KERWOOD Philip Malcolm

  • First Name(s):
    Philip 
    Malcolm 
  • Surname:
    KERWOOD
  • Service Number:
    P0
  • Rank:

    Lieutenant

  • Conflict:
    WW1
  • Service:
    Army
  • Army Sector:
    Infantry
  • Regiment:
    Worcestershire Regiment
  • Battalion:
    8th Battalion
  • Former Units:
    None
  • Date of Death:
    25th June 1915
  • Age At Death:
  • Place of Death:
    Unknown
  • Place of Burial:
    Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord, France, Grave I. D. 29.
  • Place of Birth:
    Unknown
  • Home Town:
    Unknown
  • Casualty's Relatives:
    Unknown
Remember The Fallen - Lest We Forget

KERWOOD Philip Malcolm Is Named On These Memorials

Notes About The Memorial(s) Listed Above

Bromsgrove School WW1 Memorial with the information: Lieut. Lickey War Memorial with the information: June 25 1915

Further Information About KERWOOD Philip Malcolm

Additional information on the memorial: June 25 1915.

Philip Kerwood attended Bromsgrove School from 1904 to 1909. He was Head of Gordon House, played in the school XV and XI teams and was a Sergeant in OTC. Kerwood had held a commission in the Territorials since 1901 and had been at the Front since the spring of 1915. He was killed in action in Flanders. About midnight on a foggy night, suspecting trouble, he had gone out to patrol the front line of the trenches when he suddenly came upon a strong German bombing party advancing to the attack. He threw a hand bomb, which gave the alarm but was himself shot in two places and killed instantaneously. Lieutenant Mylne, son of Bishop Mylne, of Alvechurch with great gallantry went out with several men and recovered the body. The Adjutant of the 8th Worcesters writes €“ €œHe was an extremely conscientious and a capable Platoon Commander, and his name had been sent in for promotion only the day before.€ During his time at School, Kerwood was distinguished both in work and games. He obtained a Law Society Studentship in 1909 and in 1913 the degree of LL.B. with honours at London University.

Source: Bromsgrove School at War 1914-19 by Philip Bowen and Bromsgrove School at War 1914-19 by David Cross.

Philip Kerwood was killed in action in Flanders. He was born on 4th November 1890, the fifth and youngest son of Mr and Mrs Alfred Kerwood of Watling House, Barnt Green. He was educated first at Lickey Hills School from 1898 to 1904, and having gained a scholarship, in September 1904, he went to Bromsgrove School where he remained until July 1909. He was very prominent in school sports teams and was head of Gordon House during his last term at the school. In July 1909 he won a Law Society studentship and took up the profession, gaining the degree of LL.B. London University with honours.

Philip Kerwood received a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 8th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment in 1909 and was promoted to Lieutenant in March 1913.

Source for additional information: Bromsgrove and Droitwich Weekly Advertiser, 3rd July 1915. Reported with photograph.

The following report appears in the Malvern News, 10th July 1915:
The body of Lt Philip Malcolm Kerwood was brought back in by 2/Lieut K.M. Mylne, the son of the Right Reverend Bishop Mylne of Alcester. This deed by a brother officer was most plucky. A Corporal went out to get the body, got halfway and was hit – he was able to point Mylne to where the body lay. The young Lieutenant, accompanied by two other men brought it in. Captain P. Kerwood, who served with the 8th Battalion is an Old Bromsgrovian, and was Captain of the school cricket and football team.

The following information has been researched by Jeff Taylor:
Death of Lieutenant P.M. Kerwood of Barnt Green
Great sadness was evident in the Barnt Green and Bromsgrove districts on Monday, when the news was circulated that Lieutenant Philip Malcolm Kerwood, of the 8th Worcestershire Regiment, fifth youngest son of Mr and Mrs Alfred Kerwood, of Watling House, Plymouth Rad, Barnt Green, had been killed in action in Flanders.

Particulars of the sad occurrence were made clear in letters from fellow officers and others, extracts from which were published in the local newspapers at the time:
Sergeant Davis, D Company 8th Worcestershire Regiment
I am sorry to tell you that we have lost our officer, Mr Kerwood. If ever a man earned the V.C. it was he, for he gave his life for us and saved our line from falling.. He had just gone out in front of our trenches to see if things were all right, and he came on a large party of Germans, only twenty yards from our trenches, coming to make an attack on us. He threw a hand bomb at them, and it gave us the alarm, for all our men were asleep at the time, all but myself and a Corporal and the sentries who were on duty. It was about ten minutes to twelve when Mr Kerwood came to me and told me that he did not like the look of things, and that he was going to take out a party of men to patrol our front line of trenches, for the Germans had been very quiet all day, and the night was foggy. I was just going down to warn the next Sergeant and Corporal for duty to take my place, when suddenly I heard a whistle blown, and a hand bomb went off. I expect it was the one that Mr Kerwood threw at the advancing Germans. I aroused the line, and ordered them to mount the parapet and open rapid fire. It seemed as if hell had been let loose, for shells began to burst about us in dozens. Corporal Sefton, of A Company, and a listening party were out in front of our trenches and they were forced to lie flat all the time. One man belonging to a Canadian lot, who was in with a few more of his Company for instruction, was out with them, and he was killed.
A German officer was shot whilst on the parapet of part of our line. He was in charge of a bombing party, the idea being to capture the end trench and then to throw bombs along and make a clean sweep of us all in the other trenches. However, the 8th true to their regiment’s motto, remained €˜Firm’ and the attack was beaten off. Whatever the Germans intended doing, the 8th put a stop to it.

Lieutenant Kerwood was apparently shot in two places, the head and the heart, and I think killed instantaneously. Lance Corporal Fox, who was with him, tried to bring the body in, although wounded at the same time. He was hit a second time by a bomb, so young Mylne (a son of Bishop Mylne, of Alvechurch) and several of the men gallantly went out under fire and brought his body safely in.

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