John Bedward Royle
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John Bedward Royle was born in 1872, he was baptised on 10th October 1872 at St Johns Church at Chester and was the son of Thomas Richard Popplewell Royle and Emma Sarah Elizabeth Royle, née Myers of Hough Green House, ChesterHis father Thomas was born in 1819 in Chester he died in 1893 at Barrowdale, Cumberland, his mother Emma Sarah Elizabeth Myers 1844 at Leeds they were married on 23rd April 1863 at St Peters Church Leeds, they had the following children, Thomas Richard Popplewell b1864 Leeds, Emma Charlotte b1865 Great Boughton, Constance Henrietta b1866 Great Boughton, Sarah May b1868 Great Boughton, Agnes Mary n1870 Chester, Florence Celinia b1871 Chester, John Bedward b1872 Northwhich, William Collett b1875 Chester, Dorothea Tunber b1880 St Aspah and Frances Bessie b1883 at Chester John married Mary Louise Royle née Watt and lived at 2, Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone.His probate was proven on 14th March 1917 at London, it shows him as John Bedward Royle of Steep Orchard Brailes, Banbury, Oxfordshire died on 15th January 1917 at Salonica, his effects of £3,304 pounds and 6pence were left to his widow Mary Louise Royle.
Major John Bedward Royle was appointed 2nd Lieutenant in 1895 with the 2nd Earl of Chester’s Volunteer Battalion, and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1896 and Captain in May 1899.Overseas service was seen in the Boer War with the 3rd Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry, where he received the Queen’s South African Medal with ‘Cape Colony’, ‘Orange Free State’ and ‘Transvaal’ clasps, and the Jubilee Medal of 1897. He also received the King’s South African Medal with ‘1901’ and ‘1902’ clasps. Later he served with the Gold Coast Regiment in West Africa and in July 1904 was appointed Captain of the 4th South Wales Borderers Militia, and subsequently resigned his commission in June 1905.Recalled to the colours in September 1914, he was promoted to Major and put in charge of C Company. In November 1915 he sailed to Salonika to help the Serbs in their fight against the Germans, Austrians and Bulgarians.The Regimental diary records that on 15th January 1917, Major Royle, Captain H.L.Jarman MO to the Battalion, and Lieutenant Turner, RFA, were killed by the same shell at the door of the Officers’ Mess.He is buried at Karasouli Cemetery, Thessalonika Above information is courtesy of Chris Pate and the Cheshire roll of honour website.
His son John Popplewell became Major 1 Wing, Glider Pilot Regiment, who commanded "Force John", June 1944 in the Normandy landings, which consisted of some fifty glider pilots acting as infantry until such a time as they could be relieved and returned to England in preparation for further airborne operations. He was subsequently killed in the Arnhem Glider actions in September.
