GREEN Rowland Edward

Appears in the Worcester/Worcestershire Roll of Honour Book for army casualties located in Worcester Cathedralas Roland Green.

Name given as Roland Green on Commonwealth War Graves Commission.  Birth registered as Rowland Edwin Green in the March Quarter 1884 under the Droitwich Registration District.

Of all the lives I have researched Roland Edward Green has been the most challenging with both his personal and military life being difficult to follow.  Below is what I believe is his story.  Roland was born in Droitwich in 1884 and by 1891 he was living with his grandparents John and Matilda Green in Church Lench.

The 1901 census shows him living at Hilsea Barracks near Portsmouth meaning that he had enlisted in the army during the intervening years.  During the following decade he left the army and the 1911 census lists him as an army reservist whilst working as butcher and living with an aunt and uncle in Tonypandy, South Wales.

He married Nellie Rollason in the summer of 1914 and the couple lived at 7, Coplow Cottages Ladywood, Birmingham.  With the outbreak of war he rejoined the army serving with XVIII Brigade Royal Field Artillery.

XVIII Brigade R.F.A. in 1914 was part of the Indian Army and moved to France in October 1914.  In March 1916 it was transferred to the Canadian Army serving with the 3rd and 4th Divisions.  In August 1917 it transferred back to the British Army coming under the direct command of Army HQ.  By the summer of 1918 the German spring offensive of that year had been held (just) and what proved to be the final counter offensive of the war began.  I think that Roland Green took part in the second battle of Bapaume which began on 21st August and was itself part of the second battle of the Somme.  Bapaume was captured by the New Zealanders on 29th August.

Rowland Green has no known grave, the photograph available shows his name on Vis-en-Artois Memorial.