118th Division, Signals Company, Royal Engineers
Whitmore Vavasour Powell was born at Kingsland, Herefordshire in early 1894. He was the son of Patcell Powell and his wife Harriet Eliza (née Lewis). In the 1901 Census Patcell described himself as a retired farmer. He and Harriet had married in 1893. Patcell was 56 years and Harriet 41 and were therefore relatively old parents when Whitmore, who was to be their only child, arrived in 1894. Patcell died in 1910 and Harriet lived until 1929. At the time of the 1911 Census the family lived at 11 Arthur Street, in the Barton district of Gloucester.
Unfortunately, very few records have survived which throw light on Whitmore’s Army service. His Medal Entitlement Record Card (MIC) held at the National Archives records that he initially served as a Drummer with the Territorial Force 1/5th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment and his number, 2597, was amongst those allocated in the period 28 August to 7 September 1914: indications are that he volunteered very early in the war. In 1917 all Territorial Force units were re- numbered and Whitmore’s was changed to 240648. The MIC also tells us that he first went abroad, to the Western Front, on 29 March 1915. The 1/5th Glosters served with 145 Brigade, 48 (South Midland) Division and saw action during the 1916 Somme Offensive and the Third Battle of Ypres in the second half of 1917. At the end of November 1917 the 48th Division transferred to the Italian Front and took part in the battles of the Asiago Plateau and Vittorio Veneto against the Austrian-Hungarian Army. The 1/5th Glosters returned to the Western Front on 17 September 1918, joining 75 Brigade, 25 Division in Picardy and took part in the final advance of the war.
In the absence of a service record it is not possible to pinpoint when Whitmore transferred to the Royal Engineers (RE). The number allocated, 497979, is within the range allocated to 2nd South Midland Field Company, RE (according to The Long, Long Trail (LLT) website). It would seem likely that Whitmore stayed with 48th Division in Italy, when the 1/5th Glosters transferred to 25th Division.
Again, according to the LLT, in 1914 each infantry division included a Signals Company of approximately 162 men, organised into a Company HQ and four sections. Its responsibilities included laying and maintaining communication wires and cables, carrying messages on foot or by horse and handling the despatch of mail. They also assisted the artillery by providing information on targets.
Sapper Powell was discharged from the Army on 29 March 1919 due to ‘debility’. This was not considered attributable to his military service and an application for a pension was declined.
Whitmore Powell died on 10 October in Gloucester Royal Infirmary, aged 26. He was single and living at 11 Arthur Street. His death was reported in the death notices published in the Gloucester Journal of 16 October 1920 (where the date of death was stated to be the 9th). The cause of death, in the absence of sight of a death certificate, is unknown. He was buried in Gloucester Old Cemetery, where a standard CWGC headstone marks his grave.
Researched by Graham Adams 18 October 2019