King Edward’s School and the Great War

Memorial Roll of Honour 1914 - 1918

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Whitehouse, Herbert

Acting Major ▪ 3rd South Mids Brig, Royal Field Artillery, Territorial

Herbert Whitehouse, born on 13th May 1895, was admitted to King Edward’s School in January 1909, having previously attended Mr Hornby’s Preparatory School, Handsworth. He lived with his father, Philip, a bullion dealer, his mother, Clara, and eight of his nine siblings at 17, Church Lane, Handsworth. His brother, Eric, was also an Old Edwardian, serving with the Royal Field Artillery as a Gunner and surviving the war.

Herbert was in the Transitus class of the Modern School, studying a primarily scientific, rather than classical, curriculum. He placed in the lower quartile of his class, and his strongest subject was drawing, in which he came 14th out of 24. He won proxime (second prize) in gymnastics for his class, and was a member of the School Officer Training Corps.

Herbert obtained his commission in September 1914 as a Lieutenant with the 3rd South Midlands Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, Territorial Force, leaving for France in April 1915. He was made an Acting Major in June 1916 at the remarkably young age of twenty-two, for “special services rendered in the field”. Herbert died of “accidental injuries” on 23rd March 1918; unfortunately there are scant details as to the nature of these wounds. His body was recovered and is buried at Lebucquiere Communal Cemetery Extension. He left his estate of £469 to his father, Philip.