Pte 57408 Andrew Gardner Foster

• Age: 26
• From: Glasgow
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Friday 22nd March 1918
• Commemorated at: Pozieres Memorial
  Panel Ref: P21-23

Andrew Gardner Foster was born in 1892, the son of John Young Foster and his wife Mary Bain (nee Young).

Andrew enlisted in Glasgow and originally served as 1095, Lowland Divisional Cyclist Company. Following a transfer he had served in the 20th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private 57408, however, following the disbandment of the 20th Battalion in France in February 1918 he was serving in the 19^th Battalion, K.L.R. when he was killed in action on the 22^nd March 1918, aged 26 during the German Spring Offensive.

The Battalion diary gives an overview of the events of the 22nd March 1918 as follows:

22^nd  GERMAINE – HAM- MOYENCOURT

The battalion moved up accordingly being in position at 6:30 a.m. About 3pm the enemy attacked the left of our position and advanced on our left flank towards FLUQUIERES. At 4:30 pm an attack was launched on our front and the enemy forced his way through on our right. The remainder of the Battalion was forced to retire to south of FLUQUIERES. During this engagement the Battalion lost 11 Officers and About 21 O.R. The order was given to retire to the defences at HAM. The Battalion by this time was very weak, and passing through the 20^th Division took up positions in HAM, as ordered, getting into position at 2am.

Andrew's body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial.

The POZIERES MEMORIAL relates to the period of crisis in March and April 1918 when the Allied Fifth Army was driven back by overwhelming numbers across the former Somme battlefields, and the months that followed before the Advance to Victory, which began on 8 August 1918. The Memorial commemorates over 14,000 casualties of the United Kingdom and 300 of the South African Forces who have no known grave and who died on the Somme from 21 March to 7 August 1918.

The cemetery and memorial were designed by W.H. Cowlishaw, with sculpture by Laurence A. Turner. The memorial was unveiled by Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien on 4 August 1930.

His father died in 1926, aged 73.

His mother died in 1932, aged 80.

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