Robert's Story.
Birkenhead News 29 December 1917
SERVED IN FRANCE.
Fatally Wounded at Gaza.
It falls to our lot to record the death of another brave young Birkenhead patriot in the person of Private R. Owens, who was 23 years of age last March, whose parents, Mr. and Mrs. R. Owens, reside at 310 Beckwith Street. Pte. Owens was educated at St. Anne’s School, North End, and had an elder brother serving in 4th Cheshires. He himself was in “the 3rd,” and was called up at the commencement of the war, in September, 1914. He was amongst the earliest to go out on duty to France, and in November of the same year returned to England suffering from wounds in the left hand. Going out again in March, 1915, Private Owens was wounded in the shoulder and “gassed” at “Hill 60.” This was on Whit Monday, and for 23 hours he was unconscious. He was then invalided home and discharged for munitions work in October of the same year.
But after 15 months’ service for his country in this occupation in Newcastle, Pte. Owens again volunteered for active service. He was drafted out to Egypt early in the spring of this year, to join another battalion of the Cheshires, and was on board a vessel that was torpedoed. He was one of the survivors, reached France to await another ship, and eventually landed in Egypt. There he spent seven weeks in hospital, suffering from dysentery but he pulled through, only to receive wounds in the battle of Gaza on November 8th, which proved fatal on November 13th.
De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour Vol 5. Page 135.