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 :

Clayton Branfoot 10/Lincolnshires "The Grimsby Chums."

Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette 14th September 1917. " LOCAL CASUALTIES - DEATH OF LIEUTENANT CLAYTON BRANFOOT. Lieut. Clayton Branfoot, son of the late Mr. John French Branfoot, of Grimsby, is reported killed in action. He was born at Boldon, where his father, who belongs to Sunderland, was then living, but he has for many years been identified with Grimsby, where his late father held an important appointment. He had spent a year at Kiel and a year in Berlin studying German and teaching English, and two years in Paris, where he studied French and taught English, but returning to England was appointed teacher of languages at the Municipal College, Grimsby. On the outbreak of war he volunteered for active service and was drafted into a battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment, being given a commission later. He was a nephew of Mr A. E. Branfoot, Assistant Borough Accountant of Sunderland, and has other relatives in this district."

Grimsby Local History Library 2018: "John Branfoot’s son, Clayton, was a teacher of languages at Grimsby Municipal College. In 1909 he joined the Smyth Lodge of Freemasons in Grimsby. Shortly after the outbreak of war Clayton enlisted in the 10th Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment and rose to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.

Before the war he had spent several months in Kiel and Berlin improving his German and his knowledge of the language was invaluable for communicating with captured soldiers. His excellent command of French was also a great asset to the battalion when liaising with both the French military and the local civilian population.

Sadly, Clayton Branfoot was killed in action near Hargicourt, France, on 25th August 1917, aged 39. His commanding officer, Colonel Clark, reported to his parents that “…he was killed while out in front of our trenches making preparations for the attack the next morning.” He died unmarried and in his will his address is still given as Sackville House."

Clayton BRANFOOT is remembered in the St James Parish Church Grimsby which has a memorial tablet to the 10/Lincolns including Branfoot.

Masonic :

Junior Deacon

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