Geburtsdatum: 29/09/1893

Geburtsort: Failsworth, Lancashire, England, Vereinigtes Königreich

Beruf: Architekturstudent

Land: Wales, Vereinigtes Königreich

Truppe: British Expeditionary Force

Rang: Captain

Dienstnummer: /

Einberufung datum: 06/10/1914

Einberufung ort: Ashtead, Surrey, England, Vereinigtes Königreich

Einheiten:  —  Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 15th Bn. (1st London Welsh)  (Letzte bekannte Einheit)

Sterbedatum: 05/08/1917

Sterbeort: Dozinghem Casualty Clearing Station, Westvleteren, Belgien

Todesursache: Verwundet

Alter: 23

1914-15 Star Medaille

British War Medal Medaille

Military Cross Medaille — 25/11/1916

At the time of the Third Battle of Ypres Captain Roy Bowes served in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers 15th Battalion, part of the 113th Brigade, of the 38th (Welsh) Division. Late 1916 Roy Bowes, as a 2nd Lieutenant, was awarded the Military Cross for conspicuous gallantry during a daring raid under heavy fire. Setting a splendid example to his men.
The 38th (Welsh) Division attacked on the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres, the 31st of July 1917. It advanced in the direction of the town of Langemark, with the 113th and the 114th Brigade. The 115th Brigade was in support. The Welsh managed to take the hamlet of Pilkem and consolidated positions along the stream of the Steenbeek. The Royal Welsh Fusiliers 15th Battalion were in reserve and at the end of the day they positioned themselves at Iron Cross ridge. Their task was to fend off any German counterattack on the positions of the 113th Brigade at the Steenbeek.
On the 1st of August the 15th Battalion remained at Iron Cross ridge. At 3.10 p.m. news reached the Battalion that the Germans were launching a counterattack and a heavy German barrage was put down on the Welsh lines at the Steenbeek. However the Battalion held its ground, taking care of the counterattack. At 9.45 p.m. the 15th Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers had to move up to the Green Line, where it was to be in support. Captain Roy Bowes took command of the Battalion and led his men to their new positions just behind the frontline.
The relief was completed by 1.30 a.m. At 2 a.m. Captain Roy Bowes went round to check on the Battalion’s outposts at the banks of the Steenbeek. He was hit by German machine gun fire during this reconnaissance.
Captain Roy Bowes was wounded and he was evacuated to the rear. Captain Roy Bowes died of his wounds on the 5th of August 1917 at a Casualty Clearing Station at Dozinghem, just outside the town of Westvleteren. He was buried at the Dozinghem Military Cemetery.

15 Battalion Royal Welsh fusiliers, (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2556/1). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Weitere Quellen

McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), pg. 28-29. Verwendete Quellen

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/619977

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=4aa4aed0-2863-453b-9bf2-1060b973e368

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/438356