Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery | ||
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.118 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 19D GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Captain Francis Thomas Burrough, 9th (Service) Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry (1879 - 1916) Francis Thomas Burrough – Frank to his family and friends - was born on 26th October 1879 at Clun in Shropshire, the fifth son of the Reverend Charles Burrough (1846-1907), the Rector of Eaton Bishop, Hereford, and his wife Georgina (1849-1927) nee Long. Georgina originally came from Weston-super-Mare. Francis had one elder sister - Mary - and nine brothers Charles, John, William, Herbert, Edward, Hubert, Evan, Harold and Walter. Two achieved high office in later life – one in the Church of England and Harold rose to the rank of Admiral in the Royal Navy. His elder brother William was a partner at Burrough & Crowder Solicitors on the Cheddar Road in Wedmore.Education & Career :
Francis – later described as being 5 foot ten inches in height with a fair complexion and having brown hair and blue eyes - was educated at home at Eaton Bishop before beginning a career in the Merchant Navy at the age of 14. He spent two years between 1894-1896 aboard HMS Worcester – a vessel donated by the Royal Navy to the The Thames Nautical Training College – moored on the River Thames at Greenhithe. This educational establishment gave 185 Cadets, destined to become officers in the Merchant Service, a technical education that entitled them upon completion of the course to a one-year reduction in the normal four year qualifying period of sea service required before an apprentice could be examined for the Second Mate Certificate of Competency.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 6th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry |
| Action : The Battles of the Somme 1916 |
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.
On 22nd October 1900 he passed the examination on a second attempt and qualified for a Certificate of Competency as Second Mate aboard a square-rigged Foreign-Going Ship in the Merchant Service, having now had 3 years and 10 months practical seagoing experience. Francis Burrough was not destined to return to sea immediately and instead joined the large numbers of patriotic young men flocking to serve during the Second Boer War (1899-1902).
Towards the end of 1900 Burrough enlisted as a First Class Trooper in 'B' Division of the South African Constabulary (SAC), a paramilitary unit raised in October 1900 by Major-General Robert Baden-Powell under the orders of Lord Milner (the British High Commissioner in South Africa), to police the Transvaal and Orange Free Colony after the country was deemed pacified following the end of the first phase of the war. Instead of capitulating, however, the Boers resorted to guerrilla warfare requiring further long drawn out major military operations during this phase of the Second Boer War.
The SAC was largely employed in a conventional military role during the ensuing counterinsurgency campaign taking part in field operations to bring to battle elusive bands of Boer Commandos and manning the blockhouse lines that stretched steadily across the veldt. Francis served for eighteen months in the Cape Colony, Orange Free State and the Transvaal. Following the end of the Second Boer War, Corporal Burrough formed part of the South African Constabulary contingent during the Coronation of King Edward VII in London.
During the early 1900s Francis Burrough travelled widely, including visits to South Africa, Canada and Australia. On 18th June 1904 Burrough landed at Melbourne in Australia having travelled from Cape Town. On 28th July 1905 William married Naomi Rose Kaeppel (b. 1881), a scion of an extremely wealthy and politically well-connected Victorian family (her grandfather Sir James Patterson had been a Premier of Victoria) at St Columb's Church at Melbourne, Australia. The young couple left Sydney aboard the SS Karlsruhe and returned to the UK on 21st July 1905 landing at Southampton from where they travelled to Wedmore. They had one daughter Thelma Rose Burrough who was born in Wedmore on 25th May 1906. During the 1900s the Burrough family seems to have divided its time between Eaton Bishop in Shropshire and Wedmore.
On 1st October 1906 Francis, describing himself simply as 'a gentleman', was commissioned a Lieutenant in the 4th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) – a militia unit - where his brother Herbert Burrough already held the rank of Captain. It proved a short-lived appointment, however, and on 31st March 1908 Francis Burrough resigned his commission.
The family continued travelling before the outbreak of the First World War, using the home of his brother William or of friends as a base while in the United Kingdom.
