Name
William Anning
8 September 1896
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
25/10/1918
27
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
69017
Canadian Infantry (New Brunswick Regiment)
26th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Searched but not found
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
ETAPLES MILITARY CEMETERY
LXVII.L.11
France
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
Not on the Digswell memorials,
Pre War
William Anning was born on 8 September 1889 in Digswell, Welwyn, Herts, the son of John and Adelaide Anning and baptised in Digswell on 6 October 1889.
On the 1901 Census he was living with his family at The Street, Wateringbury, Kent where his father was a Greengrocer/Shopkeeper.
He emigrated to Canada with his brother Sidney in 1910. Left Liverpool on 15 April and arrived on 22 April in Halifax, Nova Scotia on the Victorian. He lived in St Andrew's, New Brunswick and worked as a chauffeur. His parents also emigrated to Canada.
Wartime Service
He attested on 18 November 1914 at St John, Nova Scotia, Canada and was described as 5ft 4½ in tall with blue eyes and light coloured hair and initially served with the 28th Dragoons for 2 months.
He arrived in England on the SS Caledonia on 24 June then transferred to Boulogne on 15 September 1915. He was admitted to the General Hospital in Etaples in February 1916 with a gunshot wound to the head but recovered and rejoined his unit on 2 March. He was given 8 days leave in May and was seconded as batman to Captain McCavity of the 2nd Army for a month in July 1916.
He returned to duty on 29 June 1916. William was admitted to hospital on 22 October but died three days later from pneumonia, said to be aggravated by active service conditions, at the hospital in Etaples.
Additional Information
In his will he bequeathed everything to his mother who was then living at Algonguin Garage, St Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. N.B. his attestation papers gives his birth as 8 September 1890, but GRO and baptism records show it as 1899.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Brenda Palmer
