7th (Robin Hood) Battn. Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and
Derbyshire Regt.) (T.F.), only _s._ of the late Arthur Williams,
of 109, Forest Road, Nottingham, Solicitor, by his wife, Mary, dau. of
the late Thomas Morley, of 46, Addison Street, Nottingham; _b._
Nottingham, 21 Dec. 1883; educ. Nottingham Boys’ High School; served
his articles with Capt. J. A. H. Green, admitted a Solicitor in 1905,
and was in practice in Nottingham and had lately been a partner in
the firm of Messrs. Browne, Son & Williams. He had joined the Robin
Hoods as a private on leaving school in 1900, and became a 2nd Lieut.
when the Territorial Act came into operation, and was gazetted Lieut.
8 June, 1913. On the outbreak of war he volunteered with the Battn.
for foreign service, went to France, 25 Feb. 1915, and was killed in
action at Kemmel, 15 June, 1915; _unm._ He was buried in Kemmel
Churchyard. One of his men (Private T. Linney, 1867) wrote: “On the
night of 15 June, 1915, at about 9.30 p.m. the Germans thought to make
a surprise attack on our trenches south of Ypres, by first of all
blowing up our trenches and then by violently bombarding our position
by artillery and hand grenades. The 8th Battn. Sherwood Foresters, were
in the trenches at the time, and were expecting to be relieved that
night by the 7th Battn. Sherwood Foresters, this accounting for the
officers of the 7th being in the trenches in the afternoon to view the
positions. After the violent bombardment the Germans tried to charge
the trench, and this being the first severe attack the 8th Battn. had
been in they did not know which way to turn or what to do; already they
had lost a large number of men and officers and were naturally panic
stricken, when Lieut. Williams came to the rescue. Already he had been
to fetch a wounded officer, Lieut. Dobson, in, and seen him safe; when
the Germans stormed the trenches, he gathered the men together, and by
his cool manner and words made a desperate stand against the coming
onslaught; the Germans had got as far as the barbed wire, when Lieut.
Williams shouted to the men “Come on men, if we’ve got to die, we will
die fighting,” this put new life into the men and by desperate fighting
the Germans were driven back, but Lieut. Williams, who had saved the
situation at such a critical time, was killed instantaneously, by part
of a shell fracturing his skull”; and Capt. G. H. Stubington: “It was
after dark and he had just gone into the trenches which the Robin Hoods
were taking over from the 8th Battn. when Lieut. Dobson of the 8th
Battn. was wounded by a shell. Arthur went to help him when another
shell exploded and killed them both instantly. He died on duty and I
need not tell you how much we feel his loss. He was a most efficient
officer and also in my case a close personal friend; I have, as you
are aware, known him for years and as far as Machine Gun work is
concerned, I feel that I have lost my right hand man.... The Officer
Commanding desires me to add that the Battn. has suffered a great loss
by his death, and he will be very much missed by all ranks to whom he
had endeared himself, and especially by his brother officers.” Lieut.
Williams, who was a Freeman of the City of Nottingham by birth, had
taken his Musketry and Machine Gun Course and had qualified as an
Instructor of Musketry. He was a member of, and played for, the Notts.
Amateur Cricket Club; was for some time Secretary of the Nottingham
Children’s Hospital and Hon. Secretary of the Red Cross for Notts, and
was a member of the Newstead Lodge of Freemasons.
[Illustration: =Arthur M. Williams.=]
=WILLIAMS, BENJAMIN=, Private, No. 9600, 3rd Battn. Coldstream
Guards, _s._ of John Williams, of 25ct., 7h, Cheapside,
Birmingham; _b._ Perry Barr, co. Stafford, 7 July, 1894; educ. Rea
Street Board School, Birmingham; was a Metal Spinner, Simplex, Salop
Street, Birmingham; enlisted in the Coldstreams, 11 May, 1912; went to
France 14 Aug. 1914, and was accidentally drowned in Cuinchy Canal, 4
Aug. 1915, while on active service; _unm._ Buried in the Military
Cemetery at Givenchy.
