Name
Alick Hawkins
6 March 1880
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
09/04/1917
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
10111
Wiltshire Regiment
2nd Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
ARRAS MEMORIAL
Bay 7.
France
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
We are not aware of any Two Waters memorial
Pre War
Alick Hawkins was born on 6 March 1880 in Two Waters, Apsley, Herts, the son of George and Emma Hawkins, and one of eight children.
On the 1881 Census the family were living at Frogmore Crescent, Hemel Hempstead, Herts where his father was working as a Coachman and his mother as a Card Worker. By 1891 they had moved to 7 Ann's Place, St George's Hanover Square, Knightsbridge, London where his father was working as a Coachman (Domestic Servant). The family remained in the same area in 1901 but Alick had moved to Colchester and was a boarder at the home of Angelo and Ellen Hairs at 89 Bull Road, and working as a Groom.
By the time of the 1911 Census Alick (Alec) was sharing accommodation with two domestic servants at The Stables, Embley Park, Hampshire and working as a Groom. (Embley Park, near Romsey, Hampshire, was the family home of Florence Nightingale).
Officially recorded as born Apsley (believed to be more accurately Two Waters) and living in Chelsea when he enlisted there.
Wartime Service
Alick enlisted in Chelsea, London and served with the 2nd Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment.
He was sent to France on 23 February 1915 and would have seen action at the Battle of Neuve Chappelle in March, followed by the Battle of Festubert. The Battalion spent many months in trenches before the Battle of Loos in September 1915. They started 1916 in the area of Amiens, followed by action at Montauban and Trones Wood in July. They ended the year south of Arras after being involved in attacks in the Somme area.
The 2nd Battalion spent the first three months around Arras and Alick was killed in action during the attack on the Hindenburg Line on 9 April 1917. Very few men reached the objective and those that did found that the German wire was undamaged.
He has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, France.
Additional Information
His father received a war gratuity of £12 and pay owing of £17 13s 3d. Brother to Herbert Hawkins of the Cameron Highlanders Reg. no. 6578 and George Hawkins of the Wiltshire Regiment Reg. no. 10701 who both died in 1914. His father received a pension in respect of all three sons, but the amount of pension on record cards is not clear. N.B. There is another Hawkins family who also lost three sons, George, Alfred and Herbert, who all served with the Wiltshire Regiment.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, www.the wardrobe.org.uk (The Rifles, Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum)
