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2nd Lieutenant John Haslope OLDHAM
3rd (Reserve) Battalion Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry attached to the 2nd Battalion King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Date of birth: 7th January 1891 Date of death: 18th April 1915 Killed in action aged 24 Buried at Oosttaverne Wood Cemetery Plot VIII Row J Grave 6
John Haslope Oldham was born at Hazelwood House, Southgate in Middlesex on the 7th of January 1891 the only son of Ernest Haslope Oldham JP, a Clerk to the Bank of England, and Alice (nee Baker) Oldham of “Oakfields”, Chudleigh in Devon. He was christened at Christ Church, Southgate on the 15th of February 1891. He was educated at Blatchington Place in Sussex and at Lancing College where he was in Seconds House from May 1905 to July 1909 and where he was a member of the Officer Training Corps. In 1907 he underwent a series of operations. He was a member of the Shooting VIII in 1908 and 1909 and was a member of the Shooting VIII which won the Oakley Cup and which was third for the Ashburton Shield in 1909. He went on to Hertford College, Oxford in 1909 where he served in the Officer Training Corps and graduated with a BA in July 1913. He obtained a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Special Reserve of Officers on the 16th of July 1913 and in September 1913 he accepted a position as a Junior Master at Summer Fields School at St Leonards-on-Sea. ollowing the outbreak of war he was mobilised, volunteered for overseas service, and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry on the 11th of August 1914. He was posted to Falmouth. He went to France on the 4th of January 1915 where he was attached to the 2nd Battalion, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. Later in January 1915 he applied for a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps but this was declined. On the morning of the 17th of April 1915 the 2nd Battalion, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry received orders to move forward from Reninghelst, where had been resting since the 11th of April, to Ypres in preparation for supporting an attack which had taken place that day on the enemy positions at Hill 60 in the Ypres salient. A series of six mines had been exploded under the hill at ten second intervals followed by an attack which had successfully captured the top of the hill, but by the evening, a strong German counterattack had recaptured the hill and the British had been driven off it. At 7am on the morning of the 18th of April 1915, the Yorkshire men advanced from Ypres where they relieved the 2nd Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, when it had moved forward nearer to the base of the hill. At 12.30pm, the Battalion moved forward to a larch wood near the hill where they came under heavy enemy shell fire though the afternoon. At 3pm, orders came through that the attack should resume and that Hill 60 should be taken “At all costs” and at 5pm they moved forward to reserve trenches about 80 yards behind the men of the Duke of Wellington’s, who had moved to the base of the hill in preparation for the attack. At 6pm the attack began, with two Companies of the Yorkshire Light Infantry rushing from their trenches, across the open ground and up the slope of the hill under a “hail” of machine gun and rifle fire. With only a short pause in their advance, they stormed the hill, and quickly closed with the enemy defenders who fell back down their communication trenches in panic. Those that stayed to fight were killed or captured and the enemy defences were quickly reversed in preparation for an expected counterattack. John Oldham had been hit by a bullet at the beginning of the attack but, ignoring his wound, he charged forward until he reached the top of the hill. While leading his platoon, he jumped onto the enemy parapet with a grenade in his hand, and started to run over the crest of the hill when he was hit by a German shell and killed instantly. The Battalion held onto their positions throughout the night, under shell fire from forty four enemy artillery batteries and from continuous infantry attacks until they were relieved at dawn on the 19th of April having suffered casualties of nine officers killed or died of wounds, with a further six wounded. Twenty five other ranks had also been killed, with one hundred and ninety wounded and ten missing. His father received the following telegram dated the 21st of April 1915: - "Deeply regret to inform you that Second Lieutenant H.H. Oldham Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry was killed on 18 April. Lord Kitchener expresses his sympathy. " His Colonel wrote:- “He behaved in a most gallant manner and will be a great loss to my battalion.” His Captain wrote:- “He was most capable and keen on his work and had done most awfully well all the time he had been out there. He was absolutely fearless, and he fell in the attack on Hill 60 leading his men forward. He was hit by a bullet early in the charge, but ignoring his wound, he went on to the top of the hill. He had just jumped up on the parapet and started to run over the crest of the hill when he was shot and killed instantly.“ The Summer Fields School magazine wrote:- “It came as a great shock to us all to read of the death of Lieutenant J.H. Oldham who fell at the head of his men at Hill 60. Mr. Oldham, who was educated at Lancing College and Hertford College Oxford, came to us as a master in September 1913 and during his 12 months stay endeared himself to everybody by his unaffected kindness, his energy and unselfishness. He was always ready to help the youngest boys, constantly improvising new indoor games for their benefit and just as keen as he could be on the outdoor games, and the work of the school. We little thought when we said goodbye to him at the end of last Summer Term that we should see him no more, but it was like him to be among the very first to volunteer for active service, without hesitation and without fuss. He was sent to the front in January and died fighting gallantly in early April. Only a few days before his death he had sent cheery messages to the boys, with snapshots taken in the trenches and numerous inquiries and good wishes for their welfare. His noble example and good influence here will long be remembered.” His mother applied for his medals on the 20th of September 1919. He is commemorated on the war memorial at Chudleigh.

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