Name
William John Baker
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
23955
Royal East Kent Regiment
6th The Buffs
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Biography
At the time of the 1911 Census William Baker lived in east London at 43 Bromley Street, Ratcliff. Ratcliff was an area near Limehouse and the Commercial Road. He worked as a Brick-layer, and a year earlier he married Kate Dunn, from Garston, at the Whitechapel Registry Office on 4th January 1910. He was born in 1882 at Buntingford, in east Hertfordshire and in the 1901 Census he was recorded living with his grand-father, at Layston in Buntingford.
William and Kate came to Abbots Langley and when he enlisted on 4th December 1915 they lived at 27 Adrian Road. Kate’s brother, Robert Dunn lived next door at 27 Adrian Road. William was mobilised on 12th March 1917 at Hounslow and was posted to the 32nd Training Reserve at Dover. Sometime before July 1917 he was transferred to the 3rd Buffs, the Home battalion of the Royal East Kent Regiment.
This was a temporary assignment as on 19th July 1917 he embarked for France, and by this time was serving with 7th Buffs. On disembarkation the Buffs moved to Etaples, and from there he was posted to the 6th Buffs, and served with this battalion in France until the end of the War.
William was listed in the Abbots Langley Parish Magazine Roll of Honour for the first time in August 1918, where he was shown serving with The Buffs, and was regularly recorded each month until the end of the War.
From 14th to 28th March 1918 William went on leave to the UK. He was certified A1 Fit on 16th February 1919 and on 16th March 1919 he was de-mobilised to 27 Adrian Road, Abbots Langley
William’s Brother in Law Robert Dunn was gassed towards the end of the War and was transferred to a Labour Company.
William Baker survived the War.
Acknowledgments
Roger Yapp - www.backtothefront.org
