Captain William Charles Rait Kerr

Regiment: Royal Field Artillery
Date published: 30/07/1915
Killed in action: Yes
Date of death: 10/11/1914
Cemetery: Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France
Information: Captain William Charles Rait Kerr D.S.O., R.F.A., eldest son of Sylvester Rait Kerr, was born at Rathmoyle, Edenderry, King's County, on August 6th, 1886. He was educated at Arnold House, Llanddulas Rugby School, and the R.M. Academy, Woolwich. He was gazetted Second Lieutenant on July 28th, 1907, and First Lieutenant on July 10th, 1910. On August 16th, 1914, he went to the front, and was through the retreat from Mons, fought on the Marne and on the Aisne and at Ypres. On the morning of November 10th, 1914, he was killed by a German sniper at Veldhoek, four miles east of Ypres, while in command of an advanced gun, having just gained the D.S.O. for “gallant conduct in bringing up a gun to within 250 yards of the enemy in a wood and blowing down a house in which the enemy were working a machine gun”. Captain Rait Kerr had passed most of his service in Ireland, and had hunted with the Kildare, Westmeath and Tipperary hounds.