A man of adventure in the Victorian mould, he was said to possess 'true courage, modesty and kindness of heart'[1] whether in the snows of Tibet, the jungles of New Guinea or the muddy trenches of Flanders.

His death was widely lamented in the scientific and geographic fields and was covered in The Times, where a friend described 'his patient courage, his resourcefulness and constant cheerfulness' and described how he possessed the 'eternal boyishness of the Elizabethans' in his exploration.

[2] After leaving school, Rawling served in the local militia as an officer, subsequently accepting a commission into the Somerset Light Infantry in 1891.

[3] Upon his return to England, Rawling received numerous accolades, including a CIE from the Indian government and in 1909 was awarded the Murchison Bequest of the Royal Geographical Society in London, of which he was a fellow.

As recognition for his services he was thanked by the Dutch government, prompted to major in the British Army and four years later would be presented with the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society.

[4] At the outbreak of the First World War, he was attached to the newly raised and recruited forces of Kitchener's Army, putting several plans for further exploration on hold.

[3] It was at Passchendaele after three weeks of heavy fighting, whilst chatting to friends outside the brigade headquarters in Hooge Crater, that Brigadier-General Cecil Rawling was killed by German shellfire on 28 October 1917.

[4] His remains were removed from the battlefield and buried in The Huts Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery in Dickebusch, near what is now Dikkebus in Belgium.