John Henry Rowland

John Henry Rowland was born in Eakring, Notts and appears on the Eakring memorials. He is also recorded as enlisting from the Welbeck estate which matches with Pte H Rowland Sherwood Foresters on their Chapel memorial. He was born in 1895, the youngest son to John and Charlotte Rowland (née Walker) who had married at Southwell in 1879. The couple had another three sons, George born 1883, Albert in 1885 and Wallace born 1890. All four were born and raised in Eakring. George married in 1908 and by 1911, Albert was working as a school teacher and both John Henry and Wallace were employed as grooms.

He was a groom. He was a member of Eakring St Andrew's church choir.

John Henry Rowland enlisted early in the war enlisting from Welbeck where he possibly worked as a groom. He joined the 9th Battalion Sherwood Foresters and after a brief training was sent to the Balkans. The 9th Battalion sailed for Gallipoli from Liverpool via Mudros at the end of June 1915. They landed near Lala Baba at Suvla Bay on the 6th 7th of August. He was wounded during the battle of 21st August 1915 in which the battalion were given an almost impossible task but came within a few feet of succeeding. John Henry was one of many men who became casualties that day he was being moved by Hospital Ship to Lemnos, but he died of his wounds on board ship. He was buried at East Mudros Mil Cemetery, on the island of Lemnos, Greece