5th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment
Francis Austin Chivers Howells (indications are that he was known as Austin) was born in Lydney on 28 August 1896. He was the son of Howard Howells, an Art Master, who died (age 45) when Austin was 14 and Ida Elsie Howells, née Chivers. At the time of the 1901 Census the family lived at Otford Street, Lydney.
Upon leaving school Austin joined the Capital & Counties Bank, where he worked as a clerk.
Austin joined the 3/4th Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment, as a private (number 3352), on 11 February 1915, in order to apply for a commission and his application was supported by the Headmaster of Lydney Secondary School. He was commissioned into the 14h Battalion (Severn Valley Pioneers) , Worcester Regiment on 8 November 1915 and served in the UK until October 1916.
On 11 October 1916 he embarked from Devonport bound for Karachi, India, arriving on 28 November 1916: it is not certain to which unit he was assigned. On 23 March 1917 he sailed for Mesopotamia arriving at Basra on the 29th and was posted to the 9th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment on the following day, joining them in the field on 25 April 1917.
One month later, on 23 May 1917, he was admitted to 40 Field Ambulance with Pyrexia Fever (which causes intense shivering) but was discharged the following day and re-joined his unit on the 27th. Promotion to Lieutenant followed on 1 July 1917. He was to have a further spell of sick leave, due to ‘debility’ which ran from 27 July to 23 August 1917 and he was back with his unit on 26th.
In August 1918 the battalion was posted to operations in Persia and the Caucasus, as part of 39th Brigade with the North Persia Force. He was to remain there until 1 January 1919, when the battalion transferred to the British Force at Salonika and Lieutenant Howells was in charge of ‘C’ Company.
Whilst in Mesopotamia Austin had contracted malaria and this caused him to be admitted to hospital on 28 May 1919, transferring to 21st Stationery Hospital on 18 June 1919 before being invalided to the UK on the HS Glengorm Castle on 15 August 1919, having been declared not fit for a malarial zone and given a medical category of C1.
He attended Medical Boards at Caxton Hall, London on 14 October and 13 December 1919 and it was recorded that he had had had three attacks of malaria whilst in Mesopotamia. He was demobilised on 16 December 1919, having served for four years and nine months. He gave his address as 2 Adolphus Road, Finsbury Park, London.
Austin Howells died on 24 March 1920 at his grandparent’s home at London House, Ruardean, Gloucestershire, from pneumonia, aged 23. It is presumed that this was directly linked to his malarial condition. He was buried three days later in the churchyard of St Mary’s, Lydney, where a CWGC headstone marks his grave.
His mother had remarried in 1911 and was now the wife of Frank Gosling and she applied for a pension in respect of her son’s death. On the back of his Medal Index Card it is noted that she lived at 26 Park Road, Nailsworth.
Lieutenant Howells’ Officer’s File is kept at the National Archives under reference WO 339/46080.
GRA
25 March 2014