COTTERELL Oswald Arthur James

  • First Name(s):
    Oswald 
    Arthur 
    James 
  • Surname:
    COTTERELL
  • Service Number:
    39678
  • Rank:

    Private

  • Conflict:
    WW1
  • Service:
    Army
  • Army Sector:
    Infantry
  • Regiment:
    Worcestershire Regiment
  • Battalion:
    3rd Battalion
  • Former Units:
    None
  • Date of Death:
    23rd October 1918
  • Age At Death:
  • Place of Death:
    Unknown
  • Place of Burial:
    Etaples Military Cemetery, France, Grave LXVI. K. 2.
  • Place of Birth:
    Born and resident Malvern, Worcestershire
  • Home Town:
    Unknown
  • Casualty's Relatives:
    Unknown
Remember The Fallen - Lest We Forget

Notes About The Memorial(s) Listed Above

Malvern the Wyche All Saints Church surname spelt Cotterrell. Malvern Wyche School now in Wyche C of E Primary School surname spelt Cotterrell.

Further Information About COTTERELL Oswald Arthur James

Awarded Military Medal.

Surname spelt Cotterill on the General Register Office (GRO) index of births and Cotterrell on Commonwealth War Graves Commission and Soldiers Died in the Great War.

Appears in the Worcester/Worcestershire Roll of Honour Book for army casualties located in Worcester Cathedral as Oswald Cotterill with the information: 2nd Lieut.

The award of the Military Medal (MM) was published in Berrow’s Worcester Journal, Saturday 12th October 1918.

Oswald Cotterrell’s Military Medal was sold on ebay in 2017 with the following information:
Sold with research showing that Oswald Arthur James Cotterrell was born in Malvern and enlisted in 1909 in the 8th Worcestershire Regiment (Territorial Force).  He landed in France on 30th March 1915 and he returned to England in November 1915, probably to be discharged on the termination of is engagement.  He rejoined (or was conscripted?) with his new regimental number, 39678, and served with the 4th and the 3rd Worcestershire Regiments.

He distinguished himself as a stretcher bearer with the 3rd Battalion during the Second Battle of Kemmel April 1918 and was awarded the Military Medal.  The citation reads:
“Near La Clytte on 27th April 1918, this man was acting as stretcher-bearer, and displayed great devotion to duty and utter disregard of personal danger.  When going out with three other bearers to fetch in a wounded man, they were heavily sniped, two being killed and the other wounded.  Pte Cotterell having bound his fellow stretcher-bearers, succeeded in reaching the wounded man, whom he dressed and brought to safety.”

The award of the MM was published in the London Gazette of 7/10/1918 and the citation was subsequently published in the 25th Divisional History by Lt-Col Kincaid-Smith.

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