Name
William Daniel Ratcliffe
1893
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
30/10/1918
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
201356
Bedfordshire Regiment
1st/5th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
ALEXANDRIA (HADRA) WAR MEMORIAL CEMETERY
E. 100.
Egypt
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
Not on the Hemel Hempstead town memorial
Pre War
William Daniel Ratcliffe (known as Dan) was born in 1893 in Hemel Hempstead, the son of Thomas and Anne Ratcliffe, and one of eight children.
On the 1901 Census the family were living at 6 Edmond Place, Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead, where his father was working as a harness maker and saddler on his own account. His mother died in April 1901, aged 40.
Dan left school in 1907 and by the time of the 1911 Census he was living with his widowed father and siblings Annie and Albert at 19 Austins Place, Hemel Hempstead at which time Dan was working as a farm labourer at Wards End Farm. His younger sister Hilda, who was only 3 years old when their mother died, was living with his aunt and uncle, Daniel and Emily Preston, in Berkhamsted, Herts in 1911. They had no children of their own. Another sister, Esther was a visitor at the home of George and Sophia Beesley, of Hammerfield, Hemel Hempstead and gave her occupation as pianist.
His father later lived at 6 Union Square, Hemel Hempstead and died in February 1926.
Wartime Service
Dan was one of the earliest volunteers from Hemel Hempstead when he enlisted into the Bedfordshire Regiment initially under reg. no. 5992, (later changed to 201356). He was posted to the 5th Battalion and sent to Bury St Edmunds for basic training. In January 1915 the 5th Battalion was designated as the 1/5th Battalion and moved to St Albans.
At the end of 1915 he was posted to Egypt where he landed in January 1916 as part of reinforcements for the Battalion which had suffered heavy losses at Gallipoli. The Battalion were then guarding the Suez Canal for the next year and joined the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in March 1917 to advance through Palestine. He fought in all the major actions of 1917 and 1918 until he fell ill in October 1918, when he was diagnosed with pneumonia, and immediately treated, at the 17th General Hospital at Abassia in Cairo, where he died of the illness on 30 October 1918, aged 24. He is buried at Alexandra (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt.
(N.B. More men died from disease and illness in the Middle East campaign than as a result of enemy fire).
Additional Information
His father received a war gratuity of £19 10s and £19 14s 2d pay owing. He also received a pension of 8s 4d a week.
Register of soldiers effects incorrectly gives his name as William David Ratcliffe.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, www.hemelheroes.com., www.hemelatwar.org.