The Burroughs were in Calgary in Canada at the outbreak of the First World War. On 14th November the 35 year-old Francis, Naomi and his daughter Rose landed at Liverpool after travelling from Canada aboard the SS Hespearian. Frank Burrough obtained a commission in the British Army very soon after his family were settled at Lerburne House on the Borough in Wedmore.
On 27th December 1914 Francis Burrough was appointed a Temporary Lieutenant in the King's Shropshire Light Infantry. Following training in England, on 30th July 1915 Lieutenant Burrough joined the 5th (Service) Battalion The King's Shropshire Light Infantry at Ypres in Belgium. This was the first war-raised unit of the KSLI - part of the initial wave of Kitchener's New Army – recruited from Shropshire, Herefordshire and neighbouring counties which had been in action in France since 19/20th May 1915.
That night the battalion relieved the 9th King's Royal Rifle Corps in the frontline giving Lieutenant Francis Burrough his first taste of life on the Western Front. Francis Burrough's initial tour of duty in the trenches proved shortlived. On 23rd August he and another officer were wounded while visiting a section of the frontline preparatory to his battalion taking over the sector held by the 5th (Service) Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. While recovering from his wounds he returned on leave to his at home in Wedmore and on 30th September 1915 Burrough was promoted a Temporary Captain. Following his recovery Captain Francis Burrough was posted to the 6th (Service) Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry (part of 60th Brigade in the 20th Division) that on 23rd December 1915 was occupying billets at Rue Quesney, near Sailly in the Laventie Sector of the Western Front. This was a war-raised unit of Kitchener's New Army had been serving in France since July 1915 and spent the Christmas of 1915/16 in reserve. As a Temporary Captain Burrough now commanded an infantry company.
The 20th Division moved northwards in late January 1916 to join the XIV Corps in the Ypres Salient, eventually occupying part of the poorly-constructed frontline along the canal lying to the east of the town overlooked by the German positions running along the Pilckem Ridge. A continuous fortified frontline was marked by its absense due to the appalling weather that had reduced the area to a quagmire.
Unfortunately its arrival coincided with a fierce German bombardment and attack on a nearby position that inflicted more casualties on the unit in its four days tour than it had experienced over the previous three months. The 6th (Service) Battalion KSLI spent the next three months alternating between tours of duty in the frontline, in support or in reserve and providing working parties each night. On 15th April it left the area for eight days in a rest camp at Calais. On 4th May it returned to the Ypres salient and later that month it moved into the frontline trenches in the Railway Wood sector. The Germans began fiercely bombarding the frontline trenches held by the 6th (Service) Battalion KSLI and the 3rd Canadian Division on its left flank on 2nd June – the Battle of Mont Sorrell - using a mixture of tear gas and high explosive shells which caused heavy damage to the defences and at 1pm German infantry advanced over the top towards the nearby Canadian positions.
Although a heavy British artillery bombardment held them up on the battalion's right flank, the Germans successfully captured the Canadian trenches from Mount Sorrel to Tor Top. No progress was made on the KSLI's front that or the following day despite heavy shelling and rifle fire and considerable support was given to the embattled Canadian 3rd Division's left flank. On 3/4th June the 6th (Service) Battalion KSLI went into reserve in billets in Ypres having suffered 33 men wounded. It was heavily employed, however, for most of the month providing working parties either carrying out repairs or digging new trenches as the Canadians gradually retook the ground lost on 2nd June.
On 23rd June the 6th (Service) Battalion KSLI relieved the 6th Ox and Bucks Light Infantry in the Y Wood - Railway Wood sector 20th Division began a series of fierce artillery bombardments and carefully reconnoitred, planned and rehearsed trench raids on 20th June 1916, intended to occupy German attention near Ypres, with two parties of volunteers from the 6th (Service) Battalion KSLI ordered to raid a salient opposite its position in Railway Wood. A period of training using models of the German trenches immediately began and a series of artillery barrages were carried out between 24-29th June to cut the German barbed wire protecting its frontline. Gas cylinders were also brought into the British frontline trenches for use during the raid.
