Early Life :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

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

The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.

Detail :

Yorkshire Hussars Yeomanry, Lt Col 21st KRRC, 15/9/1916; MiD; AIF Burial Ground Flers

There is a Memorial Cross to him outside the Church of St. Mary’s, Rievaulx: "Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Feversham (Charles William Reginald Duncombe), who died on the 15th of September 1916, commanding the 21st Kings Royal Rifle Corps (also known as the Yeomans Rifles) is buried here. His body was only located several weeks later when his battalion (with the future Prime Minister Antony Eden then acting adjutant) was based at Factory Corner and located it on the 10th of October 1916. Feversham's body was buried in a field to the south of the cemetery. The grave was made more permanent by his family after the end of the First World War. After the end of the Second World War, his body was moved the short distance to here. The grave beside his contains the remains of an unknown Royal Fusilier, found over 50 years later near Guedecourt and reburied here in April 2003."

Masonic :

At 20 years old, Charles William Reginald Duncombe, Viscount Helmsley was initiated into Apollo Lodge No. 357. He was an undergraduate of Christ Church College, Oxford University at the time. He resigned from the Lodge 24th February, 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
• Researcher : Barrie Friend