Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

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

At the outbreak of war the British, together with Indian troops, resolved to protect oil supply in the region by occupying the area around Basra at Abadan. This evolved into a series of campaigns towards Baghdad against the Turkish forces as Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) was part of the Ottoman Empire. Meetings in late 1914 and into 1915 led the Viceroy and Indian government at Simla to reconsider the limited involvement of troops and they decided to order further advances with a view to securing the Shatt-al-Hai, a canal connecting the Tigris and Euphrates river and potentially capturing Baghdad. The British government disagreed and wished to conserve forces for the Western front. The Viceroy was given permission to act as it wished, but told in no uncertain terms that no reinforcements should be expected.

The initial success experienced by the British and Indian forces quickly disintegrated in the face of Ottoman opposition. The Siege of Kut-Al-Amara began on 7th December with the besieging of an 8,000 strong British-Indian garrison in the town of Kut, 100 miles south of Baghdad, by the Ottoman Army. These campaigns produced few tactical benefits, indeed the catastrophic defeat at Kut in 1916 was a major setback. Badhdad was eventually taken in March 1917.

The conditions in Mesopotamia were dreadful. The climate, sickness and disease produced large losses in addition to battle casualties. About as many men died of disease as were killed in action. The Mesopotamia front was part of a strategy hoping for success at lower cost than the Western Front but no decisive victory was achieved.

Detail :

Gloucestershire Echo 05 March 1915 " CPAT J.G. WILLOUGHBY (O.C.). Capt. James Gerald Willoughby, of the 33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry (Indian Army), who has been killed in action against the Turks in the Persian Gulf operations, was the son of Major-General J.F. Willoughby, J.P., Colonel of the same regiment, and of Mrs. Willoughby, of Gabari, Parabola-road, Cheltenham. Capt. Willoughby was in his 32nd year, having been born on Dec. 13, 1883. He was educated at Cheltenham College, from 1897 to 1902, and one year represented his College at the Bisley Rifle Meeting. On leaving Cheltenham he went to New College, Oxford for a time, but then received a direct commission from the University into the Army, and was made a subaltern of the Essex Regiment. He went to India in June, 1904, to join the 2nd Battalion of his regiment, and the following year exchanged into the Indian Army, in which he became a lieutenant of the 33rd Q.O. Light Cavalry in 1906 and captain in January, 1913. Among other military qualifications he was an interpreter in French."

Gloucestershire Chronicle 26 June 1915 "Capt. James Gerald Willoughby, of the 33rd Battalion Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry (Indian Army), only son of Major-General James Fortnom Willoughby, of Gabari, Cheltenham, who was killed in action in the Persian Gulf on March 3rd last, left estate of the gross value of £6,423, including £5,825 net personalty. Probate has been granted to his father, the sole executor. By his will, dated March 22nd, 1914, testator left to the India section of the South Kensington Museum an eight century Indian bust, in stone, to be shipped to this country from Bombay at the expense of his estate. Subject to some specific bequests, testator left the residue of his property to his father to dispose of as he may think fit."

Masonic :

Was initiated into Lodge Orion in the West No. 415, Poona, Bombay but resigned 31st March 1908. Joined Golconda Lodge No. 3249 at Secunderabad 11th December 1908

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