Name
William Herring
1891
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
St Mary's Church Memorial, Apsley End, Not on the Watford memorials(*1)
Pre War
It is believed that W Herring was William Herring, born in Watford in 1891, the son of William and Elizabeth Herring and one of eight children.
On the 1891 Census the family were living at Estcourt Road, Watford, where his father was working as a Labourer. They had moved to Shafford Bottom, Abbots Langley (in the parish of St Mary's, Apsley End), by 1901 and moved again in 1911 when the family were living at 11 Frogmore Crescent, Apsley, Hemel Hempstead. William was then working as a Stoker at the Apsley Paper Mill (John Dickinson & Co). The family later lived at 5 Winifred Road, Apsley Road, Hemel Hempstead by the end of the war.
Wartime Service
William served with the 6th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment under Reg. No. 12875 and rose to the rank of Lance Corporal.
After training on Salisbury Plain, the Battalion, left from Southampton on the Empress Queen on 30 July 1915, arriving at Le Havre the following day. For the rest of the year they were mostly in trenches with working parties and subjected to artillery bombardment from time to time.
In 1916 they were in action during the Battle of the Somme, particularly the Battles of Bazentin Ridge, Pozieres and Ancre. 1917 brought the Battle of Arras in April and the Battles of Ypres in September and October. At the beginning of 1918 they were in billets at Sercus and engaged in training, although the weather was said in the war diary to be very bad. The first major battle of 1918 was in April at the Battle of Ancre (1918).
The 6th Battalion was disbanded in May 1918 and the men were transferred into the 1st/1st Hertfordshire Battalion (Herts Guards).
William was demobilised in December 1919 and received a £35 Gratuity. He was posted to Class Z which meant he could return to civilian life but was obligated to return to the military if called upon.
His date and place of death is not known.
Additional Information
*1 Records found have recorded his birthplace as Watford. This may be the case, however Watford was the main postal location given for nearby villages and hamlets, so it may be that this information is misleading. If more accurate information found this will be updated.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild
