Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.139 | |
| 2. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 24C GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Early Life :
John Morth Woollcombe was born at The Close, Exeter. His name is mispelled on occasion, but this legend uses that name in his own hand and of official record. Originally recorded as John Merthi WOOLCOMBE in some records.Family :
Son of the late Reverend Henry Woolcombe Archdeacon of Barnstaple and his wife Annie Mary Josephine (née Jorden).Education & Career :
He attended Cheltenham College.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: Not Yet Known |
- |
| Action : Mesopotamia |
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.
He served in the Boer War and received the Queen’s Medal and clasp and the King’s Medal and clasp. At the end of hostilities he was at Morth Grange on leave before returning to India to re-join his Battalion.
In 1910/11 he was in northern Nigeria and later in Jersey before returning to the Regimental Depot at Exeter in 1912 following a serious accident on the Channel Island.
At the outbreak of war in 1914 he was with the 1/4th, a Territorial Battalion, on annual camp at Woodbury Common. After being rushed to Plymouth to defend the port against possible invasion they were soon transferred to Salisbury Plain for further training.
On 9th October they were part of a flotilla of troopships which left Southampton for Karachi. After a month at sea a two day train journey took them to Lahore, the area of India which they were to police while the regular army battalions returned to Europe to fight in France and Flanders.
In 1921 a bronze memorial tablet was placed in St. Mary the Virgin Church, Ashbury by all ranks of the 1/4th Battalion. The following year his family and friends erected a single panel stained glass window representing the Incarnation in the Sanctuary of St. Mary’s in his memory.
Detail :
The 1/4th was at Ferozepore until the worsening situation in Mesopotamia meant the 1/4th were ordered there in March 1916 to join other Devonshire Battalions already fighting in that theatre of war.
On 3rd February 1917 1/4 Devons and 1/9 Gurkhas led an attack against the Turks on the Hai Salient. They received heavy casualties, Woollcombe among them.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Northern Star No. 1463 E.C. | Punjab |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
6th January 1915 | 3rd February 1915 | 3rd March 1915 |
Discrepancies (Require checks, clarity or further research) :
-
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