2nd Lt
William Dalton Columbo Sharp

Informations sur naissance

Date de naissance:
17/04/1882
Lieu de naissance:
Columbo, Merchant Marine, English Channel, Angleterre, Royaume-Uni

Informations générales

Profession:
Comptable

Informations service militaire

Pays:
Angleterre, Royaume-Uni
Force armée:
British Expeditionary Force
Rang:
Second Lieutenant
Numéro de service:
/
Unités:
 —  Norfolk Regiment, 1st Bn.  (Dernière unité connue)

Informations sur décès

Date de décès:
09/10/1917
Lieu de décès:
Polderhoek Château, Belgique
Cause du décès:
Killed in action (K.I.A.)
Âge:
35

Mémorial

Tyne Cot Memorial
Panneau: 34

Distinctions et médailles 2

British War Medal
Médaille — 17/03/1922
Victory Medal
Médaille — 17/03/1922

Points d'intérêt 1

#1 Lieu de naissance

Mon histoire

William was born at sea in April 1882 on the merchant ship Columbo, hence his name. His older sister Annie was also born on the Columbo; as was his younger brother Robert. William’s father Johnstone Sharp was the Sea Captain of the ship. By 1901 his father had retired and the family had moved to Carlisle, Cumberland. After his studies William moved to Fulham, where he started working as a Chartered accountant. He probably enlisted in London and by 1917 William served as a Second Lieutenant in the Norfolk Regiment 1st Battalion, part of the 15th Brigade, of the 5th Division.

William’s Battalion fought in the Battle of Poelcapelle, a phase in the Battle of Passchendaele. The 5th Division was to attack the heights at Polderhoek Château with the 1st Norfolks and the 16th Warwicks. Conditions in the frontline at the hamlet of Polderhoek were awful. The men had been subjected to wet and cold weather in the days before the attack. On top of the bad weather the Norfolks were in full view of the German positions and they were shelled on a daily bases. Without hot food or shelter the Norfolks waited for the sign to attack. On 9 October 1917 at 5.20 a.m. the 1st Norfolks finally advanced on the stronghold at Polderhoek Château. However the British attack was quickly checked by Machine-gun and rifle fire. Persistent crossfire and German bombing parties on their flanks forced the Norfolks back to their original positions.

The 1st Norfolks suffered heavy casualties during their time in the Polderhoek area. Around ten officers were put out of action. 38 men were killed, 144 men were wounded and 112 men went missing. Second Lieutenant William Dalton Columbo Sharp was one of the manifold Norfolk’s casualties. He was killed in action during the attack on Polderhoek Château. The 35-year old has no known grave on panel 34 of the Tyne Cot Memorial.

Fichiers 1

Sources 6

"Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Uniform, 2018, pg. 118.
Sources utilisées
Ancestry
https://www.ancestry.com/
Autre référence
CWGC
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/829154/sharp,-william-dalton/
Sources utilisées
The Long, Long Trail
http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/
Sources utilisées
Trinity School War Memorial
https://www.trinity.cumbria.sch.uk/warmemorials/william-dalton-columbo-sharp/
Sources utilisées
War Diary Norfolk Regiment, 1st Bn.
http://www.nmarchive.com/
Autre référence