Rayner, William Vernon, son of William Rayner, M.R.C.S., of London, by Julia, daughter of William Dentith, of Manchester; b. July 17, 1880; adm. Sept. 27, 1894 (H); left July 1898; adm. a solicitor Dec. 1904; practised in Smith Square, Westminster; was living at Buenos Ayres in Aug. 1914 and on the declaration of war returned to England and enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers, and became a Lance-Corporal; served in France, and was sent home wounded March 1916, returned to the front in June 1916, and reported 'missing' three weeks later, when the advance was made near Bethune; presumed killed in action July 23, 1916; unm.

Reed, Roland Anthony, brother of Richard Gordon Reed (qv); b. 29 Dec. 1920; adm. Sept. 1934 (G); left Dec. 1938; RMC Sandhurst, 2nd Lieut. Roy. Tank: Regt May 1940, Lieut. Nov. 1941; killed in action (Libya) 31 Dec. 1941.

Roland Anthony Reed was born at Clifton Campville, Staffordshire on the 29th of December 1920 the second son of the Reverend Roland William Reed and Claudia Mary (nee Poore) Reed of The Rectory, Clifton near Tamworth in Staffordshire. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Grant’s from September 1934 to December 1938. He entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in 1939 before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Tank Regiment on the 11th May 1940. He was posted to the 8th Royal Tank Regiment and was promoted to Lieutenant on the 11th of November 1941.
On the 30th of December 1941, the 8th Royal Tank Regiment was in camp at Bir Bu Tabel when they received orders at 6pm to make an attack on Bardia Fortress the following morning in support of the 3rd South African Infantry Brigade. A, B and C Squadrons left camp a short time later in three columns and arrived at their assembly point at 8.45pm that night.
The supporting artillery barrage began at 4.15am on the morning of the 31st of December 1941 with C Squadron arriving at the forward assembly area at 5.15am. Their tanks began moving forward though gaps in the minefields, which had been cleared by the Royal Engineers, at 6.30am. A short time later they received a message from B Squadron reporting that the infantry were being held up by enemy machine guns and were requesting assistance. Two tanks, those of Richard Reed and Major Peter Norman Veale, went forward to attack the enemy positions but when they arrived there the enemy appeared to have withdrawn and they returned to rejoin the Squadron. At 9am, it was reported that two of the three main enemy strong points had been silenced but that a third was still active and the infantry could not locate its exact position. A soon as Richard Reed’s tank went forward to assist it received a direct hit from the enemy strong point and caught fire. The tank commanded by Sergeant Barrett met the same fate immediately afterwards. Sergeant Barrett ran across to Richard Reed’s burning tank and managed to rescue the driver and the radio operator before making for cover. The rest of the crew perished. The enemy gun position was knocked out by Peter Veale a few minutes later. With no infantry support available from the South Africans, the rest of C Squadron withdrew.
The Regiment’s objectives were taken by noon but an enemy counterattack began at 12.40pm, which was driven off by 5pm after heavy fighting. The surviving tanks from the Regiment withdrew for the night at 11.30pm.
He is buried at Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery, Joint Grave 3 E 9.

Reid, Alexander Daniel, son of William T. Reid, of Kensington; b. Feb. 2, 1882; adm. Jan. 16, 1896 (H); left Dec. 1897; R. M.C. Sandhurst 1899; 2nd Lieut. unattached July 28, 1900; Lieut. Black Watch Oct. 28, 1902; temp. Major Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers Feb. 26, 1915; d. 31 July 1917.

Rivers, George Claude, only son of George Charles Rivers, of Kensington, by Elizabeth Mary Moore; b. July 30, 1887; adm. May 4, 1899 (R); left Dec. 1903; joined the Inns of Court O.T.C.; 2nd Lieut. 9th (Service) Batt. the East Surrey Regt. Dec. 23, 1914; Grenade Officer; went out to the western front Aug. 30, 1915; m. Nov. 1, 1913, Elsie Margaret, only daughter of William Pickthall; killed in action near Trones Wood, on the Somme, France, Aug. 21, 1916.

Robertson, Laurence Grant, brother of William Alexander Robertson (q.v.); b. May 5, 1877; adm. May 8, 1891 (H); left April 1895; a chartered accountant on the District Audit Staff of the Local Government Board; 2nd Lieut. Army Ordnance Dept. Feb. 7, 1915, at­tached King's Own Scottish Borderers July 1915; killed in action at Delville Wood in the Battle of the Somme, France, July 30, 1916; unm.

Robertson, Norman Cairns, brother of William Alexander Robertson (q.v.); b. Jan. 9, 1876; adm. Sept. 25, 1888 (H); left April 1894; joined the Inns of Court O.T.C. 1914; Capt. 2nd Batt. Hants Regt. Feb. 20, 1915; taken prisoner near Monchy, April 23, 1917; d. in a German military hospital at Hanover, June 20, 1917.

ROCHE, EUGENIUS ALFRED, brother of Henry Philip Roche (qv); b. 7 Apr 1854; adm. 26 Jan 1867 (G); left Aug 1868; MRCS LSA 1876; Army Surgeon 4 Feb 1877; Surgeon-Maj., 4 Feb 1889; Lieut. -Col., 4 Feb 1897; retd. 13 Feb 1907; served in Afghan War 1878-80; m. 9 Aug 1888 Louie Forbes, eldest dau. of Patrick Warner, Ardeer, Ayrshire, landowner; d. 1 Aug 1918.

