Name
William Thomas Simmons
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
14/08/1917
19
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
445024
London Regiment *1
2nd/10th (County of London) Bn. Attd 11 Bn. Rifle Brigade
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
Panels 52 to 54.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
No Report
UK & Other Memorials
Not on the Harpenden memorials, Family memorial, Hither Green Cemetery, Lewisham, Surrey. (IWM 81862)
Pre War
William Thomas was born 1898 in Camberwell to William Simmons, a GPO mail sorter, and Ada (nee Flannery).
On the 1901 Census the family were living at Finchley Road, Newington. By the 1911 Census the family were living at Kellerton Road, Lewisham, and William T had two younger brothers, Arthur born 1910 and Frank born 1908.
William’s Father died in 1916. His widowed mother later lived at “Kelwood," Grove Rd., Harpenden, Herts.
Wartime Service
William enlisted in the London Regiment as Private 534782 and was posted to 15th (Civil Service Rifles) Battalion, London Regiment. He was renumbered as 445024 and posted to 2/10 (Hackney) Battalion, London Regiment before being attached to 11 Battalion, Rifle Brigade.
William landed in France on 29 May 1917. In Aug 1917 11 Rifles were part of 3rdBattle of Ypres (Passchendaele) and were positioned near Langemarck when William was killed in action on 14 Aug 1917.
His remains were not recovered and he is remembered on the Menin Gate.
Additional Information
War Gratuity of £3 and arrears of £2 7s 6d paid to his mother.
*1 Believed more correctly, (County of London)
Bn. London Regiment (Hackney).
Acknowledgments
Neil Cooper
Jonty Wild
