Name
William Chalkley
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
30/04/1915
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
3034
Hertfordshire Regiment
1st Bn.
4 Coy.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
GUARDS CEMETERY, WINDY CORNER, CUINCHY
I. G. 13.
France
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial, 4 Co' Hertfordshire Reg' Territorials’ Memorial, Hitchin, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour, Hitchin, Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford
Pre War
He was born in 1893 April. He was the son of Walter and Alice Chalkley.
In 1901 the family were living at 9 Thorpe Yard, Queen Street, Hitchin. Present were parents: Walter (40) and Alice (36), with Walter working as a local road labourer. Their children were: William (8), Frank (6), Frederick (2) and Kate (1).
By 1911 the family were still living at the same address. Present were both parents, Walter now listed as a general labourer. The census recorded they had been married for 26 years with 13 children, but 5 had died. Of the children listed above William, Frank, Frederick and Kate were Emma (22), Kate (11), Bernard (9), Ellen E (6) and Jesse (1).
Officially William was recorded as born and living in Hitchin, when he enlisted in Hertford.
Wartime Service
William enlisted on 10 September 1914, his Regimental Number was 3034 and was with the Regiment by the 19th September 1914.. So he was not a pre-war Herts Territorial. After training he went abroad on 22 January 1915,
At the time of his death the Herts were in the region of Cuinchy and Bethune in the 2nd Division engaged in the trench routines of digging and repairing, putting up wire, sometimes in the front line and sometimes in support or in reserve. William was killed in action.
He is buried in Plot 1, Row G, Grave 13 in the Guards Cemetery, Cuinchy, France.
His death was recorded in a letter home from Company Sergeant Major A P Langford to a friend on May 2nd, 1915: "We are still in the same district, and go up to the trenches every 48 hours, and then back for 48 hours. We returned yesterday after 72 hours in the trenches, having had a lot of bad luck. In the firing line we lost one man, Private W. Chalkley, of Queen Street, Hitchin, who was shot through the head and died before they could get him to a dressing station."
Additional Information
His pension cards record Alice Chalkley his mother as his dependant, living at 71 Queen Street, Hitchin. No weekly pension was awarded but a war gratuity was awarded 27 April 1916, of 6s 6d a week from 13 May 1919.
After his death £5 5s 11d was authorised to go to his father on 3 August 1915 and later a war gratuity of £3 was authorised to be paid to him on 14 August 1919.
William’s Death Plaque and scroll was sent to Mrs A Chalkley at 71 Queen Street, Hitchin on 23 June 1919, and his personal effects to his father at Titmore Cottage, Queen Street on 14 August 1919. Possibly the same house although it is known that Alice died and afterwards the address was changed to Walter (father) and the address updated to Titmore Cottage, Queen Street, Hitchin.
Acknowledgments
Adrian Dunne, David C Baines, Jonty Wild
