Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

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

The Gallipoli Campaign was fought on the Gallipoli peninsula 25th April 1915 to 9th January 1916. in a failed attempt to defeat Turkey by seizing the Dardanelles and capturing Istanbul. Ill-conceived and planned, the initial effort by the Royal Navy failed to force passage through the Dardanelles by sea power alone. It was then realised that a land force was needed to support the project by suppressing the Turkish mobile artillery batteries. By the time all was ready the Turks were well aware and well prepared. Despite amazing heroics on the day of the landings only minor beachheads were achieved and over the succeeding 8 months little progress was made. Eventually the beachheads were evacuated in a series of successful ruses.

Despite Gallipoli rightly becoming a national source of pride to Australians and New Zealanders, far more British casualties were sustained, and these days the substantial French contribution is almost forgotten.

Detail :

De Ruvigny's TAYLOR, ARTHUR CUTHBERT BROOKE, A.M.I.C.E., Lieut., 6th Battn. Manchester Regt. (T.F.) 2nd S of Col. Herbert Brooke Taylor, of The Close, Bakewell, Derbyshire, Solicitor, and his wife, Mary Taitt, dau. of the Rev. William Mallalieu; b. West Bank, Bakewll afsd., 15 March, 1888; educ., Lady Manners' School, Bakewell; and Cheltenham College, and on leaving there took the Engineering Course at Manchester University, obtaining the Engineering Certificate. He afterwareds joined the firm of Saunders & Taylor, Ltd., and was elected an Associate Member of the Institute of Civil Engineers. He obtained a commission as 2nd Lieut. in the 2nd Vol. Battn. of the of the Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regt.), and while serving with this battn. passed the Hythe Course with distinction, and was appointed to command the machine gun section. His method of adapting machine guns to mountain warfare when manoeuvering in the North Derbyshire hills demonstrated the possibilities of machine gun warfare which, the present war has so immensely developed. He was promoted Lieut. in Sept, 1907. The 2nd Vol. Battn. Sherwood Foresters was a 13-company battn., and when the Territorial scheme came into operation was nearly 1,500 strong. The reduction of the infantry quota of Derbyshire necessitated the reduction of the battn. to eight companies. As a result Lieut. Brooke Taylor reverted to the rank of 2nd Lieut. rather than retain his rank and pass to the reserve. As his business necessitated his residence nearer Manchester than Bakewell, he applied to be attached for training to the 6th Manchesters, and declining a captaincy in his old battn. was transferred as a Lieut. to this reg., in the spring of 1914. He was shortly afterwards appointed instructor of musketry to the battn., and held that position at the time of his death. On the outbreak of hostilities he volunteered and went to Egypt with the East Lancashire Division, and eventually to Gallipoli, where he landed early in May, 1915. He was killed in action there 4 June; unm. A fortnight before, on the death of the senior Capt. of his company, he had been appointed second in command, and his Colonel wrote: "I do not think it would be possible to speak too highly of his character and qualities. During the time of training , from mobilisation up to the end of our time in Egypt, he was untiring in his special work of pushing on the musketry instruction of the men, and was always full of work, valuable ideas and suggestions. With his keenness and attractive character he could, of course, do anything with the men, and he had a large share in making the battn. the splendid fighting force it proved to be. No one was keener or more anxious to see service." And a brother officer: " Brooke Taylor did the work of four men. His energy and fearlessness was an example to everyone."


Probate BROOKE-TAYLOR, Arthur Cuthbert of Knutsford, Cheshire. Lieutenant, 6th Manchester Regiment, died 4th June 1915 at the Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey. Administration London 5th October to Herbert Brooke-Taylor, Solicitor. Effects £902 5s 8d.

See also: Find a Grave for further images.

Masonic :

Arthur was initiated into Dorothy Vernon Lodge in 1913. Three further family Brooke-Taylors join Dorothy Vernon Lodge No. in 1920. Geoffrey, William Drury and Edward Mallalieu.

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
• Website : De Ruvigny' s Roll of Honour