John George Meadows

A Driver with 58th (2/1st London) Divisional Train, John died on 13th of July 1916 at the age of 17. 

John was born at Kirkley in 1899, a son of John Frederick and Mahala Meadows. He was baptised at Geldeston on 17 September 1899. In 1901 his family lived at Carlton Road, Pakefield. Later his family lived at Willow Cottage Carlton Colville Lowestoft.

John volunteered and enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft. He joined the Army Service Corps, service number T/1978. He was posted to the 58th (2/1st London) Divisional Train. Details of John’s death were reported in the Thetford and Watton Times, of 22 July 1916, page 1:

SOLDIER DROWNED AT WROXHAM BRIDGE

CORONER’S COMMENTS ON COWARDLY SPECTATORS

Mr. B. H. Bores conducted an inquest at Wroxham on Friday as to the death of Driver John Meadows, of the A.S.C.
Captain Reginald Victor John Young, of the A.S.C., identified the body as that of John Meadows, a driver in the A.S.C., aged 17 years. It was deceased’s duty to bring horses to the watering place at the bridge at Hoveton St. John. That was considered to be a reasonably safe place for the purpose, and no accident had happened there before, so far as witness knew. 
Francis Goddard Wallington, staff-sergeant in the A.S.C., spoke to helping to recover the body just below the bridge. It was about an hour after the accident. Artificial respiration was tried without result. 
Driver Charles Ralph Montague, of the A.S.C., described the accident, which he witnessed. On Thursday afternoon, a little before 5 o’clock, he had been watering two horses at Hoveton Bridge. Deceased came with two horses to water. He rode the near side horse and got the animals a little further in the stream than witness had. The horse deceased was riding gave a lurch and fell, and dragged the rider and the other horse with it. They were all carried down the stream together. There was a crowd on the bridge. Witness saw a man in a boat trying to save the deceased, who was on the horse’s back going under the bridge. The horse seemed to get entangled in the rope, and the fallen horse tried to jump on the back of the other. They then reared in the air, sank, and rose again. Deceased got off his horse and clutched at its head. The horse, however, kicked him in the head and he went down. The horse sank too. 
The Coroner – It seems to me that the people on the bank stood by and made no serious attempt to this poor fellow.
Witness – he sank in no time.
The Coroner – There was plenty of time for someone to go after him with a boat.
Witness – My pair of horses were jumping because the crowd were yelling and carrying on. I could not leave the horses, or I would have gone after the man.
The Coroner – But no one did go in after him? – One man did, but the soldier was drowned by the time he got there.
Driver George Phillips, who also witnesses the fatality, gave a different version of it from that of the last witness. Phillips said his impression was that one of the horses got out of their depth and began to swim, and would have swam to the other side had there been a landing there. They swam quietly under the bridge with the rider on his horse. What happened the other side he could not tell. The horses began to struggle. Deceased was still riding his horse, and did not appear to be excited. Witness shouted to him to get off the horses and leave them. Witness ran round the other side of the bridge, but saw nothing of Meadows, only the horses struggling in the water. They went under and came up again four times before they finally disappeared.
The Coroner – What efforts were made by the people on the bridge to save Meadows? – A man from the other side of the bridge got out a little way in a boat, but went back again. 
The Coroner – I cannot understand how with a crowd the man was allowed to drown without anybody making an effort to save him. It seems to me a scandalous piece of business.
Witness said that if he had seen Meadows come up he would have dived after him.    
The Foreman said it appeared to him that the two horses were joined together, and the trouble only arose when they got muddled with the rope. The deceased was invited to let the horses go, but he did not seem to be concerned about it. He did what he could to save the horses by freeing them from the halter, and in consequence of his pluck got kicked and was drowned. The deceased should be given credit for that conception of his duty, and it must be a consolation to the relatives that he endeavoured to do his duty. 
Captain J. Godfrey Bune, A.S.C., furnished the following official report of the fatality: “I was informed by a fatigue man attached to the A.S.C. at 4.15 p.m. that a man and two horses were in trouble in the river. I immediately proceeded by motor cycle to Wroxham Bridge, and was informed when I arrived that the man had just gone down. The spot was pointed out to me. I jumped into a boat, closely followed by Staff-Sergeant Wallinton and Staff-Sergeant Cooley. We rowed about over the spot indicated, and bubbles were noticed rising to the surface. We rowed about for a few minutes, hoping to see the man rise. We then demanded drags from the boatmen at Messrs. Loynes’ boatyard, which were forthcoming. Staff-Sergeants Wallington and Cooley, with the aid of Mr. English, a local resident, starting dragging the river, and within ten minutes had found one horse which was brought ashore. After dragging again for about half-an-hour the other horse was found and dragged ashore. Dragging operations were continued, and at 5.20 p.m. the body of Driver Meadows was brought to the surface. Artificial respiration  was immediately resorted to, and I proceeded to fetch a medical officer, who on arrival pronounced life extinct. I beg to draw attention to the two non-commissioned officers, Staff-Sergeants Wallington and Cooley, for the prompt action they took for the recovery of the deceased and the two horses. I would also add the names of Driver Davenport and Driver Williamson, for the prompt assistance and intelligence displayed in the action they took. George Cox, a boatman, assisted in dragging operations.”
The Coroner – There is no question whatever that this man died from an accident on account of his horses slipping into the river, and the trouble afterwards arose. The only thang that troubles my mind, as it must trouble yours, is that all the people standing about after the accident made no effort to save the drowning man. I am very much grieved to think that this was the case in the county of Norfolk – the place where I live. I cannot but believe that if the slightest effort had been made that the unfortunate soldier might have been saved. That, however, is not the point. It is your duty to say he was accidentally drowned.
A verdict of “Accidentally drowned” was returned.  

Note: Commonwealth War Graves gives his unit as 4th Provisional Brigade Train. The details here come from his entry in the Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects. 

John’s father also served in the Army and was wounded in 1917.