Name
William George Knight
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
31/07/1917
34
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
266619
Hertfordshire Regiment
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
Panel 54 and 56.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial, 4 Co' Hertfordshire Reg' Territorials’ Memorial, Hitchin, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour (Book), Hitchin, St Mary the Virgin Church Memorial, Little Wymondley, Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford
Pre War
William was born in 1883, in Shepreth, Cambridgeshire. The son of William Henry Knight and Harriett Knight.
The 1911 census recorded William aged 28; a boarder at Mrs Ann Deamer’s a widow, in Little Wymondley. His occupation is given as a Farm labourer. (Also boarding there was Mrs Deamer’s nephew William Barker. They both enlisted together with the service numbers 4992 & 4998.
William Baker was Killed in Action on the 28th April 1917).
Wartime Service
William enlisted in Hertford in July 1915; he was posted to the Hertfordshire Regiment, formerly with the service number 4998 in 4 Company of the Regiment, then 266619.
On completion of his training he was sent to France in April 1917. He took part in several engagements with the Hertfordshire Regiment and was reported missing after the engagement at St. Julien in the Ypres Salient and was believed to have been killed in action.
On the day of his death, the 1st Herts were cut to pieces by shot and shell at St. Julien in the Ypres Salient.
They had marched from Vlamertinge to their assembly position arriving by midnight on the 30th/31st July 1917. A general bombardment of the German lines commenced at 3.45am on the 31st July and the Hertfordshires left their assembly position at 5.00am and captured St. Julien during the morning.
Unfortunately, the promised supporting artillery barrage did not materialise as the guns could not be brought up due to the all-prevailing mud. By noon the Herts had crossed the Steenbeck stream and had come across unbroken wire that prevented any further advance.
The German artillery and machine-guns decimated them and by the end of the day the Herts had virtually ceased to exist. Over half the fighting strength of the Battalion, including most of the officers, were killed or wounded in a single day.
Acknowledgments
Stuart Osborne, David C Baines, Jonty Wild