[Illustration: =Benjamin Williams.=]
=WILLIAMS, CHARLES=, Gunner, R.M.A. (R.F.R., 370), H.M.S. Aboukir;
lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=WILLIAMS, FREDERICK LEONARD=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 3177), S.S. 622,
H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1
Nov. 1914.
=WILLIAMS, GEORGE JACKSON=, 2nd Lieut., 1/5th Battn. York and
Lancaster Regt. (T.F.), 2nd _s._ of David Jones Williams, of
Rhydwen, Barnsley, member of the firm of Williams Bros., Ltd., Coal
Exporters, by his wife, Dinah, dau. of the late George Jackson, Mining
Engineer; _b._ Royston, co. York, 6 Feb. 1895; educ. High School,
Barnsley and Rydal Mount, Colwyn Bay, and on leaving there entered his
father’s office in Paris. When war broke out he was in England on a
short holiday and he immediately volunteered and joined the 5th Reserve
Battn. of the York and Lancaster Regt. under Lieut.-Col. Mitchell and
was gazetted 2nd Lieut. 23 Sept. 1914. Being anxious to get to the
front he transferred to the 1st/5th Battn. under Lieut.-Col. Fox (which
had volunteered for foreign service) and while training with it at
Sheffield contracted rheumatism and developed endocarditis from which
he died at Barnsley, 27 April, 1915; _unm._
[Illustration: =G. J. Williams.=]
=WILLIAMS, GEORGE JOSEPH=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 14241 (Ports.),
H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=WILLIAMS, HAROLD=, Stoker, 2nd Class, K. 21975, H.M.S. Good Hope;
lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=WILLIAMS, HERBERT CHARLES=, Corpl., No. 10080, 2nd Battn. King’s
Own (Royal Lancaster) Regt., yst. but one of the six soldier sons of
Ellis Williams, of Hanmer Place, Bowerham, Lancaster, ex Qr.-Mr.-Sergt.
of the same regt. (with which he served for 25 years), by his wife,
Eliza Mary, dau. of Henry Studd, late of the R.A.M.C.; _b._ the
Barracks, Lancaster, 2 April, 1895; educ. Bowerham School; enlisted
as a drummer in the King’s Own at Lancaster, 3 May, 1909, and joined
his battn. in Jersey, subsequently accompanying it to India. He came
home with it in Dec. 1914, and on 15 Jan. went to the Front. He was
severely wounded on 16 March, 1915, while placing sand bags to repair
front of trenches by Ypres, and died in hospital at Bailleul. His
comrade, Band Sergt. J. A. Nichol, wrote: “He passed peacefully away at
6.15 a.m. this morning, 23 March. I was with him throughout, and I’m
writing this letter for Lloyd, his brother, who is very much upset. The
remains will be interred to-morrow at 9 a.m. in the cemetery there,
and I’ll be there to put some token of love on his grave for you and
the family.” His two elder brothers, Coy Qr.-Mr.-Sergt. Ellis Watkin
Williams and Sergt. John Henry Williams of the 1st Battn. of the King’s
Own were wounded in the retreat from Mons, the latter, now a prisoner
at Doberitz, very severely. The third, Sergt. Lloyd Williams, suffered
from shell concussion and is now (1916) in Egypt. Rifleman Reginald
Williams, the fourth, belongs to the King’s Liverpool Regt., and the
fifth and last son, Private Percival Williams, is in the Army Service
Corps.
[Illustration: =Herbert C. Williams.=]
=WILLIAMS, HUBERT LESLIE=, Trooper, No. 13/258, 11th North
Auckland Mounted Rifles, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, 3rd _s._
of Harry Edwin Williams, of Parua Bay, Auckland, New Zealand, by his
wife, Harriet Mary, dau. of the late Henry Morey; _b._ at Parua
Bay, 23 Nov. 1892; educ. there; and entered the Army, 15 Aug. 1914,
being one of the first to enlist from Parua Bay at the outbreak of war.
Killed in action at Walker Ridge, Gallipoli, during a night attack, 26
May, 1915, buried there. The circumstances of his death are told as
follows in a letter from a comrade to his mother: “A mate of mine, H.
