Pte
William John Ward

Information about birth

Date of birth:
10/07/1886
Place of birth:
Bethnal Green, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom

General information

Profession:
Brushmaker

Army information

Country:
Ireland, United Kingdom
Force:
British Expeditionary Force
Rank:
Private
Service number:
43410
Enlistment place:
Bethnal Green, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom
Units:
 —  Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 1st Bn.  (Last known unit)

Information about death

Date of death:
13/08/1917
Place of death:
Passerelle Farm, Belgium
Cause of death:
Killed in action (K.I.A.)
Age:
31

Memorial

Distinctions and medals 2

British War Medal
Medal — 30/09/1920
Victory Medal
Medal — 30/09/1920

Points of interest 2

#1 Place of birth
#2 Enlistment place

My story

William John Ward was born in 1886 in Bethnal Green, Middlesex. He was the eldest child of John William and Sarah Annie Ward. Before enlisting into the military, William Ward worked as a brush maker. In 1916, William married Florence Harper and his daughter, Iris Florence Ward, was born.

William initially enlisted into the London Regiment but by the Battle of Passchendaele he served in the 1st Battalion of the Royal Innskilling Fusiliers, part of the 87th Brigade of the 29th Division. On 12 August 1917, William’s Battalion took over frontline trenches along the Steenbeek stream, west of Langemark. The 1st Inniskillings occupied positions in the right sector of the 87th Brigade, roughly between Pinson and Ruisseau Farm. The other bank of the Steenbeek stream was dominated by Passerelle Farm. This position had been consolidated on the previous day and twelve wooden bridges had been erected across the stream. On 13 August 1917 a German patrol was driven off from an advanced post across the Steenbeek after a brief encounter.

On the 13th of August 1917 the 1st Inniskillings suffered five casualties, while holding the line at Passerelle Farm. Three men were wounded and two men of the Battalion went missing. These two men were 31 year-old Private William John Ward and 22-year old Private Francis Cullen. They disappeared on the fateful day and were never seen again. Both men were later declared killed in action and are remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.

Files 1

Sources 5

"Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Uniform, 2018, pg. 49-56.
Sources used
Ancestry
https://www.ancestry.com/
Further reference
CWGC
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/912970/ward,-william-john/
Sources used
The Long, Long Trail
https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/
Sources used
War Diary Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 1st Bn.
http://www.nmarchive.com/
Further reference