2.LIEUT W.T.HUMPHREYS R.FUS (on star)
CAPT W.T.HUMPHREYS (on pair)
William Thomas Humphreys
Born 1894
Son of Frederick George Humphreys J.P. & L.R.Humphreys of 97 Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW
Commissioned from the Officer Training Corps into the Royal Fusiliers
To France 7/10/15 & served with 3rd Royal Fusiliers
Promoted Temporary Captain & Quarter Master, he also served as the Adjutant
During 'The Last 100 Days' he was KIA F&F 4/10/18 in the crossing of the Scheldt Canal - less than 6 weeks before the Armistice
With 9 Officers killed & 2 wounded, plus 139 Other Rank casualties, this appears to have been the greatest number of officers killed in any one action of the Royal Fusiliers...
Buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Gouy, France
The Regimental History records:
'After marching through the night, at 6:10am on 4/10/18 the 3rd Royal Fusiliers advanced on the redoubt at Richmond copse, between Le Catelet and Vendhuile.
"It was not an advance that one would choose..."
The battalion had to move down the slope to the Scheldt Canal and then up a valley at the opposite side.
They were enfiladed on both flanks from the neighbourhood of Vendhuile and from Le Catelet and reach their objective at 7:30am but then, finding themselves practically isolated, had to go back step-by-step to near their starting point.
They had swept a path clean and taken some 300 prisoners from machine-gun teams, so that the 4th Kings Royal Rifles could advance over the same ground in the evening with few casualties, but they had lost very heavily.
"Few actions of the Royal Fusiliers have been more tragic - many had been more costly but very few carried the troops to their original objective only to see them compelled to fall back, almost the starting point, with the bulk of their leaders killed"
With copy of his Medal Index Card, ODGW, CWGC & supporting research documentation
Condition: On old silk ribbons. Toned NEF
