2nd Lt. John Flowers

[Sue Light]

2nd Lt. John Arthur Flowers is listed by the CWGC as being '10th Battalion, attached 7th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment,' - died on 1st September 1916, and commemorated on Arras Memorial, Panel 6.

Quite a lot of things didn't seem to add up, and looking at his records today I find that he had always been in the 9th Battalion, Royal Sussex, with just a brief period with the 10th after having been wounded, before returning once again to the 9th. At the time of his death the 9th battalion were in trenches to the left of Delville Wood, and he is named in the war diary as having been 'killed by a sniper on the afternoon of the 31st'. [August 1916] How then, does he come to be commemorated on the Arras Memorial, and not on Thiepval? Does this occur frequently, or having got two bits of information wrong, is it possible the CWGC have made an error in his place of commemoration?

Regards - Sue

[Paul Reed]

I did some research on Flowers some time ago, and like you came to the conclusion he was on the wrong memorial. I have this a number of times over the years (I found some South Downers killed at Richebourg on the Ploegsteert Memorial, when they should be on Loos eg.) - it must have been a nightmare after the war sorting all this out, with not a single computer to help them!

[Sue Light]

Paul

Thanks - as long as it's not me losing it! I'm researching John Flowers 'in tandem' with his uncle Herbert Flowers, 8th Battalion Queen's Own [Royal West Kent Regt.], who conincidentally was killed 1st September 1916, and is buried at Delville Wood cemetery. The CWGC has them as both having died on the same day, which is not quite true, but certainly they were so near to each other at the time. The newspapers had a field day with reports of their death as Herbert Flowers was 'high profile' in Steyning. I'm beginning to feel like a tabloid reporter in search of a good angle on a great story!!

Regards - Sue