L. Williams, was dragging me to put me in a hole out of the firing line
after I was shot down that awful night, he had stopped for a minute
to give me a drop of water out of his bottle, had just dropped on his
knees, when a bullet struck him in the breast, he fell over me, he put
his hand in mine and said ‘good-bye old fellow, good luck to you, I’m
fixed.’ And so he died without a move, good fellow that he was.”
[Illustration: =Hubert L. Williams.=]
=WILLIAMS, IDRIS HAVARD JOSEPH=, Capt., 3rd Battn. Royal
Fusiliers, 4th _s._ of the late Morgan Stuart Williams, of
Aberpergwm, co. Glamorgan, J.P., D.L., by his wife, Josephine
(9, Stratford Place, W.), dau. of William Herbert, of Clytha,
Monmouthshire, and nephew of the late Capt. George Williams, Frontier
Light Horse, who was killed in the Zulu War; _b._ Aberpergwm, 29
Dec. 1878; educ. Charterhouse; received his commission as 2nd Lieut.
in the Royal Fusiliers from the Militia, 5 Jan. 1901, and was promoted
Lieut. 26 March, 1904, and Capt. 29 Jan. 1910; served through the South
African War, 1899–1902 (Queen’s medal with three clasps and King’s
medal with two clasps), and with the Expeditionary Force in France and
Flanders, died at Boulogne, 3 June, 1915, of wounds received in action
at Ypres; buried at St. Donat’s Castle; _unm._
[Illustration: =Idris H. J. Williams.=]
=WILLIAMS, JETHROE=, L.-Corpl., No. 6074, 3rd Battn. Coldstream
Guards, _s._ of Cabel Williams, of High Street, Cheltenham, Market
Gardener; _b._ Leigh, near Cheltenham, 5 Dec. 1885; educ. there;
enlisted 21 Jan. 1905; was appointed L.-Corpl. 10 Oct. 1914; served
in Egypt, 29 Sept. 1906 to 28 March, 1911, and with the Expeditionary
Force in France and Flanders, from 12 Aug. 1914, and died in No. 13
General Hospital, Boulogne, 5 Nov. following, of wounds received in
action. He _m._ at Fulham, 22 Sept. 1906, Evelyn May (8, Station
Road, Maldon, Essex), dau. of Robert Everett Coney Weston, of Bury St.
Edmunds, and had a dau., Edith Josephine, _b._ 20 April, 1907.
=WILLIAMS, JOHN NATHANIEL=, Private, No. 12/484, 6th (Hauraki)
Auckland Battn., New Zealand Expeditionary Force (formerly Capt.,
4th Dorsets (T.F.)), elder _s._ of Col. Sir Robert Williams, of
Bridehead, Dorchester, 1st Bt., M.P., by his wife, Rosa Walker, dau.
of Nathaniel Sims, of Strood Park, Horsham; _b._ London, W., 24
Jan. 1878; educ. Matfield, Kent; Eton, and New College, Oxford; was
for some time in the 4th Territorial Battn. of the Dorsetshire Regt.,
becoming Capt., but resigned his commission and went to New Zealand in
1910. On the outbreak of war enlisted as a Private in the New Zealand
Expeditionary Force; left for Egypt in Oct. 1914; took part in the
repulse of the Turkish attack on the Suez Canal in Feb. 1915, and in
the landing at the Dardanelles, 25 April, 1915, and was killed in
action at Gaba Tepe that day; _unm._ Major-Gen. Sir A. I. Godley,
K.C.M.G., C.B., Commanding New Zealand Forces, wrote: “He was killed
leading and setting a most gallant example to the men in the forefront
of the Battn., and all the officers, N.C.O.’s and men of the company
speak of him in the highest terms of admiration and affection. He had
evidently made himself most popular with them and respected by all,
and had he not fallen he would have been given a commission in this
force immediately after the first action. I believe the example which
he set in enlisting, and dying as he did in the ranks, has done more
for this force and perhaps for the Empire than he would have done as a
commissioned officer.”
