The work of establishing who died, where and in what circumstances, is continued to this day by the Channel Islands Great War Study Group, a voluntary organisation. Their website contains a comprehensive listing of Channel Islanders who served in the war and of those who died, as well as stories of individual courage.
Breakdown of Jersey servicemen
The original Roll of Honour shows that 391 officers and 4,679 officers and other ranks from Jersey served during the war in the Army and Royal Air Force (including Royal Flying Corps). Of these, 87 officers and 551 other ranks lost their lives. A further 71 officers and 593 other ranks from the island served in the Royal Navy, 17 officers and 104 other ranks losing their lives. Another 558 islanders (61 officers) were serving in or enlisted in the forces of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India, and of these, six officers and 97 other ranks lost their lives.
At the outbreak of war 1,400 Jerseymen were already serving in the Army and Royal Navy. A further 1,833 enlisted voluntarily, 2,110 were conscripted, 600 served in the Colonial Forces and 135 Militia officers and members of the Officers Training Corps were granted Army commissions.
Battle honours
No Jerseyman won the supreme honour, the Victoria Cross, during the war but Jack Counter, who was born in Dorset and was awarded the honour at the age of 19 in 1918, came to Jersey with his regiment after the war and remained in the island after being demobbed. He is affectionately remembered as 'Jersey's VC'. Two Old Victorians,William Arthur McCrae Bruce and Allastair Malcolm Cluny McReady-Diarmid, out of the 126 who fought in the conflict, were those with the closest Island connection to be awarded Victoria Crosses, and both are remembered in names of houses at the school.
Another Old Victorian, Charles Stanley Mossop, the younger son of Mr and Mrs Charles Mossop of Cambray, Millbrook, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for bombing and sinking the German mine laying submarine UB32 in August 1917. He died at the age of 20 of injuries received whilst flying at Port-en-Bassin when the tail plane of his machine collapsed in mid-air and he nose dived into the water.
Sub-Lieutenant Eric Olaf de Wet, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth de Wet of Jersey, served in HMS Queen on the staff of Admiral Mark Kerr and was also awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He was reported drowned at the age of 20.
Official records show that those on the Jersey Roll of Honour and Roll of Service were awarded ten Distinguished Service Orders, 5 DSCs, 30 Military Crosses, 10 Meritorious Service Medals, 23 Distinguished Conduct Medals, nine Distinguished Service Medals and 92 Military Medals, as well as 20 foreign decorations.
Alphabetical index to 2010 Roll of Honour
This is an alphabetical index to the full Roll of Honour, listing the names of those who died, their rank, service number, unit and date of death. Further information can be obtained from the full Roll of Honour on the Study Group's website.
Surnames beginning with:
