Wilfred Bown

Memorial: Kingswood - Holy Trinity Church

Regiment: Gloucestershire Regiment

Medals: 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Silver War Badge, Victory Medal

Rank and number: Corporal 25290

Parents: William James and Hester Anne Bown

Home address: 6 Alsop Road, Downend Road, Kingswood, Bristol

Pre-war occupation: Bagmaker

Date of birth: 25/03/1896

Place of birth: Kingswood, Bristol

Date of death: 02/04/1918

Buried/Commemorated at: Buried at Caix British Cemetery, Somme, France

Age: 22

Further information:

Wilfred was born in Kingswood, the only son of a shoemaker and a middle child of three with an older and a younger sister.

Wilfred enlisted in 1914 and mobilised to France with his regiment in July 1916 where they fought in various actions on the Western Front including the Battles of the Somme, The German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line and the Battle of Passchendaele. In February of 1918, Wilfred’s regiment was so reduced in number that it was disbanded and Wilfred joined the13th Regiment. Wilfred was killed in action during Operation Michael (21 Mar 1918 – 5 Apr 1918) a victory for the Germans at a cost to the allies of 239,800 casualties. After the war, Wilfred was reburied in Caix British Cemetery which was made after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields and from smaller cemeteries nearby.

By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):

This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/