Name
William George Stracey *1
1900
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
15/04/1918
18
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
102614
Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment)
2nd/5th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
PLOEGSTEERT MEMORIAL
Panel 7.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
He has no Headstone. He is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial to the missing in Belgium.
UK & Other Memorials
Cheshunt Town Memorial, Christ Church (formerly Holy Trinity Church) Memorial Waltham Cross, Not on the Stanstead St. Margaret Memorials
Pre War
William George Stracey was born in Stanstead St. Margaret, Hertfordshire, in 1900, son of George Joseph Stracey a, Baker and Elizabeth Ann Stracey (nee Taylor). One of 5 children. (Elizabeth was George’s second wife who he married in March 1897, after the death of his first wife Adelaide Victoria Foxall who died in 1895, George and Adelaide had one child Margaret).
William was Baptised on 18th March 1900, at the Parish Church, Stanstead Abbotts, Herts.
1901 Census records William aged 1, living with his parents, Half-sister Margaret (8) and sister Vera (3) in, High Street, Stanstead Abbotts, Herts. The family had a Domestic Servant Eliza Rolfe.
1911 Census, George (11), is at school, living with his parents, sisters Vera (13), Ethel (7), brothers John (5) and George (1) at, Cold Hall, Station Road, Waltham Cross, Herts.
Wartime Service
William enlisted at Cheshunt, on 12th February 1917, posted to the Army Reserve the same day, mobilized for war service on 24th March 1917, and posted to the 28th Training Reserve Battalion on 26th March 1917, with the service number 9976, Transferred to the “Queens” Royal West Surrey Regiment with the service number 63674, in June 1917.
William arrived in France on 27th March 1918. He was transferred to the Sherwood Forester (Notts & Derby Regiment) with the service number 102614, a few days later on 30th March 1918. Two weeks later on 15th April 1918, he was Killed in Action, aged 18, at the time of his death the Battalion was in the area of Kemmel in Belgium, he has no known Grave, he is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial in Belgium, to the missing.
Additional Information
His mother Elizabeth received a Dependents Pension of £1-01s-01d, a week from 12, November 1918 for life.
His war gratuity of £3-10s-00d, went to his father George.
He is recorded as “STRACY” on his, Birth Registration, Baptism Record, Censuses, Medal Index card (MID), Pension Record Cards and both War Memorials, but on the Soldiers Effects and CWGC records he is “STACEY”.
His Service record has survived and is available on-line.
*1 Stacey on CWGC records but Stracey on his (William's) father's grave (George Joseph Stracey) in Cheshunt Burial Ground, on which he is also commemorated. His inscription on that headstone reads:
ALSO OF WILLIAM GEORGE
SON OF THE ABOVE (George)
KILLED IN ACTION 15TH APRIL 1918 AGED 18 YEARS
THY WILL BE DONE
Acknowledgments
Stuart Osborne
Martin Smith
