Pte
William Edward Boddy

Information about birth

Date of birth:
09/10/1885
Place of birth:
Castle Eden, Durham, England, United Kingdom

General information

Profession:
Bricklayer

Army information

Country:
England, United Kingdom
Force:
British Expeditionary Force
Rank:
Private
Service number:
39673
Enlistment place:
Chiswick, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom
Units:
 —  Bedfordshire Regiment, 7th Bn.  (Last known unit)

Information about death

Date of death:
17/08/1917
Place of death:
Étaples, Pas-de-Calais, France
Cause of death:
Died of wounds (D.O.W.)
Age:
31

Cemetery

Étaples Military Cemetery
Plot: XXII
Row: P
Grave: 6

Distinctions and medals 2

British War Medal
Medal — 24/09/1920
Victory Medal
Medal — 24/09/1920

Points of interest 3

#1 Place of birth
#2 Enlistment place
#3 Place of death (approximate)

My story

Private William Edward Boddy served in the Bedfordshire Regiment, 7th Battalion, part of the 54th Brigade, of the 18th (Eastern) Division.

The Division participated in the Capture of Westhoek, on the 10th of August 1917. This Battle was a stage of the Third Battle of Ypres. Two Brigades of the Division went in the attack near Glencorse Wood. The 54th Brigade advanced at 4.35 a.m. with two Battalions; the 11th Royal Fusiliers and the 7th Bedfords.

By 5 15 a.m. the 7th Bedfords had reached the Nonne Bosschen and occupied advanced positions in Glencorse Wood. However the 11th Royal Fusiliers on their right had encountered stubborn resistance. The attack of the Fusiliers had been checked, mainly by machine-gun fire coming from Inverness Copse. The Fusiliers were forced to give up ground and fell back on a line running from Clapham Junction to Glencorse Wood. With the right flank of the Bedfords up in the air the Battalion was vulnerable for German counterattacks and the whole attack was in danger of being compromised. The 7th Bedfords formed a defensive flank in the hope of fending off counterattacks.

By 5.30 p.m. German Infantry was seen massing in Polygon Wood and the Nonne Bosschen. Around 6 p.m. the German counterattack developed. The 7th Bedfords were quickly outflanked and had to withdraw to Jargon Trench, where the battered Battalion was relieved during the night.

After a short rest the 7th Bedfords moved back in the frontlines near Glencorse Wood and Inverness Copse on the 14th of August. They stayed in the frontline till the 17th of August and endured heavy German shelling while holding the line. Private William Edward Boddy was possibly mortally wounded during the attack on Glenccorse Wood on the 10th of August or was wounded while holding the line later on. He was evacuated to Étaples where he died of his wounds. It usually took a couple of days before the wounded soldiers arrived in the French harbor. He was buried in Étaples Military Cemetery.

Files 2

Sources 5

"The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995, pg. 39-41.
Sources used
Ancestry
http://home.ancestry.co.uk/
Further reference
CWGC
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/499181/boddy,-william-edward/
Sources used
The Long, Long Trail
http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/
Sources used
War Diary Bedfordshire Regiment, 7th Bn.
http://www.nmarchive.com/
Further reference