Detail :
At 11.45am on the night of 29th/30th June 1916 the specially equipped raiders – laden with revolvers, knobkerries, hand grenades, explosives and rockets - concentrated in the frontline, but since the wind was not strong enough to blow it across the German trenches using gas was abandoned. The two parties took up position in No-Man's Land and at 12.03am moved forward, but were initially held up by the British bombardment. 'B' party achieved complete surprise when it finally entered the badly damaged German positions at 12.45am and four prisoners were immediately taken. Dugouts were bombed with hand grenades, enemy troops emerging from a shelter were bayoneted and prisoners and equipment were taken. The signal to withdraw was given when the Germans began organising a counterattack and by 12.27am B party had returned to safety. However, 'A' party encountered strong resistance when it entered the enemy trenches at 12.32am from the now alerted Germans, but its members also bombed several dugouts and took prisoners before eventually withdrawing. Overall the well-executed raid cost the battalion 3 killed and 12 wounded, with fourteen prisoners brought back to the British lines. At 2.45am on 1st July 1916 gas was released from the cylinders stockpiled in the battalion's lines hoping to inflict heavy casualties upon the German troops now occupying the enemy frontline positions in strength. Unfortunately the Germans immediately responded with a fierce artillery and trench mortar bombardment and Captain Francis Burrough was killed along with another company commander and 9 Other Ranks. The battalion was relieved at 9.30am by the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and proceeded to billets in Ypres and Vlamertinghe. Captain Francis Burrough was laid to rest in Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery (III.A.22), located 5km to the east of Ypres, alongside the body of his fellow officer Captain Myles Boddington. His estate, which was eventually valued at £105 12s 6d, was left to his wife and daughter at Wedmore. The family did not remain in the village post-war, however, and his named 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal, as well as a Memorial Plaque and Memorial Scroll were sent to his widow then living at Pretoria in South Africa. Francis Burrough is commemorated on the Memorial Tablet inside St Mary's and on the Wedmore War Memorial. He is also listed on a plaque inside Eaton Bishop Church in Shropshire and on the Memorial to Freemasons who gave their lives in the Great War in Wells Cathedral.
Middlesex Chronicle 22nd July 1916 - Captain Francis Thomas Burrough, of the Shropshire Light Infantry, was one of the killed in the battle on July 1st. He is the brother of the Rev. J. Burrough, Chaplain to the Troops at Hounslow, and his five other brothers have served in H.M. Forces. One, the Rev. E.G. Burrough (Vicar of Ripley), who was for twelve months Chaplain in the Nave, was formerly Curate at St. Mary's, Staines.
Central Somerset Gazette 14th July 1916 - "CAPT. F. BURROUGH KILLED, SIX BROTHERS SERVING - News has been received that Captain Frank T. Burrough, of Wedmore, Somerset, has been killed in action. Captain Burrough was as well known throughout the Wells Division as he was in Wedmore, where he resided for some years. Apparently he met his death in action in the great advance, for his death in action is announced as having taken place on July 1st. Captain Burrough was the fifth son of the late Rev. C. Burrough, of Eaton Bishop, Hereford, and of Mrs. Burrough, of Weston-super-Mare. He served for 18 months in the South African Constabularly in the South African War, and received the medal, and also the Coronation medal of King Edward VII. Later he held a commission in the Shropshire Militia. He was in Calgary, Canada, when the war broke out, and came home and obtained a commission in the Shropshire Light Infantry. Captain Burrough, who was wounded last year, had six brothers serving in the forces - Lieut. H.M. Burrough, 2nd South African Infantry; Lieut. H.M. Borough, R.N.; Captain W.R. Burrough, Liverpool Regiment; the Rev. J. Burrough, chaplain; the Rev. E.G. Burrough, who was for 12 months chaplain R.N.; and Captain H.S. Burrough, Shropshire Light Infantry."
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Saint Kew No. 1222 E.C. | Somerset |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
7th February 1911 | 7th March 1911 | 4th April 1911 |
On 7th February 1911 Frank was initiated into the St Kew Lodge No. 1222 of Freemasons in Weston. On Sunday 2nd April 1911 Frank – described as a man of 'private means' - was staying with his small family as visitors at the Poplars in West End with the Tatham family.
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