Maj. Eustace Henry Egremont Abadie

He was born on January 24th 1887, the third son of Major General Henry Richard Abadie and his first wife, Kate (née Sandeman). His older brothers, Harry and George, were not Carthusians; both died whilst on military service in Africa. His younger brother, Richard Abadie (Verites 1895-96), was also killed in the First World War. In 1897 he was commissioned into his father’s regiment, the Queen’s Royal Lancers, and joined the 9th Battalion, serving as a captain in India and in the Second Boer War between 1899 1901 as ADC to General Sir John French. He was awarded the DSO. Abadie was killed in action near Messines, defending the front line with the 9th Lancers as part of the 1st Cavalry Brigade. Captain Francis Grenfell, who had known Abadie while both men were serving in India, describes encountering the Major in Messines during the First Battle of Ypres on October 30th: I met Major Abadie, who said to me, ‘Well Francis, what do you think of this situation?’ I cannot remember exactly what I said, but I think I told him that I thought the Germans were attacking from the front and left, and that I had no trench facing that way to meet the attack, the troops on my left having gone away. This was the last I saw of him. He looked exactly the same as usual and was in the same cheery mood, taking everything light-heartedly, as was his custom. (Memoir: Francis and Riversdale Grenfell, John Buchan, 1920) Abadie’s body was never found and his death was not confirmed until 13th May 1915, four days after his father’s death. He is commended in despatches from February 1915 for ‘gallant conduct in the field’. He is commemorated on the Sandhurst war memorial, on a fine joint memorial plaque to father and all four sons in Canterbury Cathedral and on the Abadie family grave in Eastbourne.

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