Private
 |
| Royal Artillery, Salonika, 1917. |
Gunner
Robert James Leonard Powell
Service Number:
92898
Regiment & Unit/Battalion
Royal Regiment of Artillery RGA
3rd Reserve Battalion
Date of Death
Buried or commemorated at
Broadwas Roll of Honour
Country of Service
United Kingdom
Additional Info
Son of Mr. and Mrs.
Leonard & Kate Powell
Family history
In the 1891 census, Robert's full name is given as Robert James Leonard Powell, and he was born 23rd August 1887.
Robert Powell's parents were Leonard and Kate Powell, in the 1901 census Robert is aged 13, and is said to be a
Farmers son, he has
two sisters, Kate Powell, aged 14; and Charity Powell, aged 12; there is also an adopted child,
Arthur Baker, aged 5
Address: Scatterbrook Farm, Broadwas, Worcestershire.
Robert James Leonard Powell married,* Evelyn Ellen Powell, 2nd qtr., Leominster.
They lived at, Newhouse Cottage, Hatfield, Leominster, Herefordshire.
They had two children.
*Evelyn Ellen Powell
Born: 3rd April 1893 - Hatfield, Herefordshire.
Death: Mar 1962 - Worcestershire.
Mother: Eliza Corbett
Father: James Powell
He signed up in Leominster
on the 23rd February 1916, he was 27 years and 7 months old, his height was 5ft 71/2in,
and his birthplace was Broadwas, and his occupation, farm labourer.
In Robert's war records he gives his brother Henry Hubert Broomfield Powell as his next of kin, address,
New House Cottage, Hatfield, Leominster, Herefordshire. [Henry was in 1911 census]
First sign up was at Gosford 30th May 1915, and he was discharged on the 29th August 1919.
One of the war zones Robert went to was Salonika.
In October 1915 the first British troops landed at the Greek port of Salonika (now Thessaloniki) from Gallipoli and France.
The British Salonika Force (BSF) fought alongside French, Greek, Italian, Russian and Serbian contingents.
British and French colonial troops from the Indian subcontinent, Africa, and Indochina also took part.
Of a total allied force of around 600,000 men the BSF numbered 220,000 men at its peak strength.
War Office reluctance to support the campaign led to a gradual decline in numbers and, until April 1917, the front
was relatively quiet. The major effort came in September 1918 as part of all-encompassing allied offensives, which led to
the end of hostilities with Bulgaria on 30 September 1918. As well as battle casualties, the force suffered severely from
malaria, there being about 160,000 admissions to hospital in three years, almost equal to the fighting strength of the force.
The health of many men was permanently ruined.
Wounded being sent to hospital on a light railway, Salonika 1916. Although there many patients with wounds caused by
combat, thousands of British soldiers were hospitalised during the Salonika campaign by diseases like malaria.
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