Name
Walter William Flanders
1895
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
19/11/1914
19
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
2426
Hertfordshire Regiment
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 (Mons) Star, British War and Victory Medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
Panel 54 and 56.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
NA
UK & Other Memorials
Letchworth Town Memorial, Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford
Pre War
Walter William Flanders was born in 1895 to Edward Giles Flanders, mariner, and Sarah Ann (nee Docking).
On the 1891 Census the family of parents, Agnes (born 1879), Emma (born 1885), Edward (born 1887), Ellen (born 1888) and Robert (born 1891) were living at Goat yard, South Lynn Plain, Kings Lynn.
His mother died in 1897.
On the 1901 Census Walter is registered in the Union Workhouse, Extons Road, Kings Lynn with his siblings, Edward, Ellen, Robert and Valentine (born 1893).
His father died in 1913.
On the 1911 Census Walter was an errand boy for a jeweller and was living with his elder sister Ellen and brother Valentine (errand boy for chemist) at Hollington Square, Kings Lynn.
Lived at 2 Ridge Road, Letchworth with his sister who had married Herbert Large.
Wartime Service
No Service Record was found for Walter. He enlisted as a Territorial Soldier in the Hertfordshire Regiment as Private 2426, his service number suggests sometime shortly after the outbreak of the Great War in Aug 1914. He volunteered for Foreign Service and went to France with the Battalion on 6 Nov 1914, in the 4th(Guards) Brigade, 2 Division. The Battalion moved forward to Ypres by 11 Nov taking part in the 1st Battle of Ypres (19 Oct-22 Nov 1914) and by 17 Nov were in trenches at Zillebeke. E Company were heavily shelled on 19 Nov losing 3 men killed, 19 wounded before the Battalion was relieved that evening. Walter was one of those killed on 19 Nov 1914, His remains were not recovered and he is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres.
Additional Information
War Gratuity of £3 was paid to his sister Agnes and his arrears were shared between his siblings Robert, Sarah, Agnes, Emma and Ellen.
Brother of Valentine Thomas Flanders, L/Cpl 14163 Bedfordshire Regiment, killed in action 12 Apr 1917.
He is mentioned in the story of William Sell, which can be found here in the Archive at: Archive - Hertfordshire Men & Women - Individuals Stories - William Sell (MM) - Biography Include others from the Herts Reg
Acknowledgments
Neil Cooper
Dan Hill, Janet Capstick, Jonty Wild
