Page 8 - Wish Stream Year of 2013 Digital Edition

Telegram announcing Usher’s death to his family Telegram announcing Usher’s death to his family
(Crown Copyright the National Archives)
(Crown Copyright the National Archives)

meet Captains Baillie-Hamilton and
Priestman, the RMC staff members
of the E Company hockey team, who

had “come out here to learn a few
things”.

In early July 1916 the Battalion

attacked at Auchy and Tom “dis-
tinguished himself with great gal-
lantry” according to the Regimental
History. They then joined the ight-
ing on the Somme. “Wonderful to

say, I am still alive.” On 30 July
Tom learned that he had won the
Military Cross. “What for I don’t
know. The [Auchy] raid I suppose.”
Concert programme (copyright the
Trustees of the Imperial War Museum)
Throughout August the Battalion
fought on. “Such awful nights I never knew. We are all very worn
out, and I shall be glad when we get a rest.”

He was killed the next day. A fellow oficer told Tom’s mother
“Unfortunately [a shell] dropped close to your son, a piece com-
ing out of the front of his stomach.” A nurse described his last
hours. “He was just very glad to be comfortably in bed and at

Usher’s gravestone (copyright www.britishwargraves.co.uk,)
rest. Towards evening he grew weaker and asked me to write to
you and sent his love.” He was 20. Tom was buried in the Heilly
shot in the chest, the back, or the leg. He was declared dead on Station Cemetery near Amiens.
6 May 1917, which would, as his father noted, have been his 21st
birthday. His body was found in March 1917 and lies in Danzig His brothers Robert and Cecil also died in the war. The three

Alley British Cemetery, Mametz.
brothers’ letters home were carefully preserved by their mother,
and the collection was one of the irst private donations made to
TOM WILMOT d. 1916
the Imperial War Museum.
Tom attended Hereford Cathedral School before

leaving at the age of 17 to farm in Canada. He STANLIE LAYARD d. 1917
returned to England in 1914. After Sandhurst Stanlie Layard was born in Ceylon (Sri Lanka),
he joined the 2nd Battalion of the Worcester- but was attending Elizabeth College in Guernsey
shire Regiment in July 1915. Whilst in trenches in 1914. After Sandhurst he joined the 1st Battal-

near Bethune he wrote to his mother that there ion of the Border Regiment. As his parents were
were “continual thunderstorms. We are living abroad Sir Henry McCallum, a former governor
in an absolute sea of foul mud, well over my
of Ceylon, acted as his guardian. Stanlie spent
knees. The rats are huge like dogs.” More agreeably, he attended his leave with the McCallum family, particularly

a concert staged by the soldiers where he was astonished to
with Eileen, Sir Henry’s youngest daughter.

On 23 April 1917 Stanlie carried out a dangerous reconnoitre at
Chateau Wood with great success, for which he was awarded the
Military Cross. “You need not worry yourself,” he told his mother.

“I am not going to risk my life medal-hunting. I don’t intend to do
this sort of thing unless I am ordered.”

This was his last letter. During a night attack he was wounded,

but was last seen calmly bandaging his leg and urging his men
to continue. Stanlie’s fellow oficers, like his distraught family, all
believed that he was a prisoner of war. Eileen wrote to Mrs Layard
that “Everything that is possible to do I’ll do & the impossible too

The Wilmot family: Tom Wilmot is on the left in a jumper if I can. We must trace him.” He was declared dead by the War
(copyright Miranda Michels)

6 SANDHURST