Name
Arthur John Owen
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
26/03/1918
23
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Lance Corporal
4944
16th (The Queen's) Lancers
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 (Mons) Star, British War and Victory Medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
POZIERES MEMORIAL
Panel 5.
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Croxley Green Village Memorial, Croxley Green, All Saints' Church Shrine, Croxley Green, Rickmansworth Urban District Memorial, Watford Borough Roll of Honour
Pre War
Son of Thomas and Alice Jane (nee Wilson) Owen of Watford.
His parents married 4 June 1881 at All Saints, Croxley Green, Herts. Alice died 1946 aged 88; Thomas died 1947 aged 89; both in the Watford district.
Arthur was born in 1895 in Croxley Green and christened on 28 April 1895 at St. Andrew’s, Watford. According to the Watford Observer, he went to Chater School, Watford. He worked as a motor driver at the Watford Co-operative Society before joining the Army. In 1918, Thomas and Alice Owen were registered to vote at Cassiobridge House. The Observer added that the Owens had two other sons (Edward and Frank) and two sons-in-law serving in the forces.
On the 1901 Census, aged 6 he lived in Croxley Green, with his parents and seven siblings. On the 1911 Census, a shop assistant aged 16, he lived in Watford, with his parents and four siblings.
In 1911, Arthur was living with his parents (Thomas and Alice) at 7 Cassiobridge Terrace. They had married on 4 June 1881 at All Saints’ Croxley Green. His father was a Croxley man who worked as a domestic gardener and Arthur worked as a shop assistant. His mother had 12 children of whom 10 survived.
Wartime Service
He enlisted in Mill Hill, London; was entitled to the Victory, British War and 1914 Star medals, his qualifying date being 12 September 1914, and was killed in action.
Arthur Owen 4044 (or 4944), Lance Corporal, 16th Lancers. Killed in action on 26 March 1918, aged 23.
They had been in action at the battle of St. Quentin from 21 until 23 March 1918. At 10am on 26 March they received orders to march as the Germans had broken through at Porquericourt south west of St Quentin. They were to occupy high ground in Bois des Essarts and Bois de Porquericourt, but found the Germans occupying the high ground in the woods. At 1.15pm mounted patrols were sent out but were unable to proceed due to heavy machine-gun fire from the Bois des Essarts and farm Hirondelle. At 1.30pm a dismounted attack took place but an advance was impossible because of heavy enfilade fire from the same places. At this point casualties began. At 3.15pm an aeroplane gave warning of a German attack.
The 5th Lancers and a troop of 16th Lancers held the northern corner of Bois Cecile. At 4pm, all but the troop of Lancers aforementioned retired. The enemy broke though Bois Cecile firing machine-guns which made the horses on which the Lancers were mounting stampede.
Arthur joined the Army a year before the war broke out, leaving for France two years later. His Captain, writing to his father after Arthur’s death, said that he was a great loss to the Regiment as he had done magnificently and would certainly have been recommended for quick promotion. His gallantry and contempt for death were encouraging to the men. He died leading his men to stop the enemy, who had temporarily broken through the line.
Additional Information
Recorded as OWEN A K, Cpl, in the Borough Roll of Honour. There is an article about and a Death announcement for Arthur in the West Herts and Watford Observer dated 27 April 1918; plus an In Memoriam in the issue dated 29 March 1919. In CWGC as Service Number 4044. Unfortunately, Arthur’s Service Record appears to be one that did not survive the World War Two bombing.
Acknowledgments
Malcolm Lennox, Tanya Britton, Brian Thomson, Croxley Green in the First World War Rickmansworth Historical Society 2014, Sue Carter (Research) and Watford Museum (ROH on line via www.ourwatfordhistory.org.uk)
