By 

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Edward De Santis, MSCE, BSAE, P.E., MinstRE
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(February 2025)

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1. INTRODUCTION

This research project began with the acquisition of the two postcards shown above.  Webster was identified by his signature on the postcard.  A search of Fold3 found that a Herbert J. Webster served as a Driver, Regimental Number 85937, in the Royal Engineers.  Gowing was identified by the words “Mr. E. Gowing” on the reverse of his postcard.  A check of my Royal Engineers research data base (of over 102,500 names) revealed that a Corporal E. Gowing, R.E. received the Military Medal while serving with the 36^th Divisional Engineers in France.[1]  Fold3 also produced results for him verifying the M.M. award and providing his given name as Ernest.  No service papers were found for either man, thereby making precise research on these men difficult.  Research had to proceed by finding bits and pieces relating to their military service and uniting them into a cohesive narrative.

Research of the service of both of these men proceeded in a rather unusual manner.  Their Regimental Numbers became the basis for what follows.  Both men had Regimental Numbers in the series 85XXX.  A study made by the author over many years has indicated that men who were given numbers in this series, from 85001 to 86999 were posted initially to the 212^th (Tottenham) Field Company.  This company formed part of the divisional engineers of the 33^rd Division.

While researching Ernest Gowing it was found that his brother, Alfred William Gowing, had also enlisted in the Royal Engineers.  Alfred had been issued Regimental Number 85555, so he obviously was standing in the enlistment line just in front of his brother Ernest.  It is assumed that he also was posted to the 212^th Field Company in the 33^rd Division.  Since the division was largely comprised of locally raised units often known as “Pals,” it would not have been unusual for the brothers to have served in the same unit.[2]

2. EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY HISTORY

Ernest Gowing (1893-1974) and Alfred William Gowing 1897-1982) 

Ernest Gowing was born on 17 June 1893 in Tharston, Norfolk.  Alfred William Gowing was born on 26 May 1897, also in Tharston.  They were the sons of Frederick Ernest Gowing (1862-1936), a farmer, and Alice Catharine Gowing (née Phillips) (1862-1954).[3]  In 1901 the Gowing family was living on a farm in Pulham St. Mary, Norfolk. 

1891 Census of England

The Gowing family was still living in Pulham St. Mary in 1911 as shown in the census below:

1911 Census of England

The 1911 Census lists Reginald and Ernest as “Farmer’s son” and they are also listed as “Workers” in a column in the census that is not included in the table above.  Frederick Ernest Gowing is listed as an Employer, so the obvious conclusion is that his two sons were working for him as farm hands.  It is evident that the Gowing family must have been financially comfortable as Frederick and Alice could afford to employ a Domestic Servant. 

By the start of the Great War in August of 1914, Ernest would have been 20 years old, but Alfred would only have been 17.  Since their Regimental Numbers indicate that they probably enlisted at the same place on the same date, they must have enlisted in 1915 after Alfred turned 18 years of age.  It appears that they enlisted in Long Stratton, Norfolk.[4] This would tally with the date that the Tottenham Engineer Field Companies were organised, as described in Section 3 below.  Their brother Reginald would have been 21 years old when the war started.  He also served, although not in the Royal Engineers, and his service will be discussed later in this narrative. 

Prior to his enlistment in the Royal Engineers, Ernest Gowing had served in the 2^nd (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers), an infantry battalion of the Volunteer Force, later the Territorial Force.  His Regimental Number in the battalion was 3080.[5]  To join the Royal Engineers in 1915, Ernest would have had to be discharged from his Territorial Force obligation. 

3.  RECRUITMENT, ENLISTMENT AND TRAINING

On 11 February 1915 the War Office authorized the Tottenham Local Representative Committee, based at Tottenham Town Hall, to raise a field company of the Royal Engineers, to be designated 212th (Field) Company (Tottenham). Soon this recruitment effort was expanded to the full Royal Engineers complement for a division as shown below.[6]

· 33^rd Divisional Engineers Headquarters

• 212^th (Tottenham) Field Company, RE

• 222^nd (Tottenham) Field Company, RE

• 226^th (Tottenham) Field Company, RE

• 33^rd (Tottenham) Divisional Signal Company, RE

Figure 3.  Tottenham Town Hall.
(Image courtesy of Tottenham Royal Engineers) 

The divisional units were formally taken over by the military authorities on 14 July 1915. On that day the 212^th and 222^nd Field Companies joined the division at Clipstone Camp in Nottinghamshire and 226^th Field Company joined on 31 July, by which time the division had moved to Bulford Camp on Salisbury Plain for intensive battle training. On 4 November the division was ordered to embark for France, and by 21 November 1915 it had concentrated around Morbecque, where it joined the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) for service on the Western Front.[7]

