Ernest Kirtland Howell was born on the 30th August 1895. He was baptised on the 1st December 1895 at All Saints Church, Darfield, Yorkshire.
The 1911 Census shows Ernest Kirkland Howell (15) Occupation – Colliery Labourer, Born Darfield, Yorkshire. He was living at 3, Low Cross Road, Low Cudworth with his father Samuel Henry Howell (56) and his mother Ellen Howell (45), and his siblings Arthur (21), Wilson (18), Edith (12), Ruth (9), James Henry (8) and Pheobe (6).
Served as: West Riding Regiment 5475, West Riding Regiment 308052, Royal Engineers Transport Branch 7205 and Royal Engineers WR/44106 (WR is the prefix for Royal Engineers Waterways & Railways troops.
Service History Service Records available for Ernest Kirtland Howell give the following information:
Ernest Howell 5475 Attested 9/12/1915 To Army Reserve 10/12/1915 Mobilized 7/4/1916 W.R.R. Posted 7/4/1916 W.R.R. 1/6 Posted 14/7/1916 A.A. 1/7 Transferred 9/9/1916 Appointed Unpaid L/Corp 7/12/1916 Paid 30/1/1917 TF Depot 90th Posted 5/9/1917 W. R. Regt. 6th Res. 27/12/1917 Litchfield Rugeley 5/5/1918
Absent from Tattoo until 10.25pm Revert to Rank of Private W.R. Regt. 6 Res. Deprived of ? Stripe 9/5/1918 Com. Dep. Ripon
Posted 5/6/1918 W.R.R. 6 Res. 6/9/1918 Royal Engineers (Road and Quarry Troops) Permt. Comp. Transferred 5/12/1918 Royal Engineers Posted Transferred to Class “Z” Army Reserve on Demobilization 18/1/1919 Class Z Reserves
Died at home
Awarded the Victory and War Medals.
Medical Information: 14/8/1917 Wounded in Action (Gas) field 24 C. C. Stn. 18/8/1917 Adm. G.S.P. 2 Aust. Gen. Hosp. 18/8/1917 Gassed (Shell) Phos. ? Wimereaux 3/9/1917 To England per H.S. St. David Aus. Hp. No. 2 Admitted 5/9/1917 Discharged 16/10/1917 gasses (shell) To M C H Blackpool King James Mill. Con. Hospital Blackpool Admitted 16/10/1917 Discharged 18/12/1917 Shell Gas Poisoning War Hospital Bradford Admitted 5/1/1918 Discharged 29/1/1918 Shell Gas Poisoning Constant Dyspnoea Vomitting Rhonchi In front of chest Tremor of hands – cleared.
Death Pension Records: show that he died of Tuberculosis on the 29/2/1920. His Death Certificate gives us more information. It states that Ernest Kirtland Howell, Iron Moulder, Army Pensioner, died from (1) Tuberculosis (Lungs and Abdomen) Gassed in Service.
Pioneer Ernest Kirtland Howell, WR/44106, Royal Engineers who died on the 29th February 1920 aged 24 years is buried in Bowling Cemetery, Bradford, West Yorkshire (Grave Reference C.381).
C.W.G.C. records show that he was the son of Samuel Henry and Ellen Howell, of 273, Sticker Lane, Bradford. ‘REST IN THE LORD’ was the personal inscription chosen for his headstone.
Pioneer Ernest Kirtland Howell is also remembered on the Cudworth War Memorial which is situated within the grounds of Cudworth Church. “SEE YE TO IT, THAT THESE SHALL NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN”
As the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s ‘Eyes On Hands On’ volunteer with responsibility for Bradford (Bowling) Cemetery I was always interested in the ‘stories’ of the WW1 soldiers whose headstones I looked after. Having been born and brought up in the nearby area, many of the names I came across seemed familiar to my childhood and I was interested to know more about who they were. The C.W.G.C. ‘For Evermore’ online archive gives me the opportunity to share my research into their lives.
We Will Remember Them...
• Ancestry U.K.
• Barnsley War Memorials
• The British Newspaper Archives
• C.W.G.C.
• David Whithorn
Support Our Charitable Foundation
Your donation helps us deliver projects like For Evermore, which educate and inspire future generations to remember those who gave their lives in the two World Wars. With your support, we can keep their stories alive and ensure they are never forgotten.
As well as making a donation today, you might also consider leaving a gift in your will to the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation. Legacy gifts, large or small, help us preserve this vital heritage for generations to come.
Thank you for helping us honour their memory so we can tell Every Story. For evermore.
