STEVENSON, Marcus James
Personal Details
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Date of Birth | 1866 |
| Place of Birth | Tipperary, County Tipperary, Ireland |
| Veterinary College and Date of Graduation | Glasgow - December 1888 |
Military Service
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Last Rank | Lieutenant |
| Regiment/Service | Army Veterinary Corps |
| Secondary Regiment | 1/1st Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry |
| Secondary Unit | |
| First Theatre of War | France 1914 |
Casualty Details
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Date of Death | 10 September 1915 |
| Age at Death | 49 |
| Place of Death | Cairo, Egypt |
| Cause of Death | Wounds to head |
Cemetery
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Cemetery | Cairo War Memorial Cemetwery |
| Location | Cairo, Egypt |
| Grave Reference | D.94 |
| Commonwealth War Grave | Yes - CWGC Headstone |
| Emblem or Badge on Headstone | Army Veterinary Corps |
Honours and Memorials
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Name on RCVS Honour Board | Yes |
| Name In Officers who died in Great War | Yes |
| Medals and Awards |
|
Biography
Captain Marcus James Stevenson MRCVS was born in Tipperary, Ireland, in 1866. He graduated from Glasgow University in 1888.
Stevenson practised as a veterinary surgeon in London for about a quarter of a century, and his skill in treating animals was appreciated among all classes of society. He was a familiar figure at the Highgate Police Court, as he was invariably called by the police authorities to give evidence in cruelty cases.
Stevenson won the International Leaping Contest, held at Rouen in 1892, and thus earned the title of champion jumper of the world. Mounted on a horse called Tasmania, he defeated twenty-five of the best-known English, French, Spanish and American horses. He took first prize of £1,000.
He served in the Boer War in the Boer War, offered his services at the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, and immediately went to France with the Army Veterinary Corps.
He was home the following month, having been injured during a stampede of horses, and on his recovery, he returned to the Front. He was not back in England again till March, and a fortnight after his return, he was transferred to Egypt.
Stevenson died from wounds received to the head. He died in hospital and is buried in Cairo War Memorial Cemetery beneath a standard Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone, listing him as a Lieutenant in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.
Captain Stevenson’s obituary appeared in The Veterinary Record on 18 September 1915. His obituary notice in the Veterinary Journal noted that:
“Captain M. Stevenson was one of the best-known veterinary surgeons in North London.”
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