Cecil John Core

Private, The Buffs/Royal Warwickshire

Cecil John Core was born 3 June 1897, the son of C.B Core a self employed builder. They lived firstly at 1 Commercial Place and then at 45 and possibly also 57 High Street, Dulwich Village. He first attended Dulwich Hamlet Junior School and then attended Alleyn's from September 1910 until July 1915 when he left to start work as a Junior Clerk in the London County and Westminster Bank. 

When he joined the war effort he joined as part of the Buffs Regiment. He served overseas on the Western Front and was involved in action in France and Flanders. In 1917, he was transferred to the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and received orders to report to Ypres.

The battalion Cecil was serving in was the 1/7th Bn, the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Between 4th and 7th October, 1917, 'The Warwicks' took part in the Battle of Broodseinde - one of a number of smaller actions which contributed to the campaign known as the 3rd Battle of Ypres - or Passchendaele as it is more commonly referred to.

Having suffered many casualties during the opening assault on their first objective, 'The Warwicks' secured both of their objectives and dug in to defend the positions, holding them for three days while repelling several counter attacks by German forces, who had also zeroed artillery onto their positions and were heavily shelling them.

It appears that on 7th October, whilst withdrawing to rear positions by the Yser Canal, close to Ypres, the unit was again heavily shelled and suffered a number of casualties. On the day that Cecil is officially recorded as missing, the men were being transported by lorries back to the rear lines. It is therefore likely that Cecil was killed, along with a number of other men in the heavy artillery barrage of the 7th and the presumption of his death, along with those other men, was only properly recorded the day after.

He is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial.

With thanks to John Waite, a relative of another soldier in the same battle, for this information.