Preedy, John Benjamin Knowlton
Born 12th June 1883. On leaving Dulwich he proceeded to King’s College and University College, London University and in 1909 took his M.A. degree with distinction in Classical Archæology. For a year he was on the staff of the County Grammar School, Melton Mowbray, and in 1911 became Secretary in the London University Extension Department. To the administration of Tutorial Classes in London he brought great energy of character, fine judgement and enthusiasm. Physically he was tireless, and he loved to visit the London Classes, and to help and encourage them in their work. When war broke out he joined the University of London Officers Training Corps, being gazetted and Lieutenant in November, 1914, and was given a post on the staff of the Corps. His services were afterwards utilized in training cadets at Lichfield. In June, 1915, he was promoted Lieutenant, and in July, 1917, he joined the 2nd Battalion London Regiment, going to the front in September. He was killed in action by the bursting of a shell in France during an advance at Poelcapelle on 26th October, 1917. He leaves a widow. Dulwich College
Biographical
| Surname(s) | Preedy |
|---|---|
| First name(s) | John Benjamin Knowlton |
| Date of birth | 12 June 1883 |
| Place of birth | Hampstead District |
| Family details | Son of Mrs Preedy of Highgate; husband of Florence A. (nee Nightingale) and father of John Robert Knowlton Preedy born 1918. |
| Previous education | Dulwich College (1895-1900) |
| College | King's College London and/or King's College London Hospital |
| Dept / course | Faculty of Arts, Classical Archæ ology |
| Qualifications | M.A. |
| Military unit | London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) 2nd Battn. |
| War / conflict | World War One (1914-1918) |
| Date of death | 26 October 1917 |
| Age at death | 34 |
| Rank at death | Lieutenant |
| Place of death | Poelcapelle |
| Cause of death | Killed in action. |
| Commemoration(s) | King's College Chapel; Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium |
| Notes | The Preedy memorial was founded by Mrs Preedy in 1922 in memory of her son, Lieut. John Benjamin Knowlton Preedy, M.A., who was formerly Secretary in the University Extension Department of the University of London, and who lost his life in 1917 in the Great War. A trust fund provides a sum of ten guineas annually which is expended on books on Archæology and Art, the subjects in which Lieutenant Preedy was particularly interested. This collection also includes a number of volumes from his own library, presented by Mrs Preedy in 1924. University of London Calendar 1926-1927. |
| Sources | King's College London Archives; Commonwealth War Graves Commission; Soldiers Died in the Great War |