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John Roberts Owen
49240, Private, 8th Royal Welsh Fusiliers
Died of illness, 26 October 1917, aged 30
Buried at Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery, Iraq
CWGC registered (Son of Hugh and Elizabeth Roberts Owen, of “Olive Bank”, 9, Mostyn Avenue, Llandudno)
John Roberts Owen, the son of Hugh Roberts Owen and Elizabeth Owen was born in Llandudno in 1887. The Census of Wales for 1891 records the family living at Ty Uchaf Farm, Penrhyn; Hugh Owen was described as a farmer. Ten years later, the family lived at the same address with John (13) being described as a scholar. In 1911, the family – Hugh, Elizabeth and seven of their eight children including John – lived at 2 Ocean View Terrace, Craig-y-Don. Hugh was now described as a jobbing gardener and John as an assistant to a barber.
John Owen enlisted at Caernarvon but his service record no longer exists. His regimental number in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers was 49240. A soldier with a close number (49236) who, like John Owen, was posted to the 8th (Service) Battalion of the RWF joined for duty at Wrexham in September 1916. John Owen would have trained in one of the reserve battalions before being posted to the 8th sometime in 1917. The 8th RWF was the first of the regiment’s New Army Battalions having formed at Wrexham in August 1914. It had served at Gallipoli and in Egypt before being moved to Mesopotamia. Baghdad fell to the Allied forces in March 1917.
John Roberts Owen died of malaria at the 23rd British Stationary Hospital on 26 October 1917 aged 30. He was buried at the Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery.
Known memorials:
- Llandudno Roll of Honour
- Llandudno War Memorial
- Memorial Chapel, Holy Trinity Church, Llandudno
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