De Ruvigny Roll of Honour Vol 1 page 180
Harrow Roll of Honour Vol 2
Reginald Head was born on the 25th November 1885, at Hackwood, Hexham, the only son of John Oswald Head, of Hackwood, J.P., and his wife Dorothy, daughter of William Kirsopp.
Reginald was educated at Harrow and Sandhurst. While at Harrow he was in the Shooting VIII in 1900 and 1901, but was unable to shoot at Bisley in later years. He was gazetted a 2nd Lieutenant to the Border Regiment on the 24th January 1906, then promoted to Lieutenant 13th April 1909 and finally promoted Captain 20th December 1914.
He married at St Ambrose Church, Bournemouth on the 5th August 1914, Agnes Margaret, (Sedaw, West Cliff Road, Bournemouth), youngest daughter of the late William Naunton Waller, of Bealings, Suffolk. They had a daughter Margaret Dorothy Pamela born 21st March 1915.
He served with his regiment both in India and Burma. When war broke out, he was in Maymyo in Burma with his regiment. they returned to Rugby in the UK, and afterwards being sent to the Dardanelles.
Reginald took part in the landings at the Dardanelles on the 25th and 26th April. He was killed on action near Krithia on the 28th April 1915.
The War Diary for the 1st Battalion, Border Regiment does detail what happened to him. Captain Head was in 'A' Company. The 1st Battalion of the Border Regiment were embarked at Avonmouth on the 17th March on two ships. The Andania and the Duke of Edinburgh.
History of the Border Regiment records:- The 1st Battalion The Border Regiment and the Royal Irish Fusiliers were detailed to land at 'X' Beach, a strip of sand about 200 yards long at the foot of an escarpment some 50 feet high, and nowhere difficult to climb, well defiladed from fire from the Asian shore of the Straits, but exposed to fire from the direction of Krithia.
At 5 a.m. on the 25th April the flotilla arrived within 3 miles of Cape Helles, and as soon as it was sufficiently light the Navy opened a bombardment of the southern end of the Peninsular, after which the various covering parties were sent on shore. At 'X' Beach the actual landing was effected without serious opposition, though fighting was seen to be in progress as soon as the leading troops debouched into the open from the top of the cliffs overlooking the beach.
It was now the turn of the two battalions detailed to follow the 86th Brigade, and at 7.15 disembarkation commenced from the Andania carrying the greater part of the Border Regiment, into Mine Sweeper no 6, from which the whole Battalion, less those in the Duke of Edinburgh and Mercian- total strength 950- was transferred to pinnacles and cutters and landed on the beach, where there companies at once formed up below the crest and awaited orders.
These did not materialize until midday, when 'B' Company, (Head's Company) under the command of Captain Morton, and 2 Maxim Guns were ordered forward to support the attack by the Royal Fusiliers of the 86th Brigade on Hill 115. Half an hour later those remaining with the Battalion heard heavy firing to the N. and E,. and it came apparent that the Royal Fusiliers were suffering severely. The Volume of fire increased and unaimed fire began to sweep over the top of the cliff. It was impossible now for those who had first landed here to push on and join hands, as had been hoped, with the troops at 'W' Beach, and presently the Royal Fusiliers were driven back to their landing place.
'C' and 'D' Companies, Border Regiment, led by Captain Harrison were ordered to charge the enemy, now no more than some 400 yards from the cliff edge, and this was most gallantly carried out in the face of very heavy fire, and the advance continued for some 600 yards in an easterly direction, the enemy falling back before the bayonets of the dalesmem; but in this advance Lieutenant James was killed, with Sergeants Gregson and Johnson and Lieutenant Bartholomew mortally wounded.
At the same time 'A' Company was sent to help to ease the situation on a ridge to the N.E., and a well-organised and steady advance was made without much loss to a point some 1000 yds to the N,E., of 'X' Beach, and the three companies were ordered to dig in on the positions they had arrived at.
On the 28th April orders were issued from Brigade Headquarters: 'The Brigade will advance at 8 a.m. Objective, a line running from Square 176F,through Point 472 to 184 R8. The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers will take up to 472 inclusive and the Border Regiment from 472 to 184 R.8.'
The Royal Inniskilling Fusilers, advancing up the spur on the S.E. of the nullah, came under heavy rifle and machine-gun fire, and it became evident that if the Border Regiment was to be of any material assistance its advance must be continued for at least another mile. They moved on, therefore, and by 11 o'clock two platoons of 'A' Company were established in the former K.O.S,B. trenches; here they came under a galling fire from the Bluff to the N. and from the forward slopes of the ridge N.W. of Krithia village, but owing to the conformation of the ground no reply to this fire was possible.
Accordingly the two platoons of 'B' Company, under Captain Moore, worked round the cliff and progressed for some 300 yards, then forming a firing line across the ridge overlooking the opposite valley. The two platoons of 'A' Company with Captain Head conformed to this, moving by the edge of the nullah.
At 1.20 pm the enemy, who were in vastly superior numbers now started to come in to closer ranges under a heavy and accurate covering fire, and many casualties were caused among the officers- Major Brooke, Captain Head and Muriel and Lieutenant Taylor being all killed within a few hundred yards of one another.
Source:- The Border Regiment in the Great War by HC Wylly.
De Ruvigny Roll of Honour
Reginald Head is remembered in Hexham on H51.03, H51.06, H51.26, H51.29, H51.46 and H51.51
Note H51.51 shows the wrong Unit and date of death.
