As would be expected with the wide diversity of countries and branches of the armed forces in which they served, Orrs were in some of the famous battles. They feature too in many memorials throughout the world to those with no known grave , who died at sea in the Merchant Navy or the Royal Navy, those buried at sea, and the many gallant fliers, for whom their final resting place is known only to God. In collating this information it drives home just how many hundreds of thousands for whom their memorial is but an inscription on a wall somewhere. It shows too, the sheer stupidity of man and the inhumanity of one to another.

We are familiar with the sight of the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial from the Remembrance Day services but those commemorated there are but a few of the whole. On the first day of the Battle of the Somme some 60,000 British soldiers were struck down, 20,000  in the first half hour alone. Thousands more lie in unknown graves and are commemorated elsewhere. 35,000 with no known grave commemorated at Arras, 13,000 at Le Touret. 73,000  are remembered at Thiepval. At Vis en Artois, Pas de Calais - 9,000 from Great Britain Ireland and South Africa who died between 8 August and 11 November 1918.  20,000 at the Loos Memorial; 14,000 including 300 South Africans at Pozieres; and at Cambrai 7000 with no known grave. 10,000 Australians are commemorated at Villers Bretonneux, Somme. We forget that the conflict was also in Mesopotamia - Egypt, Iraq, Palestine and Gallipoli. The 40,000 Commonwealth troops commemorated at Basra, Iraq; 4228 Australians and 708 New Zealanders commemorated at Lone Pine, Gallipoli. 20,000 at Helles Memorial, Gallipoli; 24,000 Kranji, Singapore; Rangoon Memorial with 6000 buried in the cemetery and 27,000 in unknown graves throughout Burma and Assam and Lauban (Borneo) with Australian victims of Japanese savagery while POWs. The list is seemingly endless.

Menin Gate

Every town in the United Kingdom has its Memorial and there are national commemoration sites for the missing and with no known grave; these contain their share of Orrs.

WWI No Known Grave.

Capt. J. A. Orr 1st Bn. Cameron Highlanders 22.10.1914

Pvte. Thomas Orr, 2nd Bn. Royal Scots 14.12.1914

Pvte. William Orr 1st Bn Royal Dragoons 12.11.1914

Sgt. William Orr, 10 Bn Royal Irish Rifles 4. 8.1917

2 Lt. Walter Leslie Orr, 4th attd. 2nd Bn Royal Irish Rifles 25. 9.1915

Pvte Frank Orr, 1st/5th Northumberland Fusiliers 24. 5.1915

Pvte John Orr, 1st Gordon Highlanders 28. 5.1915

L/Cpl Thomas Orr, 1st /4th Northumberland Fusiliers 26. 4.1915

Pvte John Erskine Orr, 87th Bn. Canadian Infantry (Quebec Reg) 17. 9.1916

Rfn. David Orr, 1st/8th London Regiment (Post Office Rifles) 28. 8.1917

Capt. James Barbour Orr, 4th Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers 31. 7.1917

 Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France.

Pvte Reuben Orr, 10 Bn Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 1. 7.1916

Pvte Robert Orr , 10 Bn Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 1, 7.1916

Pvte William James Orr, 9 Bn Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 1. 7.1916

Rfn. John Orr 11th Bn. Royal Irish Rifles 1. 7.1916

Rfn James Orr, 13 Bn. Royal Irish Rifles 1. 7.1916

Pvte Lionel Orr, 11th Bn Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 1. 7.1916

L/Cpl Walter Orr,. 16th Bn Highland Light Infantry 1. 7.1916

Pvte William Orr, 2nd Bn Seaforth Highlanders 1. 7.1916

2 Lt James Kenneth Orr, 16th Bn Middlesex Regiment 1. 7.1916

Pvte Francis John Orr, 8th Bn Kings Own Yorkshire light Infantry 1. 7.1916

Capt. David Orr, 108 Coy Machine Gun Corps 1. 7.1916

L/Cpl James Miller Orr , 4th Regiment South African Infantry 10. 7.1916

Pvte William Robert Orr, 1st Bn East Surrey Regiment 29. 7.1916

Pvte John Orr, 1st The Kings (Liverpool) Regiment 8. 8.1916

L/Cpl William Orr, 2nd Bn Kings Own Scottish Borderers 23. 8.1916

Pvte Frank James Orr, 17th Bn Sherwood Foresters 3. 9.1916

Rfn Robert Orr , 7th Kings Royal Rifle Corps 15. 9.1916

Pvte George Orr 7 / 8th Bn Kings Own Scottish Borderers 15. 9.1916

Sgt Robert Orr, 1/7th The Kings (Liverpool) Regiment 25. 9.1916

Pvte John Orr, 20th Bn Durham Light Infantry 30. 9.1916

L/Cpl Thomas Orr, 7 / 8th Bn Kings Own Scottish Borderers 27.10.1916

Pvte John Orr 15th Bn Highland Light Infantry 18.11.1916

Pvte James Orr , 6/ 7th Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers 1. 2.1917

