Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

31 July - 10 November 1917. By the summer of 1917 the British Army was able for the first time to fight on its chosen ground on its terms. Having secured the southern ridges of Ypres at Messines in June, the main attack started on 31st July 1917 accompanied by what seemed like incessant heavy rain, which coupled with the artillery barrages conspired to turn much of the battlefield into a bog. Initial failure prompted changes in the high command and a strategy evolved to take the ring of ridges running across the Ypres salient in a series of 'bite and hold' operations, finally culminating in the capture of the most easterly ridge on which sat the infamous village of Passchendaele. The Official History carries the footnote ?The clerk power to investigate the exact losses was not available? but estimates of British casualties range from the official figure of 244,000 to almost 400,000. Within five months the Germans pushed the British back to the starting line, which was where they had been since May 1915.

Detail :

BMJ: 1/9/1917 Captain John Branley Rawlins, R.A.M.C.(T.F.),was killed in action on August 16th. He was the elder son of the late Mr. John Rawlins of Erdington, Birmingham, and was educated at St. Mary's Hospital. He took the diplomnas of M.R.C.S. and L.R.C.P. Lond. in 1914. He joined the 3rd London General Hospital as lieutenant on October 3s0ertvhi,ce1914, and was promoted to captain after a year's service.

Staffordshire Advertiser 25 August 1917 - "Capt J.B Rawlins. Capt John Bromley Rawins, M.B., B.S, of the Royal Army Medical Corps, who was killed in action on Aug 16, was well known in the Potteries, and was a son of the late Mr. John Rawlings, of Erdington, Birmingham, and Mrs. Tom Green, of New Brighton. He was educated at Sutton Coldfield Grammar School and Bromsgrove School and studied medicine at St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington. After taking his degree, he volunteered for service with the R.A.M.C, and was for some time at Wandsworth Military Hospital. He went to the front in the autumn of 1915, and remained there continuously until his death. He was engaged to Miss Sybil Withers, daughter of Dr. Withers, of Sidmouth."

Liverpool Echo 21st August 1917 - "RAWLINS - August 16, killed in action. Capt. John Bromley Rawlins, R.A.M.C (T.) elder son of the late John Rawlins, Erdington, Birmingham and Mrs. Tom Green, of New Brighton.

John's medals and "death penny" went up for auction in March 2013, comprised of Pip, Squeak and Wilfred and commemorative plaque. Sold at Bonhams for £492 incl of premium.

Bonhams footnote which contains more detail: "Captain John Bromley Rawlins studied at Bromsgrove School and then studied at St. Mary's Hospital, London, graduating M.B., B.S. in 1914. Shortly after the outbreak of WW1 he was granted a commission in the Royal Army Medical Corps (TF) attached to the staff of the 3rd London General Hospital, Wandsworth. In the autumn of 1915 he went to France, where he saw continuous service up to the time of his death, which caused by the bursting of a high-explosive shell in a dressing station, on the 16th August 1917. His Commanding Officer wrote of him as a charming comrade and a hard working and capable officer. He was engaged to Sybil, only daughter of Dr. Oliver Withers, of Sidmouth, Devon. He is buried in Plot 18, Row C. Grave Number 4 in the New Irish Farm Cemetery, St. Jean-les-Ypres, Belgium."

Masonic :

The records of the Lodge in the Ledger at the United Grand Lodge of England show he was resident at 23 Princess Road, W. London and that he "Died 16 Aug 1917". Did not progress beyond Entered Apprentice.

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley