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Lieutenant
ELLIOTT DRYDEN CASE
Royal Engineers 

and 

2^nd Lieutenant
HARRY ERNEST CASE
Royal Engineers 

by 

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Edward De Santis, MSCE, PE, MinstRE
(August 2023) 

1.  INTRODUCTION 

            This is a sad tale.  It is a tale of two brothers who served as officers in the Royal Engineers Territorial Force during the Great War of 1914-1918.  They were killed in action approximately three weeks apart in France while serving in the same division.  One was 24 years old and had been in the Army for only 10 months and 17 days.  The other was only 19 years old and had been in the Army for 7 months and 17 days.  Both men were killed by snipers during a relatively quiet time at the front, not in a battle, but while inspecting trench works that their sections were working on.  Theirs is the story of just how vulnerable the lives of young officers on the Western Front were. 

            As both men served in Royal Engineers field companies in the same division during the war, their service essentially parallels each other with only some minor deviations.  In the discussion of their service to be presented herein, these minor deviations, as best as could be determined, will be pointed out.  The one thing that they had in common was the place of their death and the cemetery in which they were buried.    

2.  FAMILY INFORMATION AND EARLY LIFE

Family Information

            The men were the sons of Harry Ernest Case (1857-1898) and Sarah Isabella Case, née Elliott (1859-1921).   Elliott was born in Wood Green, Middlesex in April 1891.  Harry was born in Highbury, London in April 1896.[1]

Early Life

Elliott Dryden Case

            Little is known about Elliott’s life before he entered the Army.  It appears that he moved with his family from Wood Green to Tottenham, Middlesex and then to London where his brother was born.  Based on Elliott’s rise to the rank of Lieutenant prior to the war, it may be assumed that he served with a Territorial unit before being mobilized for the war.  It may also be assumed that he had educational qualifications, probably in some field of engineering, that enable him to gain a commission in the Army. 

Harry Ernest Case

            Harry was educated at the Royal Masonic School in Bushey, Hertfordshire, apparently entering the school in 1907.  From 1912 to December 1914 he was employed as a Civil Engineer by Messrs. Balfour and Sons in Newcastle-on-Tyne.[2]  Harry apparently studied engineering and may have worked for Balfour as an intern.  On 1 December 1914 he was admitted as a Student to the Institution of Civil Engineers, thus indicating that he was actively pursuing a degree in engineering.[3] 

3.  COMMISSIONING AND TRAINING

 Commissioning 

            Elliott was commissioned as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers Territorial Force on 11 September 1914.  He was posted to the 2^nd (The Newcastle) Northumbrian Field Company, Royal Engineers,[4] a field company of the 50^th (Northumbrian) Division.  The division’s Commander Royal Engineers (C.R.E.) was Lieutenant Colonel F.S. Crawford, V.C., R.E., who had been the Honorary Colonel of the Northumbrian Division Engineers, T.F. since 1907.[5]   

            The Northumbrian Division was formed in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force with units drawn from the north-east of England, notably Northumberland, Durham and the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire. The division was numbered as the 50th (Northumbrian) Division in 1915.[6]

            The Territorial Force (TF) was formed on 1 April 1908 following the enactment of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 which combined and re-organised the old Volunteer Force, the Honourable Artillery Company and the Yeomanry. On formation, the TF contained 14 infantry divisions and 14 mounted yeomanry brigades. One of the divisions was the Northumbrian Division.[7]

The divisions were intended to be replicas of the regular army divisions of approximately 18,000 men on mobilization including infantry, cavalry, artillery, engineer, medical, supply and signal units. The Northumbrian Division was typical, consisting of three infantry brigades, the 'Northumberland', 'York and Durham' and 'Durham Light Infantry (DLI)' Brigades. Each brigade was composed of four infantry battalions, descendants of the local Volunteer corps. In 1907 Lieutenant General Robert Baden-Powell was appointed to command the division; he held command from April 1908 to 1910. In peacetime, the divisional headquarters was at Richmond Castle in Richmond, North Yorkshire.  The Northumbrian Division Engineers headquarters was located at  Barras Bridge in Newcastle-on-Tyne.[8]

Figure 3. The Formation Sign of the 50^th Northumbrian Division.
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia) 

Elliott’s company headquarters was also located at Barras Bridge and his commanding officer was Major J.E. McPherson, R.E. (T.F.).[9]  One must assume that Elliott also had studied some form of engineering prior to entering the Army or he would not have received a direct commission in the R.E. (T.F.). 

