Major, Robert Hastings KENDLE
Aged 38
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Born in Romsey, Hampshire in 1877 (2nd qtr 2c:79) son of George Robert and KENDLE (née LONG)
1881 cenus... Aged 4, he was at Broadlands, Romsey Extra with his father George Robert KENDLE [30] Agent; his mother Lizzie [28] born Bulford, Wiltshire; brother Francis C [2], sister Evelyn Mary [8 months]. All except his mother born in Romsey 1891 census...Aged 14, he was at Steward's House, Broadlands, Romsey Extra with his father George Robert KENDLE [40] Steward and Agent; his mother Lizzie [38] born Bulford, Wiltshire; brothers Francis C [12], Edward J [9] and George H [6]; sisters Evelyn Mary [10] and Amy Elizabeth [7]. He was educated at Malvern House preparatory school, Shirley; Sherborne School; Weymouth College. 1901 census...He was in the Wiltshire Regiment, either in or on his way back from the South African War. His parents were still in Romsey with brother Edward (land agent's clerk), sisters Eveleyn and Amy. He married Lotta SCHRÖDER, in Brighton in 1904, later of "Lindfield", Avenue Road, Malvern 1911 census...Aged 34, Inspector of Board of Agriculture, he was at 14 Angel Hill, Bury St.Edmunds with his wife Lotta [40] born Rickmansworth and thier daughter Agnes Mary Rosamonde [3] born Wilton, Wiltshire. |
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He was second-in-command of the Territorial unit the 1/5th Suffolks and was killed in one of the most disastrous, badly conceived and organised actions on
the Gallipoli Peninsula. The advance, (made famous by the TV programme 'All The Kings Men' when the men of the Sandringham Company seemingly vanished),
involved the 5th Norfolks on the right, the 5th Hants in the centre and the 5th Suffolks on the left. The Suffolks lost an equivalent number of men as
the Norfolks but did not have the high profile links with the Royal Family. At 2 pm, on the 10th August the Battalion disembarked at Suvla Bay and the following day they occupied the Reserve Trenches. On the 12th the officers at Battalion Headquarters suspected an advance was in the offing, but only received orders when the Brigade Major stormed into the HQ demanding to know why the Suffolks were not advancing. Apparently a single memo had been circulated to the units of the line, but had never reached the Suffolks. The order to advance was given, but no objective was given, no relevant maps had been issued and there was to be no unit to the Suffolks left flank, leaving them 'in the air': i.e. open to fire from that quarter in addition to that from their front. From the outset the advance was problematic, within half an hour heavy rifle fire and shrapnel took its toll on the advancing troops. As they advanced, the support companies veered off to the right, and left the forward companies exposed to fire from the rear as well as from the left flank and the front. In addition, the forward companies had to move through fields of uncut corn which the Turks set fire to. One witness, H M Lawrence presumed it was at this juncture that the Commanding Officer (Lt-Col W M Armes TD) and the Second-in-Command (Major Kendle) were killed. By dusk the remnants of the Battalion made touch with units of the 10th Division and halted, but 11 officers and around 180 other ranks had been killed, wounded or were missing, and due to the lack of clean drinking water, about the same number were sick with dysentery.
also commemorated in Malvern, and in Romsey and at Sherborne School click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details |
