LAURENCE, John (Lawrence)

John Henry Lawrence was the son of Charles and Laura Lawrence of 83 Balds Lane, Wollescote. He was born in Birmingham and enlisted in the Welsh Horse in Cardiff. He was eventually transferred to the infantry and became a Corporal in the 7th Battalion of the West Kents. They had been extremely active in the 1916 Battle of the Somme and in the1917 Third Battle of Ypres. In the Spring of 1918 they were facing the Hindenburg Line near Vendeuil waiting for the first German Spring offensive. The West Kents were in the forward position and the huge attack of the 21st March, though expected, swept over them. They retreated towards Amiens, the vital rail junction for the British armies. They were again in the front line on the 12th April at the village of Hangard to bring the German advance to a halt. This was where Corporal John Lawrence was killed. He was 33 years of age and is commemorated on the Pozičres, Lye and Wollescote and Lye church Memorials. His two brothers were killed in the war: Harold in the West Kents on the 22 September 1918 and Howard in the Worcesters on the 17th July 1917