The Queens Own Royal West Kent R

The Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment

Second Lieutenant J B Freeman

Second Lieutenant John Bentley FREEMAN, 3rd Battalion attached 11th Battalion, Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment, killed in action, 20th September 1917, by a machine gun sniper, while leading his men in front of Tower Hamlets, at the Battle of Menin Road.

Born 20th January 1897, London, son of Reverend Herbert Bentley Freeman, (Vicar of Burton on Trent), by his wife Ida Gertrude, (daughter of Prebendary Cardwell, of St Paul's Cathedral.

Educated Waveney House, Burton on Trent; Merton House, Southwick and Marlborough College.

1911 Census - Marlborough College - John Freeman, pupil, age 14, student, born Soho Square, London.

Previously Private in Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, Service No.23119.

August 1916, obtained a Commission in the Special Reserve; temporarily attached to The Guards at Chelsea; served with the Expeditionary Force in France & Flanders from 23rd October 1916, being appointed Bombing Officer to his Battalion.

His Commanding Officer wrote: "I had not intended that he should go into action on the 20th inst., but at the very last moment, as all of the officers of one company had been wounded, and he was up helping me, I had to order him to go with this Company. I can see his face now, when I gave him the order. I think he was glad to have the chance to be in it. I saw him once more on the early morning of the 20th, gallantly leading his men in the attack, and am told he was shot in the head by a sniper. He was a very great favourite with us all, and I was much interested to watch him developing from a schoolboy into a fine manly soldier ... It may be some small consolation to you and his father in your great sorrow to know that your son always did his duty, and never complained from the day he joined me, to the day of his death." and his Adjutant: " Your son was popular with us all, that each one hesitated to send you details of his death. We went up the line into tunnels on the 19th, preparatory to making an attack on the following day. Just as the Battalion was moving out on the night of the 19th, one Company lost all its officers by shell fire and your son was detailed to lead this company. When on their final objective near Tower Hamlets he was shot by a sniper through the head. I was very friendly indeed with your son. I live in the same mess with him since he was made Bombing Officer, and although I have seen many officers come and go in the Battalion, I can honestly say I never felt the loss of anyone so much as of him. In the Headquarters Mess we all used to chaff your son, he was so young and boyish, but we all had a very deep affection for him. He was the best type of public schoolboy. The Colonel will be very upset as your son was, if I may say so, his favourite in the Battalion. The other officer in the Company your son was with when he was killed says he was magnificent right through the attack until he was shot, and if he lived he would have has a Military Cross."

Unmarried.

Commemorated at Tyne Cot Memorial, Panel 106 to 108., Belgium.

This page was last updated on 18-Apr-2020.