Chester-le-Street Chronicle 1917
Arras Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Richard Henry Lowery was born 1895 in Benwell, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, one of 4 children, all boys, born to John Henry Lowery 1865 Elmore Vale, Bishop Auckland and Eliza Crowling Andrews 1866 a native a St. Agnes, Cornwall. John Henry and Eliza married in the district of Chester-le-Street, March 1889 and were living in 1891 at Lintz Colliery where John Henry worked as a coal miner. Richard Henry’s father died in 1900, his mother along with her sons moved to Beechgrove Terrace, Edmondsley living as visitors with the widower John Tait and his son. Eliza remarried in the district of Chester-le-Street in 1904 to the widower James Grant who had a daughter Mary Ann from his previous marriage. Eliza and James had a child together, gender unknown, but it died in infancy. Richard Henry at the age of 16 was still unemployed.
Richard Henry enlisted November 1914 in Stanley and was assigned as Private 1035 to the 26th (3rd Tyneside Irish), Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. They moved to Woolsington and together with the 24/25/and 27th Battalions formed the 103rd Brigade, 34th Division. Taken over by the War Office in August 1915 they moved to Salisbury Plain to undergo final training until they crossed to France in January 1916. Due to the heavy losses at the Battle of La Boiselle on July 1st 1916 the Brigade was attached to the 37th Division between July 6th and August 22nd 1916. April 9th 1917 was the beginning of the Battles of Arras, once again the French called upon the British for support. The 37th Division fought during the Battle of the Scarpe, April 9th-14th 1917 and again at the Second Battle of the Scarpe. During the last day of the battle, April 24th 1917, Private Richard Henry Lowery was killed in action, he was 22 years old. His sacrifice is recorded, panel 2 and 3, on the Arras Memorial which lies within the Faubourg-d”Amiens Cemetery, Arras, France. The memorial commemorates the 34,763 officers and servicemen from the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand who died in the Arras sector between spring 1916 and August 7th 1918 who have no known grave.
Richard Henry was single and his mother Eliza received all monies due to him, a pension and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal, she died in the district of Lanchester in 1923.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Richard Henry Lowery is remembered at Craghead on C120.01 C120.02 C120.04 and C120.05
