ELY

Percy

Private G/3772, 1st Battalion, The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment). Formerly Private 4506 Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). Died 15th July 1916. Born East Sutton. Enlisted Maidstone. Commemorated on the Thiepval memorial, Somme, France.

ELY

Roger

[Recorded by The CWGC as ELEY] Private G/16706, 6th Battalion, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). Died 3rd May 1917. Born East Sutton. Enlisted Maidstone. Resided Maidstone. Commemorated on the Arras memorial, Pas de Calais, France. Panel reference - Bay 7.

FILMER, MC

(Sir) Robert Marcus

[Sir R.M Filmer – Baronet] Captain, (10th Baronet). 4th Battalion, Grenadier Guards. Died 27th January 1916 aged 37 years. Son of Sir Edmund Filmer (9th Baronet) and The Rt Hon Lady Filmer of East Sutton Park, East Sutton, Maidstone, Kent. Buried Merville Communal Cemetery, Somme, France. Grave reference - VII.A.4.

GILBERT

Leonard

Private G/5440, 8th Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Died 7th February 1916 aged 25 years. Born Wantage, Berkshire. Enlisted Maidstone. Resided Wantage. Son of John and Mary Gilbert of 54 Mill Street, Wantage, Berkshire. Buried Menin Road South Military Cemetery, Ieper, Belgium. Grave reference - I.F.1.

GOLDSMITH

Benjamin (Ben) [Horace]

Sergeant T/2178, Kent Composite Battalion. Formerly 2/5th Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Died Gallipoli, Turkey 20th September 1915. Age 28. Enlisted Ashford. Resided Ulcombe, Maidstone. Brother of Mr G W Goldsmith of 3 Edinburgh Villas, Barming Heath, Maidstone. Buried Lala Baba Cemetery, Turkey. Grave II.B.2.

Soldiers Died Great War lists Ben as 5th Buffs. The 5th battalion never went to Gallipoli as a unit. It seems more likely that Ben was serving with the Kent Composite Battalion at the time of his death. He probably served in the 2/5th Buffs before this. The Kent Composite Battalion was a very unusual unit formed from various second line territorial force Buffs and Royal West Kent companies. The Kent Composite Battalion was later re-formed into the 2/4th Battalion, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) and served in the Egypt and Palestine theatres.

HEATH

Charles Frank

Private G/4919, 1st Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Died 17th May 1916 aged 24 years. Born Horsmonden, Kent. Enlisted Faversham. Resided Shoreham, Sussex. Son of Richard Thomas and Emily Heath of Darentside Lodge, Shoreham, Kent. Buried Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Poperinghe, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Grave reference - VI.D.40.

KILLICK

William

Private G/15455, 12th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment (R.S.R). Died 17th October 1916. Born Hartfield, Sussex. Enlisted Maidstone. Buried Mill Road Cemetery, Thiepval, Somme, France. Grave reference - XIX.D.7.

KING

Douglas Alfred

Private G/23092, 4th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment (R.S.R). Died 4th September 1918 aged 18 years. Born East Sutton. Enlisted Maidstone. Son of Mrs L King of Friday Street, East Sutton, Maidstone, Kent. Buried La Clytte Military Cemetery, Heuvelland, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Grave reference - VI.C.5.

MACKELDEN

George S

[Recorded by the CWGC as MACHELDEN] Private TF/996, 5th Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Died 17th July 1916 aged 21 years. Born Yalding, Maidstone. Enlisted Sutton Valence. Resided East Sutton. Son of Mr E.I Mackelden of Workhouse Lane, East Sutton, Maidstone, Kent. Buried Amara War Cemetery, Iraq. Grave reference - IX.E.2.

MURRELL

Alfred James

Lance Corporal L/9743, 2nd Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Died 1st November 1915 aged 27 years. Born East Sutton. Enlisted Canterbury. Resided Ramsgate. Son of William James and Caroline Murrell of 33 Dane Park Road, Ramsgate, Kent. Buried St Sever Cemetery, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, France. Grave reference - A.14.13.

RUCK

Ernest Walter

Corporal G/24733, 6th Battalion, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). Died 21st November 1917 aged 40 years. Enlisted Sutton Valence. Resided Aylesford, Maidstone. Husband of Mabel Alice Ruck of 1 Hosier Lane, Newhythe, Larkfield, Maidstone, Kent. Served in the South African Campaign. Buried Tincourt New British Cemetery, Somme, France. Grave reference - II.E.20.

SMISSEN

William John

Leading Signalman 228472,. Royal Navy. HMS Calypso. Died 17th November 1917 aged 29 years. Son of Edward and E Smissen of East Sutton, Maidstone, Kent. Commemorated on the Chatham naval Memorial. Panel reference - 22.

STRANGWAYS-ROGERS

Arthur [Edward] Filmer

Second Lieutenant, 3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards. Formerly Private (G/28229) Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). Died 4th November 1918. Buried Villers-Pol Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord, France. Grave reference - G.2.

Arthur was probably related to the 10th Baronet Filmer (above).

TOWN

Charles Frederick

Private 69143, 9th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers. Formerly (SE/4165) Army Veterinary Corps (A.V.C). Died 27th April 1918. Born East Sutton. Enlisted Woolwich, London. Resided Tonbridge. Buried Mailly Wood Cemetery, Mailly-Maillet, Somme, France. Grave reference - II.H.7.

TOWN

Frederick

Private G/3945, 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment (R.S.R). Died 29th September 1915. Born East Sutton. Enlisted Marylebone, London. Commemorated on the Loos Memorial, Pas de Calais, France.

Not on the memorial but buried locally

There is a 10257 KING, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) buried within a few yards of the East Sutton civic war memorial. He is probably related to Douglas TOWN listed above. Unbelievably this man’s name was not placed on the nearby war memorial!!

KING

Ernest A

Private 10257 King. 9th Battalion, (Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment). Transferred as Private (459393) to 437th Agricultural Company, Labour Corps. Died 18th December 1918 aged 33 years. Husband of Rose Ellen King of Parsonage Farm, East Sutton, Maidstone, Kent. Buried East Sutton (SS Peter and Paul) Churchyard Extension.