Early Life :

Family :

Education & Career :

Attended Manchester Grammar School. He was a partner in the family firm of W.S. Rothband & Co. He was the Manager Groce House Lads' Club.

Service Life:

Campaigns:

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

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.

Detail :

On the 20th of July the 15th Sherwood Foresters had lost 10 officers killed and 9 wounded. 39 other ranks had been killed, 146 wounded, and 36 were missing. The day’s entry in the Manchester’s War Diary concludes: ‘Major Maxwell fell in the attack. He was the first over and was later reported missing, believed killed. Capts. Rothband & Gosling were killed, Maj. Grimshaw shell-shocked & Capt. Cooper, Lt. Wilson & 2nd Lts. Hamer, Simpson & Lye wounded (2nd Lt. Lye died on the 21st). 28 other ranks were killed, 98 wounded, 9 shell-shocked & 13 missing.’

See also: 23rd Manchesters.

Captain Jacob (‘Jack’) Eustace Rothband was killed in action on the 20th of July 1916. According to family papers, Rothband walked along the parapet just prior to his Company attacking. Trying to rally his men he shouted, ‘Come on boys, don’t be afraid of their guns’. He was shot through the head almost immediately. Jack Rothband was from Cheetham Hill. An old boy of Manchester Grammar School, he had been an officer with the Jewish Lad’s Brigade in Manchester. He worked for the family firm of W. S. Rothband & Co., rubber manufacturers, in Cheetham. When war broke out he was in San Francisco, but he returned immediately to the UK and enlisted in the Public Schools Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment. He became a Temporary Lieutenant in April 1915 and was subsequently granted a commission with the Manchester Regiment. On his death the Manchester Evening News published a letter from Lieutenant George Simpson. He wrote of Rothband: ‘His humour and cheery disposition often kept us going when everything else seemed against us. I have lost a beloved company commander and true friend.’

From 'The Manchester Bantams: The Story of a Pals Battalion and a City at War' by Caroline Scott.

He is buried in Flat Iron Copse Cemetery, Mametz.

Masonic :

Senior Deacon

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