Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

2nd Battalion, 6th Reinforcement, Australian Infantry, A.I.F.

He was 32 and the son of Clementine Digges-La Touche, [1857–1930] and the late Major Everard Noel Digges-La Touche [1844–1903] of Clontarf, Dublin and sometime of 56, Highfield Rd., Rathgar, Dublin; husband of Eva Digges-La Touche, of The Rectory, Miltown, County Kerry, Ireland. Later of Burrendale, Newcastle, County Down, Ireland and  later of White Cottage, Green Lane, Godalming, Surrey.

Mother, Mrs C Digge, La Touche, c/o C B Jameson, Esq, Monaterean, County Kildare, Ireland.

INSCRIPTION on his wargrave
FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH QUIS SEPARABIT

Quis separabit? (Latin: Who will separate [us]?) is a motto derived from the Vulgate translation of Romans 8:35 translated as "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"

The motto is associated with Ulster unionism, Ulster loyalism and the British Army in Ireland

It was the motto of the former Government of Northern Ireland and appeared on the province's defunct coat of arms.

He was the father of Everard William James Handley Digges La Touche [b. 1910]
Paul Digges La Touche [b. 1912]

In the 1901 census of Ireland, Everard was aged 18, and was an undergraduate student at Trinity College Dublin.
On his enlistment papers, he stated that he was,
B.A., 1904, M.A., 1908, Litt.D., 1910.
Ryan Prizeman, 1905
Senior Moderator & Gold Medalist in History & Political Science, 1905.
Hon. Sec. University of Dublin Philosophical Society, 1907-8.

He married Eva King, daughter of Rev. William King, on 30 June 1909, at Kilcolman Parish Church, Killarney, County Kerry.
She was born on 29th October 1881, County Kerry, and died in 1948, London.

In the 1911 census of England, Everard was recorded at The Manse, Pamber Heath, Hampshire [near Basingstoke].
He was aged 28, a clerk in holy orders, born at Newcastle, Co. Down.
His wife Eva was aged 28, and had been born in Galway.
Their son Everard William James Handley Digges La Touche, was 5 months old, and had been born at Bradford, Yorkshire.
It would appear that he was attached to St. Luke's [C of E] Parish Church, Pamber Heath.

His Australian enlistment papers appear to indicate that he was a Private and Acting Sergeant, 27th Aug. - 22 Nov. 1914, when he was discharged from the 13th Battn. as being medically unfit.

Enlistment date 27 December 1914
Rank on enlistment 2nd Lieutenant.

Age at embarkation 32

Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT Karoola on 16 June 1915.

He re-enlisted at Liverpool, NSW, Australia, on 28th December 1914, naming his wife as Mrs. E. Digges La Touche, c/o Kilcolman Rectory, Milltown, County Kerry.
His address was given as University Club, Castlereagh St,, Sydney, and his age was recorded as 31 years and 10 months.
He was appointed Acting Sergeant at the Liverpool depot 27 Dec. 1914-8 May 1915, whilst also attending the Officer's School of Instruction, No. 17, Merrickville, 8 Dec 1914-6 Mar. 1915. He was gazetted as 2nd Lieut. 6th Rifles, 2nd Battn. 10 May 1915, and embarked for Egypt on 16 May 1915.
He joined the 2nd Battn. on 6 Aug. 1915, and died in a charge on 8 Aug. 1915 near ANZAC Cove.

He was buried that day in Victoria Gully.
His remains appear to have been exhumed twice, before final placement in Lone Pine Cemetery.

His widow was awarded a pension of £91pa for herself and her son.


Found on a website.
"At the outbreak of war in 1914, he tried first to join as a chaplain, then in the ranks of the 2nd. Battalion, Australian Inf. In November 1914, he was rejected because of his severe varicose veins, so he immediately went away and had an operation. This meant that he was too late to join the 2nd. Battalion, but as soon as he was well he joined the 13th and rose to Sergeant. You might wonder why this clergyman, who was not in A1 physical condition, and with the responsibility of his wife, Eve, and two young sons, was prepared to go off and fight, but one of his men summed him up, saying "he convinced us of the righteousness of our cause and likened this present struggle for liberty to a Holy Crusade, so when we finally sang "Onward Christian Soldiers", we meant it".



He was commissioned as a 2nd. Lt. in the 2nd. Battalion when an officer was needed to take reinforcements from Alexandria to Gallipoli, for the August attack. On the morning of the 6th, August 1915, he landed his men at Anzac Cove. As a Reinforcement Officer he could then have chosen to go back to Alexandria, but the official historian says that he begged leave to join the attack at Lone Pine. At 5.30, he went over the parapet with the first rush, only to fall, mortally wounded within a few seconds. He managed to roll down the slope of the spur and crawl back into the Australian lines, dying "among his own people" as Charles Bean the Australian war historian described it." He had been shot in the intestines, and died 12 hours later.

His name is recorded on the War Memorial at Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia.


His brother Lieutenant Averill Digges La Touche, aged 30, 5th Bn. attd. 2nd Bn.Royal Irish Rifles also died in WW1, [25/09/1915] at Ypres, Belgium.

Transcript of the Digges La Touche headstone in Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin.

In Ever Loving Memory
of my husband
MAJOR E.N. DIGGES LA TOUCHE
Bengal Infy. & Assam Comr. Obit Novr. 1903
He went about helping others
and of baby EVERARD died in India
also of our precious sons who gave
their lives in "The Great War"
EVERARD (clerk in holy orders)
2nd Lieut. A.I. Force
Lone Pine Gallipoli Augst. 5th-7th 1915

"faithful unto death"
AVERELL Lieut. R.I. Rifles
Hooge, France Septr. 25th-27th 1915

"Greater love hath no man than this - that
a man lay down his life for his friends"
QUIS SEPERABIT

also CLEMENTINE wife of
MAJOR E.N. DIGGES LA TOUCHE
obit February 1930

Well done, good and faithful servant,
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord

There are a further two memorials to him and his brother at St John's Church in Newcastle, Ireland.