4.  CAMPAIGN SERVICE

Continuing with assumption that Ernest and Alfred Gowing were both Sappers in the 212^th Field Company when the unit arrived in France, then they would have taken part in some of the most severe actions of the war including:[8] 

The Battle of the Somme (1-13 July 1916) 

The Battle of Bazentin Ridge (14-17 July 1916) 

The 1^st Battle of the Scarpe (Arras Sector) (9-14 April 1917) 

The 2^nd Battle of the Scarpe (Arras Sector) (23-24 April 1917) 

The Battle of Menin Road (20-25 September 1917) 

The Battle of Polygon Wood (26 September – 3 October 1917) 

The Battle of Broodseinde (4 October 1917) 

Based on information obtained from the history of the 36^th Division, Ernest Gowing appears to have been transferred to this division sometime in 1918.  He may have been wounded while serving in the 212^th Field Company and after recuperating was posted to a company in the 36^th Division where he rose to or had risen to the rank of Corporal.  The divisional engineers in this division were the 121^st Field Company, the 122^nd Field Company, the 150^th Field Company and the 36^th Divisional Signal Company in addition to the 36^th Divisional Engineers Headquarters.  Without his service papers it was not possible to determine to which unit he might have been posted, and Cyril Falls history does not provide this detailed information. 

During 1918 the 36^th Divisional engineer units took part in the following actions:[9] 

The Battle of St. Quentin (21-23 March 1918) 

The Battle of Rosieres (26-27 March 1918) 

The Battle of Ypres (28 September – 2 October 1918) 

The Battle of Courtrai (14-19 October 1918) 

Ernest Gowing’s award of the Military Medal appeared in the 29 August 1918 Supplement to the London Gazette.  The award was probably made "for bravery in the field" over a period of time between March and August 1918, rather than for a specific act.

On 11 November the 36^th Division was at Mouscron, north east of Tourcoing. It remained there throughout the period of demobilization. It ceased to exist on 29 June 1919.

Alfred Gowing had also risen to the rank of Corporal in the Royal Engineers while serving with the 212^th Field Company.[10]  At some point he was transferred to the Labour Corps (Regimental Number 521274) from the 212^th Field Company, presumably retaining his rank of Corporal.[11]  The Royal Engineers had raised 12 Labour Battalions.  The formation of the Labour Corps was authorized by a Royal Warrant issued as Army Order 85 published on 22 February 1917. The order specifically made the point that the raising of the Corps was to be a temporary measure but it would be regarded as a Corps for the purposes of the Army Act.

Oddly, Gowing’s new Regimental Number does not fall within the range of the numbers issued to men in the Royal Engineers Labour Battalions.  Numbers for these men fell in the range of 110000 to 125000.  In fact, his new number fell in the range of numbers assigned to the 565th (Wiltshire) Army Troops Company, R.E.  To make matters more confusing, Army Council Instruction 985 of 20 June 1917 authorized the other ranks of the existing 1^st to 11^th Royal Engineers Labour Battalions in France to transfer and become the 700 to 710 Labour Companies of the Labour Corps, respectively. Men affected by this transfer were renumbered in the Labour Corps range 289501 to 295100. The 12^th Labour Battalion in Salonika became the 711 Labour Company of the Labour Corps and its men were renumbered in the range 348240 to 349500.[12]  This information regarding Gowing’s Regimental Number in the Labour Corps is difficult to reconcile with what is shown on his Medal Index Card.     

Depending on when Gowing was transferred to the Labour Corps, he might have taken part in some of the following actions unless his transfer to the Labour Corps had occurred sooner: Messines (10-11 April 1918), Hazebrouck (12-15 April 1918), Bailleul (13-15 April 1918), Kemmel Ridge (17-19 April 1918), Epehy (18 September 1918), St. Quentin Canal (29 September – 2 October 1918), Cambrai (8-9 October 1918), the Selle (17-25 October 1918) and the Sambre (4 November 1918).[13]

5. MEDALS, AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

For his service during the Great War Corporal Ernest Gowing was awarded the Military Medal, British War Medal and Victory Medal. 

Figure 4.  Medals of the Type Awarded to 85556 Corporal Ernest Gowing, R.E.
(Image from the author’s collection) 

For his service during the Great War 85555 Corporal Alfred William Gowing, R.E.  also was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal. 

NOTE: The medals shown above are not those of Ernest Gowing.  They are presented here for illustrative purposes only. 

