JEWITT, Dermod Patrick
2nd Lieutenant, Dermod Patrick JEWITT
Aged 21
The Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars (Worcester Yeomanry)
Killed in Action on 23rd April, 1916
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Born Exning Q1-1895 [Newmarket 3b:541] to James and Annie JEWITT (née THIRLWELL). His father, born Salford, Lancs in 1856, died Newmarket 1899, was the trainer
at Bedford Lodge and Machell Place, Newmarket, (one of the very few who have trained a Grand National winner and an Epsom Derby winner). 1901 census...at "The Beacon", Chevening, Kent were Dermod[6], born Newmarket..his widowed mother Annie [35], born Watergate, Sussex....sister Freda [15] born Newmarket, sister Olga [11], born Newmarket plus 6 servants. His elder brother Robert [13], born Newmarket, was a pupil at Quebec House School, Hastings. His eldest brother Reuben James Charles [16], born Newmarket, has not been found in this census, but he died in Australia in 1958 1911 census...Dermod was a student at Westminster College, Crowthorne, Berkshire. His mother, now Annie PECK was in Hunstanton with Dermod's sister Olga His mother re-married in 1901 in Sevenoaks, Kent, to Percy William Hesseltine PECK, the trainer at Harraton House, Exning. She died in 1912. In Dermod's will he left £5458/9/11 to Robert Jewitt (Underwriter) who was his elder brother. His Medal Index Card has no medal entries but he must have been entitled to Pip Squeak and Wilfred Dermod enlisted as a private in the Worcestershire Yeomanry on September 10th 1914, giving hs age as 20yrs 10 mths. He was 5' 10.25" (178.4 cm)tall, chest 34.5" to 37" (87.6 to 94 cm). He gave his next of kin as brother Robert JEWITT, of 93 Oxford & Cambridge Mansions, Hyde Park, London. (in 1919 at The Devonshire Club, St James' Street, London. His records refer to living at Bedford Cottage, Newmarket and being at Christs College, Cambridge. His commission was gazetted 1st March 1915. No records have been found of his travels as an officer other than that he was killed at or near the Suez Canal, and was originally buried just SW of Katia (Qatia?) Oasis. |
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The following is an extract of the activities of his unit at the time of his death:- The Regiment was sent to Egypt, where their casualties were replaced by fresh troops from England and they were sent to protect the eastern side of the Suez Canal. They dug wells and sent out patrols for reconnaissance to establish the location of the Turkish attack, being responsible for patrolling the whole of the Qatia water area. The small isolated garrison at Oghratine had been ordered to protect a party of engineers on a well-digging expedition, when at dawn on April 23, 1916, 3,000 Turkish troops, including a machine gun battery of 12 guns, attacked. The defending troops repulsed the first attack but were forced back by the weight of the onslaught. The defenders' only machine gun was put out of action early in the attack and all the gunners were killed or wounded. The victorious Turkish troops then advanced to reinforce the attack taking place against the small garrison at Qatia. Qatia fell to the Turkish forces with the loss of all of the Worcestershires officers except one. |
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