Geburtsdatum: 17/04/1882

Geburtsort: Columbo, Merchant Marine, English Channel, England, Vereinigtes Königreich

Beruf: Buchhalterr

Land: England, Vereinigtes Königreich

Truppe: British Expeditionary Force

Rang: Second Lieutenant

Dienstnummer: /

Einheiten:  —  Norfolk Regiment, 1st Bn.  (Letzte bekannte Einheit)

Sterbedatum: 09/10/1917

Sterbeort: Polderhoek Château, Belgien

Todesursache: Im Kampf gefallen

Alter: 35

British War Medal Medaille — 17/03/1922

Victory Medal Medaille — 17/03/1922

William was born at sea in April 1882 on the merchant ship Columbo, hence his name. His older sister Annie was also born on the Columbo; as was his younger brother Robert. William’s father Johnstone Sharp was the Sea Captain of the ship. By 1901 his father had retired and the family had moved to Carlisle, Cumberland. After his studies William moved to Fulham, where he started working as a Chartered accountant. He probably enlisted in London and by 1917 William served as a Second Lieutenant in the Norfolk Regiment 1st Battalion, part of the 15th Brigade, of the 5th Division.

William’s Battalion fought in the Battle of Poelcapelle, a phase in the Battle of Passchendaele. The 5th Division was to attack the heights at Polderhoek Château with the 1st Norfolks and the 16th Warwicks. Conditions in the frontline at the hamlet of Polderhoek were awful. The men had been subjected to wet and cold weather in the days before the attack. On top of the bad weather the Norfolks were in full view of the German positions and they were shelled on a daily bases. Without hot food or shelter the Norfolks waited for the sign to attack. On 9 October 1917 at 5.20 a.m. the 1st Norfolks finally advanced on the stronghold at Polderhoek Château. However the British attack was quickly checked by Machine-gun and rifle fire. Persistent crossfire and German bombing parties on their flanks forced the Norfolks back to their original positions.

The 1st Norfolks suffered heavy casualties during their time in the Polderhoek area. Around ten officers were put out of action. 38 men were killed, 144 men were wounded and 112 men went missing. Second Lieutenant William Dalton Columbo Sharp was one of the manifold Norfolk’s casualties. He was killed in action during the attack on Polderhoek Château. The 35-year old has no known grave on panel 34 of the Tyne Cot Memorial.

"Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Uniform, 2018, pg. 118. Verwendete Quellen

Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/ Weitere Quellen

CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/829154/sharp,-william-dalton/ Verwendete Quellen

The Long, Long Trail http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/ Verwendete Quellen

Trinity School War Memorial https://www.trinity.cumbria.sch.uk/warmemorials/william-dalton-columbo-sharp/ Verwendete Quellen

War Diary Norfolk Regiment, 1st Bn. http://www.nmarchive.com/ Weitere Quellen