Name
(Thomas) William Everett
2/06/1890
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
23/08/1918
28
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
12208
Bedfordshire Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
VIS-EN-ARTOIS MEMORIAL
Panel 4 and 5.
France
Headstone Inscription
He has no Headstone.
UK & Other Memorials
Watford Borough Roll of Honour, St John the Baptist Church Memorial, Aldenham, St John the Baptist Church Roll of Honour, Aldenham, Letchmore Heath Village Memorial, Not on the Bushey memorials.
Pre War
Born on 2 June 1890 in Hockliffe, Bedfordshire, Thomas William Everett was the son of William and Anna (née Davison) Everett.
His parents married 10 May 1887 at All Saints, West Ham, Essex. William died 1932 in Aldenham aged 75, and was buried 5 July at St John the Baptist, Aldenham; Anna died 1933 in Radlett, Herts, aged 80, and was buried 31 August, also at St John the Baptist.
Thomas was born 2 June 1890 in Hockliffe, Beds [not Bushey, Herts], and attended first Beechen Grove Infants’ School, Watford; then Beechen Grove Board School from 10 January 1898 to 4 March 1901.
On the 1891 Census, Thomas was 10 months old and living at The Grange Farm, Bushey with William (age 34 and employed as a carter), Anna (age 38) and his sister Ethel (age 3). The birthplaces in Suffolk for his family members are Polsted for William, Heveningham for Anna and Witnesham for Ethel.
At the 1901 Census, he was 10 and living in Letchmore Heath, Aldenham with his parents, his sister Ethel and a younger brother, James Tracy (age 8) who had been born in Bushey. His father was now working as a foreman on a farm.
By the time of the 1911 Census, Thomas was 20, working as a shepherd, and still living in Aldenham with his parents and brother James Tracy. His father was a cowman and his brother a carter.
He resided in Watford.
Wartime Service
Thomas enlisted at Watford, Herts, posted to the Bedfordshire Regiment with the service number 12208. He arrived in France on 30 July 1915.
He was Killed in Action on 23 August 1918, at the Second Battle of Bapaume (Part of the Second Battle of The Somme (1918) ). Thomas with his Battalion moved to the Front-Line Trench at Achiet Le Petit and attacked the German front line at 11am. All objectives were taken, but the Battalion suffered heavy casualties to heavy Machin Gun fire, Thomas being one of them.
Thomas has no know grave, he is commemorated on the CWGC Vis-En-Artois Memorial to the missing in France.
Additional Information
The value of his effects were £23-9s-5d, Pay Owing and £18-10s-0d, War Gratuity which went to his father William Everett. There is an article about Thomas in the West Herts and Watford Observer dated 21 September 1918; plus an In Memoriam in the issue dated 23 August 1919. Unfortunately, Thomas’ Service Record appears to be one that did not survive the World War Two bombing.
Acknowledgments
Andrew Palmer, Stuart Osborne
Dianne Payne - www.busheyworldwarone.org.uk, Jonty Wild, Sue Carter (Research) and Watford Museum (ROH on line via www.ourwatfordhistory.org.uk)
