L/Cpl 17462 Arthur Bowers Sowerby

• Age: 22
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Arthur Bowers Sowerby was born on or about 14th September 1893 in Liverpool , the son of Frederick Charles Sowerby and his wife Mary (née Rogers). His parents married in early 1890 at West Derby Register Office and had seven children. Arthur had older siblings Frederick George, born in 1890, and Constance Mary, in 1892, and younger siblings Emily Gladys 1895 (who died in 1896), Blanche Evelyn 1899, Dorothy Evangeline 1901, and Albert, born in 1903.

At the time of the 1901 census the family is living at 8 Hunt Street, Everton, with five children; Arthur is 7 years old. His father is aged 43, a book keeper for the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, mother is aged 37, Frederick G. 10. Constance 8, and Blanche 1, They have two visitors, Evangeline Lawson, 26, a monthly nurse, and Fanny Lawson, 24, a domestic servant. 

He was educated at Queens Road Council School. Prior to the outbreak of the war he had been employed by Irvin & Sellers of Bootle. [Timber merchants, 1 and 3 Forge Street, Bootle and Bank Hall Lane, Bootle] 

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 15 Wenlock Road, Anfield, Liverpool. His father, Frederick,  is aged 53, born 1858 in Liverpool and is a commercial clerk for the dock board.  His wife Mary is aged 46, born 1865 in Liverpool. She has no occupation listed. They have been married for twenty two years and have had seven children of which one sadly died. Those listed on the Census are: Frederick G. aged 20, born 1891 is a general labourer for the Dock Board, Constance aged 18, born 1893 is an assistant for a hardware dealer, Arthur Bowers aged 17, is a clerk for a corn merchant, Blanche aged 11, born 1900, Dorothy aged 10 born 1901 and Albert aged 7, born 1904. They also have a general domestic servant named Phoebe Coward aged 14, born 1897.

He was educated at Queens Road Council School. Prior to the outbreak of the war he had been employed by Irvin & Sellers of Bootle. 

He enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool on 02nd September 1914 joining The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private 17462. He gave his age as 21 and his occupation as timber clerk.  He is described as being 5’ 4 and a half inches tall, weighing 128 lbs, 34" chest, with a fresh complexion, grey eyes and brown hair.  He gives his religion as C of E, and as next of kin his father at 15 Wenlock Road. 

On 29th April 1915 he was posted to the 89th Brigade Depot, and on 18th August 1915 to the 22nd (Reserve) Bn. K.L.R. 

His father died in on the 21st January 1915, aged 57, when Arthur was training close to home.

His father's death was reported in the Liverpool Daily Post on Saturday 22 January 1916:

SOWERBY—In fond and loving memory of my dear husband, Frederick Charles, who passed away January 21, 1915, at 15, Wenlock-road. Anfield. 

An affectionate husband, 

A father kind and true; 

A faithful friend to all he knew, 

He suffered long to gain his rest, 

I miss him most, who loved him best.

SOWERBY—In loving memory of our dear father, who passed away January 21, 1915, at 15, Wenlock road, Anfield. (Sadly missed. Never forgotten by children. Connie, Blanche and Arthur.) 

On the 04th March 1916, he was appointed Acting Lance Corporal “for conducting draft”.  He shipped from Folkestone on 08th March 1916 and joined the 30th I.B.D. at Etaples the next day. He joined the 19th Battalion K.L.R. in the field on 01st April 1916 and the same day reverted to Private “on termination of Con. duty”.  He served in ‘B’ Company, 16th Platoon.

He was appointed unpaid L/Cpl. on 21st July 1916.

He was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 22, at the village of Guillemont, during the Somme Offensive. 

19^th Battalion Diary 30^th July 1916

MALTZ HORN FARM

BATTLE begun. ZERO hour 4:45 am. The Battalion reached its objective, but suffered heavy losses, and had to evacuate its position owing to no reinforcements.

Everard Wyrall gives details of the attack in his book The History of The King’s Regiment; 

"The 2nd Attack on Guillemont- 29th July 1916 the 89th Brigade the 20th King's were to attack on the right and the 19th on the left. During the evening of the 29th the night was dark and foggy when the Battalions moved off and the 19th with Lt Col G Rollo commanding, when passing the South east of the Briqueterie they were heavily shelled first with H E and then with a new kind of asphyxiating Gas shell which had curious results, at first it had no nasty effect but about 8 hrs later men began to fall sick with violent headaches and pains in the stomach. All ranks had to wear gas masks which in the darkness and mist made the going terribly difficult. It was indeed wonderful that they were able to reach their Assembly point at all. But they did and by 2.45 a.m. on the 30th July 1916 the Btn was assembled having suffered about 30 Casualties on the way up ready for the Zero hour at 4.45 a.m.