Rfn Nicholas Orr, 15 Bn Royal Irish Rifles 24. 3.1918

CSM Archibald Orr, 1/8th Bn Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 21. 3.1918

Pvte David Orr, 8 Bn Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) 23. 3.1918

Pvte Henry Arthur Orr, 2 / 5th Bn East Lancashire Regiment 31. 3.1918

Pvte Walter Orr, 5th Dragoon Guards (Prin.Charlotte od Wales) 25. 3.1918

( Australian Memorial )

Sgt. William Joseph Orr, 14 Bn Australian Infantry 11. 4.1917

Capt. Robert Wells Orr, 14 Bn Australian Infantry 11. 4. 1917

CSM Vincent William Orr, 23rd Bn Australian Infantry 3. 5.1917

Cpl. J Orr, 57 Bn Australian Infantry 25. 4.1918

Pvte Cuthbert Donald Orr, 42nd Bn Australian Infantry 12. 8.1918

(New Zealand Memorial)

Rfn Ernest Orr, 4th Bn,3rd New Zealand Rifle brigade 7. 6.1917

L/Cpl Henry William Orr, 1st Bn, 3rd New Zealand Rifle brigade 8. 6.1917

Pvte James Orr, 1st Bn, Wellington Regiment, NZEF 29. 7.1917

Pvte John Orr, 5th Cameron Highlanders 25. 9.1915

Pvte Robert Orr. 7th Bn Seaforth Highlanders 25.9.1915

Lt Jack Alexander Anderson Orr,2 Bn Seaforth Highlanders 12. 6.1918

Lt Osborne John Orr,DFC, 204 Sqdn RAF 23.10.1918

Cpl Robert Orr, 1/6th Bn Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 26. 3.1916

Pvte James Orr, 1 /8th Bn Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 23. 4.1917

Pvte Robert Orr , 4th Bn Gordon Highlanders 23. 4.1917

Pvte Alfred Orr, 9th Bn Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) 3. 5.1917

L/Sgt. Herbert Orr, 2 / 7th Bn Duke of Wellingtons Regiment 3. 5.1917

Pvte Alexander Orr, 2nd Bn Gordon Highlanders 7. 5.1917

Pvte Hugh Orr, 2nd Bn Royal Scots 4. 6.1917

Sgt. David Orr, 20th (Tyneside Scottish) Northumberland Fusiliers 5. 6.1917

2 Lt Hugh Brian Orr, attd 10/11 Bn Highland Light Infantry 22. 3.1918

Sgt. Robert Orr, MM and bar, 6/7 Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers 22. 3.1918

L/Cpl William Orr, 2nd Bn Scots Guards 28. 3 1918

Vimy Memorial, Pas de Calais, France    (Canadian Memorial)

Pvte George Syme Orr, 8 Bn Canadian Infantry (Manitoba Regt) 22. 5.1915

Pvte Ralph Orr, 5th Bn Canadian Infantry (Saskatchewan Regt) 22. 5.1915

Sgt David Chalmers Orr,72nd Bn Canadian Infantry (B. C Regt) 22.11.1916

Pvte Charles henry Orr, 3rd Canadian Infantry (Cen Ontario Rgt) 19. 8.1917

Pvte John Orr,8 Bn Canadian Infantry (Manitoba Regt) 29. 4.1917

Pvte James Franklin Orr,21st Bn Canadian Infantry ( E Ontario Rgt) 15. 8.1917

Pvte Robert Calder Orr, 8 Bn Canadian Infantry (Manitoba Regt) 15.8.1917

Pvte Wallace Orr, 1st Bn Canadian Machine Gun Corps 1.10.1918

Pvte Robert Sherlock Orr 9 Bn Royal Fusiliers 20.11.1917

Rfn. John Orr, 12 Bn Royal irish Fusiliers 22.11.1917

Pvte Henry Orr, 9th (North Irish Horse) Royal Irish Fusiliers 23.11.1917

Sgt James Orr, 1st Bn Royal Irish Fusiliers 23.11.1917

L/Cpl John Orr, 2/7 Bn Duke of Wellingtons Regiment 27.11.1917

Capt. James Henry Orr,210 Siege Bty, Royal Garrison Artillery 30.11.1917

Rfn Edwin Alfred Orr 11 Bn Rifle Brigade 3.12.1917

Le Touret, Pas de Calais, France

Pvte William Orr, 2nd Bn Scots Guards 12. 3.1915

Pvte Herbert Orr, 2nd Bn Highland Light Infantry 19. 3.1915

Pvte William Orr, 2nd Bn Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) 9. 5.1915

Pvte Joseph Smith Orr,2nd Bn Gordon Highlanders 16. 5.1915

Pvte Hugh Orr, 2nd Bn Highland Light Infantry 17. 5.1915

Pvte John Orr, Hawke Division, RNVR 25. 8.1918

More Memorials in Belgium, Turkey