Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Basra War Cemetery | IV. R. 2. | |
| 2. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 45B GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of Harry and Elizabeth Annie Durston, of Highbridge, Somerset. Native of Bath.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 4th Battalion Dorset Regiment |
1/4th Battalion August 1914 : in Dorchester. Part of South Western Brigade in Wessex Division. Moved to Salisbury Plain. 9 October 1914 : sailed for India, landing Bombay 10 November 1914. 23 February 1916 : landed at Basra with 42nd Indian Brigade and remained in Mesopotamia for the rest of the war |
| Action : Mesopotamia |
At the outbreak of war the British, together with Indian troops, resolved to protect oil supply in the region by occupying the area around Basra at Abadan. This evolved into a series of campaigns towards Baghdad against the Turkish forces as Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) was part of the Ottoman Empire. Meetings in late 1914 and into 1915 led the Viceroy and Indian government at Simla to reconsider the limited involvement of troops and they decided to order further advances with a view to securing the Shatt-al-Hai, a canal connecting the Tigris and Euphrates river and potentially capturing Baghdad. The British government disagreed and wished to conserve forces for the Western front. The Viceroy was given permission to act as it wished, but told in no uncertain terms that no reinforcements should be expected.
The initial success experienced by the British and Indian forces quickly disintegrated in the face of Ottoman opposition. The Siege of Kut-Al-Amara began on 7th December with the besieging of an 8,000 strong British-Indian garrison in the town of Kut, 100 miles south of Baghdad, by the Ottoman Army. These campaigns produced few tactical benefits, indeed the catastrophic defeat at Kut in 1916 was a major setback. Badhdad was eventually taken in March 1917.
The conditions in Mesopotamia were dreadful. The climate, sickness and disease produced large losses in addition to battle casualties. About as many men died of disease as were killed in action. The Mesopotamia front was part of a strategy hoping for success at lower cost than the Western Front but no decisive victory was achieved.
Detail :
Probate record: DURSTON, Montague George Teck of 15 Salisbury Street, Shaftesbury, Dorsetshire - Private, 4th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment - Died 23rd May 1916 in Mesopotamia. Probate London 15th February to Wilberforce Neville Ashton Durston, Railway Clerk. Effects £598 4s 3d
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Excelsior Lodge No. 2832 E.C. | East Punjab |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
2nd June 1915 | 7th July 1915 | 4th August 1915 |
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