Courageous John Kipling

John Kipling - son of Rudyard Kipling

Lieutenant John Kipling was the youngest of three children and the only son born to the author Rudyard Kipling and Caroline Starr Kipling (nee Balestier). Born on the 17th August 1897 at the family home, The Elms, Rottingdean, Brighton and Hove, Sussex BN2 7HA

Initially rejected by the Royal Navy and Army for severe short-sightedness he was eventually commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Irish Guards on the 15th August 1914, two days before his seventeenth birthday.

After completing training Second Lieutenant John Kipling was sent to France in August 1915 along with his Battalion.

He was reported injured and missing in action (MIA) in September 1915 during the Battle of Loos and here is the, albeit tenuous, connection with one of the brethren from the Beauchamp Lodge Captain Craig Nelson who was killed in action (KIA) during the Battle of Loos on the 25th September 1915 (the first day of the battle).

Detail:

Reports indicate that Lieutenant John Kipling, apparently he had received promotion before the battle and was ‘Gazetted’ posthumously as a Lieutenant, was killed on the 27th September 1915 (the third day of the battle) attacking a German position, possibly with a head injury. However with the fighting continuing his body was never identified leading to much confusion thereafter.

Dud Corner Cemetery was so named because of the large number of dud shells fired on the spot in the Battle of Loos, 1915. The memorial in the cemetery commemorates 20,693 ‘missing’ on the walls beside and behind the colonnades terminated by domed pavilions; most died in the Battle of Loos. It was designed by Sir Herbert Baker and the sculptor was again Charles Wheeler. The memorial was unveiled in 1930 in the presence of Rudyard Kipling, whose son John is listed on its walls. The cemetery contains 1,785 burials.

In 1992 a mistake was discovered in the paperwork and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission identified his grave changing an inscription on the gravestone of an Unknown Soldier to read John Kipling.

Although there were some who disputed this finding … Irish Times

Of course Captain Nelson and Lieutenant Kipling were from different Regiments and may never have met one another, although they died just two days apart and during the same battle, however what an interesting conversation they would have had, around the Kipling family table, both being serving British Officers, Captain Nelson’s connection with India and Freemasonry, and John Kipling’s father being Rudyard.

The film, “My Boy Jack” attracted about 5.7 million viewers on its original ITV broadcast in the UK on Remembrance Day, 11 November 2007.

This post has been created by the West Kent Military lodge for information. If you would like to now more about the Lodge contact us here