Name
Leonard Henry Bowsher
1894
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
17/08/1917
23
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Serjeant
14298
Bedfordshire Regiment
7th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
TYNE COT MEMORIAL
Panel 48 to 50 and 162A.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
St Mary’s Church Memorial, Apsley End,
John Dickinson & Co Memorial, Apsley Mills, Apsley,
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial,
Not on the Abbots Langley memorials
Pre War
Leonard Henry Bowsher was born in Abbotts Langley, Hertfordshire on 27 July 1894, the son of William and Mary Bowsher, and baptised at St Mary's Church, Apsley End on 30 September 1894. He was one of four sons.
The family were living at Nash Mills, Abbots Langley where his father was working as a Bookbinder at John Dickinson & Co, but his father died in 1897, aged 39. On the 1901 Census the family were living at Nash Mills and his widowed mother was working at home as a hand envelope folder. Her brother Richard Culpitt was living with his sister and her four young sons, William, George, Leonard and Frederick.
They remained in Nash Mills in 1911 at which time his mother was a 'Chapel Caretaker' and all four sons and his Uncle Richard were working at John Dickinson & Co.
Wartime Service
Leonard enlisted at Hertford and joined the Bedfordshire Regiment. He was sent to France in January 1916 and posted to the 7th Battalion, having also been promoted to Corporal.
He would have seen action during the Battles of the Somme - the Battles of Albert, Bazentin, Thiepval and Ancre and was promoted to Sergeant. The following year the Battalion were involved operations on the Ancre, the Battle of Arras and Third Battle of the Scarpe.
On 10 August 1917 the Battalion were at Glencorse Wood and about to take part in an attack to capture Westhoek. Fighting continued for several days during which Leonard was killed in action on 17 August 1917, aged 23,
A local newspaper report stated that he had been killed by a shell in a communication trench and printed a copy of a letter received by his mother from fellow Sergeants offering condolences, which stated that he had been laid to rest near the village of Zillebeke in a properly marked grave. When hostilities ceased his body was not found or not identified and his name is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium.
Biography
Leonard Bowsher was one of three brothers that served in the Great War but are not listed in any of the records for those serving from Abbots Langley. All have a claim to be considered Abbots Langley “men”.
Leonard was born at Nash Mills in the autumn of 1894, which at the time was part of the Civil Parish of Abbots Langley. He was living with his mother Mary and brothers in Nash Mills at the time of the 1901 Census. His father had died in 1897. His mother worked as a Hand Envelope Folder at John Dickinson’s Mills. His record was initially found in the Soldiers Died in the Great War records where he was listed being born in Abbots Langley, and subsequently his brother William was also identified in that archive. Eventually information about his other brother, George, was found in the Absent Voter Records, where he gave Abbots Langley as the Parish of his residence in the autumn of 1918. William was killed in action in September 1916, whilst George survived the War and returned to Nash Mills after being de-mobilised.
Little is known about Leonard’s early military record. He enlisted at Hertford and by August 1917 had risen to the rank of Sergeant in the 7th Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment.
The Bedfordshire’s were in action on 10th August at Glencorse Wood, near Hooge. The battalion attacked at 4.35am, and then faced a strong German counter-attack before being relieved later that evening. After a period in the reserve lines the 7th Bedfordshire’s returned to the Front Line and their War Diary records that they were
“Detailed to carry out an attack on the Bosch strong point at the north-west corner of Inverness Copse. A heavy shrapnel barrage opened at ZERO hour (4.45am). But owing to some mistake a battery of 4.5 howitzers detailed to shoot on the enemy's strong point fired short and on to our B Company about to move forward to the attack, knocking 50% of their effectives out”.
It is possible that Leonard Bowsher and Arthur Botwright, another Abbots Langley man also serving with the 7th Bedfordshire’s both died as a result this “friendly fire”. Arthur Botwright died on 16th August, however Leonard Bowsher’s death was recorded on the following day, 17th August. However both men may have died after the attack on 10th August as the 7th Bedford’s grimly held their ground despite fierce counter-attacks.
Leonard was commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial near to Ypres, and on the St Mary’s Apsley End Roll of Honour, on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial, and on the John Dickinson War Memorial, which indicated that at some point he had been employed at one of Apsley Mills (John Dickinson & Co.).
Additional Information
Brother to William Bowsher who served with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and who died on 15 September 1916, and who is also named on the Hemel Hempstead Memorial.
His mother received a pension of 10 shillings a week in respect of Leonard and his brother William.
His brother George also served, firstly as a sergeant in the 10th Lincolnshire Regiment and later as a Second Lieutenant with the Norfolk Regiment, and survived the war.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Roger Yapp - www.backtothefront.org, www.dacorumheritage.org.uk, www.hemelatwar.org., www.hemelheroes.com.
