1915. For some time he was A.D.C. to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland,

and was appointed A.D.C. to the Governor-General of South Africa, but was unable to proceed with Lord Buxton to take up the appointment on account of the outbreak of the war. He went out to the Front on 12 Aug. 1914, being in command of the machine-gun section of his battn. He was with his battn. during the retreat from Mons and on the Aisne. Near Ypres, on 26 Oct., he received a bullet wound in the foot, and was sent home. Subsequently he was appointed Adjutant of the 6th (Reserve) battn. of his regt., which appointment he might have retained until the end of the war but for his own determination to go again to the Front. Early in May he was transferred as Adjutant to the 9th Battn., and on the 20th of that month he again proceeded to the Front. “20 May. Just off,” he wrote. “We shall be in France before you get this. I can’t understand myself. I expected when the time came I should be sorry to go. However, I slept like a top last night, no worries, so far no fears. Everything seems to me to be quite all in the day’s work. It’s odd when you think of it.” He was promoted Capt. on 18 May, though not gazetted until a few weeks later. Capt. Bourke was killed in the first action in which the 9th battn. was engaged, and within half a mile of the spot where he was wounded in October. The battn. was ordered forward and marched up a railway cutting in full view of a German observation balloon. Within a few minutes they were being heavily shelled, and one burst close to Capt. Bourke and his servant (Rifleman S. Chater), who were together; the latter was blown into the air, but neither was injured. Capt. Bourke turned back to see if his man was hurt, and they then made for some small dug-outs in the side of the cutting. Before they could take cover, however, another shell fell close to them, and Capt. Bourke was badly hit. Chater again escaped unhurt, though he afterwards suffered so severely from shock that he had to be invalided home. Chater ran off under heavy fire to fetch a doctor, and succeeded in bringing one back in a very few minutes, but only to find that Capt. Bourke was already dead. Chater remained with him for several hours in the hope of being able to bring his body in, but this was impossible. It was, however, recovered the next day, and he was buried in a cemetery close to Ypres, where a wooden cross, put up by his Colonel and some of his brother officers, marks his grave. Col. Chaplin (himself killed shortly afterwards), in writing to Capt. Bourke’s father, said: “I cannot express to you how very deeply we feel his loss. He was most conscientious and a very useful officer, and did his duty admirably. I fear his loss to the battn. and to myself is almost irreparable.” And Major Hope (2nd in command), in another letter said: “I should like to add that I myself only knew your son for about a month, but that was quite long enough to become devoted to him and to appreciate his sterling qualities both as a man and as a soldier. I believe it was the same throughout all ranks of the battn., to which his loss is indeed irreparable. I was in the same mess with him, and he was always so cheery and capable in any difficulty. Chater, his servant, is heart-broken, and has gone to hospital.” Capt. Eric Benson also wrote: “In the short time he was with us he did so much for the battn. and helped everyone. We all miss him more than I can say, both as a soldier and as a friend.” Like so many of the Bourke family, he was devoted to hunting. In regimental point-to-point races, too, he never missed a chance of a plucky ride for a place, and many will remember how well he was often carried by his charger “Maxim Gun.” The charm of his personality is vividly illustrated in the lifelike description of him written by a friend, and here quoted: “He was still a boy, though already in the Army and an A.D.C., when I first knew him, about four years before his death. He retained to