Orr, James Kenneth
Born on May 26th, 1895, the eldest son of Dr. and Mrs W. R. Orr, of East Finchley, he was educated at Queen's College, Taunton, and Highgate School. At the latter school he was a very keen member of the O.T.C. in which he held the rank of a N.C.O. He left Highgate at the end of the summer term, 1914, and though eager to "join up" at once, entered King's College in October, where he began the study of engineering, a profession for which he was eminently adapted and in which he was enthusiastic. Here he continued his military training until March, 1915, when he was granted a commission in the Middlesex Regiment. After a month at Bedford he joined the Middlesex reserves at Chatham. He did good service there in training men until February, 1916, when at his own urgent request he was sent to the Front. He took part in the great Somme push on the 1st July, leading his platoon forward in one of the worst parts of the line. With eleven other officers of his battalion he was reported "missing, believed killed." Since then no definite tidings of his fate have reached this country. He was exceedingly popular with his men, in whom he took a great interest entering into their sports and pleasures.
A school companion and brother officer writes: "I have every confidence that in all his actions at the Front, as in earlier times in England, he acted in a manner of which no one could be ashamed, and I should only feel too satisfied if I thought that I had lived but half as useful a life as he."
His Colonel writes: "As you know he had only recently joined this battalion, but in this short period he had gained the respect and confidence of his men and was exceedingly popular with us all. He was one of the right sort and did his duty most nobly from start to finish." G.E.N. King's College Review, Dec. 1916
Biographical
| Surname(s) | Orr |
|---|---|
| First name(s) | James Kenneth |
| Date of birth | 26 May 1895 |
| Family details | The eldest son of Dr. and Mrs W. R. Orr, of Clydesdale, East Finchley |
| Previous education | Queen's College, Taunton; Highgate School |
| College | King's College London and/or King's College London Hospital |
| Dates at college | 1914 |
| Dept / course | Faculty of Engineering |
| Military unit | Middlesex Regiment, 16th Battn. |
| War / conflict | World War One (1914-1918) |
| Date of death | 1 July 1916 |
| Age at death | 21 |
| Rank at death | Second Lieutenant |
| Place of death | Somme |
| Cause of death | Missing, believed killed |
| Commemoration(s) | King's College Chapel; Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France |
| Sources | King's College London Archives; Commonwealth War Graves Commission |
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