Richard Sowry was born on the 22nd of May 1919 at Holyhead (Holyhead Vol. 11b Page 711), the son of Robert Henry & Annie Sowry (nee Roberts), who had married in Holyhead in the March quarter of 1905 (Holyhead Vol. 11b Page 688). The spelling of the family surname differs frequently throughout the years.
Robert Henry Sowry was in the Regular Army, his Attestation Papers tell us that when he first enlisted in 1899 at the age of 19 years, he was already in the 4th Bn. R.W.F. (probably the Territorial Force). Before and after his marriage to Annie, his Army career sent him all over the world and having 10 children in different parts of the world after his marriage. His wife Annie had a child Mary Ellen Roberts in 1904, according to some of those Attestation Papers. They had a child, Olive Patricia Sowery in 1914 in Malta and sadly she died the same year and is buried in Valletta, Malta. They were to lose two other children in later years, George, born in 1922 and passing away in 1923 and Kingsley, born in 1926 and sadly dying at the age of 14 in 1940. Robert Henry enlisted again 1920, I believe he was just adding to his service, and he was discharged on the 8th of September 1922. His papers state that he qualified for 21 years & 8 days pension. His address then was Drill Hall, Caergwrle, Flints.
The 1921 census, which was taken on the 19th of June 1921 shows the family living in High Street, Caergwrle and on the first page of the Schedule, someone had written over Robert Henry Sowery’s writing, I think, as they had added his title of Company Sergeant Major- i.e. C.S.M. but written his surname as SOWERBY. However, by 1921 the family had enlarged to eight children living at home. Robert Henry Sowery was head of the household and now 41 years old, he was an Army Instructor (Soldier) at Caergwrle Drill Hall. Annie Sowery was 37 years and 2 months old and doing ‘Home Duties.’ Mary Ellen Sowery was 16 years and 10 months old, single and a Domestic Servant at Cottage, Ravenspoint, Treaddur Bay, Holyhead, but was ‘Out of Work.’ Annie Sowery was 14 years and 7 months old and ‘Assisting Home Duties.’ They had all been born in Holyhead, County of Anglesea. Robert Henry Sowery was 13 years and 8 months old, born in Aldershot, Southampton. Owen John Sowery was 11 years and 2 months old and born in Cork, James Sowery was 8 years and 9 months old and born in Dublin, whereas Thomas Stanley Sowery was 6 years and 2 months old, Richard Sowery was 2 years and 1 month old, both born in Holyhead, Anglesea and Vera Sowery who was 3 months old, had been born in Caergwrle, Flintshire.
So, Richard had several siblings and was used to an Army background with his father being a Regular Soldier. I do not know anything about Richard’s childhood or teenage years, but the family are seen on the 1939 National Register, which was taken on the 29th of September 1939, and which gives us a little insight to the family. It is this source that also gives us the birth dates of the ones that are shown. The head of the household was Robert Henry Sowery, his birth date was given as the 7th of July 1880, he was a General Labourer (Sanitary), Annie Sowery had been born on the 10th of April 1884 and as most women on this register, who did not have a job, was described as doing “Unpaid Domestic Duties.” Vera Sowery had been born on the 11th of March 1921 and was single and a Filing Clerk. Kingsley Sowery had been born on the 4th of November 1926 and was “At School.” Both their birth date agrees with their father’s Attestation Papers. There is a closed* or redacted record, I have no idea, any information gratefully received.
Richard’s sister Annie, born in Holyhead, married Percy Jenkins on the 25th of June 1927 at Hope Parish Church and is also living close to her parents in 1939, as the Register shows. They are living at 38, Hawarden Road, Caergwrle, Hawarden, Flintshire. Percy Jenkins was born on the 6th of November 1903 and was a Miner (Below)(Heavy Worker), Annie Jenkins was born on the 28th of November 1906, again agreeing with her father’s Attestation Papers, and as most women on this register, who did not have a job, was described as doing “Unpaid Domestic Duties.” Glenys Jenkins was born on the 2nd of May 1930, and she was in School. Again there is a Closed* or redacted Record, but have no knowledge who this is. Glenys was, in the March quarter of 1952, to marry Joseph H. Shaw (Hawarden Vol. 8a Page 1011).
* For individual people, records remain closed for a century after their birth (the 100-year rule), unless it can be proven that they passed away before this milestone
According to https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/namesearch/?FirstName=richard&Surname=sowery&RecordType=NotSelected&RecordDateStartYear=1700&RecordDateEndYear=2021&Step=1&ReceivedGallantryAward=False Richard was already in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps in 1938.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Army_Veterinary_Corps
Royal Army Veterinary Corps – From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Royal Army Veterinary Corps
The Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC), known as the Army Veterinary Corps (AVC) until it gained the royal prefix on 27 November 1918, is an administrative and operational branch of the British Army responsible for the provision, training and care of animals. It is a small corps, forming part of the Army Medical Services.
