Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Grave: | Etaples Military Cemetery | X. B. 15. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.136 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 40B GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of Louisa Allen Swan and the late Robert John Swan, of Palmers Green, London.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 17th Battalion Royal Fusiliers |
17th (Service) Battalion (Empire) Formed in London on 31 August 1914 by the British Empire Committee. 26 June 1915 : attached to 99th Brigade, 33rd Division. Landed in France on 17 November 1915. 25 November 1915 : transferred with the Brigade to 2nd Division. 13 December 1915 : transferred to 5th Brigade, 2nd Division. 6 February 1918 : transferred to 6th Brigade in same Division. |
| 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.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Sir Walter St John No. 2513 E.C. | London |
| Joined : | St James' Abercorn No. 1579 E.C. | London |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
18th May 1912 | 21st September 1912 | 16th November 1912 |
Joined St James Lodge on the 23rd May 1914, listed as a Schoolmaster from Tottenham. His war service is recorded and an annotation "Died of Active Service. In his mother lodge it states "Died of wounds."
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