Captain Romney Claude Godwin FOSTER MC
2nd Battalion Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment

Date of birth: 12th April 1893
Date of death: 16th January 1970

Died aged 76
Unknown
Romney Claude Godwin Foster was born in Johannesburg on the 12th of April 1893 the son of Arthur Livingston Foster, Managing Director of Anglican (Transvaal) Mining & Finance Company, and Emma Marie Foster of "Parish Nook", Clayhill Enfield in Middlesex and later of “Chartway”, Limpsfield in Surrey.

He was educated at Hazelwood School until July 1907. On leaving the school the magazine wrote of him: - "....leaves us for Marlborough and should do well; he passed the entrance examination with flying colours, but was are without details as to his form next term."

He went on to Marlborough College where was in Summerfield's House from September 1907 to July 1911. He went on to Queen’s College Oxford in 1911 where he later achieved a BA in Engineering.

On the outbreak of war he joined a public schools battalion and was then commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 1/4th Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment where he served as bombing officer. He transferred to the 2nd Battalion of his regiment where he served as their bombing officer and embarked for France on the 28th of September 1915. He was promoted to Captain on the 15th of February 1916.

On the 1st of July 1916 on the opening day of the Battle of the Somme the 2nd Battalion Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) was detailed to attack the village of Mametz and the high ground along the Mametz-Montauban Road. The first two companies of the Queen’s were in the second wave and left their trenches at 9.50am with the capture of a trench system known as “Danzig Alley”, to the east of Mametz as their immediate objective. The second companies followed at 1.30pm which included Romney Foster. He, 2nd Lieutenant Eric Hobbs and their party of bombers managed to work their way along the communication trenches, capturing an officer and about fifty men as well as two machine guns and two automatic rifles. Following Hobbs’ death he led two further attacks during the afternoon. By 7.30pm the positions were consolidated, one of the few successes of the day for the British Army. For his part in the operation Romney Foster was awarded the Military Cross. The next day he captured another machine gun and attachment during an attack in the late afternoon, again the Queen’s succeeded in taking and consolidating their objective.

The citation for his Military Cross appeared in the London Gazette of the 27th of July 1916 and read: -

"For conspicuous gallantry when leading three successive bombing attacks against a superior number of the enemy, resulting in the capture of a machine-gun and automatic rifles, which were holding up the advance. Next day he captured another machine-gun and detachment".

He was captured in the early morning of the 14th of March 1917 near the village of Bucquoy in the Arras sector during a raid. He is reported to have been in advance of his men when the raiders reached the German wire. Foster’s servant thought that he had managed to get into the German trench but the light was poor and he was unable to follow his Captain’s movements. The Germans notified the British authorities that he was in their hands on March the 16th and he was initially held at Crafeld Camp in Germany but was transferred to Holzminden Camp in early 1918. He was repatriated on the 14th of December 1918. He was mentioned in despatches.

On the 8th of August 1919 he left with the battalion for India to take part in the Waziristan Campaign on the North West Frontier where he was in command of B Company based at Lucknow. The campaign lasted until 1921 and he was awarded the campaign medal with clasps. Following this the battalion remained in India.

He was married at St Peter's Church, Limpsfield on the 31st of December 1932 to Mabel Elizabeth (nee Knight) and they lived at "Ringmore". Tongham, Farnham in Surrey and later at Burrell House, Hambledon in Surrey.

He was promoted to Major on the 23rd of July 1933 and during the Second World War he commanded a Cadet Training Unit at Aldershot.

In later life he wrote the book "Mayfield. A History", published in 1960.

He died at Tonbridge.
Went on to Marlborough College

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