cheltonian lifestyle The History Hour byHannahWright
This September the finalVCpaving stonewas unveiled at theWar Memorial. The stones commemorate threemenwhowere born in the borough andwere subsequently awarded the VictoriaCross for action in the First WorldWar. RichardAnnesleyWestwas born at
1Oxford Street,Cheltenhamon 26th September 1878.Hewas the sixth child of aNorthern Irish couple.He joined the army to fight in theBoer
On 2nd September 1918 hewas commanding a battalion of tanks at Vaulx-Vraucourt. Seeing that the InfantryBattalion had suffered heavy losses andwas in danger of folding, he took charge and replaced officer casualtieswithNCOs.He rode in front of the battalion under heavy machine fire, shouting “Stick it,men; showthemfight; and forGod’s sake put up a good fight.”Hewas posthumously awarded theVC.His wife gave birth twomonths later. CaptainArthur ForbesGordon
Kilbywas born in 1879 at EastHayes, PittvilleCircus Road,where he lived with his aunt and cousins, as their parentsweremostly in India.When he graduated fromSandhurst hewas commissioned into the South Staffordshire Regiment and promoted to Captain by the age of 25. During the
War, first as a trooper in the Imperial Yeomanry, then a lieutenant in Kitchener’s Fighting
Scouts.After the War he stayed in SouthAfrica, training racehorses for theDuke of Westminster. Itwas here that hemet the actressMaudAston (aunt of the actor PeterCushing),whowas touring SouthAfrica.His first proposalwas rejected, but he rode across toCape Town tomeet her when she finished her tour, and she accepted his second proposal. They weremarried in 1909. The pairmoved back to England,
andWest joined theNorth Irish Horse.He rose through the ranks and was eventually promoted to LieutenantColonel in the TankCorps.
war, his parents communicated with aGerman friend,General Menze, via friends in Hollandwhich
was neutral. Itwas a dangerous tactic for all parties, but theywere desperately seeking news of their son when hewentmissing in action. Sadly, Kilby had died at theBattle of Loos on 25 September 2015.He led his company fromthe front along a narrowtowpath.Hewaswounded straight away but led his company up to the enemywire under heavy fire. At thewire, hewas shot down and lost his foot.Unable to travel further,
30 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2018 THECHELTONIAN
he picked up a rifle and continued to fire and cheer on hismen. The German soldiers respected his actions somuch that theymarked the site of his deathwith a cross. Menzewrote to Kilby’s parents of his bravery during the battle.Hewas posthumously awarded theVC, and his bodywas recovered in 1929. CaptainAnketellMoutray Read
was born inBeaumontHouse, 56 Shurdington Road, Leckhampton on the 27th October 1884. From Sandhurst he joined the Gloucester Regiment andwas posted to
India. There he became known as a celebrated athlete andwon the heavyweight boxing championship of India eight times, and themiddle- weight twice.He alsowon theArmy andNavy heavyweight championship atAldershot and Portsmouth three times and gained the nickname ‘The Widow-maker’. Moutray Read joined the Royal
FlyingCorps in 1914 andwas part of the first Expeditionary Force in France in 1914.Hewaswith the Northamptonshire Regiment on the first day of theBattle of Loos, 25 September 1915.He suffered gassing but continued to lead and rally several unitswhowere disorganised andretiring.Hewas mortallywounded, andburiedat the DudCornerMilitaryCemetery in France.
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