Name
John Donovan
1893
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
09/10/1917
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
14114
Bedfordshire Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
TYNE COT MEMORIAL
Panel 48 to 50 and 162A.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial,
John Dickinson & Co Memorial, Apsley Mills, Apsley
Pre War
John Donovan was born in Poplar, Middlesex on 25 December 1892, the son of John and Sarah Anne Donovan, and baptised at All Hallows. Poplar, on 18 January 1893. He was the only son of four children.
On the 1911 Census he was living as a boarder at the home of Henry and Mary Lovegrove at 19 Cowper Road, Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead, Herts and worked as a Die Stamper with John Dickinson & Co. Ltd.
Wartime Service
He was one of the first volunteers from Hemel Hempstead and enlisted at the beginning of September, joining the Bedfordshire Regiment. He gave his home address as Canning Town, East London where his parents lived. He was sent for basic training at Ampthill Park and posted to the 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, before leaving for France, arriving at La Havre on 2 February 1915.
He joined his unit six days later at Bailleul and was soon in action in the trenches and intense fighting in the Battle of Hill 60, near Ypres in April 1915 when the Battalion lost over 100 men killed and several hundred more wounded. He fought in many more battles during 1916, including High Wood, Guillemont, Flers-Courcelette, Morval and Transloy.
In early 1917 the Battalion were situated near Festubert and although there was always a constant threat of enemy artillery and sniper fire, it was a relatively quiet period compared to the Somme. More battles followed with action at Arras, Vimy, La Coulotte and the Third Battle of the Scarpe.
Having survived so much, John was eventually killed in action on 9 October 1917 at the Battle of Poelcapelle, part of the Third Battle of Ypres, when the 15th Brigade attacked Polderhoek Chateau with the 1st Norfolk and 16th Royal Warwickshire Regiments. They fought in very poor weather across an area much of which had been turned to swamp by the heavy rain. Already exhausted by crossing miles of mud, the troops began the attack at 5.20 am and were met with heavy machine gun and small arms fire. Eventually the attack failed and they withdrew to their starting positions about 250 yards west of the Chateau. Many of the wounded were stranded on the battlefield and could not be rescued because of enemy sniper fire.
John has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium.
Additional Information
His father received a £14 war gratuity and pay owing of £5 5s 11d.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, www.bedfordregiment.org.uk, www.hemelatwar.org., www.hemelheroes.com.
