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Captain Dennis Valentine BAKER
Indian Pack Artillery Brigade Ammunition Column, Army Service Corps Date of birth: 5th May 1887 Date of death: 25th January 1940 Died aged 52 Unknown
Dennis Valentine Baker was born at 61 Tregunter Road, Brompton in London on the 5th of May 1887 the second son of Harry Valentine Baker, a stockbroker, and Katherine Frances (nee Read) Baker of Broome Cottage, Betchworth in Surrey. He was christened on the 30th of May 1887 at St Mary's Church, West Brompton. He was educated at Hazelwood School until July 1896 when he left for an unknown school from where he entered the Royal Naval College Britannia on the 15th of May 1902. He left the College on the 15th of September 1903 and was appointed as a Midshipman in the Royal Navy on the 15th of November 1903 and was posted to the battleship HMS Magnificent on the same day, serving on her until the 12th of October 1903. On the 4th of November 1903 he joined the battleship Prince George and was posted to the battle cruiser HMS Victorious from the 2nd of February 1904. On the 6th of September 1904 he went absent without leave and was brought back to Portsmouth by his father. He was admitted to Portsmouth Hospital for observation to monitor his mental condition. On the 29th of October 1904 he was admitted to Haslar Hospital, Portsmouth suffering from hammerhead toe and was discharged on the 22nd of November 1904 when he was granted seven days sick leave. He was ordered to rejoin HMS Victorious on her return to Portsmouth on the 15th of December 1904. On the 6th of January 1905 he was posted to the 1st Cruiser Squadron and he left the Royal Navy in May 1905. On leaving the navy he joined the Shaw Saville Line on a three year apprenticeship as a Merchant Navy Deck Officer on the 29th of October 1906. He served as a signal instructor at British Columbia House from 1912 to August 1913. Following the outbreak of war he applied for a commission on the 26th of October 1914 and was appointed as a temporary Captain in the Army Service Corps on the 28th of October 1914 and went to France where he was attached to the Indian Pack Artillery Brigade Ammunition Column. In February 1915 he proceeded to Rouen on the pretext of buying motor parts but went absent without leave, and was later found to be in Paris where he was detained. On the 5th of March 1915 a Board of Officers sat at 2nd Army Headquarters to consider his case and, following their investigation, they produced the following report:- Case of Temporary Captain D.V. Baker, Army Service Corps. This officer left Strazeele at 12.30am on the 25th February 1915 without authority and proceeded to Rouen for the purpose of obtaining spare parts from the Mechanical Transport Depot although there was no necessity to do so. He took with him 2/Lt Temple, RGA, who had been granted leave of absence, as well as Coy. Sergt-Major Knight, 94th Co, ASC, and Corpl Shearer, ASC, the driver of his car. They arrived at Rouen at 8.30 the following morning where Capt Baker states he obtained a certain number of spare parts but could not get a front axle for a Wolseley car. He says he was told he could get one at Gennevilliers, Paris, and he proceeded to Paris with the two NCOs. He arrived in Paris about 5.30pm but did not go to the MT Depot as he thought it was too late. He sent the two NCOs to the Hotel Leon, Boulevard Clichy, and went himself to the Hotel Douai, and later to the Moulin Rouge. At the latter place he saw the two NCOs with two women; they all came to Capt Baker�s box when he beckoned to the Co. Sergt-Major. Capt Baker gave the CSM orders that he would leave the car outside the hotel with directions as to where it was to be garaged. He himself went back to his hotel where he spent the night. The following morning he found that he had lost 3,000 francs from his bag, and although he searched for the money could not find it. He says that on discovering his loss he wrote at once to his brother in London asking him to send money to replace it. The car stood outside the Hotel Leon day and night from the 26th to the 28th February and the APM Paris brought this to the notice of the Director of Transport, GHQ. Capt Baker says that about 6pm on the 28th Feb. He was in the Cafe Triboullet with his Co Sergt-Major, having a drink, when he received a letter from the APM directing him to report himself to him at 10.30 the following day. Soon after receiving this letter the APM called in at the Cafe and asked Capt Baker why he had not been to the MT Depot for spare parts and Capt Baker