Rifleman Gordon Alexander High
| Date of Birth | c. 1893 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 23 |
| Date of Death | 8 August 1916 |
| Service Number | R/18152 |
| Military Service | 21st Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps |
| Merton Address | 108 Strathville Road, Earlsfield |
| Local Memorial | Rutlish School, Merton |
Additional Information
Gordon Alexander High was born in Gloucestershire in the first quarter of 1893. In 1901, by which time he was 8 years old, he was living in Walthamstow with father Alfred, an accountant’s clerk, his mother Louisa, three older brothers (Alfred, Stafford and Arthur), sister Mabel (10) and younger brothers Sydney (6)and Albert (4).
Gordon attended Rutlish School from 1906 to 1907 and became a provisons clerk after leaving. He was 18 at the time of the 1911 census and living at 108 Strathville Road, Southfields with his mother Louisa, sister Mabel (19) and brothers Sydney(16) and Albert (14). He was still working as a provisions clerk, Sydney was an insurance clerk and Albert was still at school.
Gordon married Beatrice Woods in Wandsworth in the second quarter of 1916. He enlisted in the 21st (Service) Battalion (Yeoman Rifles) which landed in France as part of the 124th Brigade in the 41st Division in May 1916. He was killed in action in ‘France and Flanders’ on 8th August 1916 and is buried at Essex Farm Cemetery, Boesinghe (Plot 3, Row B, Grave 42).
Essex Farm was the location of an Advanced Dressing Station (ADS) during the war and is now the site of a CWGC cemetery. There are 1,199 burials, only 102 of which are unidentified. This reflects the location of the cemetery near a dressing station, where casualties returned from action and hence identification was the norm.
Rifleman High is also commemorated on the Rutlish School memorial