We tell their stories: The first and final casualties of the First World War

This season of remembrance, we share some of the stories of Commonwealth soldiers who fell first and last on the battlefields of the First World War.

We Tell Their Stories

The First World War: the cost of victory

His Majesty King George V pays homage to temporary war graves during his visit to France and Belgium in November 1918 (© IWM Q 3432)

Over nearly four and a half years, across battlefields raging from tropical jungles, Middle Eastern deserts, African grasslands, the high seas and oceans, the world’s skies, and of course the battlefields of the Western Front, millions lost their lives.

Commonwealth War Graves commemorates over a million men and women from across the Commonwealth who died in the First World War. These include those who went missing, those who fell in combat, those who succumbed to disease, and accidents, and those who died of their wounds in military hospitals.

Those with Commission war graves or commemoration on a war memorial served across the military branches of the army, navy, and air force, as well as in support and medical posts, and the Merchant Navy.

When split by Commonwealth member nation, the total number of military personnel commemorated by Commonwealth War Graves is:

• United Kingdom – 838,439
• India – 74,051
• Canada – 65,003
• Australia – 62,337
• New Zealand – 18,070
• South Africa – 11,694

The signing of the Armistice on November 11 brought a halt to the fighting on the Western Front, but delays in communications meant the message didn’t reach other fronts until some two weeks later.

Since then, November 11 has become synonymous with the end of the Great War. Now, we all know it as the day we come together to remember and commemorate all those who fell in the First and Second World Wars, as well as all victims of conflicts past and present.

With that spirit, we’ve had a look at some of the stories of some of the first and last Commonwealth casualties of the First World War.

First and last casualties of the First World War

Private John Parr

Image: Headstone of Private John Parr in St Symphorien Military Cemetery  

Private John Parr is traditionally thought to be the first British Army casualty of the First World War.

John was born and raised in London. At the age of just 14, he joined the Middlesex Regiment in 1912, meaning John must have been one of the youngest soldiers in the British Army when war broke out in August 1914.

In typical soldierly fashion, his comrades gave him the nickname “Ole Parr”, reflecting his youth.

John was a member of the bicycle reconnaissance unit. It was his job to scout ahead on a bike to gather intelligence and find out the opposing Imperial German Army’s movements.

Come August, John’s battalion was in France with the British Expeditionary Force, taking up positions around the Northern French village of Bettinges.

There is some debate as to the actual cause of John’s death. Historians continue to debate the subject, but the most common account is John was sent forward to find a missing unit when he was cut down by German rifle fire on 21 August 1914.

John is buried at St Symphorien Military Cemetery, near Mons, Belgium.

Major Arthur Hughes-Onslow

Image: Major Arthur Hughes-Onslow (The Western Front Association)

While John is recognised as the British Army’s first combat casualty of the war, others died prior to reaching the Western Front, either due to accident, disease, or other means.

One tragic story is the case of Major Arthur Hughes-Onslow. 

Arthur had served in the bitter South African Wars of the early 1900s and was an exceptionally talented horseman. In fact, prior and between the wars, Arthur, nicknamed “Junks” was one of Britain’s top jockeys.

When war broke out in 1914, Arthur was recalled to the British Army as Remount Officer. It was his responsibility to find and make ready horses and mules for the war effort – essentially press-ganging horses for military use.

As such a renowned animal lover and having seen the trauma experienced by man and beast alike in the Boer War, this can’t have been easy for Arthur.

Arthur made his will on August 8 1914, four days after war was declared. Nine days later, Arthur set sail with his unit to join the BEF elements mustering in France.

Aboard the SS City of Edinburgh on 17 August 1914, Arthur tragically shot himself. He is buried at Ste. Marie Cemetery, Le Havre, France.

Private George Edwin Ellison

Image: Private George Edwin Ellison

Across from John Parr’s headstone in the tranquil St Symphorien Military Cemetery sits the headstone of Private George Edwin Ellison.

There’s nothing unusual about two British soldiers being buried opposite each other in a CWGC cemetery.

But what makes this grave placement unique is that, while John is accepted as the British Army’s first Great War casualty, George Ellison is traditionally identified as the last.

A Yorkshireman, George had served with the British army for a decade between 1902-1912. After marrying his wife Hannah, George left the military and took up work as a coal miner.

Come 1914, George was recalled, joining the 5th Irish Lancers.

At the front, George served in some of the war’s most infamous battles, including the Battle of Mons, the First Battle of Ypres, the Battle of Loos, and the Battle of Cambrai. Essentially, George’s experience took him to the British Army’s major flashpoints and campaigns.

Luck has a lot to do with survival in wartime. Despite surviving four years of trench warfare, George’s ran out at 9:30 am on November 11 when he was killed while on patrol around Mons, Belgium.

George was 40 years old at the time of his death.

Canada’s first combat casualties of World War One

Image: The HMS Good Hope. Although a Royal Navy vessel, four members of the Royal Canadian Navy were aboard when she sank in November 1914 (Wikimedia Commons)

The first Canadian combat casualties fighting under a Canadian banner came not on the battleground but at sea.

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) was established in May 1910, and Canada was keen to expand and enhance its naval prowess. In the buildup to the First World War, the newly created Royal Naval College of Canada was teeming with applicants and apprentices, including these four young men:

• Victor Hatheway
• Malcolm Cann
• William Palmer
• Arthur Silver

In 1913, all four graduated as from Canada’s first naval college class.

