Captain Hubert de Burgh RIORDAN
2nd Battalion, East Surrey Regiment

Date of birth: 27th May 1887
Date of death: 10th May 1915

Killed in action aged 27
Buried at Potijze Chateau Lawn Cemetery Row E Grave 30
He was born in Egypt on the 27th of May 1887 the only son of Colonel William Edward Riordan, Royal Army Medical Corps, and Annie (nee Clark, formerly McAllaster) of Dragon House, Petersfield in Hampshire.

He was educated at the Junior King's School from 1897 to 1899.

On leaving school he worked as the private secretary to a member of parliament in the House of Commons. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 4th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment (Militia) on the 4th of November 1905. He was promoted to Lieutenant on the 11th of November 1907 and resigned his commission on the 9th of November 1912 when he moved to Canada.

After spending some months in the Okanagan Valley, he purchased the Royal Stenographic School at Victoria in British Columbia.

Following the outbreak of war, he closed his business and returned to England where he rejoined his former regiment and was promoted to Captain on the 3rd of January 1915.

He joined the 2nd Battalion of his regiment in the field on the 30th of April 1915, arriving with a draft of 120 men and one other officer while the battalion was in billets at Verlorenhoek.

Early on the morning of the 8th of May 1915 the Germans attacked the British front line at Frezenburg and drove the centre brigade of the 28th Division back. The 2nd East Surreys along with the 2nd Battalion, Middlesex Regiment were ordered forward and at 11am they marched to Brigade Headquarters where they were ordered to assemble astride the Ypres to Zonnebeke road and to retake the lost front line. By 4pm they were fully deployed and the advance began. Machine gun and shell fire was very heavy and casualties were many. The battalion could not reach the old front line and were forced to take shelter in a trench west of Verlorenhoek held by a battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment. From here a further attack was ordered for the following day and this went off at 12.45am but they were driven back again by heavy rifle and machine gun fire. The battalion retired to the trench and that night (the 9th) they moved position to the north of the road and spent May the 10th there. During the morning, although the day was described as ?quiet? by the war diary, the enemy shelled the position heavily killing Captain Riordan and 17 other ranks.

A Canadian newspaper wrote of him: - "His cheery disposition made him many friends during his stay in British Columbia. He was possessed of undoubted literary ability and had he been spared a promising career lay before him."

Junior King's School

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