Pte 58040 Ronald Preston

• Age: 26
• From: Kew, Surrey
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Menin Gate Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 4 & 6

Ronald Preston was born Ronald Newbury Caught in the third quarter of 1891. His birth was registered in the Richmond district of Surrey. He was baptised at St Anne's, Kew on 05th July 1891. His parents are recorded as Thomas and Elizabeth Caught, his father is shown on the baptismal records as a butcher by trade. 

On the 1891 census the family are living at 2 South Side, Kew. Head of the household is Thomas Caught, aged 45, a butcher born in Chiswick, his wife Elizabeth is aged 42 born in Lodway, Gloucs, with children all born Kew, Robert 17 a butcher, Thomas 15 a butcher, Anny 12 a scholar, John 9 a scholar and Emma 6 a scholar. Interestingly they have a general servant Emmeline Preston, aged 23 b.Lincolnshire, an educated guess would be this was how Ronald's alias was dreamed up.

The 1901 Census sees Ronald Caught aged 9 as a boarder at 41 High Town Road, Maidenhead. This was Maidenhead Modern School, opened in 1894, first at Cliveden Hall, then on High Town Road.

He enlisted as Ronald Preston in Ipswich, Suffolk and originally served as Private 315, in the London Divisional Cyclist Company. Following a transfer he was serving in the 17th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 58040 when he was killed in action on the 31st July 1917, aged 26,  during the Third Battle of Ypres.

17^th Battalion

On that day, the 89th Brigade was to follow up the attacks of the 21st and 90th Brigades and once their objectives had been taken, to go through them and secure a line of strong points on the German third line. The 89th Brigade line of attack was from the South West corner of Polygon Wood, to the Menin Road. The 17th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment was on the left of the attack, and the 20th to the right, with the 19th Battalion and the 2nd Battalion The Bedfordshire Regiment, in Divisional Reserve.

The Battalion moved into assembly positions east of Maple Copse between 05.00 and 05.20am, they were heavily shelled and suffered many casualties. At 07.50 they began to advance with the 17^th Battalion on the left, and the 20^th on the right, the whole time under heavy shell fire. On reaching their position which was the Blue Line , troops of both the 21^st and 90^th Brigades were still pinned down  and thus any attempt at further progress were futile.

Despite this they pushed on until their flank was just touching Clapham Junction. They then dug in and awaited the inevitable bombardment which hit them soon after. Despite this, they held onto the ground.  

During the action and their time in the line the 17^th Battalion lost three officers and 79 men killed or died of wounds and four officers and 198 men wounded. They were eventually relieved on the night of 3^rd -4^th August.

The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, only those prior 16 August 1917 (with some exceptions). United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. New Zealand casualties that died prior to 16 August 1917 are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery.

The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927.

His father Thomas received a War Gratuity on 04th September 1919. The pension records show Ronald Preston alias Ronald Newbury Caught. 

CWGC do not contain an ALIAS and have him recorded as Ronald Preston. Enquiries are being made with CWGC in order to show his  service details were an ALIAS.

Ronald is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Men of Slough Cross 

We currently have no further information on Ronald Preston, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.