[Illustration: =John Nathaniel Williams.=]
=WILLIAMS, JOSEPH=, Chief Yeoman of Signals, R.N., No. Ch./206951,
4th _s._ of the late Edward Williams, of Hull, Chemist, by his
wife, Betsy Ann, dau. of Henry Hollingsworth, of Hull, Chemist;
_b._ Hull, 25 Feb. 1883; educ. Boulevard Higher Grade School,
Hull, joined the Navy in Feb. 1899; served on H.M. ships, Perseus,
1905–8; Jason, 1908–10; Shannon, 1910–12; and R.F.A. Maine, 1912–14,
and was studying for an examination for warrant officer when war
was declared; joined H.M.S. Cressy and was lost when that ship was
torpedoed in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. He _m._ at Boulevard
Baptist Church, Hull, 8 Sept. 1910, Agnes Mary (28, Redbourne Street,
Boulevard, Hull), sister of James Albert Forgan Wighton, R.N. (lost in
the action off Coronel, 1 Nov. 1914), and only dau. of the late James
Brown Wighton, and had two children; Joseph Albert, _b._ 8 Sept.
1914; and Catherine Marian, _b._ 23 Aug. 1912.
[Illustration: =Joseph Williams.=]
=WILLIAMS, MERVYN JAMES=, Colour Sergt.-Major, No. 6854, 2nd
Battn. Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, only _s._ of John Williams,
of Blackrock, by his wife, Ellen Dorcas, dau. of James Watts, of Grove
Avenue, Blackrock; _b._ Blackrock, co. Dublin, 21 June, 1882;
educ. Booterstown School there; enlisted Jan. 1910; served in South
Africa, Egypt, and with the British Expeditionary Force in France and
Flanders from 24 Aug. 1914 to 16 May, 1915, on which latter date he was
killed in action at Festubert; _unm._
[Illustration: =Mervyn J. Williams.=]
=WILLIAMS, OWEN=, Stoker, Petty Officer (R.F.R., B. 6104), 297624,
H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1
Nov. 1914.
=WILLIAMS, SYDNEY ERNEST=, Ordinary Seaman, S.S. 4202, H.M.S.
Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off
the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.
=WILLIAMS, THOMAS CHARLES=, Stoker, 1st Class, 299881, H.M.S.
Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914.
=WILLIAMS, TOM JAMES=, Private, No. 11050, 2nd, attd. 1st, Battn.
Welsh Regt., _s._ of George Williams, of Ffosyfedwen, Velindre,
Henllan, Flannel Weaver, by his wife, Hannah, dau. of William Evans;
_b._ Ffrontywann, 15 Nov. 1894; educ. National School, Velindre.
He enlisted in the Welsh Regt. in Dec. 1913, was in training with the
2nd Battn. in Hampshire when the war broke out, and was soon afterwards
sent out to France. There he was a driver in the transport section of
his regt., till he contracted rheumatic fever, lying for some weeks in
hospital at Le Havre, and then returning to England on three weeks’
leave. At the appointed time he reported himself at Cardiff Barracks,
and was in a few days on his way back to France again, to join the 1st
Battn. He served with them for three months, and was killed in action,
being shot in a bayonet charge, at Zillebeke, 25 May, 1915; _unm._
His brother, Private William Williams, is now (1916) serving with the
Devons.
[Illustration: =Tom J. Williams.=]
=WILLIAMS, WALTER KENT, M.V.O.=, Engineer-Capt., R.N., 2nd
_s._ of William Philips Williams, Journalist, some time of the
South Wales Daily News, by his wife, Mary, dau. of Manoah Kent;
_b._ St. Davids, co. Pembroke, 24 Oct. 1863; educ. Proprietary
School, Cardiff, and Royal Naval College, Keyham, Devonport; entered
the Navy as Assistant Engineer, 1 July, 1885; promoted Engineer, 2
April, 1887; Chief Engineer, 1 Aug. 1897; Engineer-Commander, 1 Aug.
