Name
William Henry Hannell
1 Dec 1899
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
13/10/1918
18
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
49521
Essex Regiment
9th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
DOUAI BRITISH CEMETERY, CUINCY
F. 11.
France
Headstone Inscription
No Report
UK & Other Memorials
Borehamwood Town Memorial, All Saints Church Memorial, Borehamwood, Not on the Elstree memorials
Pre War
William Henry was born in Elstree on 1 Dec 1899, the only son of William Hannell, a labourer, and Annie Elizabeth (nee Roffe).
On the 1901 Census was living at 5 Reservoir Cottages with his Parents and elder sister Gladys. On the 1911 Census the family were now at 5 Fishery Cottage Elstree and had been joined by two more sisters, Esther and Elsie. Henry’s parents later lived at 11, Glenhaven Avenue, Borehamwood.
Wartime Service
William Henry Initially enlisted as Private 53460, Suffolk Regiment and was later transferred to 9th Battalion, Essex Regiment as Private 49521. The 9th Essex as a Unit of the 12 (Eastern) Division were involved in the stage of the war named the Final Advance into Artois which began on 6/7th 1918 as the German Army was withdrawing. A general advance began through Drocourt, Mericourt and Billy-Montigny (east of Lens), in which the strong Drocourt-Queant Line was occupied by the 12 (Eastern) Division. The advance had now assumed the characteristics of open warfare: the trenches were of the past and this battle became one of pursuit, communications and logistics. It was during this period that William Henry was killed in action on 13 Oct 1918.
On 17th May 2001 the Watford Observer published the following article:
“On November 29, 1918, a sergeant put pencil to paper and sent a thoughtful letter to the grieving mother of a 18-year-old private from his platoon, who had been killed. Private William Henry Hannell, from Borehamwood's Glenhaven Avenue, who had lied about his age to be admitted to the army, had been killed while his platoon of the 9th Battalion Essex Regiment had been capturing a slack heap.
In his letter to William's mother, Sergeant H Crane said: "I must say, he was one of the best fellows one could wish to have, everyone liked him and they were all very sorry to know he was killed. About 10.30 on the morning of the 13th October, my platoon was ordered to take a slack heap. "We had just about finished the job when I am sorry to say your son was shot through the head by a machine gun bullet and died in a few seconds. We have passed the place since and have seen he has a wooden cross erected on his grave, which is with three more of his chums, on a canal bank by the village of Courcelles and close near the Sagan factory.
We all hope this will help to console you, knowing he gave his life as a soldier for King and Country, and did not suffer pain."
Additional Information
War Gratuity of £3 and arrears of £4 0s 9d was paid to his mother.
Acknowledgments
Taff Williams, Neil Cooper
Jonty Wild
