PRICE, John

John Price was the son of Mr John Price of 31 Islington Street, Halesowen, and attended Halesowen C of E School. He was a pre-war regular soldier in the 3rd Battalion of the Worcesters stationed at Aldershot in August 1914 in the British Expeditionary Force. They mobilised quickly and were defending Mons by the 23rd August. They overcame the difficulties of the gruelling Retreat from Mons and halted the German advance on the Marne and then drove them back to the Aisne. In early 1915 they were in trenches near Ploegsteert and at Spanbroek Mill astride the Messines Ridge for the diversionary attack to accompany the battle of Neuve Chapelle on the 12th March. They moved north for the second Battle of Ypres and suffered heavily at Bellewaerde Ridge in June. For the second part of 1915 they returned to the trenches at Ploegsteert where there was constant shelling and sniping. On the 7th January 1916 Private John Price was killed in action near Prowse Point. He is buried in Prowse Point Cemetery (I F 1) and commemorated on the Halesowen and Halesowen C of E school Memorials.