Name
William Hollett Hale
1877
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
20/09/1917
40
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
201991
Bedfordshire Regiment
2nd Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
TYNE COT MEMORIAL
Panel 48 to 50 and 162A.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
Bishop's Stortford Town Memorial, Holy Trinity Church Memorial, Bishop's Stortford
Pre War
William Hollett Hale was born in 1877 in Bishop's Stortford to Casper and Sarah Hall. The family were living at Gravel Pit Hill in Bishop's Stortford on the 1891 Census and his father was working as a painter & glazier. He had become a beerhouse keeper by 1901, when they were living at Back Row, Bishop's Stortford (Sawyer’s Arms) and William was working as a butcher. On the 1911 Census, William was living at 31 Oak Street, (The Sawyers Arms) Bishop's Stortford, with his widowed mother and siblings Ernest, Ethel and Albert. His mother had taken over the role of public (beerhouse keeper) following his father's death in 1905 and William was assisting her in the business.
(N.B. Back Row later became Oak Street, hence the Sawyer’s Arms apparently being in two different places)
Wartime Service
He enlisted at Bishop’s Stortford and served in the 2nd Bn Bedfordshire Regiment.
On the morning of 20 September 1917, zero hour 5.40 am, the Battalion, positioned near Wytschaete, Belgium, carried out 2 minor operations in conjunction with the 2nd and 5th Armies, the aim of which was to collect information, capture prisoners and machine guns and damage dug-outs. They were accompanied by a party of 8 Royal Engineers with blasting charges. Unfortunately, they were pinned down with heavy fire from machine guns and rifles which made further advance and return impossible. Several of the party were wounded and remained in shell holes the whole day only returning about 9.00 pm to their own line. But not all returned, more than 13 were killed, more than 8 were missing and 19 wounded. William was amongst the missing on that day as his body was not recovered for burial and he is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Additional Information
His mother Sarah received a war gratuity of £5 and pay owing of £4 11s 1d. Mrs Amelia Hale received 15s 2d "at request of Bro Ernest". His mother also received a pension of 7s a week from 4.2.19.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