1901, and Engineer-Capt., 1 Jan. 1912. While serving as Engineer in
the Blanche, 1893, he landed with the Naval Brigade from H.M. ships
Blanche, Swallow, and Sparrow under Commander Lindley to punish a
robber chief, Fumo Omari, for various acts of treachery. The fortified
strongholds at Puwani and Jongeni were stormed and captured. Capt.
Williams was awarded the general Africa medal (Vitu, Aug. 1893 clasp)
for these services. He was Engineer at the Royal Osborne College at the
time the present Prince of Wales and his brother were students there,
and for his services was awarded the M.V.O. in Oct. 1910. He afterwards
served for a period ashore at Portsmouth, and on the outbreak of war
was appointed on the staff of the Bulwark, and was lost when that ship
was blown up off Sheerness, 26 Nov. 1914; _unm._
=WILLIAMS, WALTER ROLAND=, Acting E.R.A., 4th Class, M. 7279,
H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15
Oct. 1914.
=WILLIAMS, WILLIAM=, Private, No. 1218, 3rd Battn. (Royal
Fusiliers) The London Regt. (T.F.), eldest _s._ of the late Edwin
James Williams, by his wife, Ellen, dau. of James Roberts; _b._
Plymouth, 24 Oct. 1889; educ. there; joined the 3rd London Regt. in
July, 1912; volunteered for foreign service on the outbreak of war in
Aug. 1914; went to Malta in Sept.; was sent to France in Jan. 1915,
and was killed in action at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, 10 March,
1915, being shot through the head in an attack on the German trenches;
_unm._
=WILLIAMS, WILLIAM HENRY=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4468),
S.S. 103409, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast
of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=ADDAMS-WILLIAMS, DONALD ARTHUR=, 2nd Lieut., 4th Battn.
(Service) South Wales Borderers, only _s._ of the Rev. Herbert
Addams-Williams, Rector of Llangibby, co. Monmouth, by his wife, Grace,
dau. of Thomas Royse Lysaght; _b._ Llangibby Rectory, 28 April,
1896; educ. Winton House, Winchester, and Marlborough College, where
he was in the O.T.C., and joined the Public Schools Battn. immediately
on the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914. He was gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the
South Wales Borderers, 18 Nov. 1914; went to the Dardanelles 29 June,
and was killed in action there, 11 Aug. 1915, after the advance from
Anzac. Capt. A. W. Hooper wrote: “I am the only officer left out of
the five who came out with the coy., and was in hospital wounded when
Arthur was killed; hence I am somewhat handicapped, but I have spoken
to Arthur’s platoon sergt. several times about the sad incident, and
he has given me several little details about it. A covering party was
sent forward to clear the enemy away from some wells from whence they
had been sniping our troops for three or four days. This party was
also to act as a screen to keep the enemy from advancing, or firing,
while the remainder of our battn. went forward and dug themselves in,
in an advanced position. Arthur, with his platoon, commanded a portion
of this covering party, more of the enemy were found near the wells
than was anticipated, and our covering party lost rather heavily.
However, they nobly did their work, and kept the enemy back while
the new trenches were being dug. Arthur was absolutely fearless, and
always very cheerful in the trenches. He took his men forward, and
had not advanced far before he was hit; he went on and presently was
hit a second time, but where each of the first two shots struck him
his sergt. did not know. However, being twice wounded, he continued
to command his platoon, encouraging all of the men, and showing them
a noble example by his own heroism, and disregard of self. A little
time afterwards, while still advancing, he was wounded a third time.
He turned completely round, and must have died within a few seconds.
His sergt. knelt by him as he died, and has told me since that his
death was a grand one to see. The sergt. had to leave him, to take
charge of the platoon, and when the covering party retired his body
was not seen. Several times Sergt. Worthington, his platoon sergt.,
volunteered to go forward and look for it, but the Turks were now
holding that ground in very strong numbers, and it would have meant a
further sacrifice of life to send a search party out; therefore his
body, and those of two other officers who died the same evening, was
never recovered. His death meant a great loss to his men, who thought
so highly of him, to the whole coy., and also to myself, who found him
an ever-cheerfull and lovable friend.” Nearly three months afterwards,
during a reconnaisance, Lieut. Curtis, of the Northamptonshire Regt.,
discovered his body, and had it brought back to South Wales Borderers
Valley, where it was buried in the little Military Cemetery on 3 Nov.
