Pte
William John Foster
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1898 |
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Place of birth: Milton Malsor, Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Carter |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: G/19587 |
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Enlistment date: 16/10/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — The Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), 11th Bn. (Lewisham) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 31/07/1917 |
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Place of death: Hollebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 19 |
Memorial
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Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel: 45C |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal — 11/11/1920 |
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Victory Medal Medal — 11/11/1920 |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
John William was born in 1898 in Milton Malsor, Northamptonshire. He was the oldest son of Thomas Alfred and Elizabeth Foster. According to his service record John worked as a carter before he enlisted. John joined the army in October 1917 and by the summer of 1917 he served as a private in The Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), 11th Battalion (Lewisham), part of the 122nd Brigade of the 41st Division, which participated in the opening stage of the Battle of Passchendaele.
The Division attacked astride Ypres-Comines Canal at zero hour, 3.50 a.m. with two Brigades. The 123rd on the northern bank and the 122nd Brigade south of the canal. The attack of the 122nd Brigade from White Château was carried by the 11th Royal West Kents on the left and the 18th King’s Royal Rifle Corps on the right; the 12th East Surreys were in support. The Royal West Kents captured and consolidated Oblique Trench and established a line 150 yards beyond the trench, coming under fire from houses along the Hollebeke road. By 8 a.m. John’s Battalion had commenced the attack on Hollebeke. It had cleared the ruins of the village by 11.30 a.m. Though the attack on Hollebeke was a success, the 11th Royal West Kents had suffered heavy casualties, mainly due to machine-gun and rifle fire coming from the flanks.
Private John William Foster was Killed in Action on 31 July 1917. The 19-year old possibly fell during the attack on Hollebeke. John has no known grave and is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.
The Division attacked astride Ypres-Comines Canal at zero hour, 3.50 a.m. with two Brigades. The 123rd on the northern bank and the 122nd Brigade south of the canal. The attack of the 122nd Brigade from White Château was carried by the 11th Royal West Kents on the left and the 18th King’s Royal Rifle Corps on the right; the 12th East Surreys were in support. The Royal West Kents captured and consolidated Oblique Trench and established a line 150 yards beyond the trench, coming under fire from houses along the Hollebeke road. By 8 a.m. John’s Battalion had commenced the attack on Hollebeke. It had cleared the ruins of the village by 11.30 a.m. Though the attack on Hollebeke was a success, the 11th Royal West Kents had suffered heavy casualties, mainly due to machine-gun and rifle fire coming from the flanks.
Private John William Foster was Killed in Action on 31 July 1917. The 19-year old possibly fell during the attack on Hollebeke. John has no known grave and is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.
Sources 4
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11 Battalion The Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), 11th Bn. (Lewisham). (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2634/4). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Further reference |
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Atkinson A.C., The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment : 1914-1919, (Londen, Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., 1924). Sources used |
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McCarthy C., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Uniform, 2018), pg. 22-23. Sources used |
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Russell R.O. & Lawford T.B., The history of the 11th (Lewisham) Battalion: the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, (London, Lewisham Newspaper Co., 1934), pg. 142-154. 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/1612866 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=3a25376b-ca1a-4eba-b762-97a849c76259 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/2523750 |