Roche, Richard de Rupe, elder son of Capt. Richard Roche, R.N., of Ventnor, Isle of Wight; b. May 30, 1880; adm. April 27, 1893 (G); served in South Africa and in Great War I; L/Cpl. Queen's Westminster Rifles; m. Ethel, daughter of G. E. Fulton, of Eisley, Surrey; killed in action near Houplines Jan. 8, 1915.

Rogers, Patrick Heron Thorold, son of Arthur George Liddon Rogers (qv); b. 17 Oct. 1909; adm. Sept. 1923 (R); left July 1927; Balliol Coll. Oxf., matric. 1928, BA 1931 (1st class hons Jurispru­dence), LLB 1932; called to the Bar (Middle Temple) Jan. 1933 (1st class hons and cert. of hon­our Bar finals; BCL 1937; PO RAFVR Oct. 1941; m. 29 July 1937 Jacqueline, d. of Percy A. Sweetinburgh of Hampstead; killed in action Mar. 1942.

Patrick Heron Thorold Rogers was born at Barnet, Middlesex on the 17th of October 1909 the elder son of Arthur George Liddon Rogers OW, a civil servant for the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, and Emily Norah (nee Miller-Hallett) Rogers of “Mount Skippet”, Ramsden in Oxfordshire and of 17, Barkton Gardens, Earls Court in London. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Rigaud’s from September 1923 to July 1927. He matriculated for Balliol College, Oxford in 1928 and was awarded a First Class BA in Jurisprudence in 1931. He was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple in January 1933 having won First Class Honours and a Certificate of Honour in the final examinations for the Bar in 1937. He worked from chambers at 4, Paper Buildings, Temple and lectured at the Faculty of Law at King’s College, London University and at the Police College, Hendon.
He was married at Temple Church, Marylebone on the 29th of June 1937 to Bertha Jacqueline Alice (nee Sweetinburgh) of Berkley Court. He was the author of “Roger’s Questions and Answers on Criminal Law” and “The Effect of War on Contract”, published in 1940. He co-wrote “The Solicitor’s handbook of War Legislation” with Stanley Marks Krusin.
He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve where he trained as an Observer and rose to the rank of Leading Aircraftman before being commissioned as a Pilot Officer on the 4th of October 1941.
Patrick Rogers and his crew took off in Beaufort Mk II AW272 for an operational flight off the coast of Caithness. When it returned to base the aircraft was low on fuel and the crew was having trouble locating the airfield. The aircraft struck the Hill of Stemster near Achavanich at 10.30pm and crashed killing Patrick Rogers and injuring the rest of the crew.
The crew was: -
Pilot Officer Anthony Edgar Buchanan Barnard (Pilot) (Shock and an injured right arm) (Killed in action 13th April 1943)
Pilot Officer Patrick Heron Thorold Rogers (Observer)
Sergeant E. W. Hill (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) (Slightly injured, shock and minor abrasions)
Sergeant William Henry Parsons (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) (Seriously injured, fracture and dislocation of the spine)
William Parsons was taken to Stracathro Hospital where he died from his injuries at 7.40 on the 12th July 1942.
His mother received the following telegram dated the 14th of March 1942: - “Deeply regret to inform you that your son Pilot Officer Patrick Heron Thorold Rogers is reported to have lost his life as the result of air operations on 12th March 1942. The Air Council express their profound sympathy. His wife has been informed.”
His funeral took place on the 18th of March 1942.
A friend wrote of him: -
“In Patrick Heron Thorold Rogers, the Bar has lost one of its most brilliant young practitioners, and Westminster one of its most promising alumni. He was up Rigaud’s from 1923 to 1928, and was joint winner of the Vincent Prize in the latter year. Thence he passed on to Balliol, where he not only achieved a First in the School of Jurisprudence and another First in the postgraduate School of Civil Law, but also won the Winter Williams Scholarship. He obtained a First again in his Bar Examinations, and was awarded the Certificate of Honour for the Middle Temple. He also won the Barstow Scholarship, and was one of the Harmsworth Law Scholars for 1933. In practice he was well-known for his clear-headed advocacy; and for his keen grasp of the subtleties of his profession; though only 32 at his death he had been appointed Lecturer in Law at Kings College, London, and at the Police College, Hendon, and had written three books on legal matters connected with the war. No one would have cared to set any limit on his ultimate achievement. Believing that it was for him to share whatever danger might be the price of victory, he volunteered for flying duties with the R.A.F. On Thursday, March 12th, he was killed while returning from an operational flight. His loss is a public one, but to us, his friends and schoolfellows, it is all the more poignant for our memories of a character as striking as it was sincere. He was blessed with kindliness and courage, and he reaped his reward in success in his profession and complete happiness in his marriage. A life so richly lived and “So generously laid down” calls for no further epitaph.”
He is commemorated on the war memorial at Balliol College, Oxford and on the memorial at King’s College, London University. He is also commemorated on the memorial at the Middle Temple.
He is buried at St James’ Church, Ramsden.