A BOY WITH
A TRUE SENSE OF DUTY
AND A BRAVE MAN'S
SCORN OF FEAR

GUNNER THOMAS MCDOWELL

ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY

14TH OCTOBER 1917 AGE 19

BURIED: DOZINGHEM MILITARY CEMETERY, POPERINGE, BELGIUM


Thomas McDowell's father, Peter, chose his inscription; his mother was dead. The couple had seven children but Thomas was their only son. Young enough to have been conscripted rather than to have volunteered, McDowell was only 16 when the war broke out; his father nevertheless makes it clear that his son was fully prepared to do his duty. However, father wanted to emphasise that although his son was only a boy his courage was that of a man. Courage is the ability to face fear and overcome it, not to have no sense of it.
Thomas McDowell served with B Battery 295th Brigade Royal Field Artillery. He died from the effects of gas in a Casualty Clearing Station at Dozinghem.