More about William Ballantyne Rew

William B Rew was the son of Mr Andrew Dorward Rew and Mrs Janet Ballantyne Rew of Moss Road Gates, Methven, Perth. He was employed as a Calender Worker when, in May 1915, he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve onboard HMS Unicorn for service in the Royal Naval Division. After initial Naval training at the Crystal Palace in South London he was sent to Blandford Camp in Dorset for advanced military training. Whilst here he became ill and was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital at Portland, Dorset. On release he completed his training and, before proceeding abroad, was granted seven days leave at the end of August. William Rew was drafted to the Howe Battalion which was serving at Gallipoli and he arrived on the Peninsula in October. After the withdrawal in January 1916 the Battalion spent time on garrison duties on Aegean Islands before sailing for Marseille and the Western Front in May. At the beginning of November the Battalion took part in the last battle of the Somme campaign but suffered many casualties and he received a shrapnel wound to his right knee. After treatment and convalescence at Etaples, Northern France, he rejoined the Howe at the end of January 1917. In February he would have taken part in the fighting at Puisieux and River Trenches and Miraumont. On 26 April 1916, he died from shrapnel wounds to his right thigh received on 23 April, during the fighting at Gavrelle. The Howe Battalion War Diary records that, on 23 April, the order was received to relieve the Hood Battalion in the Front Line. Moving forward at 9pm the Battalion came under German shellfire and suffered several casualties. William Rew is buried in the Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension, Pas de Calais, grave reference II D 76. He is remembered on the Invergowrie War Memorial, the Invergowrie United Free Church Memorial and also the Auchtergaven War Memorial in Methven.