It is known that the two left Companies of the 19th under Capt. Dodd and Capt. Nicholson advanced in touch with the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on their left although they suffered many casualties from Machine gun Fire did not encounter many Germans and reached their final objective about the time allocated, beginning at once to dig in south of the orchard on the South east corner of Guillemont.  

On the left of the 19th the Scots Fusiliers most gallantly forced their way through Guillemont to the eastern side of the village but were soon overwhelmed by the enemy and few returned. 

At 8 a.m. finding that the village was not held the two left Companies of the 19th received no word from the rear or either flank believed themselves to be totally isolated so were forced to fall back and dig in, their position being untenable.

At midday the effective fighting strength of the 19th Btn was just 7 Officers and 43 other ranks" 

When darkness fell on the battlefield the 30^th Division held a line from the railway on the eastern side of Trones Wood , southwards and including Arrow Head Copse, to east of Maltz Horn Farm. On this line the division was relieved by the 55^th Division during the early hours of the 31^st July.

Casualties in the 19^th Battalion were 11 Officers and 435 Other Ranks 

The events of 30^th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89^th Brigade written by Brigadier General Ferdinand Stanley which gives an indication of the events of the day.

Guillemont

Well the hour to advance came, and of all bad luck in the world it was a thick fog; so thick that you couldn’t see more than about ten yards. It was next to impossible to delay the attack – it was much too big an operation- so forward they had to go. It will give some idea when I say that on one flank we had to go 1,750 yards over big rolling country. Everyone knows what it is like to cross enclosed country which you know really well in a fog and how easy it is to lose your way. Therefore, imagine these rolling hills, with no landmarks and absolutely unknown to anyone. Is it surprising that people lost their way and lost touch with those next to them? As a matter of fact, it was wonderful the way in which many men found their way right to the place we wanted to get to. But as a connected attack it was impossible.

The fog was intense it was practically impossible to keep direction and parties got split up. Owing to the heavy shelling all the Bosches had left their main trenches and were lying out in the open with snipers and machine guns in shell holes, so of course our fellows were the most easy prey.

It is so awfully sad now going about and finding so many splendid fellows gone

His mother appealed for information in the local press on the 02nd September 1916; his name appeared in the list of Missing published on 18th September 1916.

Having been officially declared as Missing, the family anguish at waiting for news of their son must have been a dreadful  strain, his death was finally reported on the 21st August 1917 in the Liverpool Echo:. 

"Lance-Corp.Arthur Bowers Sowerby, K.L.R., previously reported missing is now reported killed in action on July 30th 1916. His mother resides at 15,Wenlock-road, Anfield, and he was an old boy of Holy Trinity Boys Brigade. At the time of his enlistment, August 1914,he was employed by Irvine Sellers, Bootle." 

Arthur has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. 

The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. 

On 01st August 1932 the Prince of Wales and the President of France inaugurated the Thiepval Memorial in Picardy. The inscription reads: “Here are recorded the names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields between July 1915 and March 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.”

Arthur earned his two medals. 

His Army pay of £2 19s 11d and a War Gratuity of £8-10s went to his mother Mary at 15 Wenlock Street, Priory Road.  She was awarded a pension of 11/6d a week from June 1917. 

His loved ones paid tribute to Arthur the following week, on 27th August 1917:

“July 30, 1916, missing, now reported killed, aged 23 years, Lance-corporal Arthur Bowers Sowerby (K.L.R.), dearly-loved second son of the late Frederick Sowerby and Mary Sowerby of 15, Wenlock Road, Anfield.

  He gave his life for those he loved;

    He did not shirk but did his duty well;

  A British hero he nobly fought - and fell;

    And was beloved by all.

- Mother.”

“In fondest remembrance of our dear brother, Lance-corporal Arthur Sowerby (K.L.R.), missing July 30, 1916, now reported killed.

  Oh, how we miss you, brother dear,

    No words can ever tell;

  Your smiling face and loving ways

    Will with us forever dwell."

- Constance, Blanche, Dorothy, Fred and Albert.”

