Pte
Mansell Bowen
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1880 |
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Place of birth: St Issells, Saundersfoot Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Foreman Platelayer |
Army information
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Country: Wales, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 307166 |
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Enlistment place: Narberth, Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Lancashire Fusiliers, 2/8th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 09/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Deck Wood - Ehards Grund, Passchendaele, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 37 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 55 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal — 09/01/1920 |
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Victory Medal Medal — 09/01/1920 |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Mansell Bowen was born in 1880 in St Issells, Pembrokeshire, Wales. He was the son of Richard and Mary Bowen and according to the 1911 Wales census he was employed as a railroad worker in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Wales before enlisting. By October 1917 Mansell served as a private in the Lancashire Fusiliers 2/8th Battalion, 197th Brigade, 66th Division and fought in the Battle of Poelcappelle, a stage in the Battle of Third Ypres.
On 9 October 1917 the 66th Division advanced with the 197th brigade on the right and the 198th. The attack of the 197th Brigade was carried by four battalions of the Lancashire Fusiliers and had two main objectives. They would first secure the area until after Augustus Wood and then they would try and capture a line running from Vienna Cottage to the hamlet of Haalen.
At 5.20 a.m. the 2/8th advanced behind the 3/5th Lancashire Fusiliers. Once the latter had consolidated the first objective around 7.50 a.m. the 2/8th and 2/6th continued the attack towards Passchendaele village itself. By 9.30 a.m. the second objective was in Allied hands and the 2/8th occupied a line of shell holes between Vienna Cottage and Deck Wood. Moments later the men repulsed a German counter-attack on their positions. In the afternoon a defensive flank was formed by the 148th brigade (49th Division) on the left, but this was mistaken by the men of the 197th Brigade for a withdrawal. A gap now emerged between both Brigades and the German artillery started shelling the exposed left flank of the Brigade at Haalen and Deck Wood. The men of the 66th Division then fell back and consolidated positions from Hillside Farm to Defy Crossing, where they repulsed another counter attack at 5.30 p.m.
The 2/8th Lancashire Fusiliers suffered heavy casualties on 9 October 1917. Thirty-three men were killed, 206 men were wounded and 143 men went missing. The high amount of missing fusiliers can be explained by the fact that the Battalion was forced to retreat, leaving many wounded and dead behind in No Man’s Land. Private Bowen was possibly one of the men left behind. The 37-year old was later declared killed in action. Mansell Bowen’s remains were not found or never identified. He therefore has no known grave and is remembered on Panel 55 of the Tyne Cot Memorial.
On 9 October 1917 the 66th Division advanced with the 197th brigade on the right and the 198th. The attack of the 197th Brigade was carried by four battalions of the Lancashire Fusiliers and had two main objectives. They would first secure the area until after Augustus Wood and then they would try and capture a line running from Vienna Cottage to the hamlet of Haalen.
At 5.20 a.m. the 2/8th advanced behind the 3/5th Lancashire Fusiliers. Once the latter had consolidated the first objective around 7.50 a.m. the 2/8th and 2/6th continued the attack towards Passchendaele village itself. By 9.30 a.m. the second objective was in Allied hands and the 2/8th occupied a line of shell holes between Vienna Cottage and Deck Wood. Moments later the men repulsed a German counter-attack on their positions. In the afternoon a defensive flank was formed by the 148th brigade (49th Division) on the left, but this was mistaken by the men of the 197th Brigade for a withdrawal. A gap now emerged between both Brigades and the German artillery started shelling the exposed left flank of the Brigade at Haalen and Deck Wood. The men of the 66th Division then fell back and consolidated positions from Hillside Farm to Defy Crossing, where they repulsed another counter attack at 5.30 p.m.
The 2/8th Lancashire Fusiliers suffered heavy casualties on 9 October 1917. Thirty-three men were killed, 206 men were wounded and 143 men went missing. The high amount of missing fusiliers can be explained by the fact that the Battalion was forced to retreat, leaving many wounded and dead behind in No Man’s Land. Private Bowen was possibly one of the men left behind. The 37-year old was later declared killed in action. Mansell Bowen’s remains were not found or never identified. He therefore has no known grave and is remembered on Panel 55 of the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 2
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2/8 Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers. (The Natiional Archives, KEW (TNA) WO 95/3136/7). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Further reference |
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McCarthy C., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Uniform, 2018), pg. 120-122. Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/842499 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=2174d974-a023-42e5-acae-010991e8e464 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/435158 |