Sgt
William Frederick George Girling
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1886 |
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Place of birth: St George in the East, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: 201, Oxfordstreet, Stepney, East London, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom |
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Profession: Mail Carrier - Postman |
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Religion: Church of England |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Sergeant |
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Service number: 370685 |
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Enlistment place: London (City), Middlesex, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — London Regiment, 2/8th Bn. (Post Office Rifles) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 30/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Tracas Farm, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 31 |
Cemetery
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Poelcapelle British Cemetery Plot: 38 Row: A Grave: 2 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
William Frederick George Girling was the son of Frederick and Louisa Girling. He was born around 1886 in the British town of St George in the East, London. In 1907, he married Louisa Taylor and together they had five children. They lived at 201 Oxford Street in Stepney and William worked as a postman. He enlisted in the British Army in London and joined the 2/8th Battalion London Regiment, also known as the 2/8th Post Office Rifles (174th Brigade, 58th Division). He rose to the rank of sergeant.
William was killed on 30 October 1917 during an attack south-east of Poelcapelle. On 29 October, the 2/8th Post Office Rifles left Kempton Park close to the border between Sint-Jan and Langemark-Poelkapelle. It took six hours for them to take up their positions at the assembly point and German shelling caused the battalion to lose some 20 casualties. The start lines ran from Brewery through Poelcapelle to the South of the Lekkerboterbeek. The objective was to take Moray House, Papa Farm, Hinton Farm and Cameron Houses. A company of the 2/6th Battalion London Regiment was deployed to take Noble Farm and the pillboxes lying to the south-east of it.
Even before the attack started, German troops were already bombing the areas between Brewery and the Lekkerboterbeek. The weak Allied barrage and the poor condition of the ground meant that the 2/8th Post Office Rifles soon fell behind the barrage. They failed to catch up again. Moreover, shortly after zero hour the German troops opened a barrage that aimed at the start lines and the German barrage followed the Allied barrage. This caused a lot of casualties among the 2/8th Post Office Rifles. Meunier and Tracas Farm were particularly hard hit. The 2/6th Battalion London Regiment did manage to reach Noble Farm, but that post appeared to be completely destroyed. They took the pillboxes and settled on the small hill from which they could overlook Spriet Road.
Although the 2/8th Post Office Rifles did not reach their objectives, they did manage to form a new line some 90 metres in front of the original line. However, losses were high: 36 men were killed, 220 were missing and five were wounded. One of those killed was 31-year-old William Frederick George Girling. He was originally buried near Tracas Farm and was reburied at Poelcapelle British Cemetery (plot 38, row A, grave 2) in 1920.
William was killed on 30 October 1917 during an attack south-east of Poelcapelle. On 29 October, the 2/8th Post Office Rifles left Kempton Park close to the border between Sint-Jan and Langemark-Poelkapelle. It took six hours for them to take up their positions at the assembly point and German shelling caused the battalion to lose some 20 casualties. The start lines ran from Brewery through Poelcapelle to the South of the Lekkerboterbeek. The objective was to take Moray House, Papa Farm, Hinton Farm and Cameron Houses. A company of the 2/6th Battalion London Regiment was deployed to take Noble Farm and the pillboxes lying to the south-east of it.
Even before the attack started, German troops were already bombing the areas between Brewery and the Lekkerboterbeek. The weak Allied barrage and the poor condition of the ground meant that the 2/8th Post Office Rifles soon fell behind the barrage. They failed to catch up again. Moreover, shortly after zero hour the German troops opened a barrage that aimed at the start lines and the German barrage followed the Allied barrage. This caused a lot of casualties among the 2/8th Post Office Rifles. Meunier and Tracas Farm were particularly hard hit. The 2/6th Battalion London Regiment did manage to reach Noble Farm, but that post appeared to be completely destroyed. They took the pillboxes and settled on the small hill from which they could overlook Spriet Road.
Although the 2/8th Post Office Rifles did not reach their objectives, they did manage to form a new line some 90 metres in front of the original line. However, losses were high: 36 men were killed, 220 were missing and five were wounded. One of those killed was 31-year-old William Frederick George Girling. He was originally buried near Tracas Farm and was reburied at Poelcapelle British Cemetery (plot 38, row A, grave 2) in 1920.
Sources 7
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2/8 Battalion London Regiment (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/3006/3). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 372). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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British Army World War I Service Medal and Awards Rolls, 1914-1920 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 329). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: the Day-by-Day Account. (Londen: Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018), 154-155. Sources used |
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N.N., Post Office Rifles, 8th Battalion, City of London Regiment 1914-1918, (Aldershot, Gale&Polden, Ltd. Wellington Works,1919), 24-25. Sources used |
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National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) 1858-1995. https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Soldier' Effects Records (National Army Museum, Chelsea (NAM) 1901-60; NAM Accession Number: 1991-02-333). https://www.nam.ac.uk/ Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/491533 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=bfcafbf9-0310-433c-aae9-1c1093575815 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/1355180 |