Roll of Honour 2023

P AGE 35

W ORLD W AR O NE (1914 - 1918) INCLUDING THOSE WHO DIED LATER AS A RESULT OF THIS WAR

S T . E DWARD ’ S S CHOOL , O XFORD R OLL OF H ONOUR

Name BERNARD HENRY DRIVER (Major)

Lef SES 1904

Roll Number 1012 Died 04:10:1917

Set / House D

Arrive SES 1899

Where REUTEL, YPRES, FLANDERS Serving with 3RD, THE ROYAL WEST SURREYS

Age 31

Buried Hermies British Cemetery, Ypres, West Flanders, Belgium Remembered

Perth Cemetery (China Wall) Memorial, Leper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, The St. Edward’s School Chapel (Wooden Plaque) and the Cloisters Stone Memorial

Born Paddington, London 1886, the son of a well-known auctioneer of Pall Mall, London, who was also a Church Warden at St. Mary Magdalene at Paddington, London. During a distinguished SES career, Bernard Driver was a School Prefect, a member of the Rugby Football XV 1904 and a thespian of some merit. He was in the Upper Moderns Form. Between leaving School and The Great War, he farmed at Tamworth and Partney, Spilsbury (Lincs) and was married in 1911. He later had two children, a son (also an OSE) and a daughter. In 1914 he was at first rejected for service (reasons unknown) and instead joined the Inns of Court OTC and was finally gazetted into the Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment) in August 1915. By November he was in France, wounded in April and Mentioned in Dispatches in May 1916, then awarded the Military Cross (MC) in March 1917 ‘for able leadership and conspicuous gallantry’. He was promoted to Major and Acting C/O of the 2nd Battalion in September 1917. A month later he was killed in action during ‘a great battle and was eager to lead his men forward against the Hun. I cannot tell you what a high opinion I had of him, he died a glorious death fighting for his country in one of our greatest battles’ (His Commanding Officer).