Henry Jefferys Leigh Taylor
Person details
| Forename(s) | Henry Jefferys Leigh |
|---|---|
| Surname | Taylor |
| Rank | Chaplain |
| Regiment | Royal Army Chaplains' Department |
| Age | 31 |
| Death | Killed in action whilst helping civilians |
| Place of Death | Western Europe > Netherlands |
| Date of Death | 23/09/1944 |
| Year of Entry | 1927 |
| House Letter | H |
| School Notes | - |
| Comments | |
| Commonwealth War Graves Commission Link | https://www.cwgc.org/find-record... |
| Unit | attd. 29th Armd. Bde., 11th Armd. Div. |
| Prefect | - |
| Military Decorations | MC |
| Album Number | 23 |
| Battle | [Operation Market Garden?] |
| Previous Regiment | |
| Burial or Cemetery | Netherlands > Mierlo |
| Citations | The Military Cross. Captain Taylor is attached as Chaplain to 8th Battalion the Rifle Brigade. On 4th and 5th August 1944 he was with the battalion Regimental Aid Post at Le Pas Perier. During these 48 hours the Post was under continual shell fire and it was impossible to evacuate casualties because the centre line was occupied by the enemy. Captain Taylor during this time showed complete disregard for his safety, ministering to the wounded and helping the Medical Officer who was very overworked in every way possible. He also visited other companies while under fire and was a constant source of inspiration to the whole battalion. From 6th to 10th August the Regimental Aid post was at Presles and Captain Taylor again showing complete indifference to enemy shellfire and mortaring which was continuous, worked in the Regimental Aid Post as a second Medical Officer in addition to carrying out his own duties. By his prompt and reverent action in the burying of the dead and his patient and understanding care of the wounded Captain Taylor contributed very greatly to maintaining the high morale of the battalion under very difficult conditions and in most difficult times. |
| Archives | Correspondence file in OR files in Radley Archives |
| Post School | University College, Oxford; Chichester Theological College; Holy Orders; Clergyman |
| Prep School | |
| Prisoner of War | |
| Radlein Obituary |
November 19 1944. Killed in Holland in September 1944, Henry Jeffreys Leigh Taylor, R.A. Ch. D. (E), (Smale's, H, 1927-31). The news of the death of H.J.L. Taylor, who lost his life in action in Holland in going to the rescue of some wounded Dutch children, will come as a cruel shock to his many friends; the tragic removal from this world of so vital a personality will leave a gap that cannot be filled and a sense of irreparable personal loss. At Radley the things in his character chiefly remarkable were a deep unaffected piety, a sturdy moral courage often involving unpopularity, and a very keen sense of humour. He developed a good deal after leaving College both at Oxford and later at the Theological College Chichester, where, so the Principal once told me, he exercised a very remarkable influence for good on the whole society. After his ordination he went as curate to Oakham, where he fulfilled a long-cherished ambition by becoming a really fine type of the old-fashioned country parson. He loved all country pursuits, was a keen fisherman, a good shot and rode to hounds whenever he had the chance, but he was first and foremost a Pastor with the deepest possible realisation of his vocation as a Clergyman, and after that, a country gentleman. His death is not only a bereavement to his friends, but a real loss to the Church Militant. Radley has lost a worthy son, the Church a good Priest, for that is what he was. He, himself, would have desired no better epitaph. May he rest in peace. |
| Service Number | 188501 |
| Place of Birth |
