Capt Arthur de Bells Adam (MC)
1885 - 1916

CPL David Wallace Crawford
1887 - 1916

Lce-Corpl John Joseph Nickle
1894 - 1916

Pte 17911 Morton Neill
1897 - 1916

Lieut Edward Stanley Ashcroft
1883 - 1918

Pte 51730 John Winstanley Rowley

Age: 26
From: Freshfield, Liverpool
Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
Died Sunday 26th May 1918
Commemorated at: Roye New Brit Cem
Panel Ref: Rowley III.D.7

John Winstanley Rowley was born on 21st September 1892 in Freshfield, Liverpool son of George Winstanley Rowley and his wife Elizabeth (nee Molyneux) of The Hollies, Victoria Road, Formby, Liverpool. They were married in 1891 at St Mary's Church, Walton. He was baptised on 16th October 1892 at St Peter's Church, Formby.

The 1901 Census shows the family living at Victoria Road, Formby, Lancashire. His father, George, is aged 38, born 1863 in Netherton, Lancashire is a general produce broker , his mother Elizabeth is aged 35 born 1866 in Liverpool with no occupation listed. They have one son John Winstanley aged 8, born 1893 in Formby. They also have their nephew Robert Molyneux aged 10, born 1891 in Leicestershire living with them. They have two servants Elizabeth Shaw aged 28, born 1873 a domestic cook who was born in Liverpool and Mary Baldwin aged 18, born 1883 a domestic housemaid who was born in Melling.

The 1911 Census shows the family still living at Victoria Road, Formby, Lancashire. His father, George, now aged 49, born 1862 is still a general produce broker, his mother, Elizabeth, is aged 45 with no occupation. They have been married for twenty years and have the one son. John Winstanley is now aged 18, with no occupation listed. They also still have their nephew Robert Molyneux aged 20, who is an apprentice. They have two servants Jane Heap aged 23, born 1888 in Kirkdale, Liverpool and Jane Hudson aged 26, born 1885 who was born in Barrow in Furness.

John enlisted as Rifleman 4461 joining the 6th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment (Liverpool Rifles). He embarked from Folkestone-Boulogne on 27th July 1916, reaching the 24th Infantry Base Depot on 29th July. He then proceeded to the 17th Battalion K.L.R. on 06th August, and was posted from 05th September 1916 to 20th Battalion of K.L.R. as Private No 51730.

He was serving in the 19^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment, (following the disbandment of the 20th Battalion in February 1918), when he was captured on 22^nd March, 1918, during the German Spring Offensive. John was declared Missing during the German Spring Offensive in March 1918.

A notice was placed in the local press:

ROWLEY - Missing since March 22, Rifleman John W. Rowley, 51730, B company 7th Platoon 19th K.L.R. Any information gratefully received by his parents, the Hollies, Victoria Road, Freshfield.

His family, at 8 Fazakerely Street, Liverpool, made enquiries with the International Red Cross and were informed in a reply dated 24th April 1918 that they held no formation. However, the ICRC records later note that, according to a letter of 26th June, he was being held in Stendhal POW Camp. Prisoners were sometimes registered at a POW camp even though they may not have ever been physically located there. Although he was registered at Stendal, a note on his POW record states that this prisoner was kept “in the western area”.

John was captured in the field on 22nd March at St. Quentin and was “kept behind the lines” (information from Stendhal). Prisoners were often used as slave labour at or near the front.

A further notice was placed in the local press;

ROWLEY - Previously reported missing from March 22. Letter received from Rifleman J.W. Rowley, K.L.R., only son of Mr and Mrs G. W. Rowley, the Hollies, Victoria Road, Freshfield, who is now prisoner of war in Germany, unwounded and well.

John died, aged 26, in a German Army Field Hospital 297 at Ham at 2:25 p.m. on 26th May 1918 from a “weak heart” (heart failure) after inanition. A medical dictionary explains inanition as “the exhausted state due to prolonged under nutrition; starvation”.

The German soldiers were also short of food at the time, so only the front line men received decent rations.

(Stendal is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, it was one of the first camps and it was located 125 miles west of Berlin.)

He now lies in Roye New British Cemetery, France where his headstone bears the epitaph:

IN LOVING MEMORY OF JOHN

ONLY SON OF LATE GEORGE W.

AND OF ELIZABETH ROWLEY

FORMBY

Roye was in German hands from 30 August 1914 until the French retook it on 17 March 1917. The town was recaptured by the Germans on 26 March 1918 but was evacuated by them on 26 August. The French First Army entered the town the following day. Roye Old British Cemetery was 1.6 kilometres south of the town. It was made in March 1918, by the 53rd Casualty Clearing Station but there was little time to mark the graves before the town was captured by the Germans, who extended this cemetery for the burial of their own dead. In 1920 the Commonwealth graves were removed to Roye New British Cemetery. Roye New British Cemetery was made after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields. The cemetery contains 565 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War.

153 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials are erected to 13 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of 117 casualties buried in Marchelepot British Cemetery and in three German cemeteries, whose graves could not be found. The cemetery also contains the graves of 43 Second World War airmen.

A notice of his death was reported in the local press:

ROWLEY - Whilst a prisoner of war in Germany, Rifleman John Winstanley, K.L.R., dearly beloved son and only child of George W. and Elizabeth Rowley, the Hollies, Victoria Road, Freshfield

Soldiers Effects to mother Lizzie, no Pension record found.

Grateful thanks are extended to Kevin Shannon the author of the book The Liverpool Rifles for providing details of John's service with the 6th Rifles.

We currently have no further information on John Winstanley Rowley, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.

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