The First Of Far Too Many

Truth, as we all know, is the first casualty of war.
Aeschylus, the father of tragedy, taught us that much.
But in terms of The Great War 1914-18, the first British casualty
was actually a young golf-caddy from North Finchley called John Parr.
John Parr was born and lived just up the road from me, and chose to lie
about his age in order to meet the minimum requirement for enlistment.
He was only 16 when he joined the 4th Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment
and was assigned the role of reconnaissance cyclist.
On Friday August 21st 1914, John Parr found himself
on patrol in the village of Obourg, north east of Mons
and just over the border into Belgium. And it was there that
he encountered an advance unit from the German First Army.
It is believed that 16-year-old John Parr remained behind to hold off the enemy,
whilst a colleague returned by pedal-power to report to their superior officers.
At dawn the next day, the British army fired
their first shots in anger on the Western Front,
and young golf-caddies from far and wide
began to fall like dominoes in
their hundreds and thousands.

St Symphorien Military Cemetery:
the final resting place of Private John Parr