15th January 1918

30-year-old Richard Lander Sale died of wounds on 15th January 1918, whilst serving as a Lieutenant with the Royal Horse Guards. He was born in Atherstone, Warwickshire in 1887 and was the second of the four sons of parents, Alfred (a solicitor) and Annie Gertrude (née Cheshire) who had married in Witherley, Leicestershire in August 1885.

The local connection is that Richard, and his three brothers, attended Packwood Haugh School, which was in the Solihull Rural District at the time. Richard attended the school 1898-1902 before going onto Clifton College 1902-1905.

He followed his father and his elder brother, Alfred Henry Sale (1886-1973) into the legal profession, working with them in their solicitor’s practice in Atherstone. In 1913, he married Dorothy Mary Northcott, whose father, Rev. William Northcott, was the Vicar of Atherstone. The couple are not known to have had any children.

Richard Lander Sale was a member of the Inns of Court Officer Training Corps (OTC) and was gazetted Temporary Second Lieutenant with the Reserve Regiment of Royal Horse Guards in October 1915. He apparently acted as a sniping and patrol officer to his regiment, before being promoted to brigade sniping officer in Spring 1917. His brother, Edward Hanson Sale (1891-1915) also joined the Army on the outbreak of war and was killed at the Battle of Loos on 25th September 1915.

Youngest brother, John Francis Sale (1892-1983), whose birth  was registered as Francis John Sale), served as a Gunner with the Royal Garrison Artillery. The oldest brother, Alfred Henry (1886-1973), was given an exemption from military service in November 1916 until May 1917 on the grounds that he was the only full-time clerk in his father’s law practice, with three clerks having joined the Army. It’s not known whether Alfred Henry Sale was eventually called up for military service.

Lieutenant Richard Lander Sale (recorded in some records as Richard Lauder Sale) is buried at Tincourt New British Cemetery, and is also commemorated on Atherstone War Memorial and Packwood Haugh School’s roll of honour.

If you have any further information, please let us know.

Tracey
Heritage & Local Studies Librarian

tel.: 0121 704 6977
email: heritage@solihull.gov.uk