Name
David Newbold Gaussen
25 July 1893
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
31/07/1916
23
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Second Lieutenant
Bedfordshire Regiment
9th Bn. attd. 1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
DERNANCOURT COMMUNAL CEMETERY
J. 40.
France
Headstone Inscription
PER CRUCEM AD LUCEM
UK & Other Memorials
Holy Trinity Church Wall Memorial, Potten End, Individual plaques, Holy Trinity Church, Potten End, Berkhamsted School War Memorial St John's College, Oxford University War Memorial.
Pre War
David Newbold Gaussen was born on 25 July 1893 in Liverpool, one of twin boys. and the son of the Reverend Charles Edward and Mary Gaussen, whilst his father was chaplain of the Seamen's orphanage in Liverpool from 1891 to 1895. The family moved to Brighton in 1895 when his father became vicar of St Mary's Church, Brighton, later moving to Potten End,
He was educated at Brighton College (1903-1904), at Berkhamsted School for several years, then went to St John's College, Oxford University where he was President of the Oxford University Athletics Club and represented the British Universities in a 4 x 1 mile relay team which beat the American Universities in a competition in Spring 1914.
On the 1911 Census the family were living at Potten End Vicarage, Berkhamsted, Herts.
His parents later lived at Fairview Cottage, Lord's Well Lane, Crowborough, Sussex.
Wartime Service
Following the outbreak of war he received a commission in the 9th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment and served in France from 5 October 1915 as 2nd Lieutenant.
He was wounded in Delville Wood in the Battle of the Somme and died the following day, 31 July 1916, at 13th Field Ambulance, France.
The battalion received orders at 6 pm on 30 July to move urgently back to Longueval to reinforce the 13th brigade who had been heavily engaged trying to capture orchards north of the village. There were heavy casualties from a four hour German artillery barrage, followed by action throughout the night with sniper and machine gun fire. By daylight on the 1st August, 188 men had died and two officers were killed, one of whom was David Gaussen.
He is buried in Dernancourt Communal Cemetery, France.
Additional Information
His father, Mr C E Gaussen, Fairview Cottage, Lord's Well Lane, Crowborough, ordered his headstone inscription: “PER CRUCEM AD LUCEM”. His father received his pay owing of £81 14s 5d. Probate was granted in London on 19 December 1938 (the year his father died) to John MacCulloch Gaussen schoolmaster (his twin) and Renee Josephine Gaussen spinster (his sister). with effects of £3134 11s. (Former Grant P.R. 17 February 1917). His twin brother John Maccullock Gaussen served with the 7th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, rising to Captain. he was Mentioned in Despatches and although wounded, he survived the war and died in 1970.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, dacorumheritage.org.uk., hemelatwar.org., www.brightoncollegeremembers.com,