Please read this blog:- https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/making-horses-war-army-remount-service/ – Making horses for war: the Army Remount Service
Also the comments:- https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/making-horses-war-army-remount-service/#comments – Mostly about WW1, but interesting.
https://www.cwgc.org/our-work/blog/the-battle-of-athens-80-years-on/
16 APRIL 2021 – THE BATTLE OF ATHENS 80 YEARS ON
This website covers the Royal Air Force, but it is about the Battle for Athens, which Richard must have been caught up in, albeit in the Land forces, but does show what a battleground it was in the days that Richard died. He was also, not on his own, as the Casualty list show that he was amongst 3 others from the same regiment who deaths are recorded as the 28th April 1941.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Greece
Battle of Greece
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Greek campaign
The Battle of Greece (also known as Operation Marita, German: Unternehmen Marita)[17] is the common name for the invasion of Allied Greece by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usually known as the Greco-Italian War, was followed by the German invasion in April 1941. German landings on the island of Crete (May 1941) came after Allied forces had been defeated in mainland Greece. These battles were part of the greater Balkan Campaign of the Axis powers and their associates.
Following the Italian invasion on 28 October 1940, Greece, with British air and material support, repelled the initial Italian attack and a counter-attack in March 1941. When the German invasion, known as Operation Marita, began on 6 April, the bulk of the Greek Army was on the Greek border with Albania, then a vassal of Italy, from which the Italian troops had attacked. German troops invaded from Bulgaria, creating a second front. Greece received a small reinforcement from British, Australian and New Zealand forces in anticipation of the German attack. The Greek army found itself outnumbered in its effort to defend against both Italian and German troops. As a result, the Metaxas defensive line did not receive adequate troop reinforcements and was quickly overrun by the Germans, who then outflanked the Greek forces at the Albanian border, forcing their surrender. British, Australian and New Zealand forces were overwhelmed and forced to retreat, with the ultimate goal of evacuation. For several days, Allied troops played an important part in containing the German advance on the Thermopylae position, allowing ships to be prepared to evacuate the units defending Greece.[18] The German Army reached the capital, Athens, on 27 April and Greece’s southern shore on 30 April, capturing 7,000 British, Australian and New Zealand personnel and ending the battle with a decisive victory. The conquest of Greece was completed with the capture of Crete a month later. Following its fall, Greece was occupied by the military forces of Germany, Italy and Bulgaria.[19]
Hitler later blamed the failure of his invasion of the Soviet Union, which had to be delayed, on Mussolini’s failed conquest of Greece.[20] The theory that the Battle of Greece delayed the invasion of the Soviet Union has been either refuted or downplayed by the majority of historians, who have accused Hitler of trying to deflect blame from himself to his ally, Italy.[21] It nevertheless had serious consequences for the Axis war effort in the North African theatre. Enno von Rintelen, who was the military attaché in Rome, emphasises, from the German point of view, the strategic mistake of not taking Malta.[22]
Casualty List 629 (Page 7) tells us that Richard is missing on the 28th April 1941 in Greece.
Casualty List 752 (Page 11) Corrections – Missing – Unit – Cavalry of the Line – Unit should read Royal Veterinary Corps and Rank should read – Private. Date of Casualty – 28th April 1941
Casualty List 1832 (Secret) tells us that Richard was previously report Missing 28th April 1941 now Presumed Killed in Action on Casualty List 629 and corrected by Casualty List 752, that Richard was Killed between the 25th April and the 30th April, 1941.
Casualty List (24a) Dated 24th March 1942 – List of Other Ranks reported Missing in the Middle East prior to 1st November 1941, and who remain posted as Missing at 1st February 1942.
Casualty List – Casualty List – R.A.V.C. – Missing List – (Page 12) – Printed List of Missing, Richard and 3 others belonging to his Unit, who are named in all Casualty Lists above. – Pte. J.A. Lowe, Pte.R.G. Prior, & Pte A.E. Smith.
Their bodies were never found, so they are remembered on the Athen’s Memorial and also Richard’s family made sure that he would be remembered for perpetuity by adding his name on the Hope WW2 War Memorial.
Richard’s family had suffered great losses throughout the years, so to lose Richard would have been catastrophic, but as Richard’s father died on the 22nd of January 1950, age 69 years, and his mother Annie was to die nearly 30 years later on the 27th of January 1980, age 95 years, they would both have been alive hopefully to see his name on the Memorial.
