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"…He always wanted to take on any exciting work and was always keen to go into No Man's Land on patrol…." Tribute paid by Captain G W Todd, 4th East Yorkshire Regiment, quoted in the Beverley Guardian 22 Jul 1916.
18 year old 2nd Lieutenant Donald Ashby was killed by a bomb explosion whilst on patrol at Kemmel on the evening of 17 Jul 1916 in the area of Armentieres, near Ypres, Belgium. He is buried in La Laiterie Military Cemetery in Belgium. He had only been in the army a short time, officially gazetted on 10 Aug 1915 and attached to the 1/4th Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment (part of 150th Brigade, 50th Division). He was attached to the machine gun section. At this time the Battle of the Somme was taking place further south in France and this sector was described as "quiet" by the official regimental historian, E Wryall, though as he notes, shelling, mortaring and sniping was going on as were regular patrols into no man's land with great risk of casualties being incurred.
Donald was born in Sculcoates, Hull in Jan 1898. His parents were Frederick James Ashby, and Harriet Anne Ashby Grassan of Hull. In 1901 they were living at 9 Dewsbury St, Sculcoates, his father's cycle making and repair business was at 43 Paragon St, Hull. The family later moved to Beverley living at 8 Willow Lane; the family business was at 33 North Bar Within.
Donald attended the Spencer Council School but then won a scholarship to Hymers College. When war broke out in 1914 he joined Hymers' Officer Training Corps and from there went into the army. The Beverley Guardian of 22 Jul notes that he intended becoming a teacher and that "he was a lad of fine physique, standing over 6 foot in his stockings." His commanding officer, N T Wilkinson, described him as "a very gallant officer"…who "showed extraordinary keenness and splendid courage under fire and to be a day out of the trenches for him was a bitter disappointment".
Along with his brother, 2nd Lt Maurice Grassam Ashby who was killed in action on 4 Jul 1918, he is remembered on the Hengate War Memorial, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour, the East Yorkshire Memorial in Beverley Minster and on a memorial window in the Wesleyan Chapel in Toll Gavel, Beverley.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |