Leonard Henry Bowsher was born in Abbott’s Langley, Hertfordshire on Friday, 27th July 1894 and baptised in St Mary’s Church, Apsley End, on Sunday, 30th September in the same year. He was the third son of William Thomas Bowsher and Mary Jane Culpitt. William and Mary had five children, all boys, who were: William Harvard, Edward George, Leonard Henry and Frederick Thomas. Their fifth son died in infancy. William and George also fought in the Great War and William was killed during the Somme offensive in 1916. His biography also appears on this site. Leonard’s father William, who had been a ‘Bookbinder’ with Dickinsons, died in 1897 aged thirty-nine when Leonard was only three-years-old.

By 1911, Leonard’s mother Mary was working as a ‘Chapel Caretaker’, whilst her four sons had all followed their late father into John Dickinsons at Apsley Mills. Sixteen-year-old Leonard worked as a ‘Factory Clerk’, whilst his brothers William, Edward and Frederick were: ‘Porter’, ‘Warehouseman’ and ‘Stamper’ respectively. Their uncle Harvard Culpitt also lived with the family and he too was employed at Dickinsons. On the outbreak of war, Leonard and his older brother Edward joined the army on the same day, in the last week of August 1914. They attested at Hemel Hempstead and enlisted with the Bedfordshire Regiment. They were both posted to the 10th (Service) Battalion when it was raised in December 1914 for basic training.

The 10th (Service) Battalion was a part of Lord Kitchener's K4 Army Group, within the 106th Brigade, 35th Division. It remained in England as a 'Reserve' battalion based at Dovercourt in Harwich for the duration of hostilities. It was to be a full year before Leonard went to France and in January 1916, by then promoted Corporal, he was posted to the 7th Battalion Bedfordshires and joined his comrades at the Front. In 1916 the battalion were heavily engaged during The Battles of the Somme, specifically at the Battle of Albert, the Battle of Bazentin, the Battle of Thiepval in September and finally, the Battle of the Ancre in November, albeit in a supporting role. By the close of the year Leonard, now a seasoned fighter, had been promoted Serjeant.

1917 saw heavy engagements all year starting with the Operations on the Ancre in March. Next, the Battalion followed up the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line before fighting in the Battle of Arras, namely at the Third Battle of the Scarpe. Casualties had been heavy during these actions but Leonard had managed to survive however, his luck was about to run out. He took part in the attack on and the capture of Westhoek, which began on the 10th August and was followed by seven days of hard fighting. The Battalion War Diary recorded the casualties which resulted as follows: “Summary of Casualties O.R.s Killed 35 Wounded 163 Died of Wounds 5 Missing 47 Missing Believed Killed 6 Missing Believed Wounded 3. 259 Incurred from 10/8/17 to 17/8/17 inclusive.”

Leonard was one of the soldiers killed in the action and he died on Friday, 17th August 1917.

Just over a month after his death, the Hemel Gazette published a report about the three Bowsher brothers, confirming William had been killed in 1916 and that Edward was about to leave the Lincolnshire Regiment to take up a commission. Indeed, Edward was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant with the Norfolk Regiment in July 1918.

The report regarding Leonard’s death and letter from Leonard’s fellow N.C.Os., received by his mother, were published in the Hemel Gazette.

He was commemorated on the John Dickinson & Co. Limited War Memorial in Apsley.

 

Leonard is Remembered with Honour on the Tyne Cot Memorial, West Vlaanderen, Belgium, Panel 48 to 50 and 162A.

He was 23 years old when he died.

Leonard was entitled to the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.