Name
William Davey
10 May 1884
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
11/07/1916
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
7288
Bedfordshire Regiment
2nd Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 (Mons) Star, British War and Victory Medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
QUARRY CEMETERY, MONTAUBAN
I. G. 4.
France
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
Berkhamsted Town Memorial, St Peter's Church Memorial, Berkhamsted, Tring Town Memorial, St Peter & St Paul Church Roll of Honour, Tring
Pre War
William Davey was born in Tring on 10 May 1884 (baptised in Tring on 17 Aug 1890) to Charles Davey, labourer, and Elizabeth (nee Timms).
On the 1891 Census William was living with his aunt and uncle, Henry and Eunice Adams at 2, Westwood Lane, Berkhamsted By the 1901 Census he was living at 34, Alma Place, Tring with his widowed mother and younger brother Arthur Henry (born 1894). Their mother was working as a charwoman and William was working as a farm labourer.
William attested on 15 Aug 1902 for the Bedfordshire Regiment as Private 4353 and after 49 days of Drill on 3 Oct 1902 was deemed to have joined the Regiment. No Details are available for his peace time service but it was likely to have been 7 years the Colours and 5 years on reserve.
William married Elizabeth Dealey on 23 Jan 1909 in Tring, Herts and on the 1911 Census was living at 3 Alma Place, Frogmore Street, Tring with his wife and three children. He was then working as a sewage labourer and his wife was working in a marine stores.
The eldest children, Stanley (born 1904) and sister Ethel, (born 1908) were born before the marriage. They had a further two daughters Alice (born 1910) and Ellen (born 1914).
His widow gave her address as 8 The Wilderness, Berkhamsted on pension records.
Wartime Service
No Service Record was found for William. He was probably on Reserve at the outbreak of the Great War, being recalled and went to France on 26 Aug 1914 to join 1st Battalion in the field. At sometime he was transferred to 2nd Battalion. This Battalion had been in South Africa until recalled and sent to France in Oct 1914.
By 1916 the 2nd Battalion were in in the Somme Sector and on 1st Jul took part in the capture of Montauban during the Battle of Albert . By 11 Jul they took part in a renewed assault of Trones Wood which was successful. However, William was wounded and reported killed in action on 11 Jul 1916. His remains was recovered at the end of the war and reinterred in Quarry Cemetery, Montauban, France.
From the Bucks Herald, 19th August 1916:
“Private William Davey of the Bedfordshires, was a married man with a young family, and was serving ‘somewhere in France.’ His friends received an official intimation that he was wounded on July 11, and further particulars were promised later. No further official news has come to hand, but another Tring man belonging to the same regiment writing to his friends, refers to Davey’s casualty, and adds that as he was being removed to the dressing station, Davey was struck by a shell and killed. As nothing has been heard from Private Davey for six weeks, his family naturally fear the worst, especially as he was a most regular correspondent. A younger brother, Arthur Davey, is also serving with the Bedfordshires, and was badly wounded on the same day as William. Though the two brothers have been near each other in France for some time, they have never met out there. Whenever the one’s company was in the trenches, the other’s was resting.”
Additional Information
His widow, Elizabeth, received a war gratuity of £4 10s 0d and pay owing of £1 18s 11d. She also received a pension of 12s 6d a week for herself and her children, rising to £1 6s 3d. In 1917 Elizabeth remarried to Walter Sells, a soldier with the 7th Bedfords, and received a gratuity of £35 15s.
William's brother, Arthur, also served in the Bedfordshire Regiment, enlisting on 20 Aug 1914 but was discharged on 7 Marc 1917 as being no longer physically fit for war service. having suffered a gun shot wound to the spine in July 1916.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer, Neil Cooper
Jonty Wild
