Roland Basil Howell
2^nd Lieut. 6^th Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry.

Norman Asquith Howell
2^nd Lieut. 4^th Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment

Division 78

The Howell brothers were the sons of William Roland Howell and Louisa Margaret Howell, of “Heronden”, Cintra Avenue, Reading.  W. Roland Howell was a well known architect at the time.   The boys are commemorated on their parents grave, number 15603.

Roland Basil Howell  was educated at St. Lawrence College, Ramsgate and volunteered for service in August 1914.  He was reported wounded and missing on 2^nd October 1915, during the Battle of Loos.  He was aged 20.  His body was never found and his name is recorded on the Loos memorial, panel 103 to 105. Roland is commemorated on the University College memorial.

Norman Asquith Howell  was killed in action on the 23^rd December 1916, aged 19.  He is buried in the A.I.F. Burial Ground, Flers, Somme.   The cemetery was started in November 1916 by Australians who were posted in nearby caves until February 1917.  The cemetery was greatly enlarged after the Armistice with graves from the battlefields.  It is likely, given the location, III. M. I. that Norman Howell was buried here sometime well after his death.

The Battle of the Somme was officially considered over in November  however, heavy fighting did continue for some time in the region of Flers.  A bitterly cold winter was also starting to set in and that Christmas was destined to be an uncomfortable one in the trenches with no hope of any truce or informal “live and let live” that had been the case at Christmas time at the beginning of the war.

Both Howell brothers are commemorated on the Reading School War Memorial.