Captain Kenneth Edward HAWKINS MC
B Company, 7th (Extra Reserve) Battalion Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)

Date of birth: 13th July 1893
Date of death: 21st March 1918

Killed in action aged 24
Commemorated on the Arras Memorial Bay 3
He was born at Croydon on the 13th of July 1893 the third son of Henry John Hawkins, legal clerk, and Fanny Stronge (nee Edwards) of 4, White House Road, Croydon, later of “Beaumont”, 2 Stanton Road in Croydon and later of Detling Vicarage, Maidstone in Kent. He was christened at St John’s Church, Croydon on the 5th of August 1893.

He was educated at the King’s School Canterbury from January 1908 to July 1910 where he was a Private in the Officer Training Corps.

After leaving school he lived for a time near Canterbury and was a member of the St Lawrence Cricket Club, playing against the school on several occasions. He worked as a bank clerk for the London Provincial and South Western Bank at 168-175 Fenchurch Street, London EC3 and lived at "Stoneleigh", Broad Green, Croydon.

Following the outbreak of war he enlisted for a period of four years at 58 Buckingham Gate as Rifleman 1833 in the 1/16th (County of London) Battalion (Queen’s Westminster Rifles) on the 6th of August 1914.At a medical examination, which was held on the same day, it was recorded that he was five feet eleven inches tall. He was posted to H Company and was sent to Leverstock Green in Hertfordshire for training. He volunteered for overseas service on the 3rd of September 1914 and embarked for service in France with his battalion at Southampton on board the SS "Maidan" on the 1st of November 1914, landing at Le Havre at 9am on the 3rd of November.

On the 17th of November 1914 he was admitted to 13 Field Ambulance at Framinghem suffering from influenza. He was transferred to 10 Field Ambulance at Bac St Maur on the 19th of November and returned to his unit on the 23rd of November. On the 2nd of February 1915 he was admitted to 10 Field Ambulance suffering from influenza and was transferred to the 6th Divisional Convalescent Depot at Bac St Maur on the 13th of February and joined a Sick Convoy on the 17th of February. He was admitted to the Australian Hospital at Boulogne on the 19th of February 1915 and was evacuated to England the same day.

On his recovery he applied for a commission on the 12th of April 1915 in an application which was supported by Mr. McDowall, Headmaster of the King's School Canterbury. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 7th Battalion Royal Fusiliers on the 14th of June 1915. He embarked for France with his battalion at Southampton at 6pm on the 23rd of July 1916 and landed at Le Havre at 9pm the following evening. He was promoted to Lieutenant in August 1917 and to Acting Captain on the 30th of November 1917.

On the afternoon of the 28th of October 1917 he moved up with his battalion to positions below the Lekkerboterbeek as part of the ongoing Third Battle of Ypres. They attacked on the morning of the 30th at 5.50am but at 12.55pm it was reported by a wounded officer that the attack had failed. At 2pm it was decided to send Kenneth Hawkins forward with two Stokes guns to assist in another attack which would take place at 5am the following morning. At 1am Hawkins and Captain Ogle went forward to complete the arrangements but at 7.45am they returned to report that this attack had also failed. Before the attack began one of the Stokes guns had been destroyed by a shell with the loss of twenty men. The other had fired six rounds before ceasing to function due to the mud.

He was awarded the Military Cross in the New Year’s Honours List of January 1918.

In the early morning of the 21st of March 1918 the Germans launched their long expected spring offensive in an attempt to knock the Allies out of the war before the Americans arrived in greater numbers. At the time the 7th Battalion Royal Fusiliers was holding the line at Ribecourt. They had been much weakened by a gas attack ten days earlier which had cost them 250 casualties. At 4am the preliminary bombardment began with high explosive shells and trench mortars falling on the Fusilier’s positions in massive quantity. The men of B Company, of which Kenneth Hawkins was Commanding Officer, found that the Germans had got into the trenches to their left. They beat off the subsequent attack with their Lewis gun and rifle fire. The bombardment became heavier and heavier until B Company had to withdraw when their flank was exposed. Captain Hawkins was killed by a shell at the entrance to his headquarters dugout.

His mother received the following telegram: -

"Deeply regret to inform you Captain K.E. Hawkins 7th Royal Fusiliers was killed in action March twenty first. The Army Council express their sympathy."

His Colonel wrote:-

"He was one of the most fearless officers I have ever met and one of my best company commanders. his death was a great loss to the battalion."

His brother officers spoke of him as:-

"An extraordinarily gallant soldier, the leader of all the battalion sports, and of such a winning personality, that to know him was to love him."

His date of death is incorrectly given as the 22nd of March 1918 by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
 

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