Name
William Donald Wilkinson
30 September 1896
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
14/11/1916
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Second Lieutenant
Essex Regiment
5th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 10 D.
France
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial, St Mary's Church Memorial, Hemel Hempstead, Skinners School War Memorial, Tunbridge Wells
Pre War
William Donald Wilkinson (known as Donald) was born at 82 Inderwick Road, Hornsey, Middlesex on 30 September 1896, the youngest son of Frederick and Anne Wilkinson and one of eight children.
On the 1901 Census the family were living in Elstree Village, nr Barnet, Herts. His father was Clerk to the Missionary Society, an organisation founded in 1799 committed to the abolition of the slave trade, social reform in UK and world evangelisation.
He and his brother Alec were sent to Skinners School in Tunbridge Wells as boarders from 1906. He spent seven years at Skinners and was an accomplished spsortsman, playing for the school 1st X1 at football and cricket and, after being Games Secretary in 1911, he was made School Captain. He was also a member of the Hemel Hempstead Swimming Club when he was home for the holidays.
By 1911 the family were living at Warlingham near Croydon and Donald was in full time education. The family then moved back to Hemel Hempstead and lived at George Street.
He was academically gifted and left Skinners in 1913 with a Hunt and Atwell Exhibition (University Scholarship) from the school, worth £35 a year for three years.
His parents later lived at 60 Bassett Road, Kensington, West London.
Wartime Service
Donald had been a Sergeant in the Officers' Training Corps at school and enlisted in the 28th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Artists' Rifles) in London on 5 October 1915, just after his 19th birthday. He was recommended for a commission with the 3/5th Battalion, Essex Regiment and accepted the commission, being posted 5 months later and arriving in France on 3 June 1916.
He was subsequently transferred to the 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment and fought at the Somme, seeing significant action at the Battle of Transloy.
He was declared missing, later confirmed as killed in action on 14 November 1916, aged 20, during the Battle of Ancre. He has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.
Additional Information
His father received a war gratuity of £5 and pay owing of £46 8s 7d. Brother to Ernest Alexander Wilkinson who served as 2nd Lt with the Leicestershire Regiment and was killed on 25 September 1915. Two other brothers Frederick and Felix fought with the Canadian Army and survived the war.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, www.dacorumheritage.org.uk.,www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk., www.hemelheroes.com.
