Suren Ratwatte has been in touch as part of his self-described ‘qioxotic’ research of those who went from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to WW1. I’m also one for tilting at windmills, so helped as much as I could (see below). As he explained, his research is partly because his grandfather and three pals were among the first Ceylonese (non-white) volunteers. But his starting point is the Cenotaph in Colombo and I have a Twitter feed where he aims to honour every name on the monument on (or close to) their date of sacrifice.
The Ceylon Planters’ Rifles I have mentioned on here previously (also as Ceylon volunteer Rifles), are of great interest to Suren as they were the first large group to go to the war. It seems at least one of my Maitland ancestors was part of the unit. You can read more from Suren about the Ceylon Planters’ Rifle Corps (CPRC) in the First World War here. Suren also ccasionally writes in the Colombo newspapers (see above) and you can read more from his Tales of the Long War series on Medium.
What I know about ancestors and WW1 is a follows. My great great grand parents George Keith Maitland and Christine Mary Theresa Macdonell, of Keppoch were tea planters in Ceylon although both were born in Scotland. Their 3 were Alexander McDonell Maitland (1878-1920), Keith Andrew Ramsay Maitland, MC & Bar, Major (1882-1917) and Angus Charles Majoribanks Maitland (1887-?). They and their 2 sisters including my great grandmother Alice Marie (Elsie) Maitland were all born in Ceylon. She was also married to my grandfather George Henry Kirby there and my grandfather Alfred Reginald Claude Kirby and his 2 siblings were born there.
I am not sure if Alexander McDonell Maitland (Alick) served in WW1. He would have been in his mid-to-late 30s when the war begun. He was in the CPRC and can be seen in the middle of the front row. The picture was taken in 1896 and was likely taken at the Urugasmanhandiya training camp judging by the background:
I am not sure if hisr brother Keith Andrew Ramsay Maitland is also in the photo. According to Suren he was also in the CPRC. What I do know is that he born in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in 1882 and was Killed in Action and buried at Canada Farm Cemetry in Belgium with the following inscription:
IN Memory of
Major K A R MAITLAND
M C and Bar
“A” Bty. 76th Army Bde., Royal Field Artillery
Who Died Age 33
ON 4 October 1917
Son of Keith and Theresa Mary Maitland
REMEMBERED WITH HONOUR
And the death announcement in The Times [Wednesday, Oct 24, 1917]:
MAITLAND – Killed in action, on the 4th Oct., Ramsay Keith Maitland, M.C. (2), R.F.A., second son of the late George Keith Maitland and of Mrs. Keith Maitland, Millmead, Guildford.
His brother Angus Charles Majoribanks Maitland also served although I am not sure whether he was in the CPRC. According to this record on The Peerage, he was mentioned in despatches and gained the rank of Captain in the Royal Army Service Corps. Later he was member of the War Material Commission between 1919 and 1920, and was also a member of the Control Commission of Germany and Austria between 1946 and 1947.
My great garndfather George Henry Kirby was also in the CPRC, but was in Australia when war broke out, where he enlisted in the Australian 1st Light Horse and served in Egypt, Gallipolli and the Western Front.
a tale of downward social mobility 