Arthur Estcourt
Encyclopedia
Arthur Charles Sotheron Estcourt MC
(26 September 1893–18 August 1918) was a British
soldier of the First World War.
, Wiltshire
, and a nephew of George Sotheron-Estcourt, 1st Baron Estcourt
, Estcourt began his education at Mr C. E. F. Stanford's School, Rottingdean
, from where in 1907 he won a Fishmongers' Company
Open Scholarship of £
50 a year to Gresham's School
, Holt
, where he remained from 1907 to 1912. He then briefly attended Magdalene College, Cambridge
, between 1912 and 1913. In January, 1912, he had been awarded a Magdalene College mathematics scholarship worth £50 a year.
Estcourt's brother, Walter Bucknall Estcourt, served as an officer in the East Africa Corps.
on 17 November 1914, then as a temporary second lieutenant of the Wiltshire Regiment
and later of the Gloucestershire Regiment.
In September 1916 he was awarded the Military Cross
, the London Gazette
report reading:
He was promoted Acting Captain in the Trench Mortar Battery on 16 February 1917. He then became a Lieutenant (Observer) in the Royal Air Force
.
Twice wounded, he was killed in action on 8 August 1918.
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(26 September 1893–18 August 1918) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soldier of the First World War.
Early life
The son of the Reverend E. W. S. Estcourt, of SwindonSwindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, and a nephew of George Sotheron-Estcourt, 1st Baron Estcourt
George Sotheron-Estcourt, 1st Baron Estcourt
George Thomas John Sotheron-Estcourt, 1st Baron Estcourt , known as George Bucknall-Estcourt until 1876 and as George Sotheron-Estcourt from 1876 to 1903, was a British Conservative Party politician....
, Estcourt began his education at Mr C. E. F. Stanford's School, Rottingdean
Rottingdean
Rottingdean is a coastal village next to the town of Brighton and technically within the city of Brighton and Hove, in East Sussex, on the south coast of England...
, from where in 1907 he won a Fishmongers' Company
Worshipful Company of Fishmongers
The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers is one of the 108 Livery Companies of the City of London, being a guild of the sellers of fish and seafood in the City...
Open Scholarship of £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
50 a year to Gresham's School
Gresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
, Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
, where he remained from 1907 to 1912. He then briefly attended Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene...
, between 1912 and 1913. In January, 1912, he had been awarded a Magdalene College mathematics scholarship worth £50 a year.
Estcourt's brother, Walter Bucknall Estcourt, served as an officer in the East Africa Corps.
Military career
Estcourt was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the New ArmiesKitchener's Army
The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, Kitchener's Mob, was an all-volunteer army formed in the United Kingdom following the outbreak of hostilities in the First World War...
on 17 November 1914, then as a temporary second lieutenant of the Wiltshire Regiment
Wiltshire Regiment
The Wiltshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 62nd Regiment of Foot and the 99th Duke of Edinburgh's Regiment of Foot....
and later of the Gloucestershire Regiment.
In September 1916 he was awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
, the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
report reading:
He was promoted Acting Captain in the Trench Mortar Battery on 16 February 1917. He then became a Lieutenant (Observer) in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
.
Twice wounded, he was killed in action on 8 August 1918.