No.16825, Lance Corporal, Edward Archibald BOWERS
Aged 21
Born in Newmarket in Q4-1895 [Newmarket 3b:494] to Edward Archibald and Eliza BOWERS (née ANDREWS) of Stanley Road, Newmarket.
1901 census...Edward Archibald (Junior) 'Archie' [5] was at Stanley Road, Newmarket with his father Edward [32] a stableman born Horringer; his mother Eliza [30] and brothers Sidney [2] and Montague [1] and sister Ethel [2 months]. All the children were born in Newmarket His mother died in 1905. 1911 census...'Archie' was now a stablelad, living at 6 Montpelier Terrace, Lisburn Road, Newmarket with his widowed father; brothers Sidney and Montague and a new brother, Bruce [9]. His brothers Henry Charles, Roland Norton and Reginald Dudley, and sister Ethel had all died. Living with them were housekeeper Louise Sherman and her children, William Arthur Sherman [9], Queenie Louise Sherman [7], Ada Bowers Sherman [3] and Henry Joseph Sherman [1] Archie's younger brother Sidney was killed a year later see here and his nephew Robert was killed serving in the RAF in WW2 see here |
The opening day of the Somme offensive, the worst day in British military history:
In the opening phases of the Somme the great attack of July 1st 1916 on a 25 mile front began. The 4th Brigade were facing stronger defences than anywhere
else. They were to attack north of Beaumont Hamel where two redoubts and a quadrilateral trench were particularly strong. It was hoped that the Brigade would
reach Munich trench 1000 yards behind the front line where supporting the 10th and 11th would go through it. At 7.20am 10 minutes before zero hour a large mine
was blown up under the German redoubt at Hawthorn Ridge. This gave away the exact time of the attack. After the heavy guns stopped firing the Germans had ample
time to man their positions after being in deep undamaged dugouts. The Hampshires (leaving their trenches at 7.40) followed the East Lancashires who had
already been almost wiped out. Very few Hampshires made it to the wire, a few bombers were reported to have got into the German line, but the majority were
brought down at or short of the wire. The survivors could only seek the poor shelter of the shell holes which pitted No Mans Land. Here they had to lie for
hours until darkness fell. This was the 1st Hampshire's worst experience of the war, it had cost them 11 officers and 310 men killed and missing, 15 officers
and 250 men wounded. |
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