Ivan William Garnett was killed in action on this day in 1916
Ivan William Garnett was born 25 November 1892 in Harrogate. He was the elder son of Charles James Garnett, a well-to-do J.P., and Amy Gertrude Morison née Rawdon, daughter of Major-General Green Emmott Rawdon. In 1901, Ivan lived with his parents and younger brother, Eric, at 10, Chelsea Embankment Gardens in London.
Ivan was educated at Harrow and, later, at Magdalene College, Cambridge where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree.
He left college on the outbreak of war and joined the 6th Shropshire Light Infantry. On 3 October 1914, he was gazetted 2nd Lieutenant.
In July 1915, the 6th Battalion went to France and, in February 1916, were positioned in the Ypres Salient. On 11 February, the Battalion left Poperinghe for the front line trenches on the Comines Canal, relieving the 5th Battalion, KSLI.
The Battalion War Diary tells us that the relief took place under a barrage from the German trenches. During the night, as the relief was completed, the trenches were attacked by a German bombing raid which was beaten off, although the Germans took 40 prisoners with them.
The following afternoon, 12 February, some shelling continued and Germans with fixed bayonets were seen although, as the War Diary records, "they did not come over the parapet. Bay E28 was blown in, otherwise nothing very serious".
Despite reporting "nothing very serious", Ivan had been killed by a shell in his dug-out. He was 23 years old. He was buried near the Canal and is now in the White House Cemetery, St. Jean-Les-Ypres.
His Colonel wrote to Ivan's parents "Your son was killed whilst in a dug-out seeing to some of his wounded men. It must have been instantaneous. No-one was more gallant in my regiment. Loved by all, he was most popular; possessed of a most charming disposition, we feel his loss most keenly."
His Major wrote "We were waiting for news during a bombardment, and he was in a dug-out with some of the men when it was hit by big shells, and I believe the enemy got a set-back they did not expect; and if the price is big to us, yet the effort has done some good at any rate, and is not fruitless."
2nd Lieut. Ivan William Garnett, 6th (Service) Battalion, The King's (Shropshire Light Infantry)