1915.
[Illustration: =D. A. Addams-Williams.=]
=DE COURCY-WILLIAMS, ALMERICUS JOHN FALKINER (ERIC)=, 2nd Lieut.
5th, attd. 4th, Battn. Middlesex Regt., only _s._ of John
Almericus de Courcy-Williams, of St. Etchens, Killucan, co. Westmeath,
M.A., M.B., B.Ch. T.C.D., by his wife Frideswide Catherine Emily,
dau. of Robert Smyth, Portlick Castle, Athlone, J.P., and grandson of
Surgeon-Major John William Williams, of Killucan, co. Westmeath, M.A.,
M.D., by his wife, Emily Letitia, née de Courcy, sister of Michael
William, 32nd Lord Kingsale; _b._ Greenhills, Killucan, 4 May,
1895; educ. Roysses School, Abingdon, and Royal Military College,
Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the 2nd Battn. West India Regt.,
July, 1914; transferred to the Middlesex Regt., 20 Aug. 1914; went
to France with the 4th Battn., 6 Sept.; took part in the fighting at
Septmouts near Soissons, 14 Sept.; joined the 1st Battn. at Venizel,
but returned to the 4th Battn. at Courcelles, 1 Oct.; took part in
the march from the Aisne to Vieille-Chapelle, and the battle there,
12–15 Oct. where he was the only officer in his coy. not wounded, and
died at Bethune, 21 Oct. 1914, of wounds received in action two miles
from Aubers while commanding his coy. in the front line of trenches,
the previous day, during the First Battle of Ypres. Buried in Bethune
Cemetery. His Colonel wrote: “He was such a promising boy, and we were
all proud of him and shall miss him much.” Another officer wrote: “I
can tell you all ranks were very sorry, as he was a brave soldier
and was a great favourite with all, and likely to have a bright army
career.” A wounded soldier who was in the trenches with Lieut. de
Courcy-Williams said that he frequently exposed himself to danger while
exhorting his men not to waste ammunition, but to shoot straight. He
was fatally wounded while aiming a rifle in the trenches trying to get
a sniper who was picking off his men, and his last words were, “Men,
give it them.”
[Illustration: =A. de Courcy-Williams.=]
=WILLIAMSON, ALBERT JOHN=, Stoker, 1st Class, Ch. 154287, R.F.R.,
B. 1366, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North
Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; _m._
=WILLIAMSON, DAVID MILLAR=, Petty Officer, 216842, H.M.S. Hogue;
lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=WILLIAMSON, FREDERICK=, Stoker, 1st Class, 302086, H.M.S. Good
Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=WILLIAMSON, PETER=, Private, No. 881, 12th Battn. 3rd Brigade,
1st Division, Australian Imperial Force, _s._ of Matthew
Williamson, of Ollaberry, Shetland; Seaman; _b._ Edinburgh,
29 March, 1891; educ. Ollaberry, and Lerwick, Shetland; went to
Australia; volunteered on the outbreak of war and joined Commonwealth
Expeditionary Force, Aug. 1914; left for Egypt with the main force in
Oct.; went to the Dardanelles, and died on board H.M.S. Delta, 9 Aug.
1915, of wounds received in action there. Buried at sea. He _m._
at Edinburgh, Jessie, dau. of (--) Sutherland, of Latheron, Crofter,
and had three children: Peter, _b._ ----; Lizzie, _b._ 5 Jan.
1893, and Maggie, _b._ 30 Nov. 1894.
=WILLIAMSON, ROBERT=, Private, No. 14054, 1st Battn. Royal Scots
(Lothian Regt.) served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.;
killed in action at Voorstraat, 30 Jan. 1915.
