Handley, Herbert Eustace
Dear Sir, With reference to your letter of the 13th inst. I am sending you a short account of the career of my brother, Herbert Eustace Handley- Born in 1892 he was first educated at Westville Road School, where he gained a Probationer's Scholarship and entered Latymer Upper School in 1907. He matriculated in 1911, and in the following year became a member of London Day Training College and King's College London. It was his intention to become a teacher, for which career he was peculiarly fitted.
He passed his Inter. B.A. in 1913 and was working for the Final which he would have taken last October. While at College he joined the O.T.C. and gained Certificate A. He was in Camp when war broke out, and immediately applied for a commission which was granted in September, 1914.
As 2nd Lieut. in the 23rd County of London Regiment he was in training at St. Albans and Luton. He proceeded to the front early in March and was killed on May24th-25th at Givenchy while taking part in the spring offensive.
The following extracts from the letter of the Captain of his Company describe how he met his death- "From various accounts I have had I gather that he led his platoon in the charge and safely reached the German trench. There he was slightly wounded, but nevertheless carried on and was in fact pushing forward down an enemy communication trench when he was fatally hit in the temple - whether by a bullet or a fragment of a bomb does not seem clear - and expired soon afterwards without regaining consciousness. His loss was very keenly felt by his men, who admired him for his great pluck and coolness, for Handley knew less of fear than any man I met out there - he seemed to really enjoy danger." "He was a conscientious officer and a very gallant soldier."
Yours faithfully
E.W. Handley.
P.S. - May I add that my brother gained the Barry prize for Divinity in the last year of his College career. King's College Review
Biographical
| Surname(s) | Handley |
|---|---|
| First name(s) | Herbert Eustace |
| Date of birth | 1892 |
| Family details | Son of Herbert and Mary Anne Handley, of 55 Percy Rd, Shepherd's Bush, London |
| Previous education | Westville Road School; Latymer Upper School |
| College | King's College London and/or King's College London Hospital |
| Dates at college | 1912 |
| Dept / course | Arts |
| Qualifications | Inter B.A. in 1913 |
| Military unit | 23rd City of London1st/23rd Bn. |
| War / conflict | World War One (1914-1918) |
| Campaigns | France and Flanders March to May 1915 |
| Date of death | 25 May 1915 |
| Age at death | 23 |
| Rank at death | Second Lieutenant |
| Place of death | Givenchy |
| Cause of death | Killed in action by a shot in the head while leading his platoon |
| Commemoration(s) | King's College Chapel; Le Touret Memorial |
| Sources | King's College London Archives; Commonwealth War Graves Commission; University of London O.T.C, 1914-1918 |
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