On This Day, 7 July 1916

Birmingham Mail

Friday 7 July 1916

FALLEN OFFICERS.

MANY LOCAL NAMES IN LATEST LISTS.

RANK AND FILE CASUALTIES

The casualty lists issued last night contained the names of 108 officers (20 dead and 88 wounded and missing), and 882 non-commissioned officers and men (213 dead and 664 wounded and missing).
Lieut. D. G. H. Truman, of the R. War, R., whose home was at Oakdale, Olton, and who, as reported in the “Mail” last night, was killed in action on the 2^nd inst., was educated at Kind Edward’s Grammar School, Camp Hill, and Birmingham University, joining the O.T.C. there. He was gazetted Second-Lieutenant in November, 1914, and First Lieutenant in August, 1915. “We have had quite a long spell I the trenches, and your son had been doing splendidly,” wrote Lieut. Truman’s colonel to the young man’s father. “The Huns’ artillery was rather active, and as two officers of a company had been hit very slightly, he was selected for temporary command”. The letter goes on to explain that Lieut. Truman was on his way back from a meeting at headquarters on July 1^st, and was in the trenches of his own company when he was hit by a shell, and, adds the colonel, “had been noted for promotion at the first vacancy, and his work all through has been excellent. To put it shortly, he was a most gallant gentleman, and died doing his duty.”