Name
William Whittaker
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Biography
William Whittaker was born on 7th October 1885 at Abbots Langley. He was one six children (four sons and two daughters) born to Jesse and Sarah Whittaker. From before the time of the1881 Census until after the 1911 Census the family lived at Hart Hall Cottages, Railway Terrace, Abbots Langley. Jesse was employed as a Paste Board Cutter at a Paper Mill, presumably John Dickinson Ltd.
At the time of the 1901 Census William was listed working as a Butcher’s Assistant. Soon afterwards, at the age of 16 he joined the Royal Navy. Information from the family archive noted that his first ship was HMS “Northampton”, a fully rigged sailing vessel which was converted to steam. His next ship was a destroyer HMS “Gladiator”, which was cut in half following a collision in poor visibility and snow, with the SS “St Paul”, an American liner, in the Solent in 1908. William made it ashore, however 29 sailors perished. The family archive noted that subsequently William was a member of the Royal Navy crew of Captain Scott’s ill-fated expedition to the South Pole, but was taken ill with appendicitis and was put ashore at Cape Town, and returned to England later in 1910.
In the 1911 Census William was recorded living at the HMS “Excellent” Gunnery School, Royal Navy School of Gunnery, Whale Island, Portsmouth. His rank was given as Seaman
William was recorded in the Abbots Langley Parish Magazine Roll of Honour for the first time in September 1914, serving with the Navy. In the December 1914 Roll of Honour he was listed serving with HMS “Assistance”. HMS “Assistance” was a Navy Repair ship which spent most of the War at Scapa Flow, before being stationed at Rosyth between August and December 1918.
William married Ada Parry in December 1915.
William Whittaker survived the War and continued serving with the Royal Navy through to the 1930’s. His brother Stephen also survived the War, however another brother Charles/Jesse was killed in action on the Somme on 27th September 1916. William’s cousins Arthur and Charles Whittaker both survived the War.
Acknowledgments
Roger Yapp - www.backtothefront.org
