Family :

Education & Career :

Christ’s College Finchley

Service Life:

Campaigns:

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

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 :

ARTHUR GEORGE BURT LT COLONEL, 1/YORK AND LANCASTER REGIMENT On 22nd April 1915 the Germans released chlorine gas to the North of Ypres which created a large gap in the front line as French troops were caught unawares and fell back in some disorder. Initially the Canadian Division heroically plugged the gap and held the line against overwhelming odds but more support was needed to prevent a German breakthrough. By 23rd April an ad hoc group of battalions under the command of Colonel Geddes (known as 'Geddes Force') was moved into the front line and tried to counter attack. In general the daylight attack over open ground helped stabilize the situation but at great cost, until the Indian Corps was brought up a few days later to finally stem the German ambitions. The 1/Yorks and Lancashires were part of Geddes Force and Lt Colonel Arthur BURT was killed and a further 13 officers and 411 other ranks were casualties; given that about 600 men would have been committed to the attack, the casualty rate speaks for itself. Seven battalions recorded similar casualties that day, including the 1st and 4th Canadian Battalions which included several Canadian Freemasons (who are not included in this UGLE project as they were under the various Canadian Grand Lodges). Some English Freemasons who died as part of the Geddes Force attack were Lt Herbert STEWART (2/Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry), Major Carl THEILMANN and Lt Leonard L'ANSON (1/4 Yorkshire Regiment) and 2/Lt Charles LAING (2/The Buffs). If you go to Ypres and stand on the infamous A19 road where it abruptly ends in mid air, and look North across Pilkem Ridge you will see the area where the tragedy of 'Geddes Force' was played out. The Official History suggests that a night attack could have achieved the same result with minimal casualties.

Masonic :

Initiated into Lodge La Tolerance No. 538 aged 22.
Joining member of Natalia Lodge No. 1665 at Peitermaritzburg, Natal on 5th May 1893
Joining member of Star of Agra Lodge No. 1936 at Agra, Bengal on 2nd November 1897
Joining member of Quetta Lodge No. 2333 at Quetta on 17th January 1910
Joining member of Alexandra Lodge No. 1065 at Jubbulpore on 5th Jan 1914
Past Master

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