A Leslie Pearce Gould
Location:
St Mary
Holne
Devon, TQ13 7SL
Details on cross:
RIP
SURGEON A.L. PEARCE GOULD
RMM
Killed
in
Action
19-5-18
Text type (e.g. hand-written, GRU tags, carved): GRU Tag on top, Small metal tag under neath, Script across horizontal beam with draft script(?) still visible, “Graffiti” added in hand writing
Cross dimensions (millimetres please)
Shaft Height: 1090
Cross beam width: 680
Width of wood: 850
Thickness or depth: 10
Square plate (if supported)
Width of Square arms: 490m x 370mm
Angle of arms:
Thickness: 30mm
Other information
Mounting to wall: Firm. No evidence of being nailed
Detailing: Marble Placard set on slate stone set onto cross. Possible later addition
Evidence of use in field (earth marking, cracking, staining, shrinkage): None
Surface insertion depth (into ground if apparent):
Finish (varnish, paint, oiled, unfinished etc): Painted
Condition (cracked, paint peeling, woodwork, damage etc): Plaque and tags in good condition. Some paintwork damage on wooden cross.
Biographical notes and observations:
He was invalided home with an attack of enteric fever in 1916 and was posted to the Royal Naval Hospital, Plymouth, where he was Operating Surgeon for eighteen months in succession to J Keogh Murphy (qv). He was transferred at his own request in January, 1918, to the Naval Division in France, and was gazetted Regimental Medical Officer to the Royal Marine Light Infantry. His battalion was in action early in the morning of May 19th, 1918. He was busy attending the wounded at the aid-post; a shell exploded close by and he was killed instantly. He was a fine musician, a keen and skillful fisherman, an admirable horseman, and a very successful photographer. He was, moreover, a good classical scholar. (RCS website)
His father was Alfred Pearce Gould the eminent surgeon.
Extracts from Pearce’s diary are available at The Royal Naval Division website
Also information on him at Christ Church here
And at the Royal College of Surgeons. Here
Survey and photographs courtesy of Stephen Peart
Date of survey: 4/11/16
