Lieutenant Ronald Charles Gresham Granville LEVESON-GOWER
2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards

Date of birth: 23rd May 1896
Date of death: 1st August 1917

Died of wounds aged 21
Buried at Dozinghem Military Cemetery Row J Grave 1
Ronald Charles Gresham Granville Leveson-Gower was born at Titsey Place, Limpsfield in Surrey on the 23rd of May 1896 the second son of Granville Charles Gresham MA JP DL and Evelyn Mildred (nee Brassey) Leveson-Gower of Titsey Place.

He was educated at Hazelwood School in 1903 and 1904 when he left for the Reverend H. Bull's School at Westgate-on-Sea. He went on to Eton College where he was in Mr S.G. Lubbock's House from 1909 to 1914. He won the Junior Rosebury History Prize in 1910 and was treasurer of his house debating society. He was Captain of House Games and served as a Lance Corporal in the school Officer Training Corps. He achieved his School Certificate. He was a member of Limpsfield Chart Golf Club.

Following the outbreak of war he applied for a commission in the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment on the 8th of August 1914 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant Battalion on the 15th of August 1914. He embarked for France on the 16th of May 1915 where he joined the 2nd Battalion of his regiment in the field. On the 21st of August 1915 he was engaged in bomb throwing practice at Bois Des Montagnes near Bethune when one of the bombs exploded killing one man and wounding Ronald Leveson-Gower and another man. He had sustained injuries to his abdomen, his right thigh and to his left foot. He was evacuated to England from Le Havre on board the Hospital Ship St George on the 3rd of September 1915 and landed at Southampton the following day.

A Medical Board sat at Caxton Hall in London to report on his condition: -

"That at the time and on the date recorded this officer was wounded by the exploding of a bomb. A) The fragment entered the lumber region on the right side cutting off the blood supply of 12 inches of the small intestine necessitating the excision of 2 feet of intestines and subsequent anastomoses which has been successful. B) A fragment wounded the anterior surface of the upper part of the right thigh. C) A fragment wounded the left foot over the metatarsal joint. All wounds healing well - no X-rays as yet."

He rejoined the 3rd Battalion for light duty at Newhaven on the 22nd of February 1916 where a Medical Board passed him as fit for general service on the 5th of August 1916.

He transferred to the Special Reserve of the Coldstream Guards on the 1st of October 1916 and returned to the front in March 1917 where he joined the 2nd Battalion in the field.

On the 31st of July 1917 the 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards came under orders to advance, on what was the opening day of what would later become known as the Battle of Passchendale. They advanced across the Yser Canal, passing through the 2nd and 3rd Guards Brigades, and then moved on to secure the crossings over the stream known as Steenbeek. They attacked at 5.30am, advancing in two waves 150 yards apart. There was very little hostile shell fire while they were to the west of the canal which they managed to reach with only three casualties. At the canal the barrage intensified but was predicable enough for the commanders to get their troops forward during the gaps in the fire and by 6.20am the whole battalion had crossed the canal without a casualty. At the German trenches to the east of the Pilkem Road the fire became a lot heavier and casualties began to mount. As they crossed this trench and advanced towards the next line the machine gun fire became intense and Ronald Leveson-Gower was wounded. He was evacuated to 6 Casualty Clearing Station where he died of his wounds the next day. The battalion was relieved by the 3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards on the night of the 2nd/3rd of August, marching through knee deep mud to reach their billets having suffered casualties in the attack of four officers dead with four wounded and with one hundred and seventy five other ranks killed wounded or missing.

His father received the following telegram dated the 2nd of August 1917: -

"Deeply regret to inform you that Lieut. R.C.G.G. Leveson-Gower 2nd Coldstream Guards died of wounds August first. the Army Council express their sympathy."

It seems that he did not attend Hazelwood School as there is no record of him being there. He most probably appears on the memorial because of the close connections his family had with the school.

He is commemorated on the war memorial at Eton College and on the memorial at Limpsfield Chart Golf Club.
Went on to Eton College

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