Figure 5.  The Medal Index Card of 85556 Corporal Ernest Gowing, R.E.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com) 

Figure 6.  The Medal Index Card of 85555 Corporal Alfred William Gowing, R.E.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com) 

Alfred Gowing was awarded the two medals while he was serving in the Labour Corps.

6.  POST SERVICE LIVE’S

Ernest and Alfred Gowing both survived the war and were demobilized shortly after the end of the war. 

Ernest married Ann Ling Barnes (1893-1990) in July 1919 in the Parish of St. Mary, Tharston, Norfolk.  They had three children.  By 1921 Ernest was a farmer.  The 1939 England and Wales Register shows him as a farmer and dairyman in Forehoe and Henstead, Norfolk.  He died at the age of 80 in 1974 at Norwich, Norfolk. 

Alfred William married Elaine Esther Gladden (1898-1994) in Depwade, Norfolk on 11 November 1922.  They had six children.  The 1939 England and Wales Register shows that Alfred was a farmer on Kempton Farm in Aylsham, Norfolk.  Alfred died at the age of 84 on 10 January 1982 in Fritton, Norfolk. 

Alfred and William had a brother who also served in the Army during the Great War.  Their eldest brother, Reginald J. Gowing served as a Private (Regimental Number 22340) in the Norfolk Regiment.  He also was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal for his service during the war.  During the war the Norfolk Regiment consisted of three Regular Army battalions, eleven battalions of the Territorial Force and five battalions of Kitchener’s New Armies.[14]   Since no service records were available for him, no details of his war service can be provided. 

Figure 7.  The Medal Index Card of 22340 Private R.J. Gowing, Norfolk Regiment.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com) 

Reginald was born on 2 June 1892 in Tharston, Norfolk.  He married Fanny Rachel Flatt (1871-1943) on 30 June 1920 in Tharston.  They had no children.  Fanny died in 1943 and Reginald married again.  His second wife was Gladys Chenery (1896-1989.  They also did not have children.  The 1939 England and Wales Register shows Reginald as a farmer living in Depwade, Norfolk.  He died in Tynemouth, Northumberland on 23 December 1973 at the age of 81.

Herbert J. Webster 

            Unfortunately, no detailed personal information could be found regarding Webster.  His Medal Index Card and Fold3 information indicate that he was 85937 Driver Herbert J. Webster, R.E.  As explained previously, his Regimental Number would have put him in the 212^th Field Company along with the Gowing brothers.  It can only be assumed that he remained in the same company during the war and that he would have served in the same actions as the Gowings between 1916 and 1918.  For his service during the war he was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal as previously described. 

Figure  8.  The Medal Index Card of 85937 Driver H.J. Webster, R.E.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)

REFERENCES:

Books

FALLS, C.  The History of the 36^th (Ulster) Division.  Constable, London, 1996 (reprint of the 1922 edition). 

Census and Registers 

1.      1891 Census of England (RG 13/1860).

2.      1911 Census of England and Wales.

3.      1921 Census of England.

4.      1939 England and Wales Register: Ernest Gowing.

5.      1939 England and Wales Register: Alfred William Gowing.

6.      1939 England and Wales Register: Reginald Gowing.

Family Trees 

1.      Ancestry.com: Frederick Ernest Gowing (by DAVID_R98).

2.      Ancestry.com: Ernest Gowing (by DAVID_R98).

3.      Ancestry.com: Alfred William Gowing (by DAVID_R98).

4.      Ancestry.com: Reginald Gowing (by DAVID_R98).

Internet Web Sites 

1.      The Long, Long Trail: 33^rd Division.

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/33rd-division/

2.      Tottenham Royal Engineers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tottenham_Royal_Engineers

3.      The Long, Long Trail: 36^th (Ulster) Division.

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/36th-ulster-division/

4.      The Long, Long Trail: The Labour Corps of 1917 - 1918.

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-labour-corps-of-1917-1918/

5.      The Long, Long Trail: Norfolk Regiment.

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/norfolk-regiment/ 

London Gazette 

Supplement to the London Gazette, 29 August 1918. 

Military Documents 

1.      The Medal Index Card of 85555 Corporal Alfred William Gowing, R.E., later 521274 Labour Corps.

2.      The Medal Index Card of 85556 Corporal Ernest Gowing, M.M., R.E., previously 3080 Private, 2^nd Royal Fusiliers.

3.      Labour Corps Medal Roll, British War Medal and Victory Medal (Corporal A.W. Gowing).

4.      The Medal Index Card of 85937 Driver Herbert J. Webster, R.E.

5.      Royal Engineers Medal Roll, British War Medal and Victory Medal, Driver H.J. Webster.

Periodicals 

Battle Honours of the Royal Engineers.  The Royal Engineers Journal.  The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1925-1932.

ENDNOTES