Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Richard Jones Taylor, an insurance agent, born on the 9th October 1846 in Foleshill, Warwickshire (son of Mark Taylor, 1824-1905 and Mahala Jones, 1824-1887 1825) and his wife Mary Ann, Taylor (nee Downton, married on the 24th December 1881 in St. Peter’s Church, Leicester), born 1854 in Limehouse, Middlesex (daughter of Matthew Downton). Roland Ernest, was born in the July quarter of 1893 in Rugby, Warwickshire, his siblings were, Margaret Downton, a café waitress, born in the October quarter of 1882 in Leicestershire and Bertram Downton, born in the July quarter of 1890, in Oakham, Rutland and baptised on the 14th September 1890 in St. Peter’s Church, Leicester, in March 1901 the family home was at 23, East Park Road, St. Stephen’s, Leicester.
Roland’s father died in August 1906 at 144, East Park Road, Leicester, aged 57 years and was interred on the 9th August in Gilroes Cemetery, Groby Road, Leicester.
In April 1911 Roland was employed as a butcher and was residing in the family home at 50, Orson Street, Leicester together with his widowed mother and siblings, Margaret and Bertram, a typewriter manufacturer’s fitter.
Roland’s army service enlistment documents do not survive, therefore the currently available information pertaining to his military service has been obtained from the following sources: - 1921 HMSO Publication, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914 - 1919, WW1 Service Medal and Award Rolls, Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, WW1 Medal Rolls Index Cards and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Registers.
Enlisted/Attested in Leicester into the Regular Army. Date not known.
Joined. At Leicester. Date not known.
Posted. To Depot South Staffordshire Regt. Pte. Date not known.
Allotted the Regimental Service number 15994.
Posted. To 11th Reserve Bn. South Staffordshire Regt. Pte. Date not known.
First entered the theatre of war in France. 24/8/15.
Posted. To 9th Bn. South Staffordshire Regt. Date not known.
Transferred. To Training Reserve Bn. West Yorkshire Regt. Date not known.
Allotted the Regimental Service number TR/5/32106.
Posted. To East Africa. Date not known.
Attached. To 2/4th Bn. King’s African Rifles. Date not known.
Promoted. To Lance Corporal, Corporal, Sergeant. Dates not known.
Killed in action. In the Field. 24/8/18.
Buried in Lumbo British Cemetery, Mozambique.
Awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
In the event of his death, Roland nominated his sister Margaret and Arthur William Sherriff as his sole legatees.
[recognitum VII-II-MMXXIV]