Name
Arthur Rowland Botwright
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
16/08/1917
23
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Lance Serjeant
27665
Bedfordshire Regiment
7th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
TYNE COT MEMORIAL
Panel 48 to 50 and 162A.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
No Report
UK & Other Memorials
Abbots Langley Village Memorial, St. Lawrence Church Memorial, Abbots Langley, Memorial Plaque, St Lawrence Church, Church of Ascension Memorial, Bedmond, John Dickinson & Co Memorial, Nash Mills
Pre War
Wartime Service
Biography
Arthur Roland was born in 1894 in Bedmond, he was one of four Botwright brothers who served during the Great War. Edward, Benjamin, Arthur, and Percy and their two sisters, Alice and Florence, lived with their parents John Botwright, and Emma (nee Herring) in Bedmond, adjacent to the “White Hart” Public House. In the 1901 Census John was recorded working as a Carpenter and Emma worked as a Laundry Worker. By the time of the 1911 Census Arthur was working as a Gardener Domestic, and living at Church Hill Bedmond. His father had died in 1904.
Arthur enlisted as Private 27665 in the Bedfordshire Regiment and progressed through the rank to become a Lance Serjeant. The Soldiers Died in the Great War archive confirmed that Arthur enlisted at Bedford but didn’t indicate when this took place. Arthur was first listed in the Abbots Langley Parish Magazine Roll of Honour in April 1916, when he was recorded serving with the Royal Marines. This listing may be incorrect. The same record in May 1916, indicated that Arthur was serving with the 9th Bedfordshire’s (a training and Reserve Battalion at Landguard, Felixstowe). This would better correlate with enlistment at Bedford. From May 1916 through to January 1917 Arthur and his brother Benjamin were recorded with the 9th Bedford’s. Around that time Benjamin was transferred to 2nd Bedfordshire’s, and later was discharged from the Army while Arthur transferred to 7th Bedfords.
7th Beds were positioned at Ypres in Aug 1917 (Passchendaele). They were in action on 10th August at Glencorse Wood, near Hooge, Ypres. The battalion attacked at 4.35am, and then faced a strong German counter-attack before being relieved later that evening. After a period in the reserve lines the 7th Bedfordshire’s returned to the Front Line and their War Diary recorded “detailed to carry out an attack on the Bosch strong point at the north-west corner of Inverness Copse. A heavy shrapnel barrage opened at ZERO hour (4.45am). But owing to some mistake a battery of 4.5 howitzers detailed to shoot on the enemy's strong point fired short and on to our B Company about to move forward to the attack, knocking 50% of their effectives out”.
It may have been that Arthur met his death as a result of this action and died as a result of “friendly fire” from his own artillery His remains were not recovered and he is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Leonard Bowsher from Abbots Langley also died after the same engagement. The October 1917 Abbots Langley Parish Magazine recorded: “Arthur Roland Botwright of the Beds Regiment, was killed in action on August 16th. He had recently attained the rank of Sergeant. He is the third of four brothers who are serving in the Forces. As a boy, he was a member of both Abbots Langley and Bedmond Church Choirs. His C.O writes of him ‘He was one of my finest N.C.O's, and always showed a splendid example to all his comrades, both in battle and out of the trenches, and he has now attained to the highest glory that any of us can, for he has given his life for his GOD and his loved ones at home’. He was closely connected to Bedmond, which has suffered so many losses, where he had lived there all his life.”
Arthur’s three brothers all survived the War, although Benjamin was wounded and later discharged as being no longer fit for military service. His brother in law, Herbert Hutchings, who had married his sister Florence survived the War. Arthur Botwright was commemorated on the memorial wall at Tyne Cot Military Cemetery, the Abbots Langley War Memorial, and the Bedmond War Memorial at the Church of the Ascension. He was also listed on the John Dickinson War Memorial, indicating that at some time between 1911, when he worked as a Gardener, and the time of enlisting he had been employed at the Dickinson Paper Mills.
Acknowledgments
Neil Cooper
Roger Yapp - www.backtothefront.org
