Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery | B. 37. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.132 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 55D GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of Frederick and Ruth Pragnell, of Yeovil, Somerset; husband of Grace Pragnell, of Pendennis, Westminster Drive, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 21st Battalion London Regiment (First Surrey Rifles) |
1/21st (County of London) Battalion (First Surrey Rifles) August 1914 : at 4 Flodden Road, Camberwell. Part of 6th London Brigade, 2nd London Division. Moved on mobilisation to St Albans area. 16 March 1915 : landed at Le Havre. 11 May 1915 : formation became 142nd Brigade in 47th (2nd London) Division. 1 February 1918 : transferred to 140th Brigade in same Division. |
| Action : Egypt |
Egypt was the base for the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force which was engaged in the region, primarily against the Turks. In the early stages of the war Egypt was threatened by Turkish advances towards Suez which were defeated and the Turks retreated to Palestine. Most of the effort of the MEF was thereafter directed towards operations in Palestine and Syria. Many of those buried and commemorated in Egypt succumbed to wounds, disease or were army victims of naval actions in the region.
Detail :
AGNELL, ARCHIE ERNEST (32), Second Lieutenant, Aragon RMS, London Regiment, †30/12/1917, '21st Bn. Son of Frederick and Ruth Pragnell, of Yeovil, Somerset. Husband of Grace Pragnell, of 'Pendennis,' Westminster Drive, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. Drowned at Sea whilst on war service.
See Wrecksite EU for further detail: "The liner ARAGON, Capt. F. Bateman, was taken over by the British government from the R.M.S.P. Co. during the First World War. She was employed as an auxiliary transport and in December, 1917, was bringing reinforcements to the army operating in Palestine under General Alienby. The ship was full to capacity, having no less than 2,700 persons on board, of which number about 2,500 were troops. On her arrival at Alexandria on December 30th, 1917, ARAGON was permitted to enter the harbour, but later was ordered out again. She anchored outside without any protection from submarine attacks, for which she was an easy target. This piece of indiscretion on the part of the authorities did not remain long unpunished, for the ARAGON was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine UC-34 with a total loss of 610 persons, of whom 19 were crew, including Capt. Bateman. When destroyer HMS ATTACK and armed trawler HMT POINTS CASTLE came to rescue the torpedoed troopship RMS ARAGON, HMS ATTACK herself, having rescued 300 to 400 men from ARAGON, was torpedoed by UC-34 and sunk."
Memorial: Alexandria (Chatby) Military And War Memorial Cemetery
Appears on the London County Council Great War list.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Exonian No. 3415 E.C. | London |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
13th December 1913 | 14th February 1914 | 14th March 1914 |
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