replied that he had been drunk for one day.He reported himself at 10.30 the following morning with his CSM, was sent on to Abbeville where he reported himself at 7.30pm, and subsequently received orders to proceed to Hazebrouck to report himself. Capt Baker says the reason he did not leave the 3,000 francs, public money, behind him was because the officer let in temporary command of the company declined to be responsible for keeping it. A Board of Officers was assembled on the 5th of March and following days. They ascertained that there was a deficit in Capt Baker's Imprest Account of 3,449 francs 10 centimes. (which Capt baker subsequently paid in) and were of the opinion that Capt Baker: - (1) Absented himself from his unit without leave, (2) Proceeded to Rouen and Paris without sufficient cause, (3) Endangered by negligence the loss of a large sum of public money for which he was responsible (4) That he spent 3 1/2 days in Paris without going near the MT workshops or making any attempt to obtain the spare parts for which he originally went to Rouen (5) Showed great ignorance of the customs of the Service by taking the two NCOs from their unit and leaving them to do what they liked in Paris, (6) That his subsequent behaviour with them was improper. The Board found various discrepancies and irregularities in the Company accounts but these were afterwards reconciled. They were of the opinion that Capt Baker was absolutely ignorant of the duties of an OC a unit in maintaining discipline, and showed great negligence in the way in which he kept his Imprest Accounts and made payments therein, and that he was unfit to hold a commission - temporary or otherwise. They brought to notice that the loss of the money was brought to light by Capt Baker himself and his actions throughout might have been influenced through entire ignorance of the customs of the service; while his apparent familiarity with subordinates might be attributed to his previous training in America, of which country he apparently is a citizen. Capt Baker subsequently went to hospital where he stated that he was in the habit of giving himself 2 grains of morphia hypodermically daily, and of smoking 50 cigarettes a day. On examination he was found to be suffering from disordered action of the heart, and on examination of his arms ample evidence was found to justify his statement that he was in the habit of taking hypodermic injections. He was evacuated to the base and was discharged from hospital on the 18th March. The AG & QMG, GHQ decided to send Capt Baker to England with orders to report himself to the War Office as his services were no longer required with the British Army in the Field. The FM C in C does not consider Capt Baker fit to retain his commission. A.G.S 30/3/15 On the 28th of March 1915 Field Marshall Sir John French, Officer Commanding the British Expeditionary Force, wrote the following letter to the Secretary at the War Office:- "Sir I have the honour to forward correspondence in connection with Captain D.V. Baker ASC, who has been ordered to report to himself to you in writing, his services being no longer required in the field. I do not consider this officer is fit to retain his commission. I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant." Sir John French He was discharged from hospital on the 18th of March 1915. At 11am on the 6th of April 1915 he landed at Southampton on board the SS "Viper" and offered to resign his commission in a letter written to the Secretary at the War Office the same day. In it he wrote "such a step will enable me to enlist at the earliest opportunity." His resignation was accepted on the 25th of April 1915. He returned to France on the 20th of September 1915 where he worked as a volunteer chauffeur with the British Red Cross Society and on the 10th of May 1917 he boarded the SS "Karagola" at London to sail to Malta where he worked as an engineer. He was married to Marguerite Fuller (nee Hawkes) in 1918 and they had a daughter, Barbara Elizabeth, born in 1920; they lived at 34 North Street, Broadway in Worcestershire from where he ran a hand loom weaving business. He was a keen sportsman and played cricket, rugby and tennis for the Stratford-on-Avon and Shottery Clubs. He also acted as a referee in local boxing matches and was fond of art and drama. Following his wife's death on the 25th of December 1931, he was remarried at St Michael's Church, Broadway to Anne Frances (nee Hewer) in 1932. He died at the Fleece Hotel. Dyer Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire.

Went on to Britannia Naval Coll