Name
Lewis John Rowley Atterbury
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
07/10/1916
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Second Lieutenant
London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers)
4th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 9 D and 16 B.
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Thomas Alleyne School Memorial Gates, Stevenage, St Mary’s Church War Memorial Bramshott, Hampshire
Pre War
Born in Hampstead on 15th March 1885 to John Hampson and Mary Atterbury.
By 1891 the family had moved to Orchard Road, Stevenage, with his father working as an East India Merchant.
Lewis was schooled at the Thomas Alleyne School, Stevenage and in 1896 was in: Class II Latin, Form II French, Set II Mathematics and Seniors English. It is not known when Lewis left Alleynes, but Lewis was in receipt of a Trinity College Scholarship £3 for 2 years allocated following Midsummer Exam results
The 1901 Census shows him living with his family in Portsmouth and Lewis does not appear in the 1911 census and is because he gone to Canada in 1903. he was found playing cricket for a Winnipeg team and in fact was the Winnipeg Cricket Club's treasurer in 1914. Lewis was working as an accountant at the offices of Macdonald, Craig, Farr and Ross in Winnipeg.
He returned to London in 19th July 1913 and at that time was recorded as an accountant. He then left Southampton bound for New York on 6th September 1913.
He returned from Quebec on 4th October 1914 to enlist and was recorded as 29 years and 6 month old, 5' 10" tall with light brown hair, blue eyes and of a light complexion.
Wartime Service
He was Lance Corporal 5334 in the 2nd FA Co. of the Canadian Engineers. Lewis landed in France on 9th February 1915. He was promoted to Corporal.
His Company was involved in support of the 2nd Battle of Ypres, the Battle of Nerve Chapelle (10-12th March 1915), the Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge (22nd April), the Battle of St Julien (24th April) and the Battle of Aubers Ridge (9th May). In July / August / September they were involved with the construction of dummy defence works.
He was commissioned 12th January 1916, joining 4th Battalion London Regiment between 20th September and the 2nd October 1916 as a Second Lieutenant and reported as missing on 7th October that year. At this time the Battalion were fight in the later stages of the Battle of the Somme in the Battle for the Transloy Ridges.
His body was never found ad he is listed amongst the missing on the Thiepval Memorial.
His death was reported by the Winnipeg Press under the heading "Lieu. L. J. Atterbury of Winnipeg, Killed"
Acknowledgments
Eirwen Palmer