            Harry enlisted as a Sapper in the R.E. Territorial Force, on 29 December 1914.  His Regimental Number was 1740.  He was commissioned in the 1^st (The Newcastle) Northumbrian Field Company, Royal Engineers[10] on 14 February 1915.  This company also formed part of the 50^th (Northumbrian) Division.  The company’s headquarters was also at Barras Bridge and the company had two majors assigned to it.  Major G.C. Pollard, D.S.O., R.E.[11] was the senior officer of the company but he may not have been the Officer Commanding.  His position may have been purely honorary.  Major J.W. Douglas, R.E. (T.F.) appears to have been the true Officer Commanding the company.[12] 

The short period between Harry’s enlistment and commissioning was probably due to the need for officers in the company and the fact that Harry had studied engineering before he enlisted.

Training 

            As far as training is concerned, both men appear to have studied engineering prior to joining the Army.  Their military training probably took place during the drills and annual training exercises of the Northumberland Division.  As they would be sent to France very soon after being commissioned, it is certain that they did not receive officer training at the School of Military Engineering at Chatham, Kent.           

4.  CAMPAIGN SERVICE

In early April 1915 the 50^th Division was warned that it would go on overseas service and entrainment beginning on 16 April.   Lieutenant Colonel J.E. McPherson replaced Lieutenant Colonel F.S. Crawford as the 50^th Division C.R.E. on this date as Crawford was not to deploy to the front.  By 23 April the Division had concentrated in the area of Steenvoorden (See Annex A for the division’s Order of Battle). It had arrived just as the German army had attacked at nearby Ypres, using poison gas for the first time, and was rushed into the battle.  The battle of Ypres lasted from 22 April to 25 May 1915 and the field companies of the 50^th Division were actively engaged in several actions that made up the overall Battle of Ypres. These actions included:[13] 

Gravenstafel: 22-23 April 1915 (1^st Northumbrian Field Company) 

On 22 April 1915 at about 1700 hours, the German 4^th  Army released 168 long tons of chlorine gas on a 4-mile front between the hamlets of Langemark and Gravenstafel on the Allied line held by French Territorial and Troupes coloniales (Moroccan and Algerian troops) of the French 45^th and 87^th Divisions. The French troops in the path of the gas cloud suffered 2,000–3,000 casualties, with 800 to 1,400 fatalities. Troops fled in all directions.  The men of the 1^st Northumbrian Field Company were in close proximity to this action, although 2^nd Lieutenant Harry Ernest Case was not with the company at this time.[14]  No fatalities were noted for the company during this action. 

Battle of St. Julien: 24 April – 4 May 1915 (1^st and 2^nd Northumbrian Field Companies). 

In the early stages of this battle, the separate brigades and even battalions were to come under command of other divisions, the 4^th,  5^th , 27^th and 28^th British divisions and the 1st Canadian Division. The brigades were committed piecemeal to the battle with the York and Durham brigade the first to come under fire at first light on 24 April, before moving into the General Headquarters (GHQ) line. Two battalions of the brigade (1/4^th Green Howards and 1/4^th East Yorkshire Regiment) were the first of the division to attack the Germans, attempting to take St Julien in the afternoon, but being beaten back and returning to Potijze in the dark. The Northumbrian and Durham Light Infantry brigades were moved up to Potijze that evening. The 6^th Durham Light Infantry was sent to the GHQ line, and the 8^th battalion began a long trek in the rain via Zonnebeke to relieve the 8^th Canadian battalion at Boetleer's Farm on the Gravenstafel ridge, arriving in the early hours of 25 April. 

The Northumbrian and York and Durham Brigades were to be the Corps reserve for an attack on St Julien on 25 April. Two battalions of the York and Durham Brigade (1/5^th Green Howards and 1/5^th Durham Light Infantry) and the four of the Northumbrian Brigade supported the attacks of the 10^th Brigade, but, due to poor communications and timing errors, gained little but casualties from artillery. The 8^th Durham Light Infantry. (with a company of Monmouths and one of the Middlesex Regiment) at Boetleer's Farm, suffered almost constant shelling throughout the day, some of it from the rear from the southern end of the salient, but held on to repulse a German attack in the evening. Early the next morning the exposed position, North of the Gravenstafel—Koorsaelaere road, was flanked and the battalion suffered from machine-gun fire in enfilade, and was forced to fall back by sections, even then stopping the German advance with rifle fire, reaching a more established line and the reinforcements that had been promised earlier, late in the day. The battalion was reduced to 146 officers and men. The 6^th and 7^th Durham Light Infantry were used to support the 85^th Brigade around Zevenkote and Zonnebeke, and were shelled throughout the day.  

