Gnr
John Howard
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1894 |
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Place of birth: Waltham Abbey, Essex, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: 67 Rounton Road, Waltham Abbey, Essex, England, United Kingdom |
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Profession: Tomato grower |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Gunner |
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Service number: 218689 |
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Enlistment place: Waltham Abbey, Essex, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Royal Field Artillery, 55 Bty. 33rd Bde. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 12/11/1917 |
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Place of death: Zonnebeke Church - Zonnebeke Kirche, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 23 |
Cemetery
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White House Cemetery Plot: III Row: Q Grave: 9 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
John Howard was born in 1894 at Waltham Abbay, Essex, England. He was the son of John and Georgina Howard. His father was employed as a factory worker. As a teenager, John worked as a "nursery worker". In 1915, he married Flora Priscilla Clarck. Two years later, on 24 July 1915, they welcomed their daughter, Elsie. In the meantime, John had already enlisted in the British army.
He served with the 55th battalion of the 33rd Brigade Royal Field Artillery, part of the 11th Division.
British artillerymen were stationed together with Canadians at Zonnebeke in the autumn of 1917. On 10 November, the brigade moved to Steenwerck and stayed there for two days. On 11 November they relieved the Canadian unit on the front which at that time was behind the ruins of Zonnebeke church. Simultaneously, they came under fire but suffered no casualties. The following day, on 12 November 1917, the brigade was again heavily shelled by enemy counter artillery while deploying their 15 cm howitzers in Zonnebeke. Three men of the 33rd Brigade died that day: Howard, Berry and Cooke. Presumably at the hands of the German counter shelling. Frank Guest Cooke was buried on the same spot as John. What happened to Berry is unclear.
John was not the only one in his family to take part in the First World War. His older brothers Edward and Henry also fought in it, dying at the front on 16 September 1914 and 13 April 1917 respectively. John, aged 23, died a few months after Henry, on 12 November 1917. Gunner Howard was initially buried where he was killed, near Zonnebeke church (28.D.28.a.10.70). In the same location, hidden behind the ruins of Zonnebeke church, Canadians also manned howitzers and some of them were buried in the same place where John was buried in the days before John was killed.
After the war, John's remains were exhumed and reburied in the British military cemetery White House Cemetery at Ypres (Plot III, Row Q, Grave 9). Four years after his death, his wife Flora remarried his younger brother Sidney.
He served with the 55th battalion of the 33rd Brigade Royal Field Artillery, part of the 11th Division.
British artillerymen were stationed together with Canadians at Zonnebeke in the autumn of 1917. On 10 November, the brigade moved to Steenwerck and stayed there for two days. On 11 November they relieved the Canadian unit on the front which at that time was behind the ruins of Zonnebeke church. Simultaneously, they came under fire but suffered no casualties. The following day, on 12 November 1917, the brigade was again heavily shelled by enemy counter artillery while deploying their 15 cm howitzers in Zonnebeke. Three men of the 33rd Brigade died that day: Howard, Berry and Cooke. Presumably at the hands of the German counter shelling. Frank Guest Cooke was buried on the same spot as John. What happened to Berry is unclear.
John was not the only one in his family to take part in the First World War. His older brothers Edward and Henry also fought in it, dying at the front on 16 September 1914 and 13 April 1917 respectively. John, aged 23, died a few months after Henry, on 12 November 1917. Gunner Howard was initially buried where he was killed, near Zonnebeke church (28.D.28.a.10.70). In the same location, hidden behind the ruins of Zonnebeke church, Canadians also manned howitzers and some of them were buried in the same place where John was buried in the days before John was killed.
After the war, John's remains were exhumed and reburied in the British military cemetery White House Cemetery at Ypres (Plot III, Row Q, Grave 9). Four years after his death, his wife Flora remarried his younger brother Sidney.
Sources 3
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33rd Brigade Royal Field Artillery (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 95/1694/1). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG14). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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War Office: Soldiers’ Documents, First World War (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 363). https://www.ancestry.com/ 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/454663 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/1979806 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=4c0738ef-2346-4487-9c6c-a4272767f4a5 |