Page 143 - Who Was Sapper Brown

In September 1915 another call for volunteers was made, 864 men were chosen and they later left for
service in Gallipoli and Salonika. During this time the half-battalion which had served in Cyprus had

returned and most of its officers volunteered again to serve abroad, leaving either for Gallipoli or for the
Western Front and other theatres where they served with British line regiments.

On 31 December 1921, following the legal termination of the First World War on 31 August 1921, the

King’s Own Malta Regiment of Militia (‘King’s Own’ granted in 1903 by King Edward VII) was disbanded,
retaining only a cadre company. This formed the nucleus of the new territorial regiment raised in 1932,

The King’s Own Malta Regiment.2 The regiment was disbanded in 1972.

The Royal Air Force Veteran’s Grave

Besides the War Grave, there is a single veteran from the Royal Air Force buried in this cemetery. He is

Leslie Banks AFC DFC, who died in 2006 at the age of 86 years. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying
Cross on 27 July 1945 as a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force Voluntary Reserve, serving with 206

Squadron,3 and he was awarded the Air Force Cross as a Squadron Leader in 1955.4

Leslie Banks AFC DFC, 1920 – 2006 ‘Always seeking knowledge’

2 Website: The King’s Own Malta Regiment www.maltageografika.com/index.php/History/the-kings-own-malta-regi-
ment.html

3 Supplement to the London Gazette, 27 July 1945 www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/37197/supplements/3878/page.pdf
4 Ibid, 1 January 1955 www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/40366/supplements/35/page.pdf

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