A POIGNANT OCTOBER 1914 CASUALTY GROUP

Spencer Julian Wilfred Railston was born on the 8th of January 1889 in Lanarkshire, Scotland. The son of Colonel Henry Edward Railston and Magdalene Railston. Spencer was educated at Radley College, where he excelled at sports. He represented the school at Boxing and was a Champion Gymnast. 

Railston played in the first Cricket XI at Radley and at Sandhurst, to which he gained direct entry at age 17. Coming tenth in his class when he passed out in 1907, he was gazetted as Second Lieutenant. He was placed on the unattached list of the Indian Army and spent a year with his father's regiment, the Cameroonians. 

While with the regiment in India, he took part in the Lightweight Boxing Championship of India and won the title, despite having not trained. In 1908 he joined the 18th King George's Own Lancers, playing Polo for his Bn and participating in Steeplechasing. Railston was a keen 'Big Game' hunter and said to be a very good shot. He undertook a cavalry course and, on the 17th of November 1909, was promoted to Lieutenant. In 1914 he was granted leave in London, where he played with Count De Madre's Polo team 'The Tigers'. 

As soon as the Great War broke out, Railston volunteered for active service at the front. He was attached to the 4th Dragoon Guards (Royal Irish) and disembarked on the 16th of August 1914. He fought at Mons and was killed in action at Messines. He died while trying to rescue a female Belgian civilian lying wounded between the British and German Lines. The CWGC gives his date of death as the 31st of October, while other sources state the 1st of November. 

The Major General Commanding the 1st Cavalry Division wrote the following letter to his father:

'I am deeply grieved at the death of your gallant boy, who on every occasion of this war has so distinguished himself. He is a great loss to his regt. He lost his life by a gallant act. His regt was holding one-half of the village of Messines, south of Ypres, and the Germans the other half for 24 hours. In front of his troop, a poor woman was lying wounded, and your boy left his cover to bring her in. He was struck by many bullets and killed. Had he lived, he would certainly have been Mentioned in Despatches' 

Spencer is mentioned in volume II of 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' on page 810. The story of how his brother Henry George Moreton Pleydell - Railston, won the DSO is featured on pages 798 to 810. His DSO group is in this sale.