Missing presumed killed in action aged 33
No known grave
Michael Granville Lloyd was born at Hardwicke Court, Gloucestershire, one of the six children of Granville Lloyd-Baker and his wife, Catherine Lascelles. He was baptised there the following day.
Hardwicke Court had been the principal Gloucestershire seat of the Baker family, since the eighteenth century. Michael’s father brought in the hyphenated surname for his children. Prior to that the family name was Baker.
Michael was educated at Eton and came up to Christ Church, matriculating on 29 May 1891.
On 13 April 1898, he married at Kineton, Warwickshire, the Hon. Blanche Verney, daughter of the 18th Lord Willoughby de Broke. They had four daughters of whom Olive Katherine born in 1902, succeeded to the Estate.
The Royal Gloucestershire Hussars were mobilised at the outbreak of war and sailed for Alexandria in April 1915. In August they landed at Suvla Bay and took heavy casualties. Captain Lloyd-Baker was accidentally wounded.
In November the Regiment returned to Alexandria and camped at Mena near Cairo. On 1 April, a report arrived of a five-hundred-strong enemy force at Bir-el-Abd. The Regiment were ordered to move some six miles to Qatia where they found that the enemy had fled. On 23 April the enemy attacked. The Squadron (some 101 men) commanded by Captain Lloyd-Baker were at Qatia.
The following is an edited extract from Gullett, HS, The Australian Imperial Force in Sinai and Palestine, 1914–1918 (10th edition, 1941) Official Histories – First World War Volume VII
“Lloyd-Baker was indifferently placed on a little flat piece of ground in a palm hod surrounded by sand dunes. He was menaced by an infantry force greatly outnumbering his squadron; but he had his horses saddled. The way was clear towards Romani, or towards Wiggin's force at Hamisah, with which he was in touch by telephone; or he could have led his men mounted out of camp, and fought the advancing enemy with safety as opportunity offered in the open. But he decided to stay where he was and fight in his camp, relying upon the fire-strength of his ninety men, and, as he was justified in believing, on the certainty of support from the camp at Romani or Wiggin's three squadrons at Hamisah. Perhaps, too, he thought he could ride out on his horses at any time, if the enemy proved too strong for him. In the tragic engagement which followed, the folly which first sent the brigade alone into the desert, and which afterwards divided it into isolated camps, ignorant of the enemy's movements, was redeemed by the magnificent fight to the death carried on by the slender force of yeomanry officers and men.”
Heavy casualties were inflicted and Michael was one of those missing, presumed killed on 23 April 1916. Of the strength of seventeen officers in the Regiment, he was one of four killed at Qatia. He was Mentioned in Despatches.
He is commemorated on Panel 3 of the Jerusalem Memorial.
The Baker/Lloyd Baker Family Papers are held in the Gloucestershire Archives.