the last day I saw him before he went out to the war for the second time the light-hearted look of amusement at life of a typical boy, and his open expression, curly brown hair, and big humorous brown eyes heightened this first impression, but as time went on and things were discussed with and before him and, incidentally, his own experience and plans, it was striking to see how often he summed up a question in a few words modestly and often lightly spoken. Then, when it came to decisions, whilst almost turning the laugh against himself, he was clear as to his own course of action, and this invariably included consideration for and loyalty to others. He seemed to see his way without question. His handsome, healthy face and figure and look of high spirits seemed to put up the temperature when he came into a room.” [Illustration: =Eustace G. W. Bourke.=] =BOURKE, JAMES PATRICK=, Private, No. 93, 1st Australian Light Horse, 2nd _s._ of James Bourke, Private Estate Steward, by his wife, Elizabeth, dau. of Hugh Wallis; _b._ Kilfrush, co. Limerick, 23 Nov. 1880; educ. National School, Hospital; went to Australia in June, 1907; enlisted after the outbreak of war and was killed in action at the Dardanelles, 26 June, 1915. He _m._ at Hospital, 10 Sept. 1905, Mary, eldest dau. of Loughlin Doran, of 26, Deyne Avenue, Rusholme, Manchester, and had a dau., Mary Elizabeth, _b._ 23 Nov. 1906. =BOURNE, ERNEST=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4221), 294840, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =BOURNS, CHARLES=, Lieut., 6th, attd. 4th, Battn. The Rifle Brigade, yr. _s._ of Charles Bourns, of Boley, Lichfield, formerly of West Hill, Oxted, Physician, by his wife, Florence, dau. of Edward Walker, of West Hill, Oxted, and Araluen, Eastbourne; _b._ West Hill, Oxted, 7 Aug. 1881; educ. Merchant Taylors’ School and St. John’s College, Oxford (M.A.), and was an Assistant Master at Repton when war was declared. Being a member of the Repton O.T.C., he obtained a commission as 2nd Lieut. in Oct. 1914, and was promoted Lieut. in the Rifle Brigade, 22 Jan. 1915. He was killed in action near Hooge, 25 May, 1915; _unm._ He was an Oxford (Rugby football) Blue in 1903. [Illustration: =Charles Bourns.=] =BOUTLE, SYDNEY=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 2047), 209405, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in the action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =PLEYDELL-BOUVERIE, JACOB EDWARD=, Lieut., King’s Royal Rifle Corps, only _s._ of the late Hon. Duncombe Pleydell-Bouverie, of Coleshill House, by his wife, Maria Eleanor (Coleshill House, Highworth, Wilts.), dau. of Sir Edward Hulse, 5th Bt., and grandson of Jacob, 4th Earl of Radnor; _b._ Sherburn Lodge, Watlington, co. Oxford, 12 July, 1887; educ. Evelyns, Uxbridge; St. Vincents, Eastbourne; Eton, and Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd Lieut. 4th Battn. King’s Royal Rifles, 8 Feb. 1908; joined his battn. at Colchester, and left with them for India in 1909. He was promoted Lieut. 23 Jan. 1911, returning to England the same year. On the outbreak of war, after some weeks at Sheerness, he went out with a draft on 30 Aug., arriving at St. Nazaire 1 Sept., 1914. He left there to join the 2nd Battn. in billets at Paynon, 20 Sept., and was posted to D Coy., taking command of 13 and 14 platoons. The battn. remained at or near Paynon till 18 Oct., when they were moved to Ypres. They were in the trenches from 22–24 Oct. when they returned to billets in Ypres. On 27 Oct. they went into reserve trenches in a wood just east of Hooge, and on 29th advanced to reinforce the 3rd Brigade at Gheluvelt. Lieut. Pleydell-Bouverie was hit 31 Oct. while ordering a counter attack, was carried to the rear under fire by Riflemen Taylor, Scott, Alcott and Quick, and from the field hospital was sent by train to Boulogne. He died early in the morning of 1 Nov. in No. 13 stationary hospital where he had been admitted a few hours before and was buried in the English cemetery there; _unm._ [Illustration: =J. E. Pleydell-Bouverie.