Roll of Honour – qooh.org.uk

QOOH / OY ROLL OF HONOUR

Remembered this Month of December 2025

During this month we pay our tributes and due reverence to those soldiers who had served in a unit holding the QOOH or OY appellation, who gave their lives in pursuit of peace for the Nation. And especially that we are able to live our lives as we wish, without fear of dictatorships, race, or creed.

The names of the Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Other Ranks who were either killed in action (K); missing in action (M); died of wounds (DW); died in captivity (DC); or otherwise died in service (D); for remembrance during the month of December 2025 are listed below.

Age at date of death, if known, is shown in brackets following date of death.

2nd Anglo-Boer War

1900
10/12/1900 (38) Tpr Robert Percy Blake D, of enteric disease at Zeerust, N-West Province, S Africa
Not known where buried/commemorated
24/12/1900 (19) Tpr Arthur Algernon Dolley D, of enteric disease at Zeerust, N-West Province, S Africa
Not known where buried/commemorated

First World War

1916
27/12/1916 (25) L/Cpl Thomas Hartley D, of natural causes at Caumont, Gers, France
Buried at Caumont Churchyard, Pas de Calais, France

1917
2/12/1917 (26) L/Cpl Ernest George Lovell DW, at Achiet-le-Grand, Pas de Calais, France (received on 27/11/1917 at Bourlon Wood, Cambrai)
Buried at Achiet-Le-Grand Communal Cemetery Extension, Pas de Calais, France
10/12/1917 (35) Pte Frederick Bolton D, from injuries at Brompton, London, England (sustained in riding accident near Buysscheure, France)
Buried at Oxford (Osney St Mary) Cemetery, Oxfordshire, UK
11/12/1917 (20) Pte Charles Frederick Canning DW, at Etaples hospital, Pas de Calais, France (of gunshot wound)
Buried at Etaples Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France

1918
1/12/1918 (26) Pte George Frederick Sollis D, of pneumonia at Solesmes, France
Buried at Solesmes British Cemetery, Nord, France

World War Two

1942
4/12/1942 (24) Gnr Thomas Ronald Graham DC, of dysentery at Chungkai, Thailand
Buried at Chungkai War Cemetery, Thailand
15/12/1942 (22) Gnr Ernest Marshall DC, of dysentery at Tonchan, Thailand
Buried at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand (originally buried at Tonchan Main cemetery)
16/12/1942 (31) Lt Norman Herbert Sands (SSVF att) DC, at Chungkai, Thailand
Buried at Chungkai War Cemetery, Thailand
17/12/1942 (30) Gnr Herbert Edward Saye DC, of malaria and dysentery at Tonchan, Thailand
Buried at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand (originally buried at Tonchan Main cemetery)
18/12/1942 (28) Gnr Joseph Dennigan DC, of malaria and malnutrition at Tonchan Main camp, Thailand
Buried at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand (originally buried at Tonchan Main cemetery)
24/12/1942 (32) Gnr Horace Peter Shellard DC, of dysentery and malaria at Tonchan Camp, Thailand
Buried at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand (originally buried at Tonchan Main cemetery)
28/12/1942 (33) Pte Kenneth Edward Goodliff (ACC att) DC, at Kinsaiyok, Thailand
Buried at Chungkai War Cemetery, Thailand (originally buried at Kinsaiyok cemetery)
30/12/1942 (38) Dvr Charles Stewart (RASC att) DC, of dysentery and malnutrition at Lower Kannyu, Thailand
Buried at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand (originally buried at Lower Kannyu Main cemetery)

1943
3/12/1943 (33) Gnr Joseph Rosenberg DC, of beri-beri and dysentery at Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Buried at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand
4/12/1943 (31) Gnr Frederick Henry Austin DC, of dysentery and avitaminosis at Thailand
Buried at Chungkai War Cemetery, Thailand
4/12/1943 (23) Gnr Charles Housley DC, of beri-beri at Chungkai, Thailand
Buried at Chungkai War Cemetery, Thailand
6/12/1943 (24) Gnr George Alexander Innes DC, of malaria and beri-beri at Kanchanaburi Hospital, Thailand
Buried at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand
6/12/1943 (32) Dvr Thomas Grady (RASC att) DC, of tropical ulcer at Tarsao, Thailand
Buried at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand (originally buried at Tarsao #2 cemetery)
11/12/1943 (27) Gnr Conway Ronald Brewster DC, of dysentery at Kanchanaburi Hospital, Thailand
Buried at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand
11/12/1943 (24) Gnr Wesley Harold Large DC, of dysentery and beri-beri at Thanbaya Hospital, Burma
Buried at Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery, Burma
19/12/1943 (36) L/Cpl William Frederick Finch (RASC att) DC, of debility and ulcer at Changkai, Thailand
Buried at Chungkai War Cemetery, Thailand
16/12/1943 (25) W/Lt Dennis John Beatley DW, near Sangro River, Abruzzo, Italy [whilst attd to 4 Mahratta AT Regt, 8th Indian Div, Royal Indian Artillery]
Buried in Sangro River War Cemetery, Torino di Sangro, Provincia di Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy
28/12/1943 (31) Gnr Caradoc Roberts DC, of dysentery at Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Buried at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand

