Walter George Gowen

A Private with 19th Battalion (Canadian Highlanders) Canadian Infantry. Walter died on 10th of August 1918 at the age of 29. 

Walter was born at Lowestoft on 5 September 1889, a son of Walter George and Alice Gowen. In 1891 his family lived at 89 Roman Road, Lowestoft. By 1901 Walter's father had died and his mother had married Thomas Walsh: the family lived at 15 Haward Street. Later his mother lived at 67 Raglan Street, Lowestoft, before moving to 144 Chichester Road, South Shields.

In 1911 Walter was a boarder at 276 Raglan Street and he worked as a warehouseman in grocery and provisions. Walter served in the Lowestoft Territorials before he emigrated to Canada in April 1912. 

Walter was working as a labourer when he attested for the Canadian Army at Toronto on 12 November 1914.  (His service papers are available at National Archives of Canada Accession Reference: RG 150 Accession 1992-93/166 Box 3686 - 25). 

Walter sailed from Montreal on S. S. Scandinavian on 13 May 1915 and arrived in England on 22 May 1915. He embarked at Folkestone, for France, on 14 September 1915. Walter served with the machine-gun section of his battalion. He was killed in a trench near Wytschaete, Belgium. His commanding officer wrote (as quoted in De Ruvigny): 

He was operating a machine-gun in the front-line trenches when he was shot through the head by a German sniper about 11 p.m. and succumbed to his wounds immediately. He was a good soldier, and had been with the battalion from the time of its formation for active service, during which time he had earned the respect and esteem of his officers and comrades alike.

He is commemorated on the war memorial at Saint Margaret's Church, Lowestoft.