Russell, JE

2nd Lieutenant Joseph Eric Russell

Joseph was born on October 24th 1893, the youngest of four sons of Marion Russell and her husband Warwick, who ran a stationery and printing company in East Dulwich. He spent time at Stanley House School, in Cliftonville, near Margate, before coming to the College in January 1908. He went on to be a pupil for two and a half years, leaving in the summer of 1910. After Dulwich he took up a position at Lloyd’s of London, where he worked as a member of the Clerical Staff until the war. He was a particularly keen cricketer, not only during his time at school, where he was a member of the College 1st XI during his final summer, but also continuing afterwards as a keen and committed member of the Lloyd’s XI.
In August 1914 Joseph signed up as a member of the Royal Fusiliers with whom he remained in England undergoing training for almost a year, only going over to France for the first time at the end of July 1915. He spent most of the next year on the front line, including serving through the first month of the Battle of the Somme, before returning to England in August 1916 to undergo officer training. Later that year he was given a commission with the Royal West Surreys with whom he returned to France, joining the 7th Battalion on the Somme in early October. After being badly wounded at Grandcourt on November 20th he was captured by the Germans, dying from his wounds three days later, while being held at a German Field Hospital. His elder brother, Cyril, a fellow OA, would go on to die in March 1919 as a result of the Spanish Flu pandemic, whilst serving with the Army of Occupation in Germany.