Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

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

26 August - 1 September 1914. Following the clash at Mons, the BEF was forced to retreat. I Corps under Haig was able to march almost unmolested but II Corps under Smith-Dorrien was confronted by large elements of German troops which threatened his line of retreat. In a classic ?stopping? action II Corps held the German attack and allowed time for the orderly retreat to continue.

Detail :

LIEUTENANT EDWARD MONTAGUE SWAYNE KENT. 1st BATTN. HAMPSHIRE REGT., was the elder son of Colonel G. E. Kent. V.D., J.P, and Mrs. G. E. Kent, of Southsea. He was born in 1887 and educated at Boxgrove School Guildford, and Clifton College, passing from the latter into Sandhurst September 1906, He received his commission in the Hampshire Regiment on the 9th October 1907, and was promoted Lieutenant in 1911. He was Scout Officer of the battalion, and was selected by his Commanding Officer to attend the class held in North Wales by an officer of the Indian Army to instruct officers in the art of mountain warfare and scouting. He was keen on all sports. In November, 1911 he was seconded for service under the Colonial Office with the West African Frontier Force. He had served two tours, and being home on leave on mobilisation he applied to be permitted to rejoin his regiment, which formed part of the IVth Division. He was killed in action on the 26th August, 1914 near Cambrai. The Official History offers a taste of the action on that day when the Hampshires as part of 11th Brigade were constantly fighting during the retreat from Mons: "More than once small parties of the 11th Brigade were forced out of the more exposed positions by the rain of shrapnel; but they always reoccupied them, or were replaced by supports from the Warnelle ravine. Once the Hampshire, on the left of the line, essayed a counter-attack, but it proved too costly. The Germans dealt with it by fire, and then waited; they had an overwhelming force of artillery; they had brought forward their machine guns with much skill; and they might reasonably reckon that the 11th Brigade would soon retire and abandon the position without bitter fighting, or, better still, cling to it too long, and be surrounded. Here, therefore, as on the remainder of the left wing, there was a deadlock. Last of all the Hampshire retired, about 7 p.m., and overtook the rest of the brigade on its way to Serain (4 miles south of Selvigny), where it passed the night". He had recently become engaged to Sylvia, daughter of the late Mr. Arthur Gilbertson, of Glanrhyd, Pontadawe. Glamorgan.

Masonic :

Initiated into Phoenix Lodge No. 257 at Portsmouth, in 1910 whilst listed as a Lieutenant of the Hampshire Regiment. His contribution record shows "Died 26th August, 1914," with a further comment of allowing sixpence subscription due for 1914.

In the months leading up to the war, on 20th March, 1914 he become a petitioning and founder member of the Ashanti Lodge No. 3717 at Coomasssie, Gold Coast, West Africa. He is recorded as "Killed in Action," against this lodge.

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