Above photo origin mortonhallgc.co.uk

 

This is my paternal 5th cousin, 4 times removed, Reginald Baird Trotter. Reginald was the son of Sir Henry Trotter, Major-General and his wife, Dame Eva Gifford.

 

Edward was born on March 25,1872. 

 

I have been able to find very little about Reginald. I do know that he followed in his family business and enlisted in the military and attained the rank of Captain in the Cameron Highlanders.

 

Edward was educated at Eton and there is a memorial to him at Eton in honor of his ultimate sacrifice during World War I.

 

Edward was killed in action at Pas de Calais, France, on May 9, 1915 during the battle of Aubers Ridge. This battle went down in history as a disaster - no ground was won and no tactical advantage was gained. Over 200,000 casualties were registered on all sides of the conflict.

 

Like many thousands of other soldiers from the Great War, there is no known burial site for Edward. His name is listed on the Le Touret Memorial (photo below). For those of you that have not travelled to France and viewed the thousands of war graves from the Great War, and stood there looking at the countless headstones simply engraved "A Solider Of The Great War", it is a sight that puts all of these stories in perspective. 

 

Lest We Forget...