Pte
William Haslam
Information about birth
|
Year of birth: 1886 |
|
Place of birth: Rochdale, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
Army information
|
Country: England, United Kingdom |
|
Force: British Expeditionary Force |
|
Rank: Private |
|
Service number: 42182 |
|
Enlistment place: Rochdale, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
|
Units: — Lancashire Fusiliers, 2nd/5th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
|
Date of death: 20/09/1917 |
|
Place of death: Hindu Cottage, Saint-Julien, Belgium |
|
Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
|
Age: 31 |
Cemetery
|
Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: V Row: B Grave: 4 |
Distinctions and medals 2
|
British War Medal Medal |
|
Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
William Haslam was born around 1886 in Rochdale, Lancashire. He was the husband of Nellie Casson Haslam. He enlisted in Rochdale, Lancashire, and was assigned to the 2nd/5th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers (164th Brigade, 55th (West Lancashire) Division).
William was killed in action on 20 September 1917 during the Battle of the Menin Road, part of the Battle of Passchendaele. On the evening of 14 September 1917, the 2nd/5th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers arrived in the vicinity of Ieper. Until 17 September, the battalion remained there in reserve before moving in the evening towards the front line south of Sint-Juliaan. On 19 September, the attacking companies were brought to their starting positions northwest of Hindu Cottage. The attack on 20 September was to be carried out in four waves. The first two waves each consisted of two platoons from “C” and “D” Company. Their objective was to capture Schüler Galleries and Cross Cottages. The third and fourth waves each consisted of two platoons from “A” and “B” Company, with the objective of Green House, Road House, and several dug-outs along the present-day Zonnebekestraat.
At 5:40 a.m. the attack began. The German troops at Schüler Galleries immediately opened machine-gun fire. The enemy fire was so intense that before Schüler Galleries were reached, 50% of the battalion had already become casualties. Eventually, Schüler Galleries were captured together with the 1/8th (Irish) Battalion, King's (Liverpool) Regiment. This battalion also came under heavy fire during their attack, and only after fierce fighting did both battalions succeed in capturing Schüler Galleries. After the capture of Schüler, elements of the 2nd/5th Battalion managed to take the remaining objectives, but they were unable to hold them. At various moments between 10:00 and 14:00, German counterattacks were launched, but these were repelled by artillery fire and machine-gun fire from Schüler Galleries. Around 17:00, the men of the 2nd/5th Battalion attempted to carry out another attack from Schüler Galleries, but this was broken up by enemy artillery fire. After this, the battalion undertook no further actions that day. The 2nd/5th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers suffered 347 casualties that day: 40 killed, 226 wounded, and 81 missing.
William Haslam was killed at the age of 31. After the war, his body was recovered near Hindu Cottages. His remains were reburied at Tyne Cot Cemetery.
William was killed in action on 20 September 1917 during the Battle of the Menin Road, part of the Battle of Passchendaele. On the evening of 14 September 1917, the 2nd/5th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers arrived in the vicinity of Ieper. Until 17 September, the battalion remained there in reserve before moving in the evening towards the front line south of Sint-Juliaan. On 19 September, the attacking companies were brought to their starting positions northwest of Hindu Cottage. The attack on 20 September was to be carried out in four waves. The first two waves each consisted of two platoons from “C” and “D” Company. Their objective was to capture Schüler Galleries and Cross Cottages. The third and fourth waves each consisted of two platoons from “A” and “B” Company, with the objective of Green House, Road House, and several dug-outs along the present-day Zonnebekestraat.
At 5:40 a.m. the attack began. The German troops at Schüler Galleries immediately opened machine-gun fire. The enemy fire was so intense that before Schüler Galleries were reached, 50% of the battalion had already become casualties. Eventually, Schüler Galleries were captured together with the 1/8th (Irish) Battalion, King's (Liverpool) Regiment. This battalion also came under heavy fire during their attack, and only after fierce fighting did both battalions succeed in capturing Schüler Galleries. After the capture of Schüler, elements of the 2nd/5th Battalion managed to take the remaining objectives, but they were unable to hold them. At various moments between 10:00 and 14:00, German counterattacks were launched, but these were repelled by artillery fire and machine-gun fire from Schüler Galleries. Around 17:00, the men of the 2nd/5th Battalion attempted to carry out another attack from Schüler Galleries, but this was broken up by enemy artillery fire. After this, the battalion undertook no further actions that day. The 2nd/5th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers suffered 347 casualties that day: 40 killed, 226 wounded, and 81 missing.
William Haslam was killed at the age of 31. After the war, his body was recovered near Hindu Cottages. His remains were reburied at Tyne Cot Cemetery.
Sources 3
|
164 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2921/1). http://nationalarchives.gov.uk Sources used |
|
2/5 Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2923/2). http://nationalarchives.gov.uk Sources used |
|
McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 1995), p 84-85. Sources used |
More information 4
|
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/463102 |
|
Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/1610146 |
|
Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=a5b2fd0f-bf8a-4d67-8d4e-4a1ddbcb3cec |
|
A Street Near You https://astreetnearyou.org/person/463102/ |