Name
William Walter Sears
1862
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
LEVERSTOCK GREEN (HOLY TRINITY) CHURCHYARD, HEMEL HEMPSTEAD
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
St John the Evangelist Church Memorial, Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial, Leverstock Green Village Memorial
Pre War
William Walter Sears was born 26 March 1862 in Leverstock Green, the son of William and Elizabeth Sears, and baptised there on 4 April 1862.
The family moved to Hornsey when he was about 10 years old and he went to live with his grandmother, Sarah Sears, in Highfield Cottages, next to Yew Tree Farm.
He married Emma Cull from Paddington, London in August 1883 at St Paul's Church. She had been working as a laundry maid at Highfield House in Highfield Lane,
By 1891 Census, William and Emma and their three children were living at Rectory Road, Hornsey and William was working as a joiner and carpenter. Emma died in 1899 and William returned to Hemel Hempstead and married Margaret Sears on 15 August 1900 at St Paul's Church, Hemel Hempstead. She had been living with her family at Yew Tree Farm on the 1881 Census, next door to William and his grandmother.
On the 1901 Census, William was a grocer and carpenter, and running the Leverstock Green post office. William and Margaret had six more children by the time of enlistment.
Wartime Service
He enlisted, aged 40, on the 25 September 1915 at Chatham and served with the 9th Field Company, Royal Engineers under reg. no. 121303. He served at home from 25 September 1915 and embarked for France on 14 March 1916.
He suffered from a splinter wound to the eye and was hospitalised in London in October 1916 when he also was suffering from pains to the stomach. He had received a blow to the stomach in a trench in France which initially seemed trivial, but had become very severe. He also lost a lot of weight, weighing only 8 stone 10lbs but had weighed more than 13 stone on enlistment. He lost the sight to his left eye because of the splinter and was discharged on 19 June 1917 as permanently unfit.
He received a Silver Badge no. 207918 and received a pension of 13s 9d a week for 52 weeks.
He died at home of stomach cancer in January 1918 and is buried in Leverstock Green churchyard.
Additional Information
His widow received a war gratuity of £7 10s.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, dacorumheritage.org.uk, hemelatwar.org, google.com/site/leverstockgreenwarmemorial,
