Louis Edward Kirk

A Sergeant with the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, Louis died on 9 April 1920, at the age of 33.

Louis was born at Cowley, Oxfordshire, on 23 November 1887, a son of Robert Thomas and Harriett Elizabeth Kirk. He was baptised at Saint Andrews Church, Cowley, on 1 June 1888, and at that time his family lived at Cowley Barracks and his father was a Sergeant with the Oxfordshire Light Infantry. In 1891 his family lived at 8 Queens Street, Neithrop, Banbury. By 1901 Louis' family were living at 85 Greenleaf Road, Walthamstow. Later Louis' parents lived at Bungalow, Chestnut Avenue, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, and then, by 1935, at 20 Worthing Road, Lowestoft. 

Louis enlisted in the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry on 23 November 1905. By 1911 he was a Corporal serving with the 2nd Battalion. 

Louis married Elizabeth Martin at Oswestry on 12 September 1912. Around 1912 Louis joined the Army Reserve and became a Police Constable at Oswestry. Louis was mobilized when the war began and rejoined his old battalion. He arrived in France, with the 2nd Battalion, on 14 August 1914. He was discharged from the Army, due to sickness (neurasthenia), on 31 December 1915.

Louis died from influenza, pneumonia and enteritis, at Newport, Shropshire, on 9 April 1920. An Army Board concluded that none of these conditions were connected to his military service. Elizabeth lived at 10 Westfield Terrace, Newport, Shropshire, and later at 16 Longford Road, Newport. 

Louis' brother Thomas died in 1915 whilst serving with the New Zealand Medical Corps and his brother Robin died at Shanghai in 1916. Both of Louis' brothers are recorded on Saint Margaret's Church War Memorial and Lowestoft War Memorial (memorial book), but Louis is not. His father was allowed to rejoin the Army in 1914 and served, until 1916, as a Company Sergeant Major, with the 11th Battalion Suffolk Regiment.