Lance Corporal R J Whittle
| Date of Birth | c.1896 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 22 |
| Date of Death | c.18/10/1918 |
| Service Number | D/18909 |
| Military Service | Scottish Horse Regiment |
| Merton Address | |
| Local Memorial |
Additional Information
Richard James Whittle was born in Wimbledon in 1896. He was the only son of Richard and Mary Whittle. His father was born in Kildare in Ireland c 1892. His mother Mary was also born in Ireland. In 1901 the family was living in Durnsford Road, Wimbledon and his father was working as a drain disinfector. Richard was then 4 and his older sister Jane was 7.
The family was still in Wimbledon at the time of the next census in 1911 and Richard was a schoolboy. He was 17 when WW1 broke out. At some point he enlisted in Kingston-upon-Thames into the Scottish Horse Yeomanry of the Household Cavalry and Cavalry of the Line. The date of his enlistment is not known but records show that he was in the 2/1st Scottish Horse Yeomanry which was formed as a Second-Line Regiment in September 1914. This was a volunteer territorial (home service) force for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas.
The battalion moved to Kettering, coming under orders of 2/1st Scottish Horse Mounted Brigade. Towards the end of 1915 it moved to Alford (Lincolnshire) and in July 1916 it converted to a cyclist unit. In late 1917 it moved to Fife and then, in April 1918, to Limerick in Ireland where it remained.
Lance Corporal Whittle’s service record has not been located but records show that at some point he contracted an illness from which he didn’t recover. He died in Tooting on 18th October 1918 at the age of 22. He is buried in the Wimbledon Gap Road Cemetery plot H, Row A4, Grave29.
The inscription on his gravestone reads R.I.P