The Northumberland Brigade was to suffer once more from poor communications on 26 April. Concentrated around Wieltje, the brigade was designated the reserve for the 1st Canadian Division. In the morning the 5^th Northumberland Fusiliers was ordered to reconnoiter and block a possible German attack from Fortuin, reaching the village, it came under artillery fire and dug in. At 1330 hours orders were received for the rest of the Brigade to attack St. Julien in cooperation with the Lahore Division and 10^th  Brigade, this was the first attack by a territorial brigade in the war. With only 35 minutes in which to prepare before the start of the attack, no artillery support was obtained and the routes through the wire of the GHQ line were unknown, as a result the troops were slow in leaving and presented targets for the Germans. On reaching the front line the 10^th Brigade could not be found, its orders had been changed. Advancing from here the 6th N.F. took some trenches the Germans had retired from the 4^th and 7^th battalions were unable to leave the front line. Under artillery fire the 6^th battalion dug in and withdrew during the night. The Northumberland Brigade lost 1,954 officers and men, over 2/3 of its strength, during the day.

The next few days were spent preparing the new line to which the allies were to fall back to, and alternately holding the front line, often reinforcing other units in company strength, all the while under fire. The infantry of this novice and unacclimatised division was withdrawn from the salient during the night of 2–3 May, having lost 3,764 men killed, wounded and missing since 24 April. On 5 May the 5^th  (Cumberland) Battalion of the Border Regiment joined the Northumbrian Brigade to reinforce it. 

Battle of Frezenberg: 8-13 May 1915 (1^st and 2^nd Northumbrian Field Companies). 

The next German attack, on the Frezenberg Ridge, began on 8 May and for the first time involved the division's artillery under the control of the other British Divisions in the area (the 4^th, 27^th and 28^th). The Howitzers firing from positions west and north of Ypres and the field guns from south of Potijze revealed the age and limitations of the 4.7-inch guns, and 15-pounders. The infantry would be used to provide working parties, with the Durham Light Infantry Brigade (6^th, 7^th and 9^th battalions) moving into the 2^nd line trenches on 11 May astride the Menin Road, and the 5^th Green Howards and the 5^th Durham Light Infantry being split into companies and attached to Regular battalions near Sanctuary and Hooge Woods. None of the infantry was involved in fighting. On 12 May the division HQ was informed that it was now to be known as the 50^th (Northumbrian) Division, and its infantry Brigades numbered as the 149^th, 150^th and 151^st, and artillery Brigades 250^th  251^st, 252^nd and 253^rd.  The artillery would remain attached to other divisions in action around Ypres until the end of the month.  

Battle of Bellewaarde: 24-25 May 1915 (1^st and 2^nd Northumbrian Field Companies). 

The infantry of the division continued its dispersed existence to the extent that some battalions were split into companies and attached to different battalions of other divisions in the line, even the division history admits difficulty in following them. The brigades of the division were used to reinforce the regular units in the line, (from north to south) the 149^th brigade with the 4^th Division around Verlorenhoek, the 151^st with the 28^th Division, west of Bellewaarde, and the 150^th with the Cavalry Corps near Bellewaarde lake and the Menin Road.

In the early morning of 24 May the Germans launched an intense artillery and gas attack on the British lines, even those units not in the front line suffered from the gas. In some areas of 4^th Division's line the German trenches were only 30 yards away, for example at Mouse Trap Farm, and surprise was gained, forcing the British back to reserve lines. Here the 5^th Borderers and 5^th Northumberland Fusiliers were very much distributed among 10^th and 12^th Brigades. The 5^th Northumberland Fusiliers lost 24 dead, 90 wounded and 170 missing, while the 5^th Borderers simply state in their history that they had heavy casualties to gas but difficulty in numbering them due to the dispersion. The trenches in the line held by 85^th Brigade (28^th Division) were in a poor state due to the weather, and here the Germans broke through the front line between the Potijze—Verlorenhoek road and the Ypres—Roulers railway. Two companies of the 9^th Durham Light Infantry, attached to the 2^nd East Surreys, found themselves of the north shoulder of the breakthrough, with two companies of the 7^th Durham Light Infantry, attached to the 3^rd Royal Fusiliers, on the southern, which was attacked again and forced back to rear lines. The 8^th Durham Light Infantry (now 275 of all ranks strong) was ordered to reinforce this southern section and close the gap and after being shelled moving up through the GHQ line, succeeded in surprising the Germans and rushing 200 yards of open ground without loss to do so.

