Lt George Stacpoole was killed on this day in 1915
Lt George Guy Stacpoole, 1 Battalion Royal Irish Regiment was born in February 1892 at Albert Road, Sefton, Liverpool was the eldest son of Richard and Edith.
George’s parents had properties in Walton Street, Hans Place London and in County Clare, Ireland.
Educated at Eton and the RMC Sandhurst he was gazette to the Royal Irish Regiment in November 1911, joining the battalion Narisabad in January 1912.
Whilst in India he passed the Transport Course and was promoted to Lieutenant in August 1914. His recreations were polo, football, boxing and shooting.
He arrived from India with his battalion in October 1914 and left for France as part of the 27th Division in December 1914.
Lt Stacpoole was killed on 27 January 1915 in the trenches at St Eloi and was buried in the cemetery at Dickebusch.
His commanding officer wrote ‘I very much deplore his loss, as a gallant officer, fearless true and upright and popular with all ranks of his battalion’.
The war diary for the 1/Royal Irish Regiment for this day is highly detailed and also names – very unusually – three ‘other ranks’.
It seems that L/Cpl Patrick Shally (8564)...
“Volunteered to go out over the parapet of his trench (C9) and investigate what was reported to be a German Sap-head. He climbed over the parapet which at that position was high and stood up against the skyline. Almost immediately after he had left the trench some very bright flares went up so that he was plainly seen by the enemy who (?) opened fire at him. He was also fired on from another part of our own line. He came back safely with the information that the so called sap-head was an old communication trench now filled with water, that there was no wire in front of the German trenches to which he almost penetrated and the ground between their trenches and our own was very boggy and presented a serious obstacle to any advance."
On the same night number 10230 Pte A Nolan...
"Volunteered to go out from his trench (C10) and investigate a sap head which was about 25 yards from our trenches and about the same distance from the Germans main line of trenches. He crawled along up to the saphead where he looked over the parapet and saw some Germans working. He got back safely to his trench with that information and also reported that the ground in front of our trench was fairly easy to traverse. This man had previously been out to look for the sap=head but failed to find it the first time. He subsequently received a bullet through his cap."
"No 8680 Sgt H Leitch volunteered to go with him but by order of his platoon commander only went about half way to guide Pte Nolan back.
Incredibly, the war diary mentions more 'other ranks'...
"On the same night No 9779 Pte Merrigan of the same company and Pte Headland volunteered to go along the road running south from St Eloi to examine another sap-head. The former was selected and went about 50 paces down the road and observed a mound of earth on which ? were reported to be working. He returned with the information that the enemy was not then working at this point (though they had been doing so a short time previously). Pte Merrigan had to pass a wire entanglement on the road.
Casualties [at] 9am morning 27th – I offer killed shot through the head 1 man slightly wounded
Above: The St Eloi sector in 1915
Above: Medal Index Card, Lt George Stacpoole
Above: Dickebusch Old Military Cemetery
Above: Lt George Stacpoole