Pte 22931 William Bowden

• Age: 24
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Monday 26th June 1916
• Commemorated at: Cerisy-gailly Mil Cem
  Panel Ref: II.L.15

William Bowden was born on  4th May 1892 at Liverpool and was baptised on 1st  June 1892 at Emmanuel Church, Everton.  William was the third of ten children born to Henry, a billiard marker, and Margaret Ellen (nee Shaw), who married in 1887 in Liverpool.

In 1901, they lived at 13 Albert Road, Waterloo, with their 6 children.

In the 1911 Census, Henry and Margaret Ellen live with their 6 children and their son Robert’s wife, Lucy Catherine, at 38 Liffey Street, Liverpool, William was a boarder aged 18 and was a stable lad in cartage at Beaufort Street, Toxteth Park .

William enlisted at Liverpool on 23^rd November 1914, joining the 20th Battalion (4th Company), The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 22931 giving his age as 22 years and 14 days, his occupation as a waiter and his next of kin as his father, Henry, of 182 Market Street, Birkenhead. He was five feet six and three quarter inches tall and weighed 140lbs.

Formed in November 1914 the 20^th Battalion were originally billeted at Tournament Hall, Knotty Ash before on 29^th January 1915 they moved to the hutted accommodation purposely built at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 20th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. 

On 26^th June 1915 at Birkenhead Registry Office, William married Mary Frances Rowe, aged 23 years, of 11 Mulberry Road, Rock Ferry.

He arrived in France on 07^th November 1915 and on 4^th April 1916 was attached to 30 Infantry Brigade Division, joining his unit at Etaples on 06^th April. On 14^th May 1916, he was posted to 20^th Battalion, King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 22931.

William  was killed in action on 26^th June 1916 aged 24.

Graham Maddocks in his book Liverpool Pals describes how during that evening the 20^th Battalion relieving the 2^nd Bedfords in the front line near Maricourt was subject to a severe German bombardment which killed nine other ranks, fatally wounded 2^nd Lieutenant William Hall Jowett who died 2 days later, and wounded 3 other officers and 47 men. William was amongst the 9 men of the 20th Battalion  killed, the others being Privates W.H.Aitken,  J.Askew, M. Bennett, J. Colligan, F. Davis, A. Howell, P. Prince and P. Simmons. 

All of these men now rest at Cerisy-Gailly Military Cemetery. 

Gailly was the site of the 39th and 13th Casualty Clearing Stations during the early part of 1917, and of the 41st Stationary Hospital from May 1917 to March 1918. The villages were then captured by the Germans, but were retaken by the Australian Corps in August 1918. Cerisy-Gailly Military Cemetery (originally called the New French Military Cemetery) was begun in February 1917 and used by medical units until March 1918. After the recapture of the village it was used by Australian units. The cemetery was increased after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields of the Somme.

It was begun by French troops in December, 1914, and was known to the French by the name of Ferme Caudron. It was taken over by British troops in August, 1915, and used until July, 1916. It contained the graves of 887 French soldiers, 260 from the United Kingdom and six German. 

The cemetery now contains 745 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 114 of the burials are unidentified and special memorials commemorate five casualties buried at Maricourt and Ste. Helene whose graves could not be found. The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

His death was reported in the Liverpool Echo dated 11th July 1916 -

KILLED IN ACTION

BOWDEN-- June 27, killed in action, aged 24 years, William Bowden (Liverpool "Pals" ) the dearly beloved husband of  May Bowden, 11 Mulberry road, Rock Ferry.

He was also reported killed in Daily Post on 18th July 1916 -

Bowden, W (Rock Ferry)

His effects were sent to his widow who, on 1^st January 1917 was awarded a pension of 10/- (50p) per week.

William is also commemorated  on the following Memorials:

Hall of Remembrance,  Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 14 Left

 St Clement Church of England School, Toxteth, Liverpool.

On 11.06.1920, his widow Mary Frances submitted a sworn declaration stating that she was living with William’s parents at 13 Eden Street, Lodge Lane, Liverpool. She named his brothers as Harold, 23; Robert, 32; John 26; Richard, 15; James, 13; and Harry, 30 years. He also had 3 sisters - Emily, 21; Margaret, 12; and Lucy, 8 years.

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