Ypres Reservoir Cemetery: P. Priano
Ypres Reservoir Cemetery: Pauline Priano
Ypres Reservoir Cemetery
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
John Thomas Gowland, one of 11 children, was the 2nd born of 6 sons, he had 4 sisters and 1 sibling, gender unknown, of whom only 9 survived. His father Thomas Gowland born March 10th 1873 at Cornforth, County Durham, married in 1892 at Stockton-on-Tees to Hannah Harper, native of Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, born 1871. Newly married they settled at Cornforth where they were living in 1901 at Cornforth Lane with their 5 children, Mary Elizabeth (8), Clara (7), Lewis William (5), John Thomas (4) and Albert (10 months), Thomas supported is family employed as coke drawer at the colliery. Albert Gowland died in 1901, however Thomas and Hannah had a further 5 children by 1911, Sarah Jane (7), Fred (5), Joseph (4), Lily (2) and Arthur (8 months). They were now living in 4 rooms at Thinford Cottages, Ferryhill, John Thomas (14) was employed at the colliery as a coal miner at the bank while Lewis William (16) worked as a farm labourer.
John Thomas Gowland left his employment at Ferryhill in 1914 and enlisted at Coxhoe, County Durham where his was attested and assigned as Private 4821 to the Army Reserve and did not depart for the Western Front until 1916 when he turned 19 years of age, eligible for overseas service. Posted to the 10th Entrenching Battalion, a temporary unit which supplied men to the fighting units, he was later posted to the 1/5th Battalion Durham Light Infantry as Private 200687.
The 1/5th D.L.I. had been on the Wester Front since April 1915 and attached to the 150th Brigade, 50th Northumberland Division fought in the trenches of the Ypres salient in Belgium, at Armentieres and Kemmel until August 1916 before moving to the battlefields of the Somme. In September 1916 the battalion participated during the final phases suffering heavy losses during the attacks on the Prue Trench north of High Wood. During 1917 the battalion fought at Arras, April 9th-May 16th, remaining in the sector until moving back to Belgium in October where it saw action during the 3rd Battle of Ypres, spending another winter in the mud filled trenches of the Ypres salient. Private 200687 John Thomas Gowland died of wounds December 27th 1917 whilst on active service, his body transported to the, “Cemetery North of the Prison,” used by the fighting units and Field Ambulance as of October 1915, later known as Ypres Reservoir North Cemetery and now Ypres Reservoir Cemetery. He is at rest grave IV. A. 3 and was 20 years of age and single.
His father received all monies due to him and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to him at Thinford Cottages, Ferryhill, County Durham. His mother Hannah commissioned at a cost of 4 shillings 4 pence an additional inscription to be added to his military headstone, it reads, “Until The Day Dawn.”
Hannah Gowland nee Harper died in 1938 aged 67 years, registered in the district of Sedgefield. Thomas Gowling moved to West Hartlepool, now retired Secretary and Manager Agricultural & Co-Op Societies, he died in 1950 aged 77 years, registered at West Hartlepool, County Durham.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
John Thomas Gowland is remembered at Cornforth on C115.01 and C115.03 and at Tursdale on T62.02
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 341
