Lieutenant
Rowland George Breece BOWEN
Infantry
Died: 9th May 1915 - Age: 22

Commemorated:

1. Memorial:Rue-Du-Bois Military Cemetery Fleurbaix
2. Book:The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918Pg.117
3. Memorial:The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour7D GQS
    

Awards & Titles:

 

Education & Career :

Harrow 1906-11

Service Life:

Campaigns:

Unit / Ship / Est.: 11th Battalion London Regiment (Finsbury Rifles) 

1/11th (County of London) Battalion (Finsbury Rifles) August 1914 : at 17 Penton Street in Pentonville. Record same as 1/10th Bn. Moved on mobilisation to Bullswater, going on in September to Crowborough. April 1915 : moved to Norwich and transferred to the East Midland Brigade in East Anglian Division. 7 May 1915 : formation renamed 162nd Brigade in 54th (East Anglian) Division. Moved to St Albans. Late July 1915 : sailed from Plymouth for Gallipoli, going via Mudros. Landed at Suvla Bay 11 August 1915. December 1915 : evacuated from Gallipoli and moved to Egypt.

Action : The Battle of Aubers 

Fought on 9th and 10th May 1915 and intended to support the French attacks near Arras, this battle was notable for the remarkable bravery of infantry having to cope with inadequate planning, poor artillery support and not least a very competent enemy that had learnt the lessons of Neuve Chapelle just two months before. It also highlighted the problems of quantity and quality in artillery shell supply - a symptom of the general unpreparedness of Britain to fight a major European war, and not really rectified until well into 1917. Possibly one of the least known but most heartbreaking battles of the war, fought in an attempted pincer attack around the village of Neuve Chapelle with the intention of securing the 'high' ground that dominated the approaches to Lille.

BOWEN, Rowland George Breece, Lieutenant, 1/11 London Regiment (Finsbury Rifles) Rowland was the only son of George David Bowen and of Elizabeth Bowen. He attended Harrow and Exeter College, Oxford, 1911. Lieutenant Bowen joined the ist City of London Regiment, Royal Fusiliers, soon after leaving school. After training in England for some months, he left with his Regiment in the beginning of 1915 for Malta, where they completed their training. He accompanied his Regiment to France in March, 1915, and was killed by a shell on May 9th, 1915, near Aubers Ridge. Lieut.-Colonel E. G. Mercer, commanding ist City of London Regiment, wrote; I particularly regret his loss, for I have known him so long. In Harrow days, when he was a small boy, our relations were of the most friendly sort. He was always willing, cheerful, and full of fun. It may be a consolation to you later to remember that he gave his life in the best possible way for any man to give it?for his country. His Major wrote to his mother : Your son was killed in action on the 9th May at 7 a.m. during the first stage of the attack. He was waiting in the support trenches with his men, when a shell exploded near and hit him. He died almost at once. An Officer of the 8th Division, who was with him, informs me that, although so badly wounded, he still did his duty and ordered his men to move to a safer part of the trenches. ... He is a great loss to us, especially to the Platoon which he commanded. Colonel Rowe, who commanded the Regiment up to the time they left Malta, wrote : I have watched the career of every subaltern in the Battalion right from the start, and I was proud of them all, your son amongst them. He especially showed a great aptitude for military work, and from his charming manner was universally liked both on parade and in the Mess. 12 Freemasons fell in this battle, mostly men of battalions of the London Regiment. Source; HARROW MEMORIALS OF THE GREAT WAR Volume II

Masonic :

TypeLodge Name and No.Province/District :
Mother : Apollo University No. 357 E.C.Oxfordshire

Initiated
Passed
Raised
28th October 1913
2nd December 1913
26th February 1914
 

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

Additional Source:

Last Updated: 2017-05-06 12:37:16