St Symphorien First and Last British Battle Casualties
Buried in St Symphorien Military cemetery is Private John Parr 4th Middlesex Regiment who is recorded as being the first British battle casualty of the Great War.On the 21st August 1914 he was on a bicycle reconnaissance patrol in Obourg when he and a colleague met a German cavalry patrol. In the ensuing engagement he was killed by rifle fire, aged 16
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| Private John Parr 4th Middlesex Regiment Recorded as first British battle casualty in WW1 |
Coincidentally, a few yards from Private Parr's resting place is the grave of Private George Ellison, 5th Lancers, who is believed to be the last British battle casualty of World War One. He was killed one and a half hours before the armistice on a patrol north of Mons.
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| St. Symphorien - First and last British battle casualties |
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| Private George Ellison 5th Lancers Recorded as last British battle casualty in WW1 |
St Symphorien - one of the first RA casualties
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| Driver Edgar Towse Royal Field Artillery One of the first Royal Artillery battle casualties |
Driver Edgar Towse was killed during the Battle of Mons 23rd August 1914. He served with 23rd Battery, 40th Brigade Royal Field Artillery, who were positioned on La Boit Haut. He was killed in action aged 29.
He is commemorated on Sullington War Memorial, Sussex
Sullington War Memorial, Sussex
Last British Empire Battle Casualty
George Lawrence Price is recognised as being the last British Empire battle casualty of World War One. Whilst his patrol was engaged with Germans in Ville-sur-Haine on the Mons Central Canal he was shot by a sniper two minutes before the armistice came into force. He served with the Canadian 28th Infantry Regiment and was killed aged 29 at 10:58 am 18th November 1918
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| Private George Ellison 28th Canadian Regiment Last British Empire battle casualty in World War One |