Roll of Honour
Private Gerald Judge
Service Number: 904
Regiment: Royal Fusiliers (22nd)
Conflict: World War One
Date of Death: 24th May 1916
Age at Death: 26
Burial/Memorial Location: Zouave Valley Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France
Born in Ardley, enlisted in Kensington, lived in Ardley. Son of Charles Henry & Mary Hannah Judge, of Ardley. Husband of Ethel Florence Allsopp (formerly Judge), of 149 Windmill Road, Headington.
"It is with regret that we announce the death of another Ardley man, at the Front, in the person of Private Gerald Judge (of the 22nd Royal Fusiliers), a son of Mr and Mrs C.H. Judge, whose bereavement is now doubled, another son (Pte. R.M. Judge) being killed a short time ago. Gerald, who was 26 years of age, joined the Army soon after the outbreak of war and subsequently married.
He was home on leave recently, and a few days after his return to the Front met his death, which is described in the following letter written by an officer to the wife of Pte. Judge: “I can hardly tell you how grieved I am to have to write and tell you of your husband’s death. As you probably know, he was acting as my batman and I know better than anyone else what a thoroughly good and conscientious man he was, and you can realise how much we appreciated him and feel his loss. Then as a soldier we miss him as being one of the very best in the company. He was the best bomb-thrower in the battalion, and was soon to have been promoted to an N.C.O..
Your husband was within a couple of feet of me when he was shot, so you can realise what a shock it was to me. On the night of May 23 an attack was on and under extremely heavy shell fire Judge was with me the whole time and behaved splendidly. At dawn on May 24 we were digging a new trench, close to the German lines, when a machine gun opened on us and poor Judge was caught. The bullet went right through him, touching his spine. We knew from the first that we couldn’t save him. I think he suffered very little. His first thought was for you, and he murmured “My poor wife” three times. We carried him into the trench and I gave him some morphine, which seemed to relieve him and we started to move him back to the dressing station, but he died a few minutes later.
Owing to the exposed position we were unable to get your husband’s body at the first, but did so at dawn this morning and our chaplain buried him just behind the reserve line trenches this afternoon (May 29). Several other men of the battalion are buried near him. The pioneers have put up a cross with his number, name, and regiment.”" Bicester Herald 09/06/1916