The Price of Freedom
News has been received that Pte Ernest William Rose, Wiltshire Regiment
was killed in action in Palestine on November 13th last. Deceased, who was
21 years of age, was the eldest son of Mr and Mrs Rose of 42 Tugela Road,
Chippenham. He joined the Wiltshire Territorials in September 1914 and
left England for India in October of that year, He remained in India till
the regiment was ordered to Egypt on active service. Mr Rose, the father
has received the following tribute to the life and character of his son.
British Red Cross Hospital
Gaza
Cairo
16 December 1917
Dear Mr Rose
I very much regret that illness in hospital has prevented me from
writing sooner to express my sincere sympathy in the loss of your son
Ernest William. He was as you no doubt have been officially informed,
killed in action on the 13th November near the villages of Kustineh and
Elmesmiyah and he is buried near the former village. He is a great loss to
our company, for he was popular and during the last 18 months, the period
I have been in command of B Company and knew him, he developed wonderfully
and was a fine, strong, well set up and reliable soldier. Latterly he has
been Mr Glendening’s batman: I choose him at Kirkee, when Mr Glendening
came to the regiment, for this work because I considered him a most
trustworthy and loyal fellow. In this work I came into contact with, as he
helped with our Company officers mess and we always got on excellently. Mr
Glendening was ill and did not come up to the trenches with us, so your
son returned to ordinary company work. Except that he acted as runner for
his platoon commander, work which he performed creditably. I may add that
I wanted to promote him when we were still in India as I considered he was
entitled to advancement but he preferred to remain a Private, much to my
regret.
We have indeed lost a splendid fellow and feel the deepest sympathy for
you in losing him who had been absent from home for so long and whom you
had not the opportunity of seeing since he had reached a full and
exceptionally fine manhood.
I am yours truly
Talbot EB Pye-Smith
Capt
Wilts Times 23 January 1918
In affectionate memory of my dear brother (Ern) Pte E Rose, Wiltshire
Regiment killed in action in Palestine on November 18th 1917.
Into the field of battle he bravely took his place,
And fought and died for England and the honour of the race.
He sleeps not in his native land but beneath a foreign sky,
Far from those who loved him, but in hero’s grave he lies.
Always remembered by his loving sister Daisy.
12 Factory Lane, Chippenham.
Wilts Times 16 November 1918