Captain Herbert Deedes

Captain Herbert Philip Deedes, 16th ( Service ) Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps. He was killed in action in France on 16th July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme, aged 34. He was the son of the Reverend Philip and Mrs Josephine Deedes of ” Aldwych “, Russell Avenue, St. Albans, Herts. and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Thiepval, Somme, France.  He fell in the attack on High Wood when the Battalion was in support of the 9th Battalion ( Glasgow Highlanders ) Highland Light Infantry. 11 Military Medals were awarded in this the Battalions first major action. 5 Officers and 77 Other Ranks were killed in this action. In April 1917 a Memorial Tablet was placed in Doddington Church where Captain Deedes had been a Church Warden. It was dedicated by the Hon. F. Lambton who had already lost a son in the War. ( see under Lambton ). He had had a keen interest in outdoor sports and played both hockey and cricket. His further interests included the Glendale Agricultural Society and the Glendale Workhouse. In 1906 he took on the tenancy of West Fenton farm and had for some time farmed Whitton Hill farm at Milfield, Wooler. The photographs show Allied troops during the Battle and the colour image shows a peaceful Somme landscape today.