Colin McMillan has provided the following:
Robert Thomas Lowes was born in Benwell, Northumberland, in 1892. His birth was registered in the Apr- May-Jun BMD records for that year in Newcastle (10b, 44). He was the son of Arthur Lowes (b 1863) and Jane Lowes (b 1866) and had five siblings.
At the time of the 1911 Census Robert was 18 and his brothers and sisters were: Mary, 20 (a grocer’s cashier); Elizabeth, 14; Jane Ella, 12; Ada Annie, 9 and Arthur 6. Robert was an apprentice pattern maker, single, and like his father, a worker in an iron foundry. It’s possible that they both worked for Swinney Brothers. The family lived at 2 Wallace Place, Morpeth and had lived there for several years as this was their place of residence at the time of the earlier census in 1901 when the 8-year old Robert was a school boy. This address no longer exists, but was near the south end and the west side of Newgate Street. Nearby places were Percy Court, Wheatsheaf Yard and Hudson’s Place. In 1904, when Robert was about 11, the YMCA buildings had been completed on the corner of Oldgate and Newgate Street, only yards away from where he lived. We know that he was a member of the YMCA and so didn’t have far to go to get there.
Lance Corporal Robert Thomas Lowes, regimental number 2199 was in the 1st/7th Battalion (Territorials) of the Northumberland Fusiliers, having enlisted at Alnwick. He was killed in action on 24 June 1916 aged 23, in France and Flanders in the Western European Theatre of War and is buried alongside ten of his regimental colleagues at La Laiterie Military Cemetery, Kemmel, Belgium, although the Graves Registration Report Form has his date of death six days later, on 30 June 1916.
Battle Details.
The following information is taken from Northumberland Fusiliers War Diaries On 1st June 1916 the battalion in which Robert was serving, 7th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, was relieved from the trenches by 6th Northumberland Fusiliers and took up positions in Brigade reserve at certain map references. One “ordinary ranks” soldier was wounded on that occasion. From 2nd to 5th June the Battalion was held in reserve.
On 5th June at 10pm the Battalion relieved the 6th NF in trenches “H-2 to K-1” and on the following day 2nd Lt. W.J. Woodward was wounded and 2nd Lt. F. Hare went to hospital.
On 9th June at 10pm the Battalion was once again relieved by 6th NF and moved back to LOCRE (south of POPERINGHE, west of KEMMEL and just east of the FRENCH/BELGIAN border) as divisional reserve. Apart from the wound sustained by 2nd Lt. W.J. Woodward, six other ranks were injured and a draft of 34 other ranks joined from England.
From 7th Northumberland Fusiliers war diaries:
“11th. Captain H. Liddell to hospital (injured) 2/Lt Barns to hospital. 13th. 2/Lt H.A.L. Blaky(?) joined from England. 10pm. The Battalion again relieved 6th N.F. in trenches H-2 to K-1”.
“17th 10pm. The battalion was relieved by 6th N.F. and moved to Brigade Reserve positions. Casualties during above period killed O.R. 4. Wounded O.R. 9.
18th. A draft of 78 O.R. joined the battalion. One O.R. wounded.
21st. 10pm. The Battalion relieved 6th N.F. in trenches H-2 to K-1.
22nd. A quiet day in the trenches.
23rd.[No diary entry for this day]
24th 25th. Enemy very active with trench mortars and large minenwerfer*. He did a considerable amount of damage to H-2 and H-3(?) trenches and we suffered several casualties. Killed 2/Lt H.V. Charlton [Hugh Vaughan Charlton, aged 32, son of John and Kate Macfarlane Charlton. Born in London]. 1 O.R.
Wounded 2/Lt A.R. Braund(?), 2/Lt R.R. ------(?) (shock) 11 O.R.”
*Minenwerfer were German trench mortars.
Since there was only one O.R. (other ranks) killed on this day, it is thought that this was Robert Thomas Lowes.
Robert Thomas Lowes is remembered in Morpeth on M17.01, M17.02, M17.09, M17.10, M17.16, M17.18 and M17.29 and in the Battalion History
