British Army Bond of Sacrifice: Officers Died in the Great War 1914-1916, contains over 2,600 officer biographies from both volumes of the Bond of Sacrifice. The Bond of Sacrifice was designed to act as a biographical record of all British officers who fell in the Great War. Volume 1 covered the first four months of the war and closed in December 1914, while Volume 2 covered the first six months of 1915. The original intention was to create a volume for every six months of the war to include the names of all the officers, who died from causes directly related to active service. However, due in no small part to the huge number of officer casualties, and to the publishers running out of money, the series was never completed.
There are three Hingstons listed, two of them brothers.
Youngest son of Mrs Hingston, St Heliers, Jersey, and of the late Richard Hingston (HD#67), was born on the 3rd November, 1870. Educated at Victoria College, Jersey, and at Bedford Grammar School, and the R.M.A., Woolwich, he joined the Royal Engineers in February, 1890, was promoted Lieutenant in February, 1893, Captain seven years later , and Major in February, 1910. From March, 1903, he was for three years an Adjutant of Volunteers, in whose training he took a great interest. Major Hingston was killed instantaneously by a sniper on 28th March, 1915, while carrying out his duty in a dangerous trench, known to be enfiladed, at Levantie, Flanders. He was mentioned in Sir John French's Despatch of 31st May, 1915. His elder brother, Lieutenant Colonel G. H. Hingston, of the same corps, died at Alexandria on the 16th June, 1915, of wounds received in action at the Dardanelles.
Major Hingston married, in September, 1895, Anne, daughter of Major W. R. Fuller, late of the 53rd Regiment. He was a member of the Junior Naval and Military Club, and was a very keen all-round sportsman.
(90 in WEH) Was killed in action near Ypres on 26th April 1915, and buried in the Military Cemetery at Poperinghe, was the only son of the late Frederick Hingston, of St. Oswalds, Selwyn Road, Eastbourne.
He was born at Leicester on the 6th June, 1877, and was educated at Llandaff Cathedral School and Malvern College. He joined the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry from the Militia in October, 1899, and took part in the South African War, in which he was employed with the Mounted Infantry, and was present at operations in the Orange Free State from February to May, 1900, including actions at Poplar Grove, Driefontein, Vet, and Zand River; in the Transvaal in May and June, again, from July to November, 1900; and a third time from November, 1900, to October, 1901, including actions near Johannesburg, at Pretoria, Diamond Hill, and Belfast. He was mentioned in Despatches ("London Gazette," 10th September, 1901); and received the Queen's medal with six clasps. He was promoted Lieutenant in May, 1901, and Captain in February 1909; and in December, 1911, was appointed Adjutant of the 3rd Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. He held this appointment until March, 1915, when he rejoined the 1st Battalion, which formed part of the Vth Division.
Captain Hingston was well-known in Switzerland as a remarkably fine skier. In the winter of 1913-14 he won the British Ski-ing Association Cup at Wengen. He was also adept at ice-hockey, winning many trophies, and a keen lawn tennis player and golfer.
Writing after his death, a General Officer said: "I wanted, as Brigadier General Commanding the brigade, to tell you how very deeply and sincerely I sympathise with you in the heavy blow that has fallen upon you. Your husband belonged to a great regiment, which has given consistently splendid service throughout the campaign, and, if I may say so, he was one of the finest officers of a fine regiment. I had often spoken to your husband on the occasion of my frequent visits to the trenches, and had always been much struck by his earnestness and thoroughness and by the keen interest which he took in all matters relating to his company and his men. To them I know his loss is a severe one, as it is indeed to all of us."
Captain Hingston married, in November 1911, Essy, youngest daughter of the late Colonel William Charles Plant, Indian Army, and left no family.
(HD#82) Died at Alexandria on the 16th June, 1915, of wounds received in action in Gallipoli Peninsula on the 6th of that month, was the only surviving son of Mrs. Hingston, St. Heliers, Jersey, and of the late Richard Hingston. His younger brother, Major E. Hingston, of the same corps, was killed in action in Flanders on the 28th March, 1915.
Lieutenant-Colonel Hingston was born on the 1st November 1867, and after a preliminary education, received at Mr. Cardwell's School, Highlands, Jersey, and at Bedford Grammar School, he joined the royal Engineers from the R.M.A., Woolwich, in July, 1887. He became Lieutenant three years later, Captain in April 1898, and Major in February, 1906. He served in the Tirah Campaign (1897-98) on the North West Frontier of India, where he was slightly wounded, and his horse killed, and he received for his services the medal with clasp.
In November, 1910, he was appointed Assistant Director-General of Military Works, India, and was recalled from that appointment for active service in the Great War, being sent out to the Dardanelles as Officer Commanding the Royal Engineers of the famous XXIXth Division, in which capacity he assisted at the landing on Gallipoli Peninsula on the 25th April, 1915. He had been promoted Lieutenant-Colonel in October 1914.
A Major in the Royal Engineers, writing after Lieutenant Colonel Hingston's death said: "I had been with him for six nights running, supervising and arranging for the work which could only be done at night. He left me with some sappers to do some other Royal Engineer work. Soon after this work was commenced, a large body of Turks, estimated at about 2000, came out of their trenches without arms, conveying the idea that they wished to surrender. They have played this trick before, suddenly producing hand bombs when they got near our trenches. Our troops, the XXIXth Division, who by this time were very much restored to strength and were taking no risks, opened fire. A large body of Turks then attacked under cover of these people without arms, and our line was broken. Several regiments fell back. It should be noted that there were very few officers in all these regiments. Colonel Hingston, knowing that it is never policy to retreat, as more men are lost than by standing fast, and hoping to recapture the lost trenches, called for a bayonet charge and himself took command. A conspicuous figure with then red staff band of the XXIXth Division, he was an easy target for the enemy, and he fell, shot through the neck. The trenches lost were retaken. I have never met a braver man."
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Added 28th July 2016. C J Burgoyne