Pte
William Henry Taylor
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 22/06/1886 |
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Place of birth: Taunton, Somerset, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: Paignton, Devon, England, United Kingdom |
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Profession: Plumber |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 36456 |
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Enlistment place: Torquay, Devon, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Devonshire Regiment, 8th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 26/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Gheluvelt, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 31 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 39 |
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 Henry Taylor was born on 22 June 1896 in Taunton, Somerset, the son of William James and Ada Taylor (née Payne). He had two brothers and a sister. On 26 November 1906, William married Helena Frances Marks. They had three children, two boys and a girl. They lived in Paignton, Devon where William worked as a plumber. In 1916, he enlisted. He was assigned to the Devonshire Regiment, 8th Battalion, which was part of the 20th Brigade of the 7th Division. In 1917, the regiment was deployed in the Battle of Passchendaele.
On 26 October, the 7th Division attacked Geluveld with the 20th and 91st brigades along the Menin Road. The attack was planned at 5.40am. The 20th brigade advanced with the 2nd Border Regiment, in the valley south of the Menin Road, and the 9th Devons and the 1st Royal Welsh Fusiliers, north of the road. The 8th Devons were in reserve. The Border regiment advanced to the lower Krommebeek Valley, where they got stuck in the mud. The 9th Devons came under fire from Lewis House south of the Menin Road, from fortified posts along the road and from Geluveld itself. The 9th Devons dug in at the edge of Geluveld. The 8th Devons followed in the wake of the 9th Devons. As the latter soon got stuck, the 8th and 9th Devons got mixed up. At 10 am, the Germans launched a counterattack and the Devons were pushed back. William’s Battalion suffered heavy losses. Two officers were killed, nine wounded and four missing, 19 men were killed, 134 wounded and 105 missing.
William, 31, was one of these casualties. He has no known grave and is commemorated on panel 39 of Tyne Cot Memorial.
On 26 October, the 7th Division attacked Geluveld with the 20th and 91st brigades along the Menin Road. The attack was planned at 5.40am. The 20th brigade advanced with the 2nd Border Regiment, in the valley south of the Menin Road, and the 9th Devons and the 1st Royal Welsh Fusiliers, north of the road. The 8th Devons were in reserve. The Border regiment advanced to the lower Krommebeek Valley, where they got stuck in the mud. The 9th Devons came under fire from Lewis House south of the Menin Road, from fortified posts along the road and from Geluveld itself. The 9th Devons dug in at the edge of Geluveld. The 8th Devons followed in the wake of the 9th Devons. As the latter soon got stuck, the 8th and 9th Devons got mixed up. At 10 am, the Germans launched a counterattack and the Devons were pushed back. William’s Battalion suffered heavy losses. Two officers were killed, nine wounded and four missing, 19 men were killed, 134 wounded and 105 missing.
William, 31, was one of these casualties. He has no known grave and is commemorated on panel 39 of Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 6
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8 Battalion Devonshire Regiment, (The National Archives, KEW (TNA) , WO 95/1655/2). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Atkinson C.T., The Seventh Division : 1914-1918 (London, John Murray, 1927), 423-433. 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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Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG13). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG14). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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McCarthy Chris., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account (London, Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018), 143-144. 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/827290 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=e59ed6f6-659b-4ea1-846f-28a70a69dbeb |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/4381404 |