Bonser, Geoffrey Alwyn Gershom
Captain Geoffrey Alwys Gershom Bonser, the only son of Mr. G. G. Bonser, J.P. killed in action on St. Michael's Day, was born February 3rd, 1889. He was educated at Brighton College and at King's School, Worcester, where he held an honorary scholarship, subsequently proceeding to Cambridge where he graduated with honours in the Natural Sciences Tripos in 1910. He then entered St. Thomas's Hospital, and took the diplomas of M.R.C.S. and. L.R.C.P. in 1914. He was about to sit for his third M.B., second part, at Cambridge, when he joined up and was appointed to the Eastern General Hospital at Cambridge. He was gazetted captain on April 25th, 1916, and proceeded to Egypt, where he served under General Allenby through Palestine. In May the regiment was moved to France, and in July he had his first home leave, during which he was married. His colonel wrote: "He was killed instantaneously by a shell while attending the wounded .... He is a great loss to the battalion, and from all those who knew him I have heard nothing but words of praise." His tastes were literary and metaphysical, with a passionate love of music. During his time at St. Thomas's he edited the hospital Gazette and he was engaged in developing "a system of dualistic philosophy," as well as writing many essays and poems. British Medical Journal 19 October 1918
Biographical
| Surname(s) | Bonser |
|---|---|
| First name(s) | Geoffrey Alwyn Gershom |
| Date of birth | 3 February 1889 |
| Place of birth | Mansfield District |
| Family details | Son of George Gershom Bonser and Dorothy A. Mary Bonser, of "Kirkstede" Church St, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottingham |
| Previous education | Brighton College; King's School, Worcester; St. John's College, Cambridge |
| College | St Thomas' Hospital |
| Dates at college | 1911-1914 |
| Dept / course | 2nd M.B. |
| Qualifications | 1st M.B. age 21 yrs 11/12 (Cambridge) M.R.C.S.. L.R.C.P. 1914; B.A. St. John's College, Cambridge. |
| Military unit | R.A.M.C.; Norfolk Regiment, attd. 12th Bn. |
| War / conflict | World War One (1914-1918) |
| Campaigns | Egypt, France & Flanders |
| Date of death | 29 September 1918 |
| Age at death | 29 |
| Rank at death | Captain |
| Cause of death | Killed in action |
| Burial place | Strand Military Cemetery, Belgium |
| Commemoration(s) | King's School, Worcester War Memorial; St. John's College, Cambridge Roll of Honour; St. Thomas's Roll of Honour |
| Sources | St Thomas's Hospital Medical School Records, King's College London Archives; Commonwealth War Graves Commission; British Medical Journal |
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