Mark Alfred Raven

A Sergeant with 51st Battalion. Mark died on 21st of March 1918 at the age of 24. 

Mark was born at Mutford on 22 June 1893, a son of Alfred and Louisa Raven. He was baptised at Mutford on 20 August 1893. By 1901 has family were living at Beccles Road, Mutford. 

Mark enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft and initially served with the Suffolk Regiment with service number 14361.

By 25 April 1917 Mark was a Corporal serving with 50 Company Machine Gun Corps. He was wounded on 25 April 1917 and admitted to 51 Field Ambulance with shrapnel wound to his right thigh. From there he was transferred to a Casualty Clearing Station. 

By March 1918 Mark was a Sergeant serving with 51st Battalion Machine Gun Corps, part of the 51st (Highland) Division.   

In early March 1918 the Battalion was concentrated at Fremicourt, near Bapaume. From 13 to 21 March the Battalion made preparations for the expected German attack. Their 58 machine-guns, and 8 guns from the 25th Battalion Machine Gun Corps were distributed, in pairs, along the entire 51st Division front. The German bombardment began at 5 a.m. on 21 March and the left of the Division was heavily engaged and during the night the right flank of the Division was withdrawn and the 13 guns on this flank successfully withdrawn. A fighting withdrawal continued during 21 March into the 22nd. In that 24 hours the Division lost 39 machine-guns. 

There are no daily casualty reports for the Battalion, but between 21 and 26 March their losses were:
Officers: 7 wounded 13 missing
Other ranks: 17 killed; 95 wounded and 168 missing  

It seems that Mark was initially reported missing and later it was concluded that he had been killed in action on 21 March 1918. 

Note: Commonwealth War Graves website incorrectly states that Mark served with 51st Company, however the Army Register of Soldiers' Effects clearly shows his unit as the 51st Battalion (these were two entirely different units). 

Mark's brother Charles was killed in World War Two.