Arthur Owens, husband of Ada Jane, served initially in the Monmouthshire Regiment before transferring to the 5th (Service) Battalion, South Wales Borderers. By early 1918, this highly specialized unit was operating as the vital pioneer battalion for the 19th (Western) Division, attached to the British Third Army.

On 24 March 1918, during the opening clashes of the First Battle of Bapaume—a critical, high-intensity phase of the German Spring Offensive (Kaiserschlacht)—the British lines faced overwhelming numbers, forcing a fighting retreat across the old Somme battlefields to prevent a total breakthrough.

Private A Owens (39344) was tragically killed in action during this stubborn defensive withdrawal on 24 March 1918, aged 24. Because his resting place could not be identified or recovered following the retreat, he is missing in action and is commemorated on the historic Arras Memorial, France. His name stands among those who fell in the Arras and Artois sectors with no known grave.