Cyril Martin Cassidy
Clerk in the Estate Duties office, Somerset House.
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
- Photographs
Cyril was born in 1893 in Ilford, the son of Thomas Cassidy, a bank clerk , and his wife Mary (nee Simmons). Cyril was one of five children.
He was educated at the Mercer School in London and then at King's College in London. On the 1911 Census , Cyril (18), a scholar, was living with his family at 6 Hawthorns, Regents Park Road, Finchley. The family later lived at Church End, Finchley.
During his time at King's College London (Faculty of Law), Cyril obtained, by open competition, a clerkship in the Estates Duty Office at Somerset House.
Cyril joined the Artists Rifles in October 1912 and volunteered for overseas service at the outbreak of the war. He left for France with the 1st Battalion on 27th October 1914.
After passing through the cadet school at Balilluel he was given a temporary commission in the 1st Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps on 23rd April 1915. Cyril was mortally wounded on the night of 15th/16th May during the advance near Richebourg L'Avou in the battle of Festubert; he was leading his platoon over the rampart of a German trench. Cyril died in the field hospital at Bethune the following night (17 May). He was buried in Bethune Town Cemetery, France (grave ref. II. H. 9).
History of Bethune Town Cemetery (extract): the town of Bethune is 29lm from Arras. 'For much of the First World War, Bethune was comparatively free from bombardment and remained an important railway and hospital centre, as well as a corps and divisional headquarters. The 33rd Casualty Clearing Station was in the town until December 1917. Early in 1918, Bethune began to suffer from constant shell fire and in April 1918, German forces reached Locon, five kilometres to the north. The bombardment of 21 May did great damage to the town and it was not till October that pressure from the Germans was relaxed.' (www.cwgc.org)
CWGC additional information: 'Son of the late Thomas Cassidy, of Church End, Finchley, London.'
The London Estate Duty memorial was moved to HMRC Fitzroy House, Nottingham, when the office was re-located from Minford House, London (use link to the memorial for further information).
Cyril Martin Cassidy is also commemorated on the Kings College London WW1 memorial at the entrance to the College chapel:
'In the big advance on the night of May 15th-16th he was in the leading company of this battalion; the enemy did not hear the approach of our men until the barbed-wire defences were reached. He got through this all right but was mortally wounded in the act of leading his men over the parapet of the German trench. A brother officer writes: "he could not have fallen in a more glorious position. He showed rare pluck when badly hit and all day in the hot sun, waiting calmly for the stretcher bearers, and neither complained nor murmured. His C.O. states that he did very well while with his regiment and behaved gallantly." He died on the 18th in hospital at Bethune and was buried in the cemetery there ... A comrade who served with him in the Artists Rifles said of him: 'He had an extraordinary easy-going manner, always cheerful and ready to laugh if things went wrong. His heart was in the right place.' (kingscollections.org/warmemorials/kings-college/memorials/cassidy-cyril-martin)
Bethune Town Cemetery
Photo shows Bethune Town Cemetery where Cyril Martin Cassidy is buried.
Photo courtesy of CWGC