G Stanley French
Rank: Sapper / Lance Corporal
Regiment: 2nd Home Counties Brigade, Royal Engineers
Parents: Mr & Mrs E G French
Brother: H G French
Address: 55 Elphinstone Road, Hastings
Other Info: One of the Hastings Gas Company Staff.
DCM winner text reads: “An interesting presentation took place at ??gate last Sunday week, when Lance Corporal Stanley French … was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal by Brigadier General Martin C.B. … General Martin, after warmly congratulating Corporal French on the well deserved honour, referred to the action for which the coveted distinction was awared, viz., for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during the attack on Hill 60, 17th – 18th April 1915, when he assisted Lieutenant Challoner to carry on the wiring despite heavy losses. Lance Corporal French … has been wounded in the leg in no less than ten? places, which the result that the injured leg is three inches shorter than the other. He carries with him as a souvenir of the occurrence a piece of shrapnel about the size of a walnut which was extracted from his ankle. He joined the Territorial Force on its formation, having been previously a member of the 1st Sussex Royal Engineer Volunteers. He went abroad in December”.
Published: December 1914 & July 1916
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Gilbert Stanley French was born in 1894 hastings, the son of Edward George French and his wife Louisa Ann Clark. In 1911 he was and Engineer at Gas Works living at at 55 Elphinstone Road with his family (including brother George a printer). In 1901 he is named Gilbert S French. It is possible that he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal in 1915 - see details on his Geni profile at https://www.geni.com/people/Gilbert-French/6000000041826630022 - two WW1 records were found for Stanley - Sapper Service number T742 - Corps Royal Engineers Medal Index card and Lance Corporal 742 Corps of Royal Engineers, Bn 2 (Home Counties) Field Company - 1915 DCM. Be good to have this information confirmed or verified!