Home Peel
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Home Peel in Action
Captain
Home Peel, the Adjutant
of the 1st/8th Post Office Rifles was killed in action on 24 March, 1918.
Home Peel joined 8th Battalion, Post Office
Rifles as a Second Lieutenant. Peel became Lieutenant on 26 May 1915. In May, Peel was awarded the Military Cross for ‘gallantry in action’ at
Festubert.
In 1916, Peel fought in the Battle
of the Somme. He also saw action at Eaucourt L’Abbé
on 7 October 1916, where he was mentioned in ‘despatches’. He
became a Captain and Adjutant the same year.
In November 1916, he was to be made acting Lieutenant
Colonel. That would have meant he was in charge of the entire 1st/8th
Battalion. However, he became too ill
with scarlet fever to take up the post.
By March 1917, he had further risen through the ranks and
became Brigade Major.
In March 1918 Home Peel was killed in action near Longueval in one of the last German offensives of the war. It cost the Allies over 1,200 square miles of territory and 90,000 men were taken prisoner. The 8th Battalion Post Office Rifles lost 300 men.
An Enemy Letter
His wife, Mrs Peel, received a letter written on German military stationery after Captain Peel had died. This humanitarian gesture was made by E F Gayler, who describes himself in the letter as 'late of 45 Stainton Road, Entcliffe, Sheffield'.
In this letter, he writes: "Although enemy and sometimes deeply hurt by the
ridiculous tone of your home press, I feel it a human duty to communicate these
sad news. Capt. Peel was killed in action near Longueval and died, as it seems
by the wounds received, without suffering."
Captain Peel’s widow wished to purchase his gravesite. Unfortunately his body had been moved to the Guards’ cemetery near Les Boeufs.
