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G/3298 7th Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
Bertie Towler was born in 1890 in Little Waldingfield, Suffolk, one of eight known children of William and Lucy Towler. In 1891 the family was living at 1 Millfield Cottage, Waldingfield Street, Little Waldingfield, they later moved to 53 Gordon Terrace, Waldingfield Road in Sudbury when his father William was a police sergeant based at Sudbury Police Station.
By 1911 Bertie was employed as a servant for Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Thynne, grandson of Thomas Thynne, Marquess of Bath at 50 Cadogan Square, Chelsea, London.
Bertie enlisted in London and served with the East Kent Regiment, his older brothers also served overseas. Bertie first served in France on 28 July 1915. His battalion formed part of 55th Brigade, 18th (Eastern) Division which was formed in September 1914; the early days were somewhat chaotic as the new volunteers had very few trained officers and NCOs to command them. They had no organised billets or equipment. Initially they were billeted around the Colchester area but in May 1915 they were moved to Salisbury Plain where King George V inspected them on 24 June. The Division began embarking for France on 24 July and was billeted at Flesselles. Their first significant action was in the opening phase of the Battle of the Somme at the Battle of Albert (1–13 July 1916). Bertie served alongside two Sudbury men George Durrant and Leonard Sillett who would lose their lives on the Somme in 1916.
In May 1917 it was reported in the Suffolk and Essex Free Press that he had been wounded in the thigh. This was possibly during the Battle of Arras when the Division saw action at the Third Battle of the Scarpe (3 - 4 May 1917). By August the Division had moved to Belgium and saw action during the Third Battle of Ypres (31 July - 10 November) at Westhoek (10 August). At the beginning of October 25mm of rain fell over two days; half of the expected average rainfall for October. Three years of constant bombardment around Ypres had destroyed the drainage system and churned up the soil. The rain continued over the next few days with another 14mm of rain falling between 10 and 12 October. On 12 October the Division were part of the Allied attack faced with the difficulty fighting through these conditions at the First Battle of Passchendaele.
Bertie died aged 27 on 12 October 1917 and lies buried in Cement House Cemetery, Langemark-Poelkapelle, Belgium. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
A Cross of Remembrance was laid by his grave in April 2009.
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