King's Own Royal Regiment Museum

		King's Own Royal Regiment Museum Lancaster
HOME Museum & Collections Sales Donations Events Contact Us REGIMENTAL HISTORY 17th Century 18th Century 19th Century 20th Century First World War Second World War Actions & Movements Battle Honours FAMILY HISTORY Resources Further Reading PHOTO GALLERY ENQUIRIES FURTHER READING LINKS © Images are copyright, Trustees of the King's Own Royal Regiment Museum. You must seek permission prior to publication of any of our images.		141 Days: The Battle of the Somme The Unknown Soldier In October 2003 the King’s Own Museum was informed of the discovery of a body of a soldier of the 1st Battalion, King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, who had died on 1st July 1916, found in a field at Serre. The brass ‘King’s Own’ shoulder titles were the only way of identifying the soldier. In April 2004 he was buried with full military honours by soldiers of the King’s Own Royal Border Regiment in the cemetery next to the field in where he had lain for 87 years. Items recovered from the soldier’s body including the brass shoulder titles, tunic buttons, pocket knife, candles and a leather wallet containing a handful of coins were presented to the museum. They remain a moving reminder of the many soldiers that suffered the same fate. The discover of the remains, 2003. The unknown soldier has to be one of the following: Corporal George Adamson Private Morris Althansen Private Wilfred Ashcroft Private Frank Barker Private Robert Barlow Private James Arthur Berry Private Cyril Blake Private Richard Blinston Lance Corporal Thomas Borthwick Private Patrick Brennen Private Albert Brown Private Bryant Summerfield Browning Private John Bryson Private Albert Carr Private Harry Cooper Private Sidlow Cooper Private Thomas Cowan Private William Crowther Sergeant Frank Curry Lance Corporal William Davies Lance Corporal Hubert Dolan Private William Downs Private Thomas Drinkall Private Richard Edge Private Richard Falcus Private Orlando Farrington Acting Corporal Alfred Faulkner Lance Corporal John Fergus Private Albert Edwin Forsyth Sergeant Thomas Foy Lance Corporal Thomas Frater Private Christopher Gannon Private Peter Garnett Private Joseph Gledhill Sergeant Alfred Graham Private Richard Green Private John Gunshon Private Thomas Hamer Private John Hands Private Charles Haslam Private Robert Hindle Lance Corporal William Holland Lance Corporal Ernest Howarth Private John Hurst Private John Kelly Lance Corporal Joseph Keough Sergeant Walter Lichfield Private William Lloyd Private Edward Lofthouse Private Fred Longworth Private George Low Private Matthew Lowe Lance Corporal Christopher Maher Private Samuel Marsh Private George Mather Private John McCann Lance Corporal James McConnell Private James McCormick Lance Corporal John O’Brien Private William Pearson Lance Corporal Charles Thomas Poole Lance Corporal Frank Porter Sergeant George Henry Rastall Private Frederick Ridgeway Private James Riley Private William Riley Corporal Thomas Robinson Lance Corporal Robert Rogers Private Thomas Salmon Private John Henry Charles Scarlett Private Robert Smallshaw Private George Smith Private John Smith Private Walter Smith Private Wilfred Smithies The items recovered on the body were passed to the museum. Two pencils. Front and rear of shoulder title 'King's Own' Front and rear of shoulder title. Brass buckle from webbing equipment. Candles Metal and glass eye pieces from respirator Metal part from rifle cleaning pull-through Coins found in leather purse Remains of leather purse which contained the coins, the impression of some of the coins can still be seen in the leather. Uniform buttons Order of service from the burial service. Next: The Battle of the Somme Film Supported by the Sir John Fisher Foundation and the Army Museums Ogilby Trust © Images are copyright, Trustees of the King's Own Royal Regiment Museum. You must seek permission prior to publication of any of our images. Only a proportion of our collections are on display at anyone time. Certain items are on loan for display in other institutions. An appointment is required to consult any of our collections which are held in store.