=] =BOWDEN, ALBERT JOHN=, Leading Stoker (R.F.R., A. 890), 123326, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =BOWDEN, EDWARD RATCLIFFE=, Lieut., 6th Battn. Northumberland Fusiliers (T.F.), _s._ of Thomas Bowden, of Sheriff Mount, Gateshead Fell, co. Durham, J.P., head of the firm of Thomas Bowden, Sons & Nephew, of Newcastle-on-Tyne and Manchester, Chartered Accountants; _b._ 28 April, 1889; educ. Corchester Preparatory School, Sedbergh, and Pembroke College, Cambridge (B.A.), was a member of the O.T.C. at Cambridge, and received a commission in the Northumberland Fusiliers 1910, being promoted Lieut. 25 Dec. 1912. He died of wounds received in the action at Ypres, 28 April, 1915, and was buried at Abbeville; _unm._ [Illustration: =Edward Ratcliffe Bowden.=] =BOWELL, FREDERICK JAMES=, Leading Seaman (R.F.R., B. 2088), 162995, H.M.S. Hawke; lost in action in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; _m._ =BOWEN, CUTHBERT EDWARD LATIMER=, Assistant District Superintendent, East African Police, Lieut., attd. King’s African Rifles, elder _s._ of the Rev. Thomas James Bowen, Vicar of St. Nicholas, Bristol, by his wife, Susan Elvina, dau. of John Williams, of Ty-ar-y-Graig, Swansea; _b._ at All Saints’ Vicarage, Swansea, 23 Sept. 1881; educ. at Box Grove, Guildford, and Rugby. He joined the 3rd (Royal Surrey Militia) Battn. of the Queen’s during the Boer campaign, and did duty at Guildford depôt during the 1900 embodiment, and in South Africa. After the peace of Vereeniging he was gazetted into the Regular Army and posted to the 1st Battn. of the Queen’s, then stationed on the North-West Frontier of India. In 1904 he was transferred to the West India Regt., and served with the 1st Battn. in Jamaica under Col. A. R. Loscombe. In 1905 he was employed under the Colonial Office, and became an assistant superintendent of police in the East African Protectorate and was serving under Major W. F. S. Edwards, the Insp.-General, when war broke out. He was attached to the King’s African Rifles, and fell on 1 Dec. 1914, at Utendi, in the Nyanza Province. His body was recovered and brought to British territory and buried at Utendi. The following message was received from Col. Edward, D.S.O.: “Mr. Bowen’s loss not only to the Police Force but to a large number of personal friends, will be most severely felt. I deem it to be the wish of all that their condolences should be inseparable from the high tribute of praise of the commanding officer that Mr. Bowen evidently lost his life in a gallant attempt to capture Susuni Hill. Concerning myself, I feel that I have lost both a gallant and true friend.” He _m._ at Nairobi, British East Africa, 25 May, 1907, Alice May, dau. of (--) Swift, and had two daus.: Kathleen Elvina, _b._ 25 March, 1908; and Dorothy Starbuck, _b._ 25 Jan. 1911. [Illustration: =Cuthbert E. L. Bowen.=] =BOWEN, EDWARD=, Signaller (R.F.R., B. 2774), 230362, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in the action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =BOWEN, GEORGE FREDERICK=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 2434), 169906, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =BOWEN, HENRY=, Rifleman, No. 3265, B Coy., 21st Battn. (1st Surrey Rifles) The London Regt. (T.F.), 3rd _s._ of Charles Richard Bowen; _b._ Camberwell, 17 Nov. 1893; was a Clerk, but after the outbreak of war joined the Surrey Rifles, 25 Jan. 1915, and was killed at Festubert at 6 a.m., 9 May, following being shot through the temple by a sniper; _unm._ [Illustration: =Henry Bowen.=] =BOWERS, PERCIVAL CONWAY=, Private, No. 9664, 2nd Battn. Lincolnshire Regt., _s._ of the late John Bowers (who served 22 years in the Army with the Yorks and Lancs., and _d._ 25 Aug. 1915), by his wife, Ann (Queen Street, Frodingham, Scunthorpe, Lincs.), dau. of (..); _b._ Broughton, co. Lincoln, 13 June, 1895; enlisted 9 Dec. 1913, and was killed in action, being shot by a sniper, 21 Feb.