Lt Col William Francis Roe DSO RAMC was known to everyone in the Lodge and the Regiment as “The Doc”.
He was the eldest son of Dr William Roe, Professor and Examiner in Midwifery and Gynaecology for the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin.
Colonel Roe was born and educated in Dublin at the Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland. He was a House Surgeon at the Royal City of Dublin Hospital before becoming Surgeon on the Bibby Line of steamers. For eight years prior to the outbreak of the First World War he had a private practice in London’s Northampton Square. He was a vigorous opponent to the “panel” system of the Insurance Scheme. He married Emma Travers Ormsby.
On 9 September 1903 he joined the Bloomsbury Rifles as Surgeon, and at the formation of the Territorial Force was came with them to the Queen Victoria Rifles.
He went with the 1st Battalion to the Front in 1914 with Lt Col Shipley, Maj Dickins and CSM Brehaut, where “he did splendid work“. He was Mentioned several times and was made DSO at Hill 60 for attending wounded under heavy fire.
He was promoted major in September 1915, and early in 1916 was appointed to command a Field Ambulance as a half Colonel (temp).
He was initiated on 12 January 1918.