| Other Info | Died age 29. His grave is at PERTH CEMETERY (CHINA WALL), Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium - grave ref: V. K. 13. Son of James and Emma Fellows, of 65, Moseley Road, Birmingham; husband of Mary Annie Crosby (formerly Fellows), of 5 Court, 5 House, Dymoke St., Birmingham.
Private Fellows of Birmingham was a married man with children. At the start of the First World War Ernest Fellows as an ex Worcestershire Regiment soldier was on the Reserve List and as such was called up for service in September 1914. He re-joined his Regiment on the 29th September 1914.
Fellows was sent to France as part of reinforcements for the 3rd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment early in 1915. Private Fellows was a well respected soldier in the Battalion and he had past experience.
Early in June 1915 the 3rd Battalion was holding a line of trenches from the Menin Road on the left to Sanctuary Wood on the right. After 4 days of fighting, on the 9th June 1915 the 3rd Battalion was relieved by the 2nd Royal Irish Rifles. The 3rd Battalion then moved out of the line to Busseboom just east of Poperinghe where they were billeted in bivouac and rested until the 15th June 1915. It was during this rest period that Private Fellows went missing without permission. Following an evening roll call it was discovered that he had gone absent. The Battalion had just received orders that it was to attack enemy trenches at Bellewaerde the following day.
Fellows was apprehended and was tried at a court martial on the 14th July 1915. At his trial he offered no evidence in his defence and was found guilty of desertion and sentenced to death. Fellows was shot by firing squad with 4 other deserters from the 3rd Battalion on the ramparts of Ypres on the 26th July 1915. He was 29 years of age.
He was originally buried at the Ramparts Cemetery but was later transferred to the Perth Cemetery (China Wall), Belgium which is 3 Km east of Ypres town centre (Grave number V.K.13). |
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