1944
4/12/1944 (32) Cfn Angus MacLean (LAD, REME att) DW, near Geldrop, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
Buried in Mierlo War Cemetery, Mierlo, Geldrop-Mierlo Municipality, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands (originally buried at Geldrop then re-buried on 20/6/45 at Mierlo War Cemetery)
8/12/1944 (26) Gnr Charles Edward Bell DC, during bombing raid on train at Tha Makhan, Thailand
Buried at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand
10/12/1944 (28) Gnr Richard Thomson DC, of malnutritional, oedema & dysentery at Kinkaseki Camp #1, Taiwan
Buried at Sai Wan War Cemetery, Hong Kong
11/12/1944 (29) Sgt Frederick George Stone DC, of malaria and beri-beri at Heito, Taiwan
Buried at Sai Wan War Cemetery, Hong Kong
18/12/1944 (35) Bdr Richard Alfred Williams DC, of beri-beri at Amagasaki Branch Camp (Osaka 6-D), Japan
Buried at Yokohama War Cemetery, Japan

QOOH Men Who Were Transferred Into Other Units in World War One

During the First World War, and with the high number of casualties happening, there was an urgent need for replacement soldiers to back-fill these gaps. Many hundreds of these came from men of the 2/1st and 3/1st QOOH. Whilst being given a Regimental Number when signing up to the QOOH, these men were then re-issued a second Regimental Number on transfer, and a great many men were lost to the QOOH records. Over time, a lot of records have been found informing us of a number of these transfers and where they ended up, and of course, their casualty numbers. In the section below we list the QOOH men who were transferred into these other units and subsequently lost their lives. I would like to give great credit to Mike Cross and Harry Staff who have been delving into these further records and without their due diligence these QOOH men would most likely not be remembered here on this page. As new information comes to light, these lists will be updated and is certainly a ‘Work-in-Progress’ situation.

In the lists below can be found the soldier’s original QOOH Regimental Number, his new secondary Regimental Number, and the Battalion he was posted to. It has been found that some QOOH soldiers had been transferred more than once, and this is mentioned in the text below where this has been uncovered.

QOOH Men Transferred Into Secondary Units

Infantry Battalion Names
1917 QOOH 2nd/3rd unit Bn
4/12/1917 (34) Pte Charles Thomas Buller 2712 204417 2nd/4th Oxf & Bucks LI
K, at La Vacquerie, Nord, France
Commemorated at Cambrai Memorial, Louverval, Nord, France
11/12/1917 (33) Pte Edwin James Rusher 3201 203631 2nd/4th Oxf & Bucks LI
DW, at Etaples, Pas-de-Calais, France (received at Arras, Pas-de-Calais, France)
Buried at Etaples Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France
20/12/1917 (20) L/Cpl John George Clifford 2786 235049 5th Oxf & Bucks LI
DW, at Ypres, Belgium
Buried at Ypres Reservoir Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium

Machine Gun Corps Names
1917 QOOH MGC Sqn
31/12/1917 (19) Pte William John Clack 2596 101415 MGC (Cavalry)
D, at Alexandria, Egypt (drowned at sea, onboard HMT Osmanieh struck a mine and sank)
Commemorated at Chatby Memorial, Alexandria, Egypt (this memorial commemorates Commonwealth Servicemen who died during the First World War and have no grave but the sea)

Rank Abbreviations

2/Lt – Second Lieutenant
Bdr – Bombardier (artillery equivalent to Corporal)
BQMS – Battery Quarter Master Sergeant (artillery equivalent to Company QMS)
Capt – Captain
Cpl – Corporal
Dvr – Driver (RAOC/RASC equivalent to Private)
Gnr – Gunner (artillery equivalent to Private)
L/Bdr – Lance-Bombardier (artillery equivalent to Lance-Corporal)
L/Cpl – Lance-Corporal
L/Sgt – Lance-Sergeant (a local promotion of a Bombardier /Corporal by his commanding officer, usually with extra pay)
Lt – Lieutenant
Lt-Col – Lieutenant-Colonel
Maj – Major
Pte – Private
QMS – Quarter Master Sergeant
RSM – Regimental Sergeant Major
Sdlr – Saddler (maker and repairs to Saddles)
Shg Sth – Shoeing Smith (Shoeing of horses)
Sgt – Sergeant
Sjt – Serjeant
SSgt – Staff Sergeant
SSM – Squadron Sergeant Major
Tpr – Trooper (cavalry equivalent to Private)
Tptr – Trumpeter (cavalry equivalent to Bugler)

Post-Nominal Letters

Post-nominal letters, are letters placed after a person’s name to indicate that an individual holds a military decoration, or honour :-

DSO – Distinguished Service Order (awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the Armed Forces during wartime).

MC – Military Cross (for officers only until 1993, when it was opened up to all ranks) – awarded for acts of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy on land.

MM – Military Medal (other ranks’ equivalent to the Military Cross until 1993) – awarded for bravery in battle.

MiD – Mentioned in Dispatches (is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the High Command, in which his or her gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy is described) – but it is not classed as post-nominal

These awards in the British Armed Forces, were, and still are, published in the London Gazette.

As more details of soldiers who have served with the OY and QOOH become available, this Roll of Honour list will be updated. This is very much a ‘work-in-progress’ item.

If you know of any person whom you think should be remembered in our Roll of Honour, please inform any of these people –Mick Luxford, Mike Cross, or Harry Staff – for consideration, thank you.

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