No.19913, Private, David HOWARD
Aged 19
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David Howard was born in Barway (Newmarket Q1-1898 3B:533), baptised in Soham on 1st May 1898, son of David and Elizabeth HOWARD (née VAIL) of Barway
1901 census...Aged 3, he was in Barway with his father David HOWARD [40] yardman on farm, born Little Thetford, Cambs; his mother Elizabeth [38] born Stretham, Cambs and sister Ann [7] born Little Thetford. 1911 census...Aged 13, a farm labourer, he was at River Cam, Little Thetford, Ely with his parents, sister Ann and sister Sarah Elizabeth [6], born Barway. |
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Enlisted in Ely.
From Lt Col Murphy's "History of the Suffolk Regiment":- On the night of the 29th November 1917 the battalion was relieved and marched back to Brigade reserve, into a sunken road less than half a mile behind the front line. HQ was in the Cheshire Quarry, officers accommodated in old dugouts separate form the men. It was intended to be purely temporary and there was no trench system Lt .Col FS Cooper left, seriously ill and Major Henty assumed command. Major Walker arrived after dark and would taken over command the next day. Events decreed otherwise. Early on the 30th the hostile artillery became very active and before the battalion had time to stand-to, the Germans, in enormous masses, swarmed round the flanks of the division, attacking from all sides. At the same time numbers of low flying aircraft wheeled about overhead firing machine guns and dropping bombs. The men banded together as best they could, offering as much resistance as possible. Some time before the position was lost, Major Henty and Captain and Adjutant Taylor were killed. and 11 other officers were captured or missing. 33 other ranks were killed and not one has an identified grave, all are named on the Cambrai Memorial.
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