Name
William Thomas Bysouth
1894
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
08/12/1915
22
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Lance Corporal
22427
Princess Victoria's Royal Irish Fusiliers
5th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
DOIRAN MEMORIAL
Greece
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
St Mary's Church Memorial, Reed, St Mary's Church ROH, Reed, Nuthampstead Plaque, St Mary Magdalene Church, Barkway, Not on the Barkway memorials(*1), Not on the Royston memorials
Pre War
William Thomas Bysouth was born in 1894 in Noel Cottages, Reed, Royston, Hertfordshire, the youngest son of Daniel and Georgina Bysouth (nee Hale). He was baptised on 18 March 1894 at St Mary's Church in Reed. He was one of four children but one had died in infancy.
On the 1901 Census the family were living at the Knoll, Reed where his father was working as a horsekeeper on a farm. They remained in Reed in 1911 and were recorded as living at Knoll Cottages, at which time, 17 year old William was working as a groom domestic.
His parents later lived at Mill Road, Royston, Herts and Melbourn Hill, Royston.
Wartime Service
He enlisted in Royston, Herts in August 1914, initially joining the Bedfordshire Regiment under reg. no. 13549 Bedfordshire Regiment and went for training in Felixstowe, serving in France from 9 April 1915.
He was wounded in the left shoulder in May at Ypres, returning to England and a hospital in Hammersmith for nine weeks. After recovery he was sent to Serbia on 5 November 1915 to join the Royal Irish Fusiliers, serving with the 5th Battalion and being promoted to Lance Corporal.
William was killed in action at Rocky Peak, Doiran, Salonica on 8 December 1915. He has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Doiran Memorial, Greece.
Additional Information
His father received a war gratuity of £5 and pay owing of £6 1s. Pension cards exist in respect of William and his brother Frederick with their mother as dependant but the amount of pension is unclear.
Brother of Frederick John Bysouth who died 11 June 1917 and is also listed on the listed on the Reed memorials.
*1 The memorial for the Nuthampstead men is in the church in Barkway.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Malcolm Lennox, www.roll-of-honour.com
