Pearce, DG

Captain Dudley George Pearce

Dudley was born on October 27^th 1890, the eldest of three children of leather manufacturer George Pearce and his wife, Stella. His father passed away whilst he was still young and by the time he was 12 years old his mother had remarried to warehouse manager, Walter Scoles. Dudley started at Dulwich in early 1905, mere months after his stepbrother, who was also named Walter Scoles, and was a pupil at the College for the next five and a half years. In 1909-10, his final year, he was joined by his younger brother, Conrad, and also spent the season playing for the 3^rd XV rugby team. In 1910 he went on from the College to Guy’s Hospital where he studied dentistry.

Dudley had been due to sit his final exam in November 1914; however, the day after war was declared that August he volunteered for military service, signing up as a member of the Honourable Artillery Company. That October he and his unit went over to France where they were engaged in heavy fighting for several months. By December however he was back in England, having been invalided home with frostbite. Upon his recovery in February 1915 he took up a commission with The Buffs, subsequently returning to the front with the 8^th Battalion of his new regiment. On February 23^rd 1916, having distinguished himself with his service and conduct over the previous year, he was promoted straight from 2^nd Lieutenant to Captain, and later that year even spent time as acting second in command of the regiment. On September 3^rd, whilst holding that role, he was leading two companies of men in an attack on a heavily fortified German position in Delville Wood, on the Somme, when he was killed, at the age of 25.