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2nd Lieutenant Roger WILKINSON
4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment Date of birth: 13th February 1898 Date of death: 21st November 1916 Died of wounds aged 18 Buried at Etaples Military Cemetery Plot I Row A Grave 71
Roger Wilkinson was born on the 13th of February 1898 the only son of Richard Wilkinson and Margaret Wilkinson of 237 Knightsbridge, Kensington in London. He was educated at Lancing College where he was in Olds House from May 1911 to July 1914. He was a native of Wraysbury in Buckinghamshire. He was commissioned as a Temporary 2nd Lieutenant in the Bedfordshire Regiment on the 6th of March 1915 and was confirmed in his rank on the 24th of October. He was posted to the 4th Battalion of his regiment and embarked for France with them from Southampton on board the SS "Inventor" at 6.30pm on the 24th of July 1916, landing at Le Havre at 6am the following morning. On the 12th of November 1916 the 4th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment moved up to the front line for an attack the following day. At 2.30pm they marched from Varennes to the assembly trenches of “Bedford Street” and “Victoria Street” in the Beaucourt sector of the Somme. At 6.45am on the morning of the 13th of November they advanced in support of the lead battalions for an attack between the village of Beaumont Hamel and the right bank of the River Ancre. They advanced with the rest of the Brigade and as they neared the German front line they came under heavy fire from machine guns from a strongpoint between the German first and second lines which had been passed over by the lead battalion in the attack. They lost heavily, particularly among their officers and NCOs but continued to advance, crossing the enemy second line and pushing on to beyond Station Road. They were relieved that evening by which time they had suffered casualties of 8 officers killed, 1 died of wounds and 4 wounded including the Medical Officer. They also lost 48 other ranks killed, 9 died of wounds, 108 wounded and 16 missing. Roger Wilkinson was among the wounded and died nine days later. His Colonel wrote:- "During the time I commanded the regiment I can only speak in the very highest praise of him, he was invariably cheerful, absolutely fearless, being always the first to volunteer on any dangerous work. One scarcely met with such a fine and upright character, and everyone who served with him realises what a valuable officer the 4th Battalion has lost." His Company Commander wrote:- "I feel I cannot say enough about poor Roger-he was the life and soul of the mess-always full of fun and nothing ever seemed to worry him. Wherever we were or whatever we happened to be doing he always cheered us up and kept things going with his wonderful bright and unselfish nature. As an officer he was thought highly of by everyone in the regiment, and was quite the most reliable Subaltern any Company Commander could wish for. What worried him most was the possibility of not being allowed to take his platoon into action on the 13th, as I had just previously sent in his name as being under age. In fact he went to HQ, quite unknown to myself , and begged the C.O. to allow him to go. During the period we spent in the trenches he was invaluable to me, always working at something and continually asking to be allowed to take out patrols at night, in fact he seemed to have no idea of fear." Some sources including the school roll of honour give his date of death as the 23rd of November.

Olds House