrs. W.T. Solly, of Myrtle House, Westgate."
Probate SOLLY William Buckle of 61 Westminster-road Handsworth Birmingham M.C. a lieutenant in the 3rd battalion Lancashire Fusiliers attached trench mortar battery died 19 October 1918 in France Administration (with Will) Birmingham 8 February to Katie Maud Solly widow. Effects £534 16s 11d.
He is further commemorated on the Margate War Memorial and by a tablet plaque to his memory in St James's Church, Canterbury Road, Westgate-on-Sea, Isle of Thanet, Kent,
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Union No. 127 E.C. | East Kent |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
16th November 1910 | 14th December 1910 | 26th October 1911 |
A memorial plaque exists at Margate Masonic Hall which reads:
"FRATERNAL REMEMBRANCE/ SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF/ BRO. CAPT. WILLIAM BUCKLEY SOLLY/ M.C. LANCS FUS./ ENLISTED IN SPORTSMANS BATTALION, 1914/ RECEIVED COMMISSION, 1915/ SEVERELY WOUNDED FRANCE, 1917/ AWARDED MILITARY CROSS, AUG 1917/ RETURNED TO FRANCE, APRIL 1918/ KILLED IN ACTION, OCTR 19TH 1918/ A GALLANT GENTLEMAN AND LOYAL BROTHER/ INITIATED IN THE UNION LODGE No. 127/ NOVR 1910/ They never fail who die in a great cause R.I.P."
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