Richard Roffe
possibly gets the briefest of all mentions in Chailey’s Parish Magazine. He
appears once only, in the January 1916 issue, as “Roffe, R”.
Soldiers Died
In The Great War states that he was born in Wittering, Sussex, enlisted
at Wansford, Northants and was resident at Chailey. He probably enlisted under The Derby
Scheme and died in France and Flanders on 5th February 1917 whilst serving
with the 7th Buffs (East Kent Regiment) as G/18866 Private Richard Roffe.
The Commonwealth
War Graves’ Commission’s Debt of Honour site lists his date of death as 5th February 1917 and his place of commemoration as Porte-de-Paris cemetery, grave reference II.A.10
I am grateful
to Evelyn Jenner who, coming across Richard Roffe on this website, supplied the following additional information in April
2006:
"According to
maps Wittering is now in Cambridgeshire. It is on the border of Rutland, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire and has
changed counties several times in the last two hundred years.
The Richard Roffe you have on your site is the son of Thomas and Rebecca Roffe from Wittering Northamptonshire.
Only last week I was in the Churchyard in Wittering and found the gravestone of Thomas and Rebecca Roffe with the names of
their two sons who died in WW1 at the bottom. Their names were Thomas and Richard killed in France. Richard was
their youngest son, Richard Daniel born 2nd June 1897."
As Jon Miller, who took the photograph that appears on this page says, "I strongly suspect that Richard Roffe was a Prisoner
of War when he died, as Cambrai was well behind the lines at the time, and all the other internees at the cemetery were
also POWs."
Sources and Acknowledgements
- 1881 Census of England and Wales
- Soldiers Died In The Great
- The Commonwealth War Graves’ Commission’s Debt of Honour Register
- Chailey Parish Magazine
- Michael of The Great War Forum for assistance with this man and other Buffs soldiers
- Evelyn Jenner for filling in some of the gaps for me in Richard Roffe's history
- Jon Miller for the photograph of Richard Roffe's last resting place and information about
the cemetery
