Captain Cecil Francis Henry Littleton 1st Battalion, attached 5th (Service) Battalion, The Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders Cecil Littleton was born at Yoxall on 12 September 1890 and was the fourth son of Rear-Admiral Hon. Algernon Charles Littleton R.N. and Lady Margaret Littleton, whose London address was 5 Warwick Square S.W.1. The Littleton family were significant landowners around Penkridge. Cecil was educated at Cheltenham College. On 21 October 1913, he married Brenda Hewitt. Two days after the outbreak of the war, Cecil enlisted in the 14th Battalion, The London Regiment (London Scottish) at their Drill Hall at 59 Buckingham Gate. He was later commissioned as a Second-Lieutenant in the 1st Battalion, The Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders before being posted to the 5th (Service) Battalion. During the Battle of Arras in 1917, Cecil Littleton was a Captain and in command of “B” Company of the 5th Camerons. On 3 May 1917, he led his company in an attack mounted by 9th (Scottish) Division on Greenland Hill, north-west of the village of Plouvain. The assault began at 3.45 a.m., an hour earlier than originally planned, and the attacking troops found it difficult to keep direction in the darkness. Taking heavy casualties, units became mixed up and the attack failed to take the objective. Captain Littleton was severely wounded in the action and was taken back to a Casualty Clearing Station at Aubigny, where he died three days later. He was buried by the men of “B” Company and an ornately painted cross was erected over his grave. Cecil Littleton is buried at Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension: Plot VI, Row G, Grave 1. His battlefield cross was sent home by the Imperial War Graves Commission in 1924 when a headstone was placed on his grave. The ornate cross, together with a brass plaque that records its return, is on display at St Michael’s Church in Penkridge. A memorial plaque to his memory is also in the church.
Posted on: Tue, 17 Sep 2013 13:00:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015