Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Hamel Military Cemetery, Beaumont-Hamel | II. E. 9. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.134 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 41D GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | Distinguished Service Order | ||
Family :
Son of William and Elizabeth Saunders, of Sydenham, London; husband of Muriel Saunders (nee Tod).Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: Anson Bn. R.N. Div. |
| 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.
Detail :
A study of the casualties suffered by the RND 12/11/16 shows six KIA that day: 1 x 2nd RM Bn., 1 x Anson Bn., & 4 x Howe Bn. (one man from the Hawke Bn. also died that day, but he died from wounds received 11/11/16 in the 2/1st South Midland CCS & was buried at Warloy-Baillon Communal Cemetery Extension). Of the six KIA 12/11/16, only two have graves:- Lt.Col. Saunders DSO RMLI, the Officer Commanding Anson Bn. RND, who was buried at Hamel Military Cemetery; & (supposedly) George Anderson. The reason why Lt.Col. Saunders' body was the only one recovered for burial may be explained by his position as OC Anson. This was a severe loss on the eve of battle; a highly regarded & decorated RMLI Officer, OC of an RND Battalion, his burial was bound to have been accorded far more reverence than that of a mere ranker, to the extent that his body would have been carried back for burial with the honours accorded to his status
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Navy No. 2612 E.C. | London |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
12th December 1912 | 10th January 1913 | 14th March 1913 |
In 1912, at the time of his initiation, he was a 36 year old Captain of the Royal Marines Light Infantry, with his address care of the Admiralty. The contribution record shows that he was "Killed Oct 1916."
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