Roland Goetze Innocent

Story:
Roland Goetze Innocent was born in 1899 in Lechlade, Gloucestershire. He was the son of Bentley Frank Innocent, an auctioneer and valuer, and Fanny Innocent. In 1901 the family were living at Burford House, Sherborne Street East in Lechlade. By the time of the 1911 Census they had moved to Sherborne House in Lechlade and Roland was a boarder at 27 Auckland Road East, Southsea, Portsmouth. Roland attended Shaftesbury Grammar School from January 1912 to April 1916. While there he was a member of the 1914 football team and the 1915 cricket team. He also took part in the Dorset Inter-School Sports, winning the Hurdles in 1915 and Throwing the Cricket Ball in 1916.

On leaving school he worked in his father’s office in Cirencester. When he was of military age he joined a Cadet Flying School but after two months was transferred, for medical reasons, to an infantry regiment. He served as a Private in the Middlesex Regiment and the London Regiment (Service No. G/96705) and was posted to France in August 1918. He died on 1st September 1918 and was buried in the Sailley-Saillisel British Cemetery, Somme, France (grave id. II.J.6). He was awarded the Victory and British War medals and is remembered on a memorial in the parish church at Lechlade and the Shaftesbury Grammar School memorial in Shaftesbury School.

Throughout the war a hand-written list was compiled of Shaftesbury Grammar School old boys serving in the armed forces. An asterix can be seen next to Roland’s name, indicating that he had died. The board is now at Gold Hill Museum. 

Printed Sources: 

Shaftesbury Grammar School Magazine, March 1919