Cecil Frederick Gottlieb Coles

Cecil Frederick Gottlieb Coles, born 1888 at Kirkcudbright. He was the son of Frederick R Coles and Margaret N Blacklock. Cecil had two brothers and two sisters.

Cecil Coles parents and siblings

Photographs courtesy of Margaret Lee, niece of Cecil Coles, who is the oldest boy in the centre.

Cecil Frederick Gottlieb Coles

Cecil Frederick Gottlieb Coles

 

Cecil was a talented musician and studied at Edinburgh University, and then won a scholarship to the London College of Music. He studied with Gustav Holst. He won another scholarship to study in Stuttgart in 1908, and became an assistant conductor 1909 - 1911.

Cecil returned to London 1913. He had married Phoebe and had two children. At the outbreak of war Cecil joined the London Regiment (Queen Victoria's Rifles) September 2, 1914. He soon becameSerjeant Bandmaster.

April 26, 1918 Cecil was killed by a sniper while rescuing wounded men from a wood. Cecil is commemorated at Crouy British Cemetery, Crouy-sur-Somme, Grave I.C.1.

 

Cecil Frederick Gottlieb Coles headstone