Marlborough College Roll of Honour

Medal Index Card

Newcastle Journal Monday 10/07/1916

Morpeth Herald Friday 21/07/1916

Cambridge Roll of Honour page 184 Jesus College

Geoffrey Euan Sanderson was born on the 3rd April 1889 at Newcastle, the youngest son of William John Sanderson, an Alderman of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, of Eastfield Hall, Warkworth, Northumberland, and his wife Amy, daughter of Peter Wright, of Upper Clapton.

He was educated at Marlborough College and attended from January 1903 to Midsummer 1906. He attended from 1907, Jesus College at Cambridge and worked for a well known firm in the City of London.

On the outbreak of war he assisted in the recruitment and training of miners in Northumberland, until he joined a Public School Battalion. Early in 1915 he received a commission and was gazetted to the 9th Royal Irish Rifles.

On October the 1st, the Ulster Division was ordered to France, and when shortly afterwards, the new Machine Gun Corps was formed at the front, he became Adjutant of the 107th Company. He was constantly in the trenches for 9 months, until the beginning of the great push at the Southern end of the British line on the 1st July 1916. His Brigade attacked at 7.30 in the morning. About 3.30 in the afternoon the right flank was being bombed by the Germans, and his men had run short of bombs.

He seized a rifle from a man and called out to the men to charge. He rushed forward, leaned round and waved to the men and immediately afterwards fell dead.

Source: Marlborough Roll of Honour.

Rev.David Youngson has submitted the following:

Lieutenant Geoffrey Euen SANDERSON 9th Royal Rifles.107th Company Machine Gun Corps (Infantry)

He was the son of W.J. and Amy Sanderson, of Eastfield Hall, Warkworth, Northumberland. A Gentleman, he was Initiated into Isaac Newton Lodge, No 859, Province of Cambridge on the 29th October 1907 aged 18; Passed 26th November 1907 and Raised on the 4th February 1908, resigning on the 30th September 1912. He was a joining Member of Alnwick Lodge No 1167, Province of Northumberland on the 4th October 1911. He was killed in action on the 1st July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme and is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France, Pier and Face 5C and 12C. His name appears on a wall plaque in the Parish Church of St. Lawrence, Warkworth, Northumberland.

There are three different spellings of this second forename. Army records list him ‘Evan’; CWGC records list him as ‘Evian’ and the UGL Roll of Honour list ‘Euan’. He is not listed as a Casualty under Isaac Newton Lodge No 859.

Newcastle Journal Saturday, 15/07/1916:- The Death of Lieut E. Sanderson.

The King and Queen have sent the following telegram to Alderman and Mrs W. J. Sanderson of Eastfield Hall, Warkworth, expressing their sympathy at the death of their son Lieut Euan Sanderson, of a Brigade Machine [Gun] Company, who was killed in action on July 1- The King and Queen are deeply grieved to hear that you have lost another son in the service of his country. Their Majesties offer you their heartfelt sympathy in your fresh sorrow.

The following is an extract from a letter sent by Lieut-Colonel Crozier: It was our luck to have him detailed as Machine-gun Officer to accompany the Battalion in the advance, and magnificently he did his work. Captain Montgomery, who was closely in touch with your son all day, reports that both he and his party and gun were wiped out at about 4.15 pm, whilst gallantly holding an important point, and previous to this he had done an extraordinary amount of magnificent work, and had inflicted heavy loss on the enemy, and that his tactics throughout had been absolutely sound. He will be a great loss to the brigade in particular and the Army in general.

The Rev. John Knowles, chaplain, sent the appended letter: I have learned from the C.O. of his company and others who saw him that he died a most heroic death leading his men right up to the enemy's line in the face of the murderous fire. I have known your son intimately, since I joined the division in September last. I have always had the highest opinion of him as a man and officer. It was a pleasure to meet and converse with some one so broad minded, and with an intelligent grasp of many subjects. I shall miss him very much, and I deeply regret that such a promising life should have been cut of so soon. He is deeply lamented by all the officers and men, with both of whom he was a great favourite.

Deceased's brother, Captain Noel Sanderson was killed in Gallipoli on April 26th.

The Morpeth Herald, 21/07/1916 carried the identical report as above.

The Newcastle Journal Saturday, 22/07/1916 carried details about a Memorial service.

A memorial service in connection with the death in action of Lieut. Euan Sanderson, youngest son of Ald. W.J. Sanderson and Mrs Sanderson, will be held in Shilbottle Parish Church this afternoon.

Geoffrey Euan Sanderson is remembered at Warkworth on W16.06, and at Alnwick in A11.56 page 64, Newcastle on NUT059 as well as Jesmond on J1.02, J1.08 and Shilbottle on S18.04

He is the younger brother of Captain Philip Noel Sanderson, see Every Name A Story entry.

Geoffrey Euan Sanderson is also remembered at the The Stock Exchange in London.

Marlborough Roll of Honour
Warkworth War Memorial
The CWGC entry for Lieutenant Sanderson