Basil Stainforth Mann was a Yorkshireman and a pupil at Oakham School from 1910 until 1913. He was the son of William H and Alice J Mann of Fernbank, Ilkley. Before the war he worked in the wool business, often travelling to the Continent. He was commissioned in the 2nd/6th Battalion The Duke of Wellington's (West Yorkshire Regiment), which formed part of 186 Brigade 62nd Division, and was sent to the Western Front. Promoted to Captain, he was killed in action at Bourlon Wood during the Battle of Cambrai on 27 November 1917. He was 21. His Commanding Officer wrote to his parents, saying: "We had no officer so devoted to his company and so keen in his duty as your son, and his loss is a great blow to us all. I think the death of your son stirred his men, for they advanced rapidly in the face of machine gun fire, and captured their objective without any officer to lead them. That fact alone proves the value of the work done by your son whilst training his men. November 27 was a sad but honourable day for the battalion." He has no known grave and is remembered on panel 6/7 of the Cambrai Memorial, as well as in Oakham School Chapel.