Lieutenant Godfrey Owen was the son of Lewis Edward and Alice Owen, late of Farndon, Cheshire, England and the husband of Sylvia Owen (nee Mathew), of The Residency, Ladysmith, Natal. In 1901, by the time Godfrey was 18, he had moved to Aspatria in Cumberland where he had enrolled in the local Agricultural college as a student. It is not known when he emigrated to Natal, but it was possibly in 1908 when a G F Owen embarked at Southampton for Port Natal (Durban) (research continues). Probably now with an agricultural college qualification, Godfrey may have hoped to take advantage of the returning stability to Natal following the Second Boer War (1899-1902). The future looked more hopeful for a short time with the Union of South Africa in 1910. (Godfrey's parents may have passed away before he left, giving another reason for a fresh start).

Map of South Africa at the time of the Boer War

Modern aerial view of The Residency, Ladysmith, Natal

South African Mounted Rifles

The Union Defence Forces (UDF) were formed after the passing of the South Africa Defence Act in June 1912. The Permanent Force was established in the following year. Five army regiments, known as the South African Mounted Rifles (SAMR), were organised and given police and military duties. It is not known where Godfrey served. He may have been involved in the initial campaigns against German West Africa before being despatched to Europe. As an officer it is likely that that was reason for being attached to the Royal Irish Regiment for familiarisation. His movements in France are as yet unknown, but it is likely he took part in the attacks on Delville Wood, where so many South Africans lost their lives.

A brief history of the South African forces in WW1 is to be found on the Long, Long Trail.

The South African Memorial web site can be found here.

Research continues into his life in Farndon and his war record.

Delville Wood, the Somme

The South African Memorial and Delville Wood today

Tidworth Military Hospital and Cemetery, Wiltshire, England

Tidworth Military Cemetery, which contains burials of both wars, was directly connected with training grounds on, or near, Salisbury Plain. During the First World War, the cemetery was used for burials from Tidworth and Fargo Military Hospitals and the 417 graves, many of them of Australian or New Zealand servicemen, are scattered throughout the cemetery. There are 106 Second World War graves in the cemetery, two substantial groups of which can be found in sections F and D. The rest are scattered. The cemetery also contains 40 war graves of other nationalities, many of them Polish.

Tidworth Military Hospital was built in 1907. It had between 200 to 300 beds.It closed in 1977 even though the Maternity Unit had recently been refurbished. Parts of the hospital remained open as MRS Tidworth (Medical Reception Station).

Tidworth Military Cemetery Plan. click to enlarge