William Robert Strange
Memorial: Marshfield - High Street
Regiment: Grenadier Guards
Medals: 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Victory Medal
Rank and number: Lance Corporal 21228
Parents: Alfred Henry and Augusta Mary Strange
Marital status: Single
Home address: West Littleton, Marshfield, Glos
Pre-war occupation: Farm Labourer
Date of birth: 1894
Place of birth: West Littleton, Marshfield, Glos
Date of death: 17/10/1915
Buried/Commemorated at: Loos Memorial (Panel 5 and 7.), France
Age: 21
Further information:
William Strange was born in 1895 the eldest son of Alfred and Augusta Strange of West Littleton. His father was a Waggoner and William himself a farm labourer. He volunteered for service soon after war broke out in August 1914 and enlisted in the Grenadier Guards. He joined what was then the Reserve Battalion and completed his basic training, and in the early summer of 1915, the Reserve was split and formed into two battalions, the 3rd and 4th. Strange was promoted to Lance Corporal and posted to the 4th Battalion, one of whose subalterns was the young Harold Macmillan. Camped at Marlow, the battalion completed its training and embarked from Southampton on the evening of 15th August. Harold Macmillan writes that after ensuring that all the other ranks were comfortable and well provided for “the officers were ushered into the saloon for dinner with napery, crockery, silver and the rest with fine wine and food served by a posse of waiters from the Ritz”.
However all this privilege for the officers soon came to an end as the 4th Grenadiers disembarked at Le Havre the following day and began the march to St Omer. The next four weeks were spent in further training and manoeuvres in preparation for the planned Battle of Loos. Inspected on several occasions by senior generals as well as the Prince of Wales they all felt ready for the forthcoming battle. On 21st September, on the eve of the battle, the Prince of Wales cycled over from GHQ to wish them luck. On 27th September, 4th Grenadiers marched from Vermelles to Loos some two miles in full view of the Germans on the high ground and were heavily shelled, but they continued to advance in perfect order. “The only time I can remember,” writes Harold Macmillan, “any men showing a tendency to break ranks was when a hare got up and the countrymen amongst them gave chase.” Maybe one of them was L/Cpl Strange?
4th Grenadiers were ordered to attack Hill 70 and heavy and confused fighting followed. Harold Macmillan was wounded twice and sent back to a Casualty Clearing Station and then back to London. L/Cpl Strange survived the main battle of Loos and although fighting continued for another 10 days it was a little less heavy and intense than previously. On 17th October, 4th Grenadiers, after a rest out of the line, came back and took over trenches from 2nd Scots Guards and almost at once they came under a bombing attack from the German trenches. A counter attack was launched under Lieutenant Britton and it succeeded in driving the Germans from their trenches, and it was during this counter attack that Lance Corporal Strange was killed. He is remembered with honour at the Loos Memorial (Panel 5 and 7) in France
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://allaroundmarshfieldorg.wordpress.com/world-war-1-remembrance-stories
Forces War Records and CWGC