Alan Boswell, who played for Glamorgan during 1914 and was killed aged 28 on 2 October 1918 whilst serving with the Royal Flying Corps, was remembered at a special rededication service held in Belgium on Wednesday 29th June.
Until yesterday’s ceremony, Alan had no known grave, but his remains have recently been identified by the Ministry of Defence’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (MOD JCCC), also known as the ‘MOD War Detectives’ with the rededication service held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Duhallow Advanced Dressing Station (ADS) Cemetery, near Ypres in Belgium.
The rededication service for 2nd Lt Boswell was attended by members of his family including his great nephew Russell Evans who read the poem “High Flight” at the moving ceremony. Russell said “There were nine wonderful wreaths laid by various branches of the military and CWGC on the headstones of Alan Boswell and Robert Gundill, his fellow airman, who both died in the aircrash in October 1918.”
Born in Woolwich and raised in South Wales, Alan had been educated at Radnor Road Board School and Cardiff High School, before attending Cardiff University. He was a very talented athlete and won three Welsh amateur hockey caps, as well as three Welsh amateur football caps. Besides playing football for Cardiff Corries and Cardiff City, Alan played cricket for Cardiff Alpha CC and Cardiff University and was chosen by the Glamorgan selectors in their all-amateur team which played a friendly against a Somerset XI at Weston-super-Mare in late August 1914. At the time, Alan was employed as a schoolmaster but within a fortnight of the game in Somerset, he had become a member of the Cardiff Pals Battalion in the Grenadier Guards. He was quickly promoted to the rank of Sergeant and was discharged from the Army having been granted a commission into The Royal Flying Corps during September 1917.
Alan served initially with 105 and 109 Squadron before joining 108 squadron in July 1918, and had completed 81 flying hours by early October. He and Robert Gundill were flying as a tandem crew on DH9 D1080 as part of a bombing raid on the Menin area when they went missing on 2 October 1918. The Officer Commanding the 108 Squadron stated they left the aerodrome at 1207 hours and were last seen flying at 3,000 feet west of the objective, but they failed to return.
The rededication ceremony was conducted by Reverend (Squadron Leader) Adrian Klos and supported by members of XI(F) Squadron RAF Coningsby. The Reverend Klos said: “Today, we have been rededicating the graves of two of our service personnel, 2nd Lt Boswell and 2nd Lt Gundill, and to have Alan’s family with us today was very moving, especially hearing the emotion in his great nephew’s voice as he read the words of High Flight and recognising the sacrifice which Alan made. It was a real privilege to be here as RAF and members of the MOD, and recognising the family price these young men paid, we will honour that together.”
Glamorgan Cricket, through their Community Department, have also been working with staff and pupils at Radnor Primary School, Alan’s former school, and during the Autumn and Winter months a special display will be created in the CC4 Museum of Welsh Cricket celebrating the life and careers of other pupils at the school as well as commemorating Alan’s sporting achievements.