Name
Roland Furlong
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
04/10/1916
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
G/10660
The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
7th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
MILL ROAD CEMETERY, THIEPVAL
XVI. B. 10.
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Sawbridgeworth Evangelical Congregational Church
Pre War
Roland was born in February 1891 in Sawbridgeworth
In the 1911 census, he is still in Sawbridgeworth and is described as a ‘Journeyman Butcher’. He lived at 11 Barkers Lane (Station Road) at some point.
He enlisted in Cricklewood, Middlesex while living there.
Wartime Service
He served with the 7th Battalion The Queens (Royal West Surrey) Regiment.
On the 28-29 September 1916, the Battalion attacked the Schwaben Redoubt as part of the Somme offensive. The Regimental diary shows casualties of 384 killed and wounded for this operation. After this, the Battalion was taken out of line and apart from 2 casualties on 1 October through a random shell, there were no other casualties noted until 26 October.
Roland’s death date is given as 4 October 1916. It is therefore possible that he died of wounds received earlier, presumably in the Schwaben Redoubt attack.
Roland Furlong is buried at Mill Road Cemetery, Thiepval, France, He was aged 25.
Additional Information
Roland was first buried elsewhere before being moved to the cemetery.
Acknowledgments
Jonty Wild, Douglas Coe
