William Henry John “Tut” Clowes

William “Tut” Clowes was a Harrow plumber and local footballer who had previously served in the Middlesex Regiment before being called up as a reservist in September 1914. He served on the Western Front, was severely gassed in France in May 1916, and died at his home in Harrow on 4 April 1917 from the effects of his injuries.

Civilian Life William Henry John Clowes, known locally as “Tut”, was the son of William and Eliza Clowes. He lived in the Harrow area and worked as a plumber. He was one of three children and had two brothers, Horatio and James, and a sister, Lilian. In the years before the First World War, Clowes was also known as a local footballer, playing as a prominent member of Harrow Athletic and the original Wealdstone FC during the mid-1890s alongside his brother, HW Clowes.

Military Life - Clowes had previously served in the Middlesex Regiment and was in the reserves when war broke out in 1914. He was called up on 3 September 1914 and posted to France in October. He was promoted from acting corporal to corporal and then to sergeant on 11 March 1915. He served on the Western Front, including at the Battle of Loos and during operations in France and Belgium leading up to the Battle of the Somme. On 4 May 1916, Clowes was severely affected by gas while serving in France. He was invalided home in August 1916 and subsequently received treatment at the Great Eastern Hospital in Cambridge, Old Cottage Hospital in Hounslow and Mount Vernon Hospital in Northwood. He was discharged from Mount Vernon after four months, but continued to suffer from the effects of being gassed. He died at 21 Eastcote Road, Harrow, on 4 April 1917.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) record was missing Clowes' details until a University of Wolverhampton researcher, Roger Slater submitted his details for adjudication by CWGC in 2023. Slater had been conducting research into the history of the Harrow and Wealdstone Football Club. Clowes was subsequently recognised by the CWGC, having initially been omitted from official casualty records because his service records were incomplete. A family tomb has been found at St Mary’s Harrow on the Hill where his father, grandparents and brother are buried but not William. He was buried with his mother and sister in Pinner Old Cemetery, now Harrow Cemetery, where the CWGC recorded that a headstone was to be provided to mark his grave.