Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Dantzig Alley British Cemetery | I. E. 13. Mametz | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.115 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 57D GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | Military Cross British War Medal Victory Medal | ||
Family :
Son of Capt. Spencer Byng Astley and Rose Astley, of Wiltshire. Aston Giffard ASTLEY appears in the Old Elizabethans Roll of Honour of Elizabeth College, Guernsey which confirms that his regiment was 2/Royal Fusiliers and he was seconded to the Machine Gun Corps. The 1921 Masonic Roll of Honour listed him as a Lt Colonel. He may well have had acting rank but officially he was a Major. Source; www.oea.org.ggService Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: Machine Gun Corps |
| 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.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Alexandra No. 1065 E.C. | Bombay |
| Joined : | Alma No. 3534 E.C. | Middlesex |
| Joined : | Lodge Concordia No. 3102 E.C. | Devonshire |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
2nd December 1912 | 3rd November 1913 | 2nd June 1913 |
Initiated into Alexandra Lodge No. 1065 in Jubbulpore, Bombay, but resigned in November 1914 corresponding and following with a posting to Calcutta. He joined Lodge of Concordia No. 3102 on 1st April 1914, but this was short lived, having left India and "Regarded as resigned "5.14". In fact, he is back in England by February 18th, 1914, where he as then joined Alma Lodge. On the records of Alma, he is shown as "Killed in Action Sep/r 1918"
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