Name
William Frederick George Fowler
9 Mar 1876
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
12/01/1918
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Officer's Steward 3rd Class
L/10378(PO)
Royal Navy
H.M.S. "Narborough."
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
LYNESS ROYAL NAVAL CEMETERY
B. 180.
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
No Report
UK & Other Memorials
Harpenden Town Memorial,
Pre War
William Frederick George was born on 9 Mar 1876 in Bristol. William married Winifred E Vailes in 1899 in Bristol, they had a daughter Phyliss born in 1900. The family were living at Brookfield Avenue, Horsfield Glos. William’s occupation was a coachman.
On the 1901 Census the family had moved to Raglan road, Bristol and on the 1911 Census their address was Edge Hill Road, Bournemouth. Williams Occupation was declared as a dining car conductor.
Wartime Service
William served from 9 May 1917 to 30 Oct 1917 at Portsmouth Shore Establishment (Victory) as L/10378 Officers Steward Class 3. His record lists him as Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Y/20824. On 31 Oct 1917 he posted to HMS Narborough, a Destroyer which had only been completed in Apr 1916.
Having been at Jutland she was allocated to 12 Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet and was present at 2nd Battle of Heligoland Bight, Nov 1917 (but fired no shots in anger). On 12 Jan 1918 Narborough and her sister ship HMS Opal ran aground and were wrecked at Hesta Rock, South Ronaldsay. William was one of 188 deaths in this incident of which there was only one survivor.
William's body was recovered and identified, and later buried at Lyness Cemetery, Orkney.
Additional Information
There seems to be no connection to Harpenden apparent in researches done on William. He widow seems to have remarried with the surname Mouloinmitt.
Acknowledgments
Neil Cooper
