Victor James Terrell was the son of Walter and Annie Terrell of School House, Walter Road, Great Casterton and was born at Farningham, Kent, on 22 January 1888. Formerly an assistant master in St. Martin's Boys' School, Stamford, in September 1912 he went for two years' training at the London County Council Training College, at Islington. After leaving college in July 1914, he was appointed assistant master in St. Mary's Boys' School, Rotherhithe, London, where he stayed until he enlisted on 11 May 1915. He served in Belgium and France with the 1st Battalion London Regiment, and died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916, one of eight Rutlanders killed that day. The Londons, part of 56th (London) Division, were attacking Gommecourt, a heavily fortified village, as part of a diversionary attack to the main Somme battle. Their objectives were a German trench system in Gommecourt Park. Although things began well, they quickly encountered stiff enemy resistance and were unable to hold on to the little gains they made. Eventually the order was given to withdraw. Victor's battalion suffered 588 casualties, killed, wounded and missing. Rifleman Sidney Lause, a returned prisoner of war described what happened: "He was killed by the same bomb that wounded me. We had got into the German line on the attack, but had to retire. We had got to a shell hole when a bomb was thrown in by a German. Vic was killed by my side." He has no known grave and is remembered on Pier 9D of the Thiepval Memorial and also on Great Casterton's war memorial. He is also on a plaque in Little Casterton's church which was originally put up in Toll Bar Methodist Chapel, now a private house.

See where all our Rutland soldiers died during the Battle of the Somme on our interactive map.

We are grateful to Ajax Bardrick for the following information: