Cyril James Ashton worked for the Union Assurance Society Ltd. in the London head office. He was appointed to the staff on 06 May 1912 in the secretarial department and was a keen sportsman who was popular with his colleagues.  He volunteered for Active Service and joined the Queen’s Westminsters on the 31 August 1914. He then applied for commission in the Royal West Kent Regiment, training at Bedford and then Hythe and he was gazetted 2nd Lieutenant on 04 December 1914. By October 1915 he was stationed at Shoreham by Sea and in December that year he was sent to France. He was wounded in March and again in July 1916. He recovered and was discharged from hospital on 04 August 1916 and between February and April 1917 he was stationed at Chatham. In April 1917 he was at Watford and in July that year he moved to Sittingbourne where he was a Bombing Instructor. He was sent to France on 06 August 1917 and died from gunshot wounds to the abdomen received on 09 March while he was serving as a Captain in the Royal West Kent Regiment 6th Battalion. He was 23.

Anna Stone