6
« on: Friday 15 August 14 23:59 BST (UK) »
Date Died: 3 March 1915
Name: Captain William Arthur Gover
Age: 35
Regiment: The 7th Duke of Connaught's own Rajputs
My Grand Uncle Captaim William Arthur Gover died on 3 March 1915 during action at Ahwaz Mesopotamia in an attempt to protect the pipeline of the Anglo-Persian oil source at Maidan-i-Naftun (the Plain of the Oil).
The pipeline was about 230 kilometres long and the settlement of Ahwaz was half-way along the pipeline, where a European community of oil workers lived. As breaches of the line by the Turks had already occurred a Garrison had been set up at Ahwaz to protect the asset. By early March 1915 a large group of irregular Turkish units had grouped close by along with enemy Arabs and, on the 2 March, decision was made to try to disperse these groups to disable attack.
In the morning on 3 March after a night time advance by the British and Indian Troops mayhem occurred. The 7th Rajputs were outnumbered and outflanked by 12,000 to 1000 men and a withdrawal action was attempted. This was fiercely fought but troops became interspersed during the attack and a Lieutenant Burgoyne-Wallace was wounded.
Captain W A Gover along with Mahesh Singh and Lieutenant Harvey stayed back to try to rescue Lieutenant Burgoyne-Wallace. They were unsuccessful and all four were hacked to death or shot down. Later Captain WA Gover and Lieutenant Harvey were posthumously recommended for the Victoria Cross but the recommendations were down turned (Source: Western Front Association; The Battle at Ahwaz, Persia, 3 March 1915 – Wednesday 1 May 2013).
My Grand Uncle was born in 1880, and grew up, in Madras India to parents Alfred Greatbatch Gover and Anna Jane. To my knowledge he did not marry and would have been 35 at his death. There is a memorial to WA Gover in the Tehran Memorial, Panel 21 Column 1. I feel proud of his actions and wish to commemorate him here as he had no direct descendants of his own.
Show Posts