Biography:
William Evelyn Maples was born 2 February 1880, the youngest son of William Maples of Ashtead, Surrey and of Elizabeth Maples, nee Jackson. He was one of three Wykehamist brothers, another of whom, Captain Kenneth James Maples (G 1890-1896), South Staffordshire Regiment, fell on May 16th 1915 (see individual entry).
William came to Winchester College in September 1893 from Mr. Johnson's school at Ashtead. He was in G House, Sergeant's, and played in Commoner XV.
He left Winchester in the summer of 1897 and after a short period with the Militia he entered the Regular Army (Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment) in 1899. Then followed service in South Africa from 1899 to 1902, and he later on served with the King's African Rifles in the Nandi and Somaliland campaigns. He travelled widely in East Africa, Abyssinia and the Himalayas, and was a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. In 1910, he went to India, and shortly before the war passed into the Staff College at Quetta though he resigned this three months later.
The loss of Kut (in present day Iraq) along with 10,000 British troops, after a 5 month seige led to the appointment of a new commander of the Third Indian Army Corps, Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Maude, who set about re-organising and strengthening the British forces with the aim of recapturing this strategically important town on the River Tigris. Maude launched his offensive against Kut, attacking with some 50,000 troops on the night of 13/14 December 1916. Maples fell in action during this advance on the Tigris Line while commanding the 6th Battalion Loyal North Lancashire Regiment.
Both William and Kenneth Maples are commemorated on the Ashtead war memorials at St George’s and St Giles.
Another Wykehamist, Lieutenant Frank Hicks MC (K 1910-1914, 4th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, killed in action, 21 August 1918), is also commemorated on those memorials.