Ernest George Horlock

Horlock was a 28 years old Bombardier in the 113th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, British Army during the First World War when he performed the service for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. As well as being recommended for the VC, Horlock was reprimanded by his officers for not obeying orders to go to the hospital after both his first and second wounds had been dressed. He stayed by his gun until the evening, despite a third wound. He was mentioned in despatches by Sir John French on 8 October 1914. He later was promoted to Battery Sergeant Major. Horlock joined the Royal Field Artillery as a regular soldier in 1904 and for an unknown reason served as Harlock, possibly due to a clerical error on enlistment papers and subsequent records. His Victoria Cross was actually correctly engraved Horlock. His grave at Hadra Military Cemetery, Alexandria, bore the name Harlock until corrected by the Commonwealth Graves Commission in the late 1970s. ==Death at sea==

In December 1917 Horlock was one of 2,500 troops who sailed from Marseille aboard the troop ship to join the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's Southern Palestine Offensive against the Ottoman Empire. On the morning of 30 December Aragon was no more than from her destination at the Port of Alexandria in Egypt when the German submarine torpedoed her, sinking her within 20 minutes. Aragons escort, the destroyer , rescued 300 to 400 survivors, but then UC-34 sank her as well. Horlock was one of 610 personnel killed in the attack. His body was recovered and buried in Hadra War Memorial Cemetery, Alexandria. ==Monuments in Hampshire==

On 24 May 2001 (previously called Empire Day) a memorial to E.G. Horlock, VC was unveiled in St John's parish church, Langrish, Hampshire. The event was attended by Horlock descendants from all over the World. A contingent from 10 (Assaye) Battery (the successor of 113th Battery and the holders of the medal) was also present, in addition to members of Portsmouth Branch of the Royal Artillery Association and the RA Artificers' Association. During the ceremony a tribute was given by the General Secretary, Lieutenant Colonel MG Felton, and the memorial was unveiled by Dame Mary Fagan, Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire. On 15 September 2014 a memorial paving stone was unveiled near the War Memorial in Alton, Hampshire, to Bombardier Ernest Horlock on the hundredth anniversary of his VC service. There was a display in the nearby Assembly Rooms and, later in the day, the firing of an 18pdr field gun (similar to the type Horlock would have served with) in Anstey Park. ==References==