Some WWI Medals of Captain R. C. Bentley, 2 Yorks Regt

[leigh kitchen]

Unexpectedly given to me about an hour ago,

R. C. Bentley, 2nd Lieutenant on The Star, Captain on The BWM.

The badge is unhallmarked (I think) white metal that appears to be silver, the 3 blade fittings being broken off & missing.

A VM was with the grouping but is named to a Gunner Stewart, R.A.

Edited December 14, 2010 by leigh kitchen

[leigh kitchen]

A quick check shows that there was a Captain Ronald Cameron of 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment who qualified for The 1924-15 Star, entering Theatre of War "1" (France) on 1/1/1915.

In 1920 he appears to have been living in Yorkshire in 1920, when he applied for his Star, & in Sunderland in 1921.

I'm having trouble with this entry on the back of the MIC & don't know if I'm reading it correctly - "Capt R. C. Bentley enquiries verification of service & medals of certain men of the 24th, 40th, & 41st Regiments of 25.7.26 22976/A.G. 10".

The 24th Foot became The South Wales Borderers, The 40th The South Lancs & The 41st The Welsh Regiment.

I must be reading this entry on the MIC wrong.

A photograph in the Outpost Office of the 2nd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment (the Green Howards) in Trnity Church, Richmond shows 26 officers.

Of the 26 officers photographed in October 1914, 10 were dead by the end of the year - Bentley landed in France to join the battalion on 1st January 1915.

3 more of the officers in the photo were killed subsequently, 10 wounded and/or taken prisoner, & only 3 appear to have survived the War unscathed.

Edited December 14, 2010 by leigh kitchen

[leigh kitchen]

UK Army Roll of Honour Shows:

Name: Ronald Bentley

Given Initials: R C

Rank: Captain

Death Date: 25 Aug 1941

Number: 46814

Birth Place: York

Residence: Yorkshire

Regiment at Enlistment: Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales' Own Yorkshire Regiment)

Branch at Enlistment: Infantry

Theatre of War: India

Regiment at Death: Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales' Own Yorkshire Regiment)

Branch at Death: Infantry

[leigh kitchen]

And sure enough, The Commonwealth War Graves Commision has:

Name: BENTLEY, RONALD CAMERON

Initials: R C

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Captain

Regiment/Service: Green Howards (Yorkshire Regiment)

Unit Text: 2nd Bn.

Age: 49

Date of Death: 25/08/1941

Service No: 46814

Additional information: Son of William Bentley, formerly Lord Mayor of York, and Ann Mary Bentley;

husband of Francisca P. Bentley. B.A.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: 1. E. 16.

Cemetery: MADRAS WAR CEMETERY, CHENNAI

[leigh kitchen]

MADRAS WAR CEMETERY, CHENNAI

Madras War Cemetery is about 5 kilometres from the airport and 14 kilometres from the central railway station. The GST Road (Great Southern Trunk Road) leads from the airport past Trident Hotel to Kathipara roundabout. The way is via Mount Poonamall Road, passing at the foot of St. Thomas Mount. The cemetery can easily be located on the right hand side of the road 1 kilometre from St. Thomas Mount. From Madras Central Railway Station the route is up Mount Road (Anna Salai) and over the bridge which crosses the River Cooum. The route passes St. Mary's Cemetery on Pallawan Road and is via LIC building (Life Insurance Corporation Building) situated on Mount Road, which leads to Anna Flyover and to Kathipara Junction.

MADRAS WAR CEMETERY was created to receive Second World War graves from many civil and cantonment cemeteries in the south and east of India where their permanent maintenance could not be assured. The cemetery contains 856 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War. The MADRAS 1914-1918 MEMORIAL is situated at the rear of the cemetery. It bears the names of more than 1,000 servicemen who died during the First World War who lie in many civil and cantonment cemeteries in various parts of India where it is not possible to maintain their graves in perpetuity.

No. of Identified Casualties: 860

Edited December 14, 2010 by leigh kitchen

[Mervyn Mitton]

A very nice pair, Leigh. Officer and KIA - and you have found some interesting background. Were there no WW2 medals ?

[leigh kitchen]

Yes Merv, there are some WWII, the usual War & Defence etc, a strip of ribbons including 39-445 Star, Africa (with 1st Army "1") & Italy Star ribbons, an Ipswich aluminium Coronation "souvenir" medal of 1902, officer's pips in cloth & metal, Pioneer Corps officer's OSD cap badge & collar dogs, & of course the WWI VM to a gunner, so looks like the medals / ribbons of at least two, maybe three different men.

[Gunner 1]

Captain Ronald Cameron Bentley

Born on 2 July 1892, the son of William Bentley, JP and his wife, of Mansion House, York

Educated at Mill Hill School from Third Term, 1906 to July 1910 and at Queen's College, Cambridge (BA, 1915)

Served as a Lieutenant, PWO Yorks Regt in France during the Great War

Twice wounded.

The first and fourth references below indicate that he was a prisoner of war during the Great War but their is no RC Bentley listed in the fifth reference. There is though a Lieutenant of the Yorkshire Regiment listed in the fifth source (below) as Lieut. A C Bentley which I am rather sure is him. If so, he was take prisoner on 26 September 1915 and repatriated on 6 January 1919.

Prior to World War II he lived at Muron, The Ball, Minehead, Somerset

Served as a Captain in the Green Howards and died while on active service at Bangalore, India on 25 August 1941.

His brother, Lieutenant Clarence Leslie Bentley of the Manchester Regiment was killed in action of 28 October 1914

The photo of Captain Ronald Cameron Bentley is from the third mentioned source.

Sources: Book of Remembrance and War Record of Mill Hill School 1914-1919; The Register of Mill Hill School, London 1807-1926; The Book of Remembrance and War Record of Mill Hill School, 1939-1945; The War List of the University of Cambridge 1914-1919; List of British Officers Taken Prisoner in the Various Theatres of War between August, 1914 and November 1918.

Regards. Gunner 1

[leigh kitchen]

Thank you, that's great - I'd come close to finding online WWI photos of Lt. Bentley, but could'nt quite get there.

I'd found that he was commemorated at a "Queen's College" from, of all sites, "football24/7.com", a very animated forum which for some reason had a post listing all of the college's WWII casualties.

Edited December 16, 2010 by leigh kitchen

[Liz]

Unexpectedly given to me about an hour ago,

R. C. Bentley, 2nd Lieutenant on The Star, Captain on The BWM.

The badge is unhallmarked (I think) white metal that appears to be silver, the 3 blade fittings being broken off & missing.

A VM was with the grouping but is named to a Gunner Stewart, R.A.

[Liz]

I am currently working in India and came across your information, as Captain Ronald Cameron Bentley was my grandfather, whilst searching on Google to find his burial place in India to visit. The medals you mention were unfortunately stolen from my home near Lymington, Hampshire, in 1996. I have lots of photos of him and also my son researched all the WW1 information on his brother, Clarence Bentley, for a GSCE history project - we still have his medals. Your information is correct!