At the outbreak of the war, the RCN only had two ships, one of which was HMS Niobe. After training aboard Royal Navy vessels, the four young men returned to Canada in 1914 and were assigned to Niobe upon Canada’s declaration of war on Germany on 4 August 1914.

However, two weeks later, the Royal Navy armoured cruiser HMS Good Hope steamed in Halifax. Her arrival would change the course of the four Canadian Midshipmen’s lives.

Hatheway, Cann, Palmer and Silver were all taken aboard Good Hope as she set sail for South American waters. Good Hope was heading up a squadron to hunt down German vessels of the Kaiserliche Marine that were hunting merchant ships in the eastern Pacific.

On November 1, 1914, some 80 kilometres from the coast of Chile, Good Hope and the Royal Navy squadron was engaged by a German formation under the command of noted Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee.

The subsequent Battle of Coronel was one of the worst naval defeats for the Royal Navy for over a century. Good Hope and two other Royal Navy ships were sunk. 1,600 sailors lost their lives.

Victor, Malcolm, William, and Arthur all lost their lives when Good Hope sank with the loss of all souls.

Private George Lawrence Price

Image: George Lawrence Price: The Commonwealth's last combat casualty of the Great War (Wikimedia Commons)

George Lawrence Price of Falmouth, Nova Scotia, is not only Canada’s last First World War battlefield casualty, he is also the last Commonwealth casualty of the Western Front.

At 10.58 am, George was struck by a sniper’s bullet. He had been pushing into the village of Ville-sur-Haine, near Mons, Belgium, when the fatal action took place. Just two minutes later, the guns would fall silent across the Western Front.

Why was George pushing on? His unit had been told earlier in the day the Armistice would be signed. However, Canadian commander Sir Arthur Currie was keen to keep the pressure on. In his view, there was no guarantee the German troops on the front would actually surrender at the appointed hour.

On a personal level, George and his comrades had noticed potential firing holes in the masonry of a house across from their positions outside Ville-sur-Haine.

Taking it on himself to investigate, George went forward with fellow soldier Art Goodmurphy. Together, the pair went from house to house to find and neutralise any machine-gun nests.

In one dwelling, they came across a German machine-gun team. It opened fire on the Canadian patrol before retreating deeper into the village. Luckily, the brickwork shielded George and Art from harm.

George and Art pushed on but were warned to be on the lookout. Snipers were operating in Ville-sur-Mer.

And, as we know, George fell victim to one of these snipers.

Interestingly, in a strange quirk of fate, George is buried at St Symphorien Military Cemetery – close to John Parr and George Ellison.

Able Seaman William George Vincent Williams & Captain Brian Colden Antill Pockley

Image: William George Vincent Williams, Australia's first casualty of the First World War (Australian War Memorial)

Australia’s first combat casualties of the First World War came on 11 September 1914 – but not in a location you were probably expecting.

The nation fired its first shots not on the Western Front but in Papua New Guinea.

At the time of the war, Germany held parts of the island of New Guinea, called German New Guinea.

The military force there didn’t amount to much more than a few German officers commanding a local constabulary, but Australia’s security necessitated the capture and control of German possessions in the Pacific.

The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) was assembled, composed of 1,000 men enlisted in Sydney and 500 naval reservists. The navy boys would serve alongside their Royal Australian Army’s soldiers as infantry.

Amongst their number were Able Seaman William George Vincent Williams and Captain Brian Colden Antill Pockley.

William was 28 years old in September 1914. He was no stranger to navy life, going to sea as a boy, before becoming an Able Seaman aboard the steamer Westralla. Before the Great War, William had returned to land and worked as an electrician in Melbourne. He remained in the naval reserves and was called up again to join the AN&MEF.

According to a contemporary newspaper obituary, William was one of the best shots in his unit and was a “plucky, vigorous, and athletic man”.

Image: Captain Brian Pockley (Australian War Memorial)

Brian Pockley was working as a medical practitioner in Sydney when the AN&MEF was being formed. As a 24-year-old, Brian applied for a commission in the new force and was appointed Captain as the AN&MEF prepared to head for Guinea, serving in a medical capacity.

The AN&MEF Naval Brigade landed at Kabakaul, German New Guinea, on 11 September.

Pushing in land to capture a nearby important radio station, the Brigade came under fire. William Williams was struck in the stomach by sniper fire, earning the dubious distinction as Australia’s first casualty.

Captain Pockley went forward to tend to William. Brian then gave his Red Cross, symbolising he was a medical officer, to another naval serviceman, Stoker Kember, so Kember could wear it escorting William off the front line.

With his Red Cross now gone, Brian was soon just another target for German sniper fire. This proved to be the case. A short while after Kember and Williams were sent to the rear, Brian was hit and wounded.

William and Brian were both taken aboard HMAS Berrima where they both succumbed to their wounds, becoming the first Australian military personnel fighting under an Australian command to fall in the First World War.

Share your stories with For Evermore

This is only a handful of the first and last casualties of the Great War. More stories are out there, waiting to be told.

For Evermore: Stories of the Fallen is your place to share tales of the casualties in our care.

Help us build an archive of compelling, interesting, heart-breaking, or inspirational stories from the World Wars so that we may preserve the memories of our casualties forever.

Visit For Evermore today and upload your story.

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