Name
William Thomas Brown
1876
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
05/05/1916
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
4/6392
Bedfordshire Regiment
2nd Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 (Mons) Star, British War and Victory Medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
KENSAL GREEN (ALL SOULS') CEMETERY
213. 7. 13. (Screen Wall.).
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
MAY HE REST IN PEACE
UK & Other Memorials
All Saints' Church Memorial(s), Hockerill, Bishop's Stortford Town Memorial
Pre War
William Thomas Brown was born in Hatfield Broad Oak, Essex in 1892 to Samuel Brown, an agricultural labourer, and Emily or Emma (nee Brett).
On the 1901 Census, the family the family of parents, Alfred (an agricultural labourer born 1878), Elizabeth (born 1881), Louisa (born 1883), Laura (born 1885), Jane (born 1888), William, Frederick (born 1894) were living in Sheering Street, Sheering, Essex.
His parents, Alfred, Elizabeth, Louisa, Henry, Jane, Martha and Frederick were living at Elm Grove in Bishop's Stortford by the 1911 Census.
Wartime Service
William enlisted at Bishop's Stortford as Private 4 /6392, territorial soldier, in the 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. This may have been some time in 1911 (serial 6267 issued in Jan 1910 and 6602 in Dec 1911), there is no confirmation as no Service Record was found for William.
William went to France on 2 Nov 1914 in a draft of other ranks arriving at his posting to 2nd Battalion in their position near Ypres on 7 Nov 1914. He probably took part in 1st Ypres 19 Oct -22 Nov 1914, Battles of Neuve Chappele, Aubers, Festubert and Loos in 1915. In Dec 1915 the Battalion moved to 30 Division, as newly arrived from UK, to provide an experienced unit. William was repatriated to UK and was reported to have died of wounds at the National Hospital Bloomsbury on 5 May 1916. A local newspaper reporting his death recorded that he received his wounded on 10 March 1915.
Additional Information
His father Samuel received a War Gratuity of £7 10s and arrears of £36 17s 2d. His mother ordered his headstone inscription, while living at 1 Elm Grove, Bishop's Stortford, ordered his headstone inscription: "MAY HE REST IN PEACE".
Brother to Alfred Brown who died on 27 Jul 1916 and who is commemorated on Bishops Stortford and Hockerill Memorials
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer, Neil Cooper
Jonty Wild
