John Arden Acworth was the younger of the two sons of Mr and Mrs H.A. Acworth, of the Palms. He was born at Malvern Wells on May 20th, 1898, and was educated first at Twyford School, Hants and Winchester in 1911. During his time at Winchester he won, amongst other distinctions, the King’s Gold Medal for English essay, and the Moore Stevens Divinity prize. He entered as a commoner of Magdelen College, Oxford, and came up to Oxford of the beginning of Michaelmas Term, 1916. He resided as an undergraduate at Magdelen for one term

He had been a Corporal in his School O.T.C., and in December, being 18½, he was recommended by the authorities of the Oxford O.T.C. for admission to an Officers Cadet Battalion station at Oxford, and was quartered for the period of his training in his own college; when his duties as a cadet left him free to do so, he joined the undergraduates of his year in the Junior Common Room and attend the services of his College Chapel. He obtained his commission in the Worcestershire Regiment on April 26th, and after 2 months with the 3/8th Battalion in Yorkshire, joined the 1/7th Battalion in France at the end of June. On October 9th, on the first occasion of his going into action, he was wounded by a shell splinter. The wound was very serious, but he might have pulled through had not gas poisoning set in. As it was, he died very suddenly on October 13th in the Casualty Clearing station. He was conscious very nearly to the last, and showed himself, as the matron who nursed him testified, a ‘good patient’, during the few days of life that remained to him after he was wounded.

Click here to find out more about The Battle of Poelcappelle, Passchendaele on the 9/10/17

See also Douglas Harry Acworth

John Acworth’s Character

We quote the following from the Great Malvern Parochial Magazine: “John Arden Acworth was the younger of the two sons of Mr and Mrs H.A. Acworth, of the Palms. He was born at Malvern Wells on May 20th, 1898, and was educated first at Twyford School, Hants, where he was Head boy, and where he earned among his school fellows the appropriate name of ‘Honest John’ which he carried with him to Winchester in 1911. During his time at Winchester he was in Culver House under the Rev F.P. David, and won several prizes on his way to the highest form, ‘Sixth Book’. He had been, when he left for a year in the Senior Division of that form, during which he had distinguished himself above all the Commoners of his year by winning the King’s Gold Medal for English essay, and the Moore Stevens Divinity prize. He entered as a commoner of Magdelen College, Oxford, and came up to Oxford of the beginning of Michaelmas Term, 1916. He resided as an undergraduate at Magdelen for one term. During this term he proved his mettle by passing in December the Previous Examination in History, an examination to get through which in one term would even without interruption, require good capacity and steady work, and was specially creditable in his case, since fully half his working time was taken up by duties in the O.T.C.

He had been a Corporal in his School O.T.C., and in December, being now 18½, he was recommended by the authorities of the Oxford O.T.C. for admission to an Officers Cadet Battalion station at Oxford, and to his own satisfaction and that of his Magdalen friends, was quartered for the period of his training in his own college, for which he had already a very loyal affection, thus he could still without difficulty, when his duties as a cadet left him free to do so, join the undergraduates of his year in the Junior Common Room and attend the services (in which he took great pleasure) of his College Chapel. He obtained his commission on April 26th, and after 2 months with a reserve Battalion in Yorkshire, joined a Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment in France at the end of June. On October 9th, on the first occasion of his going into action, he was wounded by a piece of shell. The wound was very serious, but he might have pulled through had not gas poisoning set in. As it was, he died very suddenly on October 13th in the Casualty Clearing station. He was conscious very nearly to the last, and showed himself, as the matron who nursed him testifies, and as those who knew him would expect, a ‘good patient’, during the few days of life that remained to him after he was wounded.

p and support: and his regular and devout use of the sacraments of Holy Communion was the expression of a life which was Christian in no merely conventional sense. There are few young men of whom one can feel more confident than of John Acworth that they have won

Such is the honourable record of the outward incidents of a life laid down on the threshold of manhood in the cause of England and in defence of justice and freedom throughout the world.

Malvern News 10/11/17