=WILLIAMSON, ROBERT HAMILTON=, 2nd Lieut., 118th Heavy Battery,
Royal Garrison Artillery, only surv. _s._ of Dr. George
Williamson, of 256, Union Street, Aberdeen, by his wife, Constance,
dau. of A. H. Gunn; _b._ Stonehaven, co. Kincardine, 27 Sept.
1893; educ. Glenalmond, and was gazetted 2nd Lieut. 3rd (City of
Aberdeen) Battery, 1st Highland Brigade, R.F.A. (T.F.), June, 1911,
and promoted Lieut. ... June, 1913. After being attd. for a year to
a Regular Battery of Field Artillery, he gained a commission in the
Royal Garrison Artillery at the Military Competitive Examination in
April, 1914, and was gazetted to the 118th Heavy Battery, R.G.A., 10
June following. He left for France early in Nov. 1914, and died in the
Allied Force Base Hospital, Boulogne, 27 Dec. 1914, of wounds received
at Fauquissart, near Laventie, on the 6th, while making a sketch of the
enemy’s position for his battery from an advanced observation post in a
ruined church tower; _unm._ Buried Allenvale Cemetery, Aberdeen.
The commanding officer, 8th Brigade of Heavy Artillery, in which he
served, wrote: “I had a great personal liking for him and thought
very highly of him, both professionally and as regards his general
disposition and demeanour with his other brother officers and the men,
who all liked him;” and the officer commanding his battery wrote: “I
shall never forget your boy, either for his own personal qualities or
for what he had done for the battery.”
[Illustration: =Robert H. Williamson.=]
=WILLINGALE, SIDNEY GEORGE=, Petty Officer (N.S.), 197386, H.M.S.
Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=WILLIS, GEORGE=, Private, R.M.L.I., Po./12561, H.M.S. Good Hope;
lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=WILLIS, THOMAS=, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 3672), 160183, H.M.S.
Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=WILLIS, WILLIAM BRIAN DE LAVAL=, Corpl., No. 12289, 3rd Auckland
Regt. (Countess of Ranfurly’s Own), New Zealand Expeditionary Force,
eldest _s._ of the Ven. William Newcombe de Laval Willis, formerly
for 35 years Vicar of Cambridge and Archdeacon of Waikato, New Zealand,
by his wife, Mary Agnes, dau. of the late G. H. Clarke, of Micheldever,
Hants, England; _b._ the Vicarage, Cambridge, New Zealand, 17
May, 1888; educ. the Cambridge District High School and St. John’s
Collegiate School, Auckland; entered the Survey Department of the New
Zealand Government in Feb. 1906. When war broke out in Aug. 1914, he
obtained leave to temporarily resign his post and enlisted as a Private
in the 3rd Auckland Regt., of which he was immediately made Corpl. He
left New Zealand with the First Expeditionary Force 16 Oct. 1914, took
part in the repulse of the Turkish attack on the Suez Canal in Feb.
1915, and in the landing at Gaba Tepe on April 25 and for 10 days was
in the thick of the fight. On May 5 when re-embarking with 400 others
for Cape Helles he was shot in the lungs. After considerable delay he
reached Alexandria on 10 May, but died at the Deaconess Hospital there
two days later; _unm._ He was buried in the Military Cemetery at
Alexandria. His Colonel (Plugge) was near him when wounded, and helped
temporarily to dress his wounds. Writing subsequently, he described
him as “an ideal soldier, and as plucky as could be,” and said also
that “he had done magnificent work.” One of his comrades wrote: “You
would feel proud if you could hear the way all his men spoke of him,
and they all said the same.” The Prime Minister of New Zealand writing
as Minister of Lands said, “As an officer of the Lands and Survey
Department he showed the greatest promise, and his assiduity to his
responsible duties occasions a great loss not only to the Public
Service, but also to the Dominion.” The Under-Secretary wrote also “His
record in the Department was of the highest.” In the district in which
he was last engaged in survey work, a public movement was made, and a
memorial brass erected in the Manganui Hospital, and a number of beds
attached to the Memorial.
[Illustration: =W. B. De Laval Willis.=]
=WILLS, GEORGE EDWARD LEONARD=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 11282,
H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15
Oct. 1914.