Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Seaforth Cemetery, Cheddar Villa | A.3 | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.118 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 41C GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of Isabella J. Farquharson (formerly Burness), of Northlands Haywards Heath, Sussex, and the late Mr. A. J. Burness.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 2nd Battalion Seaforth Highlanders |
2nd Battalion August 1914 : at Shorncliffe. Part of 10th Brigade in 4th Division. Moved on mobilisation to York area (including Darlington and Strensall) before moving to Harrow. 23 August 1914 : landed at Boulogne. |
| Action : The Battles of Ypres 1915 (Second Ypres) |
22 April - 25 May 1915. On the 22nd April 1915 the Germans used poison gas at Ypres. This was the first 'official' use of gas and took the Allies by surprise. After initial success capitalising on the confusion and horror of this weapon, a heroic stand, initially by the Canadians and then supported by British and Indian Battalions, held the German advance. However it became clear that the Germans had achieved a tactical advantage and eventually the British were forced to retire to more a more defendable perimeter closer to Ypres. These positions were on the last ridges before Ypres and their loss would have resulted in the loss of the town and possibly open the Channel coast to German occupation with disastrous consequences for the re-supply of the BEF.
Detail :
ALFRED RICHARD BURNESS LIEUTENANT, 2ND SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS Alfred BURNESS was a National Skating Association of Great Britain, gold medal winner in 1913. His medal, hallmarked 12 carat, the obverse showing a gentleman skater in a frozen landscape, the reverse engraved 1913 Figure Championship English Style, First, A.R.Burness, 39mm diameter, mounted in a decorative gold ring with suspension loop, came up for auction in 2005. Its estimated value was about £200. It came up for auction again in 2009 with an estimated value of £350. He also won the Holland and Davos Bowls in 1913. Alfred Richard Burness tragically died of wounds on 25th April 1915 while serving with the Seaforth Highlanders in Belgium, during the battle of 2nd Ypres. He is commemorated on the Cuckfield Memorial in Sussex.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Radnor No. 2587 E.C. | East Kent |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
5th April 1914 | 20th May 1914 | - |
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