Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

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

23 - 24 August 1914. The BEF had its first encounter with the German Army at Mons. Using the defensive barrier of the Mons Conde Canal the BEF was able to delay the German advance partly through the accuracy and speed of its rifle fire, and partly through the heroism of individuals. The first VC's of the war were awarded at Mons (M.Dease & S. Godley). The Belgians pulled the line left and the French to the right and, eventually, the position at Mons became untenable and the BEF slipped away to start its long retreat to the River Marne, to the East of Paris.

Detail :

LIEUTENANT CYRIL HERBERT SPENCE WHITTLE, 15th (THE KING'S) HUSSARS, son of Herbert John Whittle, was born at Tilworth, Sutton, Yorkshire, on the 17th August, 1883. He was educated at Hurst Court, Hastings, at Charterhouse, where he was in the XI in 1900, and at the R.M.C., Sandhurst. He received a commission in the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in October 1902 and served with his battalion in Aldershot, Gibraltar, and South Africa, where he was attached to the Mounted Infantry. He exchanged into the 15th Hussars and later accompanied the regiment to Potchestroom. He formed one of the escort to H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught on his visit to South Africa to open the first Parliament of the Union, in 1911 he was seconded and attached to the Egyptian Cavalry, with which he served in the expedition to the Bahr-el-Jazel in 1913, receiving the fourth class of the Order of the Medjidich. He was killed on the 24th August, 1914, and the following account of the circumstances has been given by a non-commissioned officer of his regiment, who was wounded, taken prisoner, and later exchanged: On Monday, August 24th, the senior officers being either killed or missing, the squadron, under Lieutenants Whittle and Hoare, were ordered to reconnoitre as far as Blaugies, near Mons, until 5.30 p.m., and then retire south to Bavai, the last of the whole line. Just before retiring they came to a village, which they galloped through with drawn swords. They came to a lane with high banks each side, when a terrible rifle fire was opened upon them and Lieutenants Whittle and Mr. Hoare were both killed leading their men. Lieutenant Whittle was a member of the Cavalry and Army and Navy Clubs. He was well known as the rider of many winners in Gibraltar Races, and he was one of the winning team of the 15th Hussars polo team in the regimental championship competition in 1911 at Potchefstroom.

Masonic :

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