Gunner Raymond Carter Foster
73rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, Royal Regiment of Artillery
Killed in Action
Date of Birth: 1895
Place of Birth: Teignmouth, Devon
Date of Death: 26 August 1916 aged 19
Buried: Flat Devon Iron Copse Cemetery, Mametz; remembered on Seafront Memorial and St. Michaels Church, Teignmouth,
Awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal
Gunner Raymond Carter Foster age 19.
Raymond was born in 1895, he was baptised at St. Michael's Church on 5 January 1896 and his parents were George, gardener, and Sarah Foster; his father was the owner of Foster's Nurseries, 3 Triangle and New Road, Teignmouth. In 1911 census Raymond was still at school, but helping in the family business. Raymond was a prominent member of the Teignmouth polo club.
Royal Artillery Cap Badge
He was serving with 73rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, service no. 18818, joining soon after the beginning of the war and had been at the Front when he was killed in action in the vicinity of Mametz Wood on 26 August 1916.
His parents received a letter from one of his comrades who had attended his funeral there. A war gratuity was sent to his mother for the amount of £6.3s.3d in 1919.
Buried at Flat Iron Copse Cemetery, Mametz; remembered on Seafront Memorial and St. Michaels Church, Teignmouth.
"a quiet day until evening, when from 7-8.30pm the battery area was heavily shelled with 8" A.P.
One gun of the battery was destroyed by a direct hit, 2 of the detachment being killed and 2 wounded."
The Battalion War diary (WO 95 1924).
The 73rd Brigade was also known as LXXIII (Howitzer) Brigade.
Before the men left the safety of their trenches and went 'over the top' to capture the enemy positions the Gunners would often fire a huge artillery barrage to shatter the enemy's barbed wire and other defences and kill defending troops.
