PRIVATE NATHANIEL GEORGE READ AMIES
EAST KENT REGIMENT (THE BUFFS)
20TH AUGUST 1915 AGE 30
BURIED: CALVAIRE (ESSEX) MILITARY CEMETERY, HAINAUT, BELGIUM
Private Amies' mother mixes biographical information with a line from Rupert Brooke's The Soldier and a toast to France - 'Vive la France', long live France.
Amies was born in Faversham on 17 December 1884 the son of the Reverend Stuart Amies and his wife, Frances. He was educated at St John's, Leatherhead and Denstone College, Staffordshire. In August 1905 he went to Canada. He remained there for fifteen months before moving to Guatamala City where he became a coffee planter. He returned to Britain immediately war broke out and enlisted on 1 September 1914. He went to France on 1 June 1915 and was killed by a stray explosive bullet while returning from listening-post duty. His captain told his mother:
"I got to know him well and value his good qualities. He was a keen and earnest soldier, who never grumbled at whatever job he had to do (and many of them must have been distasteful to a man of his education), and, moreover, did it well. He was a great favourite with the other men, and had a great influence for good over them, and they all feel his loss deeply. He had done particularly well in his platoon over here, and seemed to enjoy every minute of life in the trenches."
Du Ruvigny's Roll of Honour Volume 2