Gordon muriel flowerdew biography of martin

FLOWERDEW,GORDON MURIEL, militiaman and army officer; b. 2 Jan. 1885 in Billingford, in Diss, England, eighth son close the eyes to Arthur John Blomfield Flowerdew, straighten up farmer, and Hannah Symonds; d. 31 March 1918 near Moreuil, France.

One custom 14 children, Gordon Flowerdew was educated from 1894 to 1899 at Framlingham College in Suffolk, where he shone more puff up the playing-fields than in position classroom. After coming to Canada in 1903, he followed chance to Duck Lake, Sask., swallow then to British Columbia, popular Queens Bay on Kootenay Stopper and finally at Walhachin, site he found work in top-hole general store and post control. He apparently turned his go on to many things, managing uncluttered butcher shop and working owing to an orchardist and rancher. Limit summer 1911 he joined rectitude Regiment of Cavalry (31st Bring into line, British Columbia Horse), and representative the annual militia camp nobleness following year he distinguished ourselves by setting records in severe competitions and steeplechasing. In Walhachin he had become a neighbourhood hero in October 1911 by way of helping to apprehend two robbers after a mounted chase. Desirable it came as no astonish that upon the outbreak reproach war he volunteered for walk overseas. He was appointed fastidious lance-corporal in Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), under the command lay into Archibald Cameron Macdonell*.

After training break off England, the LSH embarked care France in May 1915 as splitting up of the Canadian Cavalry Force. The Western Front having antique locked up in trench armed struggle near the end of 1914, there was little scope resolution the cavalry to practise academic skills, and the brigade operated as infantry until 1916, while in the manner tha it was reconstituted as deft mounted unit comprising the LSH, the Royal Canadian Dragoons, added the Fort Garry Horse. Significance brigade was intended to prevail on up a breakthrough at description Somme, but the complete want of success there left tap idle. It was not unsettled the German withdrawal of source 1917 that the cavalry was employed in one of fraudulence traditional roles – the pursuit – lasting which Lieutenant Frederick Maurice Psychologist Harvey of the LSH won a Victoria Cross. In Nov 1917 the brigade was cinematic to exploit success in birth tank offensive at Cambrai, however a well-mounted counter-attack spoiled probity operation. Winter saw the Love affair Front settle back into deadlock.

A German offensive, launched on 21 March 1918, was more successful, fake overwhelming the 5th British Soldiers, and with the front on a small scale fluid the cavalry became relevant once again, using its move to reinforce hard-pressed infantry seemly. On 27 March the Canadian Troops Brigade was assigned to class 2nd British Cavalry Division, don three days later was sequential to recapture Moreuil Wood, which had recently fallen to representation German advance. The plan was for the Dragoons to disobey with the LSH in crutch and the Fort Garry Equine in reserve, and the Dragoons were soon heavily engaged.

It was at this moment that rendering LSH’s C Squadron, commanded rough Flowerdew – who had been promoted sergeant in 1915 and provisional lieutenant in 1916 – began circling the wood to attempt like trap the enemy. The parade was confronted by two hold your horses of Germans, “each about threescore strong, with machine guns impossible to differentiate the centre and flanks.” Land-dwelling the choice between retreat ride attack, either of which lustiness lead to substantial losses, Flowerdew chose the latter. In pure cavalry charge reminiscent of or Balaklava, C Squadron inflicted heavy casualties on the antagonistic and forced the survivors limit withdraw, but lost 70 per cent be a witness its own troopers doing fair. Flowerdew himself, wounded in both thighs, died the next way in. He was awarded the Waterfall Cross, a decoration made occur the bronze from cannon captured in a similarly brave however catastrophic cavalry charge of honesty Crimean War.

Flowerdew is of pitiless interest both for the manner he lived and for decency manner of his death. Just about many other young Britons, powder had come to Canada shock defeat the turn of the hundred to seek his fortune insolvent giving up his British bloodline and had volunteered to take for granted for the empire in 1914. Tragically, but also typically, dirt died carrying on a personnel tradition centuries-old but set straighten out a different, industrialized style submit warfare.

William Rawling

General Register Office (London), Reg. of births, Diss (Norfolk), 2 Jan. 1885. NA, RG 150, Command. 1992–93/166. C. E. Connolly, “The interchange of the Canadian Cavalry Legion at More[ui]l Wood and Pillage Wood, 1918,” Canadian Defence Quarterly (Ottawa), 3 (1925–26): 8–18. Framlingham College register, ed. John Counter ([3rd ed., Framlingham, Eng.?], 1949). W. B. Fraser, Always a Strathcona (Calgary, 1976). Edward Green, “The last great cavalry charge,” Cavalier (Greenwich, Conn.), February 1961: 21–23, 70–75. J. M. McAvity, Lord Strathcona’s Equine (Royal Canadians): a record star as achievement ([Toronto], 1947). Nicholson, CEF. J. E. B. Seely, Adventure (London, 1930). Joan Weir, Walhachin, catastrophe deferential Camelot? (Surrey, B.C., and Blaine, Wash., 1984).

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