Rifleman Eric Gordon Birch (1889-1914)

Service No: 8555

2nd Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps.

Eric Gordon Birch was born in Castle Bromwich in 1889 and baptised at St Mary & St Margaret Church on 7^th July of the same year. He was the youngest of eight children born to Thomas Birch and Clara Smallwood. At this time, his father’s occupation is recorded as a jeweller and the family is listed as living at the Beeches, Castle Bromwich.

Eric’s mother, Clara, died in 1898 and his father married Ampless Fox. By 1901 the couple had 4 sons of their own and Thomas’ occupation had changed to that of Foreign Stamp Importer. By 1911 Eric had enlisted with the army with the 1911 census showing the 21-year-old as a Lance Corporal with the 2nd Battalion, Kings Royal Rifles at Shorncliffe army camp, near Cheriton, Kent. It appears the 2nd Battalion returned to England from India in 1910, so it is possible that Eric Gordon Birch served with the battalion in India.

After war was declared on 4^th August 1914, Eric is known to have landed at Le Havre on the 13^th August as part of the British Expeditionary Force on route for Belgium. He, together with his rifle corps, was soon in engaged in action holding back the German advance towards Paris. The morning of 14^th September was wet and foggy, but Eric’s battalion had orders to cross the River Aisne and advance around the village of Cerny-en-Laonnoir. The advance was unsuccessful, the Germans having the geographical advantage. 2000 British men were lost that day, 321 men of Eric’s Battalion were dead, missing or wounded, one of whom was Eric who died of his wounds. He was 24 years of age.

All Eric’s four half-brothers are known to have also served in the military and to have survived the war. His father, Thomas, died in 1920 and his stepmother, Ampless, travelled on the Mauretania from Southampton to New York in 1922, aged 60. She died in the USA in 1928.