Figure 4. Map of the 50^th Division’s First Battles Showing Gravenstafel, St. Julien and Frezenberg.

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia)

Although the division’s field companies did not take part in any significant actions following Bellewaarde, there still were casualties.  Following the Battle at Bellewaarde, the 50^th Division was sent to a “quiet sector” of the front.  In this “quiet sector” the 2^nd Northumbrian Field Company lost an officer.  2^nd Lieutenant George Minchin Hume was killed in action on 12 June 1915 and buried at Sanctuary Wood Hospital.[15] 

During 17 and 18 July the division closed in around Armentieres.  2^nd Lieutenant H.E. Case arrived in France on 21 July 1915 to join the 1^st Northumbrian Field Company, so he missed the actions described above.  Lieutenant E.D. Case’s Medal Index Card (M.I.C.) shows that he went to France, but it does not show the date of his arrival; however, it is likely that he arrived with the first contingent of the division on 23 April 1915.  If this was the case, then Elliott Case could have taken part in the Battles of St. Julien, Frezenberg and Bellewaarde with the 2^nd Northumbrian Field Company. 

On 27 July 1915, six days after Harry’s arrival in France, his brother was killed.  Elliott reportedly was killed by a sniper near Armentieres while his men were improving trenches in his sector. He had been at the front for only 3 months and 5 days.  Lieutenant Elliott Case was buried in Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery,  Section IX, Row C, Grave 8.  He was 24 years old.[16] 

On 14 August 1915 2^nd Lieutenant Harry Case was also killed by a sniper while his men were repairing the front-line trenches near Armentieres.  He had been at the front for only 25 days.  He was 19 years old.  Harry was also buried in Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery,  Section IX, Row C, Grave 4, only four graves away from his brother.[17]  Harry’s headstone is appropriately marked:[18] 

THEY WERE NOT DIVIDED IN THEIR DEATH 

            Neither brother was killed while actively engaged in a battle.  Their deaths clearly indicate the dangers presented by service in a trench warfare situation.  German snipers were very well trained in the early part of the war and they presented a serious danger to Allied soldiers, especially to officers and non-commissioned officers.  Artillery also presented a constant danger of injury or death. With their mission of constructing and repairing trenches, engineer soldiers were sometimes very visible to enemy observers.  If an officer or sergeant could be recognized supervising a trench repair detail, he became a prime target for the sniper.  This appears to be what happened to the Case brothers.

5. MEDALS, AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Both brothers were awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

Figure 6. The Medals Awarded to Elliott and Harry Case.
(Image from the author’s collection) 

Note: These are not the actual medals awarded to either of the Case brothers.  They are shown here for illustrative purposes only. 

Figure 7. The Medal Index Card of Lieutenant Elliott Dryden Case, R.E.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com) 

Figure 8. The Medal Index Card of 2^nd Lieutenant Harry Ernest Case, R.E.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com) 

            In addition to these medals, a family member was presented with a Memorial Plaque to commemorate the death of each brother killed in the war.  Each plaque is cast in bronze with the man’s name in the block just above the lion’s head.  

Figure 9. The Memorial Plaque.
(Image from the author’s collection)

Note: Like the medals, this is not an actual plaque awarded to either of the Case brothers.  It is shown here for illustrative purposes only. 

            Elliott Dryden Case’s medals were sent to Miss C.C. Case at a hotel in Whitley Bay, Northumberland on 25 February 1922.  Harry Ernest Case’s medals were sent to her at 30 Tynedale Avenue in Monkseaton, Northumberland on 27 March 1922.  The Case family trees do not include anyone by the name of C.C. Case, so her relationship to the brothers is not known.[19]

ANNEX A
The order of battle of the 50th (Northumbrian) Division[20]

REFERENCES: 

Army Lists 

1. Monthly Army List, November 1914, p. 829.

2. Monthly Army List, February 1915, p. 829.  

Family Tree 

Harry Ernest Case (by mpnlewis) 

Civil Documents 

Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, 1915. 

Imperial War Museum 

Lives of the First World War. 

Internet Web Sites 

1. The Long, Long Trail: 50^th (Northumbrian) Division.

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/50th-northumbrian-division/

2. Wikipedia: 50^th (Northumbrian) Division.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50th_(Northumbrian)_Division 

Military Documents 

Medal Index Cards 

Periodicals 

Battle Honours of the Royal Engineers.  The Royal Engineers Journal, Chatham, Kent, 1925-1932.

ENDNOTES: