Remembering on GWF

[Terry Denham]

Here is today's casualty pending the return of the 'Remembering Today' feature following the upgrade...

Pte Ernest Arthur FOWKES

PLY/2313(S) 1 RM Bn, RN Div, Royal Marine Light Infantry

who died on 24.03.18

Arras Memorial, France

[michaeldr]

Name: FOWKES, ERNEST ARTHUR

Initials: E A

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment: Royal Marine Light Infantry

Unit Text: 1st R.M. Bn. R.N. Div.

Date of Death: 24/03/1918

Service No: PLY/2313(S)

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: Bay 1.

Cemetery: ARRAS MEMORIAL

The Arras Memorial is in the Faubourg-d'Amiens Cemetery, which is in the Boulevard du General de Gaulle in the western part of the town of Arras. The cemetery is near the Citadel, approximately 2 kilometres due west of the railway station.

The ARRAS MEMORIAL commemorates almost 35,000 servicemen from the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand who died in the Arras sector between the spring of 1916 and 7 August 1918, the eve of the Advance to Victory, and have no known grave. The most conspicuous events of this period were the Arras offensive of April-May 1917, and the German attack in the spring of 1918.

[information from the CWGC]

[michaeldr]

Private Fowkes fell on a day when things had started badly for the Marines and continued in much the same, sad, way

from Jerrold’s ‘The Royal Naval Division’

“At 3 a.m. on the 24th, orders did indeed reach the Division from the Vth Corps to withdraw, the intention being that the line from Rocquigny-Barastre should be held by the 17th and 47th Divisions, while the 2nd and Naval Divisions withdrew to an undefined position in the rear. The orders were issued too late. At 5 a.m., long after they had reached the front line troops (they never did reach the battalions of the 189th and 190th Brigades in the Green line and only reached the 188th Brigade at 8 a.m.), the Germans put down a barrage on Ytres, and a machine gun firing through the Nissen Hut where 189th Brigade Headquarters were breakfasting at Rocquigny showed that the enemy meant to roll up the flank of the division, long before these nicely calculated moves, which looked so opportune from Corps Headquarters, could be carried out.

The situation in the Green line was critical. On the left of the line, the two Marine Battalions, though attacked only from the front, had suffered heavily through the night, from artillery and machine gun fire at close range.”

from the diary of Surgeon Lieutenant A. L. P. Gould RN, attached 2/RMLI

this document is held at the PRO [WO95 3110] and appeared in Len Sellers’ magazine ‘RND’ issue No.9 June 1999. (Surgeon Gould himself died of wounds on 19th May 1918)

“……..I passed on to a sugar factory between Le Transloi and Beaulencourt. Here to my joy I found the Staff Captain and odd remnants of the Battalion and Brigade and heard that Brigade would be reformed there. I was frightfully hot, thirsty and not a little weary after the morning, which had been disturbing enough. Battle still appeared to be well on both flanks, and rumours came of Boche holding Lechelle, Sailly Saillisel and Haplincourt! Apparently for the moment we were in full retreat, and all seemed black enough. I got some food with the Staff Captain and in early afternoon, to my joy, substantial remnants of 1st & 2nd RMLI Battalions came in. Coote, Lee, Egan, Spraggett, White, all my Medical Unit, except Wormald and my servant Stamp, about 120 all told! We were as surprised as pleased to see each other. Their story was very similar to mine – a sudden late order to withdraw, a retreat, then a ghastly barrage, and a gathering up of remnants at Villers au Flos, followed by an orderly march to the Sugar Factory. It seemed that a large part of A & B companies must have been caught by the Boche breaking in on our right and working down the trench before any warning could reach us, but substantial remnants of other companies had got through. Poor Broadhurst and all his Medical Unit were missing. Clutterbuck and West were safe with about 120 of 1st RM.”

Alas, this latter number did not include Private Fowkes