Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Flanders | Panel 36 and 55. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.121 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 17B GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Early Life :
Born in Dover, the second son to William Henry and Emma East, of 'East Lee', Maison Dieu Road, Dover. Baptised 11th July 1884 at St. Mary-the-Virgin, Dover. Shown on the 1891 census as resident at 1 Temple Villa, Maison Dieu Road, Dover. As well as mother and father the family includes Henry G. (9), Cecilia (8), Hubert (6) and Dorothy (2mths) showing the same in 1901. He eventually had 4 brothers and sisters, one of whom had died by 1911. Hubert is visiting home from the Army, is recorded unmarried and listed with mother and father and sisters, Freda and Dorothy.Family :
Three years later Hubert married Mary Vera S. (nee Brown) in August 1914, daughter of the late George Sheward Brown and Mrs Brown, of Linden Park, Tunbridge Wells. She remarried and became (Mary) Vera Hyde Upward, of 111, Victoria Drive, Eastbourne.Education & Career :
Dover College, receiving his first commission in 1901.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 1st Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment |
1st Battalion August 1914 : in Jubbulpore in India. Returned to England 23 December 1914. Moved to Hursley Park and joined 83rd Brigade in 28th Division. 17 January 1915 : landed at Le Havre. Moved to Egypt in October 1915 and thence to Salonika, arriving in early December. |
| 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 :
Killed in action at Ypres 10th May 1915, at which time he was serving with the 1st Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment.
As has been the case with several (possibly hundreds) of casualties researched over the years, it would appear that Hubert falls into the category of 'official' date of death not exactly matching other data. As an officer in his battalion Hubert disembarked at La Havre, France from the SS Lake Michigan on 15 January 1915, after which his battalion made several moves towards Belgium, and on 2 May 1915 took over trenches at Verlorenhoek, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium where it remained until being relieved during the night of 7 May 1915 and going to nearby Ypres, the following day moving into trenches at Frenzenberg from where an assault on the enemy was launched at 2000 hours. The York and Lancaster Regiment history of the Great War period was written by Colonel H. C. Wylly who wrote of the above action fought by the 1st Battalion thus, "The enemy position was reached and some few men gallant men even entered it, but were immediately bayoneted."
Due the officer casualty rate, although a Captain, Hubert was commanding his battalion at the time of his death; all his superior officers had been killed. The whole battalion, apart from one officer and 63 men, had now fallen casualty, either killed or wounded.
Dover War Memorial Project "Although there was some doubt over his being missing or killed, General Plumer eventually telegraphed Captain East's father to say that a signaller had seen Captain East killed by a shot in the breast. Mr East also visited in hospital a Corporal of the East Yorkshire Regiment, who said he had seen Captain East, shot in the leg, making his way behind the firing line. Captain East passed a severely wounded soldier and gave him a drink from his flask, and it was then he was shot. He therefore died while doing an act of kindness on the battlefield.
The Mayor of Dover moved a motion that a letter of condolence be sent to Mr East, of the School of Art and one of their officials, and to Mrs East, for the loss of their son."
Citations & Commemorations :
He is commemorated on the Menin Gate at Ypres in Belgium.Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Alexandra No. 1065 E.C. | Bombay |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
5th January 1914 | 6th April 1914 | 1st June 1914 |
Hubert was initiated into Freemasonry whilst in India at Jubbulpore, Bombay. Given the short timescale between initiation and his untimely death, it is unlikely that he took any lodge office, nor progressed beyond the rank of Master Mason.
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