Corporal 17332 Stanley Fowles

• Age: 22
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: 4TH KINGS
• Died on Sunday 29th September 1918
• Commemorated at: Villers Hill Brit Cem
  Panel Ref: II.A.27

Stanley Fowles was born on 24th June 1896 in Liverpool and baptised on 18th February 1897. He was the son of Alfred Fowles and his wife Mary (nee Longford). 

He was admitted to St Lawrence's Junior School at Kirkdale in 1900.

He was a member of the United Society of Boilermakers & Iron Shipbuilders.

The 1901 Census finds the family living at 8 Fordham Street, Kirkdale. Stanley is 4 years of age and is living with his parents and siblings. His father Alfred is a Boiler maker born in Livepool in 1857 whilst his mother Mary was born in 1860. His siblings listed are; Ada b. 1885 and is a Clerk in the Provision trade, John b.1887, Florence b.1890, Maggie b.1892, Alfred b.1894 and Amos b.1899.

The 1911 Census shows the family have moved to 33 Higher Lane, Fazakerely. 

The father Alfred is aged 54 and employed as a boiler rivetter, his wife Mary is aged 51 with no occupation listed. They have been married for twenty seven years and have had seven children of which one had died. At the time of the Census they have four of their children living with them, Ada aged 26 is a book-keeper for a jam factory, Maggie aged 19 has no occupation listed, Stanley aged 14 is an office boy for a general merchant and Amos aged 12 is at school.

Stanley enlisted on the 2nd September 1914 at Liverpool and served in the 19th Battalion as Private 17332. He gave his age as 19 years and 70 days and his occupation as a boilermaker. He was five feet eight inches tall, weighed 124lbs, sallow complexion, grey eyes, red hair and gave his religion as Church of England.

7.11.15: Embarked for France with his battalion.

7.5.16: Slightly wounded with shrapnel wound to face.

13.5.16: GSW to face and left arm, to 96 Field Ambulance and onto 21Casualty Clearing Station, then Beaufort Hospital, Bristol 8th July - 11th Aug.

9.2.17: Re-embarked for Boulogne to join 1st Battalion Etaples then 4th Btn on 4th March

2.5.17: Appointed paid A/Cpl

11th Sept 1917 reverted to Private on ceasing duty with Battalion with bouts of sickness

27th Sept 1917 appointed paid Acting Corporal and confirmed rank of Crporal on the same day.

Formed on 07^th September 1914 the 19^th Battalion trained locally at Sefton Park and remained living at home or in rented accommodation until November 1914. They then moved to the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 19th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. 

He was transferred to the 4th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment and was serving in this battalion as Corporal when he was killed in action on 29th Septemeber 1918. He was 22 years of age and now rests at Villers Hill British Cemetery where his headstone bears the epitaph:

"STANLEY THE DEARLY BELOVED SON OF ALFRED AND MARY FOWLES"  

Villers-Guislain was occupied by Commonwealth forces from April 1917 until the German counter attacks (in the Battle of Cambrai) at the end of November 1917. It was lost on 30 November and retained by the Germans on 1 December in spite of the fierce attacks of the Guards Division and tanks. The village was finally abandoned by the Germans on 30 September 1918, after heavy fighting. Villers Hill British Cemetery was begun (as the Middlesex Cemetery, Gloucester Road) by the 33rd Division Burial Officer on 3 October 1918, and used until the middle of October. The original cemetery (now Plot I) contained 100 graves, of which 50 belonged to the 1st Middlesex and 35 to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Plot II and VII were added after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields and from the following German cemeteries:- GONNELIEU COMMUNAL CEMETERY GERMAN EXTENSION, in which eight soldiers from the United Kingdom, who fell on the 6th May 1917, were buried by their comrades. This extension was enlarged after the Armistice to contain 400 German graves. The Communal Cemetery contains one British grave which is permanently marked, and seven others now represented by special memorials at Villers Hill. HONNECOURT GERMAN CEMETERY, which was near the road from Honnecourt to Gonnelieu, and contained 20 German and three British graves. VILLERS-GUISLAIN GERMAN CEMETERY, which was on the south side of "Cemetery Road" (leading to Gouzeaucourt), and nearly opposite the Communal Cemetery. One British officer was buried here in April 1917 and 21 British soldiers in September and October 1918. The 600 German graves (some of which were brought in after the Armistice) were removed in 1922. The great majority of the graves in this cemetery are those of officers and men who died in April 1917, November-December 1917, March 1918 and September 1918. The cemetery now contains 732 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 350 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to seven casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials commemorate casualties buried in Gonnelieu Communal Cemetery and Honnecourt German Cemetery whose grave could not be found. The cemetery also contains 13 German burials. The cemetery was designed by Charles Holden.

Soldiers effects to his father Alfred and pension to his mother Mary.

Liverpool Echo 22nd Oct 1918

FOWLES - September 29, killed in action after 4 years' service in his 23rd year, Corporal STANLEY K.L.R., the dearly beloved third son of Alfred and Mary Fowles, 3 Monville Road, Fazakerley.

Stanley is commemorated on the following memorials:

Emmanuel Church, Fazakerley

Longmoor Lane School.

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