WODEHOUSE Ernest Charles Forbes

Awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).

Ernest Wodehouse was born on 5th August 1871 at Hove, Brighton. He was educated at Wellington, and the Oxford Military College, joining the army from the Worcestershire Militia in October 1892. In November 1895 he was promoted to Lieutenant then Adjutant of his Battalion in March 1899. He served throughout the South African war, seeing action in a variety of places including the Transvaal and Orange River Colony. In January 1900 he was promoted to Captain, he was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette, 10th September 1901), awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), received the Queen’s medal with three clasps and the King’s medal with two clasps. He continued to serve in the army after the war. In April 1906 he married Amy Violet Isaac, daughter of the late John Swinton Isaac of Boughton Park, Worcester. He belonged to the United Service Club and enjoyed cricket and shooting. During the Great War he was promoted to temporary Lieutenant Colonel on 1st February 1915 and reported missing and wounded before his death was confirmed whilst leading the battalion at Neuve Chapelle on 12th March 1915. He was mentioned in Sir John French’s Despatch of 31st May 1915.

The Worcestershire Regiment in the Great War by Captain H. FitzM. Stacke of the Regiment, 1928:
Ernest Wodehouse is mentioned a number of times in the Regimental book. During the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, Lieut. Col. Wodehouse led a battalion advance, storming the buildings in front and preparing to hold them against counter-attacks. However, no support came and the British artillery intermittently bombarded the captured buildings. It became clear that that the battalion’s position, far in advance of the remainder of the brigade, encircled by the enemy on 3 sides and shelled by both artilleries, was no longer tenable. Officers and men fell fast during the retirement, which was over open and level ground flanked on both sides by the strongly posted enemy. The loss of Colonel Wodehouse was felt most keenly by all the survivors, for his courage, kindliness and resource had been the mainstay of the battalion throughout the long ordeal of the winter.

A photograph of Major Wodehouse can be found in Berrow’s Worcester Journal Supplement, Saturday 1st May 1915, available at Worcestershire Archives.

Ernest Wodehouse has no known grave, the photograph available shows his name on Le Touret Memorial.