Private Joseph Clowes 4th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment

Worcestershire Regiment

Joseph Clowes was a Private No. 25340 in "C" Coy. 4th Battalion., Worcestershire Regiment, a Territorial battalion. He died of wounds on Monday 23rd October 1916, aged 31.

He was the son of Ruth Clowes of Kibworth Road, Great Glen and the late Alfred Clowes. He enlisted in the army in Leicester and is buried in St Sever War Cemetery in Rouen, France

Ruth Clowes, a Methodist, was one of the parents of school children in Great Glen who on October 26th 1904 demanded to remove their children from religious instruction and asked for secular instruction to be provided instead. There were 46 children involved in total. The school managers finally agreed to let the children off religious instruction on Fridays only, when the Anglican Catechism was taught. They were allowed, on Fridays, to bring in a teacher of their choice.

In 1901 the Clowes family were living in Main Road, Great Glen. Alfred was still alive at this time and was working as a plate layer on the railway. In addition to his wife, Ruth, there were also living in the house 5 sons and 2 daughters. Joseph was the third son aged 16 at the time and working as a winder in the hosiery industry. So were his older brothers Harry (24) and Frederick (18). His younger sister Florrie (13) was also working as a winder whilst Cecil (11) and Reginald (6) were at home. Also in the house was his sister Harriet (22), a laundress working from home and a grand-daughter Dorothy Clowes aged 3.

Gt Glen Methodist Church 2002

Alfred’s great grand daughter Mrs Jones states that of the children 3 still have relatives around today (2006). They lived on the Kibworth Road in the first of a row of houses set back from the road. There were no internal doors in the house and no staircase to the upper floor. They had to get into the bedrooms by means of a ladder and a hole in the floor! They were staunch members of Great Glen Methodist Church and those who worked in the hosiery industry (including Joseph) worked at Rowleys in Fleckney. They all walked to and from work each day.

A number of the members of the family were in the Great Glen Brass Band which used to go around the village on Christmas Eve playing carols both out of doors and in people’s houses. Joseph was the only child still at home when he volunteered for the army and his death hit his mother very hard.

4th Worcesters boarding
'Transylvania' at
Alexandria 15.03.1916

Joseph went to join the 4th Worcesters in Gallipolli on 6th December 1915 and came back with the battallion to France on the 'Transylvania' which left Alexandria for France on 15th March 1916. They arrived at Marseilles on 20th March 1916.

29th Division Memorial
Beaumont Hamel

On 1st July 1916 (the first day of the Battle of the Somme) the Battalion, as part of the 29th Division, attacked the area around the village of Beaumont Hamel and suffered appalling losses. They were forced back and the village was not re-taken until 13th November 1916. After the war land was purchased by the Canadian Government and a memorial to the Division was erected.

4th Battn Worcesters resting
Louvencourt (Somme) 28.06.1916

The Battalion, which was part of the 88th Infantry Brigade within the 29th Division, was sent to the Bernafay Camp on 20th October 1916. On arrival they were provided with tea and rum. On 21st October it was very cold and the men spent the day in considerable discomfort due to the lack of protection. The time was spent in cleaning up. On 22nd they were paraded at 5.30am and leather jerkins were issued to all men and they were put to work for 4 hours on the Longueval to Fleurs road. Hostile areoplanes dropped 6 bombs on the camp inflicting little damage. The 23rd dawned cold and wet and the camp suffered a heavy artillery attack all day which resulted in casualties including Joseph Clowes who died of his wounds.

Joseph is buried in St Sever Cemetery, Rouen, France. It was in this area that a number of hospitals were set up during WWI and it is assumed Joseph died there from his wounds. In order to find directions to the cemetery please click on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission link.

St Sever War Cemetery, Rouen

Joseph was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.