Name
William Richard Pollard
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
18/06/1915
24
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
4/6771
Bedfordshire Regiment
2nd Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
LILLERS COMMUNAL CEMETERY
II.C.44
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Bushey Town Memorial, St James’ Church Memorial, Bushey, Bushey Congregational Church Memorial, Not on the Rickmansworth memorials
Pre War
Born in Rickmansworth in the second quarter of 1891, William Richard Pollard was the son of Robert and Martha Jane (nee Green) Pollard. His parents were married in the first quarter of 1883 in the registration district of Windsor.
At the 1901 Census, William was 9 years old and living with his parents and three siblings in Parsonage Road, Rickmansworth. His father and mother were 40 and 38 years old respectively and his father was working as a general labourer. Their birthplaces are given as Bray and Windsor, both of which are in Berkshire. His siblings Walter, James and Alice and were 12, 7 and 7 years old respectively and their birthplaces were Epsom in Surrey for Walter and Rickmansworth for James and Alice.
Martha Jane died, aged 43, in the third quarter of 1907, the death being recorded in the Watford registration district. He married Emma Gosden in the third quarter of 1908, the marriage being recorded in the Eton registration district in Buckinghamshire.
By the time of the 1911 Census, the Robert and Emma were living at 28 Park Road in Bushey and Robert was now employed as a nursery gardener. Emma is 50 years old and here birthplace is Goswell in London. Also present were Robert’s eldest son Walter, who is working as a postman, Emma’s daughter, Bessie Briginshaw, who is 20 years old and employed as a factory hand and a boarder, Edie Bull, who is working as a laundress in a laundry. William is not present with the family and it has not been possible to find where he was living.
Wartime Service
William enlisted in Watford and entered France on 11 November 1914 where he served as Private 4/6771 in the 2nd Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment. He died of wounds on 18 June 1915, aged 24, and was buried at Lillers Communal Cemetery in France. He was entitled to the British and Victory medals.
He is commemorated on the Bushey memorial, at St James’ Parish Church and at the Congregational Church in Bushey High Street.
The Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects names his father as the sole recipient of his effects and included payments of £7 12s. 8d. and a war gratuity of £3 0s. 0d. His pension record card also names his father as his dependant.
Additional Information
Dianne Payne - www.busheyworldwarone.org.uk, Jonty Wild
Acknowledgments
Andrew Palmer
Malcolm Lennox, Tanya Britton, Robert and Sally Williams
