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222366 Pte. William Alfred Owen British Army 9th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment from:Coventry (d.25th Jan 1917) William Owen died on 25th of January 1917, aged 23 and is buried in the Amara War Cemetery in Iraq. The 9th Royal Warwickshire Battalion's war diary noted on the 25th of January that they were in position in Kala Haji Fahan Nullah and were in immediate support of the Worcestershire and North Staffordshire Regiments. After an intensive artillery bombardment the Turkish enemy front was secured and the 9th Battalion moved up and occupied the position known as the Queen's and King's trenches to meet a Turkish counter attack. Around noon the attack began, the 9th Battalion were ordered to advance and support the Worcesters and North Staffordshirers who were being gradually overwhelmed. Under leadership the Battalion recaptured the trench driving the enemy back to the second line. The enemy created a further counter attack and with their superiority in numbers the 9th Battalion were forced to withdraw. In the evening the 9th Battalion were drawn into reserve and a roll call showed casualties. William was born on the 20th of May 1894 in Chauntry Place, Coventry. He was the son of my great Nana and Grandad, Mr & Mrs John Owen. As a lasting tribute to those 'Coventry Men' who had fallen in the Great War 1914 - 1918 there is a roll of honour placed within the Memorial erected in Coventry Memorial Park. Families of the fallen were also given the opportunity to pay for a commemorative sapling oak tree with name plaque to be sited within the Park. William's sapling oak tree is now a beautiful grand oak tree and his plaque P8 is still clearly eligible for all to see. Additional Information: Though he came from a respectable background and had hard working parents (his father was a miller's labourer) William Own had a troubled youth which included being sent to Borstal when he was seventeen. His behaviour at this time may be attributable to a head injury he received during a fall in 1909 and to contracting typhoid fever as a child. He went to sea in 1913 but then in February 1914 he joined the Warwickshire Regiment. Apparently he arrived at home in April 1914 in his full dress uniform looking 'quite proud of himself'. As a pre-war regular, by the time of his death he would have been a very experienced soldier. William's story will be included in 'He Did His Best' - a book about the early days of the Borstal system being published in 2020. David Caldwell-Evans Reply Please type your message:      We recommend you copy the text about this item and keep a copy on your own computer before pressing submit. Your Name:             Email Address:       @ **Please put first part of your email, (before the @ sign) in the first box, and the second part in the second box. Do not include @, it is automatic. Do not enter your full email in each box or add an @ sign or random spaces.**