2nd Lieutenant Greville Cope STONEHAM
B Company, 1st Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment

Date of birth: 31st May 1895
Date of death: 14th November 1916

Killed in action aged 21
Buried at Munich Trench British Cemetery Row B Grave 34
Cope Stoneham was born at "Oakfield", Shortlands, Beckenham on the 31st of May 1895 the elder son of Henry Skyring Stoneham, a stock jobber and member of the Stock Exchange, and Annie Laura (nee Cope) Stoneham of Godstone Court, Godstone, later of "Liege", Sea Drive, Westgate-on-Sea in Kent.

He was educated by Mr A.M. Evanston of Chilverton for four years and at Lancing College where he was in Heads House from May 1911 to July 1912.

Following the outbreak of war he enlisted at 64 Victoria Street, Westminster as Private 933 in the 19th (Service) Battalion Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), University and Public Schools Corps. At a medical examination, which was held on the same day, it was recorded that he was six feet tall and that he weighed 171lbs. It was also noted that he had a dark complexion, hazel eyes and black hair. He later underwent an interview to establish his suitability as a candidate for the Royal Military College Sandhurst.

Letter dated the 21st of April 1915: -

Ref. Pte. G.C. Stoneham
"Dear Colonel,
We do not feel quite confident that he is "all there". His story of his past education seems to argue that he is not up to the mental standard of other boys his age and we would be grateful if you would pay particular attention to this point."
J.F. Dooner

A letter dated the same day was sent in reply: -

"Pte. Stoneham states he was very backward at school & was low down on leaving. He is very intelligent now and says his brain has developed since. It is a question whether he could pass the literary exam on leaving Sandhurst. Don't you require any educational standard from candidates?"

A letter in support of his application came from the Reverend Bowlby, Headmaster of Lancing College, which was dated the 8th of April 1915 stated:-

"Greville Stoneham was a pupil at Lancing College from May 1911 till July 1912 and had a good moral character throughout. He came to us after the ordinary age, and only left to take up a business life."

He applied for entry to Sandhurst on the 22nd of May 1915 and entered the College later that month. Having been successful in his leaving examinations he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Berkshire Regiment on the 26th of January 1916 and was posted to the 1st Battalion of his regiment.

On the 13th of November 1916 the 1st Battalion Berkshire Regiment was occupying a captured German trench known as "Vallade" Trench which had been recently captured during the ongoing Battle of the Ancre in the dying days of the battle of the Somme. They had taken part in other engagements during this phase of the battle and, as a result, there were only four hundred and fifty of them remaining to make the attack they were detailed for on the morning of the 14th. Their orders were to move forward to a position in front of their trench known as the "Green Line", from where they would advance on an eight hundred yard front in two waves.

At 1.15am on the morning of the 14th they began to move forward to the Green Line and at 5am they moved to the attack. Of the one hundred and fifty nine men who left the Green Line in the first wave of the attack one hundred and sixteen of them became casualties as they made their way across no man's land. This was due to machine gun fire and losses from British artillery which allegedly dropped short. Only fifteen to twenty men made it to the German front line and these were led by 2nd Lieutenants Stoneham and Astley. They forced their way through the German wire and into the trench where Stoneham and a few of his men were killed. Despite some success on the left of the line when the second wave came up the Berkshires made only small gains for the day.
Their casualties for this action were two officers killed, one wounded and two missing with twenty nine other ranks killed, one hundred and six wounded and sixty two missing; in all about half their strength. Greville Stoneham was among the missing.

His father received the following telegram dated the 23rd of November 1916: -

"Regret to inform you 2Lt G.C. Stoneham Royal Berkshire Regt. reported missing Nov 14th. This does not necessarily mean that he is wounded or killed. Any further news wired immediately received."

In order to establish what had happened to him a number of interviews were undertaken with members of his unit who were present during the attack.

Statement of Private 24407 Neale 1st Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment, taken on board the Hospital Ship "Stad Antwerpen" at Calais on the 5th of February 1917: -

"He was our platoon officer. I was about four off him at the time he got killed. He jumped into the German trench and as he did so three or four Germans came out of a dugout and killed him at once. We captured that lot."

Statement of Private 25075 Poole, B Company, 1st Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment, taken at No. 4 General Hospital, Etaples on the 4th of May 1917: -

"Pte. Birmingham was his orderly and I saw him and Birmingham, together during the attack as we were going along the side of the trench. Birmingham told me afterwards that he saw Mr. Stoneham killed. He reported sick almost immediately after the attack, and went to England. He has not rejoined. He was in B Coy."

His body was later recovered and buried on the 10th of July 1917 and he was officially declared as dead on the 16th of July 1917.

He is commemorated on the war memorial at Westgate-on-Sea on the Isle of Thanet in Kent.

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