“In ever-loving memory of Lance-corporal Arthur Sowerby, missing since July 30, 1916, now reported killed.

  Yet did I love thee to the last,

    As fervently as thou,

  Who didst not change in all the past,

    And canst not alter now.

- His Fiancée Sybil.”

(Sybil Elizabeth Virr lived with her family at 51 Vicar Road in 1911.  She married in 1920.)

“In loving memory of our dear friend, Lance-corporal Arthur Sowerby, missing since July 30, 1916, now reported died on that date.  Sadly missed by all at 51, Vicar Road, Anfield.”

Arthur was remembered on his birthday, 14th September 1917:

“In loving 24th birthday remembrance of Lance-corporal Arthur Bowers Sowerby, missing July 30, 1916, now reported killed. (Sadly missed and never forgotten.) - Mother, Sisters, Brothers, and Fiancée (Sybil), 15, Wenlock Road, Anfield.”

On the second anniversary of his death his family placed an In Memoriam notice:

“Presumed killed in action July 30, 1916, Lance-corporal Arthur Bowers Sowerby, K.L.R. (Pals).  (Our love for him will never fade. A beautiful memory, a hero brave.) Mother, Sisters, and Brothers, 15, Wenlock Road, Anfield.”

And on his birthday in 1919:

“In sad but loving remembrance of Lce-Cpl. Arthur Bowers Sowerby, K.L.R., “Pals”, presumed killed in action July 30, 1916.

  A priceless gem I love to recall,

  His sweet smiling face, he gave his life for all.

- Mother, 15, Wenlock Road, Anfield.”

Despite being officially informed of his presumed death, his mother still held on to the hope that Arthur had been taken prisoner.  She contacted the International Red Cross twice, but was informed that they held no information on Arthur, in January 1918 and again in January 1919.

His mother remarried to Yorkshire born, Great Western Railway labourer Edgar Garforth in 1920 and died in 1936, aged 72. 

Her death was reported in the Liverpool Daily Post on Tuesday 25 February 1936:

GARFORTH(Sowerby) - February 23, in hospital, after much suffering, patiently borne, MARY, wife the late Edgar Garforth, 15 Wenlock-road, Anfield. Interment at Anfield Cemetery, on Thursday next, at 2.45 p.m. 

Arthur is also remembered on the following Memorials;

West Derby Village, War Memorial

Holy Trinty Church, Anfield,  including the 23^rd Liverpool Company Boys Brigade Memorial

St Mary the Virgin Church, West Derby Village

Liverpool’s Hall of Remembrance, Panel 39

His brother Frederick enlisted before the war on 09th June 1914 in the 9th Bn. K.L.R. but was discharged on 07th August 1914. He re-enlisted on 23rd April 1917 (under the name George F.) and served at home with the Royal Engineers but was discharged due to sickness on 13th December 1917. Fred had a son he named Arthur Bowers.

In 1919 Frederick 28, Constance 27, Blanche 20, Dorothy 18, and Albert 16, were living at home with their mother at 15 Wenlock Road.

His mother remarried in 1920 and died in 1936 aged 72.

In 1938 his employer, Messrs. Irvin & Sellers, hardwood merchants, Forge Street, Derby Road, Bootle, wrote to the K.L.R. Seaforth Barracks on 25th January: 

“Dear Sirs, A short while ago we had a fire, and a memorial consisting of portraits of our staff was damaged, one of which is too bad to be copied, and is of Private A. Sowerby, who was killed in the early part of the war serving in the 19th Service Battalion King’s Liverpool.  We shall be very pleased if you can give us any information as to his relatives’ address, or if you could loan us a photograph.”

The request was forwarded to the War Office, who were not able to provide his relatives’ address for confidentiality reasons, but could forward a letter.  Irvin & Sellers informed them that the request had been satisfied through other channels.

A family member, sadly un-named, posted a message on the website The Wartime Memories Project as follows:

Arthur died in the Battle of the Somme, aged 19 years (sic). His elder sister was my Nana, Constance Bennett (nee Sowerby) and she never forgot Arthur. Each year until she was no longer able, she placed a cross at the village Memorial on 11th November. When we lived locally I used to go with her. Arthur's other siblings beside Nana (Connie) were Fred, Doris, Blanche and Albert Sowerby. Nana died in 1975 but I have never forgotten Arthur, mostly due to Nana's stories about him and the family's loss. One day it would be good to go to the Somme Memorial and pay respect to Arthur, who is always remembered.      

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