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Reburial at Prowse Point Military Cemetery, April 2015

Reburial of 6 soldiers on 16th April 2015
at Prowse Point Military Cemetery
2 soldiers from
The King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment
and from The Lancashire Fusiliers as well as
2 from unknown regiments
The soldiers’ remains were found in 2008 and 2010 in a farmer’s field at Comines-Warneton, near Le Touquet, in Belgium. In beautiful weather over 300 people gathered in the beautiful Prowse Point Military Cemetery to pay their respects to six soldiers who died in the fierce actions in the area in late 1914. From when their remains were recovered the authorities were sure that they had found battlefield graves that were lost in subsequent actions, now the men, albeit unamed, will be provided with a grave in a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery and will lie with over 200 others who died in the war.
The service was conducted by The Reverend Chris Kellock, CF, and The Reverend Mike Goodison, CF. and HE Miss Alison Rose, Her Majestery's Ambassador to Belgium, made the scripture reading.
Brigadier Peter Rafferty, MBE, Colonel of The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment read the Cllect of the King's Own:
"Lord Jesus, King of Glory, who dost love Thine own unto the end, grant we pray Thee, that we, The King's Own Royal Regiemnt, may faithfully serve our Soverreign Lord the Queen, whose true soldiers we are; and in all our service mayever seek Thy Kingdom, who wi the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest for ever."
Brigadier Bill Aldridge, The Royal Regiment of Fusliers, read theCollect of th Lancashire Fusiliers:
"O Lord God, for as much as nothing is too hard for thee,
increase, we pray thee, the faith of the Lancashire Fuiliers,
slo that we may wear courage like a flower in the day of battle,
and hearing his voice who hath said,
all things are possible to him that believeth,
may endure all things for the love of thee,
through the same Jesus Christ ourLord."
Prowse Point Military Cemetery
Prowse Point Military Cemetery is located 11½kms south of Ieper town centre, on a road leading from the Rijselseweg N365, which connects Ieper to Wytschaete, Mesen, Ploegsteert and on to Armentières. From Ieper town centre the Rijselsestraat runs from the market square, through the Lille Gate (Rijselpoort) and directly over the crossroads with the Ieper ring road. The road name then changes to the Rijselseweg. 2kms after Mesen lies the left hand turning onto Rue St Yvon. The cemetery is located 600m along this road on the right hand side.
This cemetery is unique on the Salient for being named after an individual. It is the site of the stand by the 1st Battalion Hampshire Regiment and the 1st Battalion Somerset Light Infantry in October 1914, which featured the heroism of a Major Charles Prowse (later Brigadier General Charles Prowse, DSO). Charles Prowse would be killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme whilst commanding the 11th Infantry Brigade and is buried in Louvencourt Military Cemetery. On Friday 30th October 1914, at 5.30pm Major Prowse reconnoitred the forward positions on the Frezenberg Ridge, and planned the counter-attack. He personally led the attack using only the bayonet, and the officers, their revolvers. The attack was particularly successful as the Somersets did not suffer any casualties, and in this action he won his Distinguished Service Order and was promoted Lieutenant Colonel. 2nd Lieutenant Valentine Ashworth Braithwaite won his Military Cross and was christened ‘Hero of the Barricades’, he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
This cemetery was begun by the 2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers and the 1st Royal Warwicks, and was used from November 1914 to April 1918. The cemetery contains two hundred and twenty-four Commonwealth burials of the First World War. The cemetery was designed by W H Cowlishaw.
GPS Position: Latitude 50.744304, Longitude 2.898759. No of Identified Casualties: 225
Brigadier General Charles Bertie Prowse, DSO
General Staff Commanding 11th Infantry Brigade, late 1st Battalion Somerset Light Infantry
Died on Saturday 1st July 1916, aged 47
Grave reference Plot 1. Row E. Grave 9, Louvencourt Military Cemetery.


Charles was born at West Monkton, Taunton, Somerset, Tuesday 22nd June 1869, son of Captain George James William Prowse, JP, and Emmeline Lucy Prowse, of Bromham, Wiltshire. He was married to Violet Stanley Prowse, of Bromham, Fleet, Hampshire, and they had a son, Charles Anthony Stanley.
He was gazetted on Thursday 12th October 1893, promoted to Lieutenant on Saturday 27th June 1896, Adjutant from Friday 16th November 1900 to Tuesday 15th November 1904, Captain on Wednesday 14th August 1901, Major on Tuesday 21st April 1914, Brevet of Lieutenant Colonel on Tuesday 3rd November 1914.
He served in the South African War where he was Mentioned in Despatches three times, received the Queen’s Medal with five clasps, and the King’s Medal with two clasps.
He was Mentioned in Despatches during the Great War on Monday 19th October and Monday 30th November 1914. He died of wounds.


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