Military Cross Presentation April 1916
Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
Stanley Hornsby Kent was the second son of chartered account Charles William Kent and his wife Alice (nee Gallan); their oldest son, named for his father, was aged two at the time of his brother’s birth on 25th January 1890. Stanley was baptised three months later in St. Michael’s Church, Westoe. By 1901 the family had moved to live in Tynedale Terrace, Hexham, where father Charles ran his own accountancy business, and the two boys had been joined by siblings May, Eva, Leslie and six month old baby Stella. Ten years later but having moved to Woodside, Hexham Stanley was working as an insurance clerk and he played for Tynedale Rugby Club, helping them to win the county cup in 1911; he was also was a member of the Northumberland Hussars Imperial Yeomanry.
In February 1913 he left that life behind and sailed for Canada where he found work as a banker in Calgary, Alberta. Stanley joined the local militia the 19th Alberta Dragoons who were placed on active service in August 1914 for local protective duty, but a month later on 23rd September 1914 Stanley was at the new camp at Valcartier enlisting in the Canadian Expeditionary Force and a month after that was back in England as part of the 1st Divisional Cavalry Squadron.
June 1915 saw Private 2073 attending Cadet School at in France and within a month he was a 2nd Lieutenant attached to the 10th Battalion. On 4th February 1916 Lieutenant Kent was wounded slightly whilst leading a wire cutting party, but remained on duty with his men and his work on this raid led to him being awarded the Military Cross for conspicuous gallantry. The citation reads "He led a wire cutting party, which worked for six hours, and then headed an attacking party through the gap. In spite of heavy machine-gun and rifle fire and bombing by the enemy he inflicted severe loss on them. He has on two previous occasions, led daring reconnaissances."
On the 10th June 1916 Stanley Kent was promoted Acting Captain "without pay or seniority", and was back into the trenches around Ypres. North of Mount Sorrel on the 4th July he was injured by shrapnel from an exploding whizz-bang and was wounded in the right arm, thigh and knee. He walked to the dressing station and was then taken to No.10 Casualty Clearing Station where after three days in bed he was evacuated to the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire Canadian Red Cross Hospital ay Hyde Park Corner, London with synovitus and fluid on the knee. A Medical Board recommended that he was not fit for any service for a month, so he convalesced at his parents’ home in Windsor Crecent, Whitley Bay before being pronounced fit and reporting to 2nd Canadian Command Depot in Shoreham on 15th August.
Returning to the 10th Battalion in France on 3rd March 1917 during the preparations for the Vimy Ridge offensive, Captain Kent led a raid across the German lines on 7th April, a raid which led to him being awarded a bar to his Military Cross. The citation published in July read "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He led a successful raiding party on the enemy lines. He captured two prisoners and obtained much valuable information. Undoubtedly many lives were saved as a result of the raid. He was untiring in his efforts and a splendid example to his men."
By now a fully paid Acting Captain Stanley Kent was acting as an Intelligence Officer, and was detailed to reconnoitre the "jumping-off" positions on the night of the 27th April 1917 – the night previous to the attack on Arleux-en-Gohelle. It was very dark and the party had evidently lost its bearings and ran into wire. The enemy detected their presence and immediately opened up with rifle and machine gun fire – a bullet penetrating Captain Kent’s lung. He was immediately carried to a dressing station and evacuated to No.30 Casualty Clearing Station where he died two days later." His death was reported in the Shields Daily News, 05/05/1917 under the headline “Whitley Officer’s Death”.
Stanley Hornsby Kent is remembered at Corbridge on C52.05, at Whitley Bay on W84.02 and is mentioned on his parents’ memorial in Old Jesmond General Cemetery, Newcastle upon Tyne.
He is also remembered in Canada on their Virtual War Memorial and in their Book of Remembrance.
Canadian Book of Remembrance
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
The CWGC entry for Captain Kent