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was 24 when the first call came for a new army, but he did
not enter the forces until conscription arrived, in March 1916.
He was a big man by the standards of those days, 5ft 11in tall
(1.8m).
Like so many other village men, he joined the Northamptonshire
Regiment, and by August 1916 he had completed his training
and became part of the 7th Battalion, when he went off to
France.
The 7th Battalion was known as “The Mobbs Own” as one of the
first to volunteer was Edgar Mobbs, a well-known Northampton
rugby player.
The 7th Battalion was involved in some of the fiercest fighting
in the War and William would have been involved at Hooge,
Guillemont, Vimy Ridge, Messines, Pilkem Ridge and at the
Battle of Cambrai at the end of 1917.
In late 1917 William was promoted to Lance Corporal.
When the Russian Revolution took the Russians out of the war,
it enabled the Germans to move their Eastern Front Divisions
to the West, and as the winter of 1917/18 receded they began a
massive Spring offensive. The Allies were forced to retreat with
heavy fighting and casualties. The 7th Battalion were part of this
defence and during the first half of 1918 suffered 77 casualties,
and, possibly even more devastating, lost 290 men struck down
by the influenza epidemic that started that year.
During this period William received a gunshot wound to his
upper left arm with compound fractures of the bone. After initial
treatment he was taken back to Britain to the 3rd Scottish
Hospital, Glasgow, in mid April 1918. He returned there again in
July of the next year for a four-month stay. He was discharged
from the army on 19th December 1919, and received a pension
of 12/- (£0.60) a week on account of his disability from his
wound.
His character was described as “very good.”
William returned to Kings Cliffe and in 1920 married Margaret
McLeod from Glasgow (?nurse at Glasgow Hospital?) and they
subsequently had a son and a daughter.
168
not enter the forces until conscription arrived, in March 1916.
He was a big man by the standards of those days, 5ft 11in tall
(1.8m).
Like so many other village men, he joined the Northamptonshire
Regiment, and by August 1916 he had completed his training
and became part of the 7th Battalion, when he went off to
France.
The 7th Battalion was known as “The Mobbs Own” as one of the
first to volunteer was Edgar Mobbs, a well-known Northampton
rugby player.
The 7th Battalion was involved in some of the fiercest fighting
in the War and William would have been involved at Hooge,
Guillemont, Vimy Ridge, Messines, Pilkem Ridge and at the
Battle of Cambrai at the end of 1917.
In late 1917 William was promoted to Lance Corporal.
When the Russian Revolution took the Russians out of the war,
it enabled the Germans to move their Eastern Front Divisions
to the West, and as the winter of 1917/18 receded they began a
massive Spring offensive. The Allies were forced to retreat with
heavy fighting and casualties. The 7th Battalion were part of this
defence and during the first half of 1918 suffered 77 casualties,
and, possibly even more devastating, lost 290 men struck down
by the influenza epidemic that started that year.
During this period William received a gunshot wound to his
upper left arm with compound fractures of the bone. After initial
treatment he was taken back to Britain to the 3rd Scottish
Hospital, Glasgow, in mid April 1918. He returned there again in
July of the next year for a four-month stay. He was discharged
from the army on 19th December 1919, and received a pension
of 12/- (£0.60) a week on account of his disability from his
wound.
His character was described as “very good.”
William returned to Kings Cliffe and in 1920 married Margaret
McLeod from Glasgow (?nurse at Glasgow Hospital?) and they
subsequently had a son and a daughter.
168
