William Thomas Cole
Memorial: South Gloucestershire war dead not on a local memorial
Regiment: Grenadier Guards
Medals: 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Silver War Badge, Victory Medal
Rank and number: Guardsman 3404
Parents: William and Jane Cole
Marital status: Married
Home address: 5 Holly Cottages, 119 Connaught Road, Brookwood, Surrey
Pre-war occupation: Guardsman
Date of birth: 07/12/1870
Place of birth: Bitton, Bristol
Date of death: 11/12/1916
Buried/Commemorated at: Buried at Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey. Not commemorated on a local memorial.
Age: 46
Further information:
William was born in Bitton, the son of a labourer and a middle child of six children with four sisters and a brother. In 1891 William was working as a fitter's labourer but by 1901 William had joined the army and by 1911, he was serving as a guardsman. William married Fanny Cole in 1904 and together they had five children, James, Grace, William, Fanny and Edward. The youngest, Edward, was aged 7 months at the time of William's death. William was posted to a variety of different locations during his married years and as a result, the children were born in different locations respectively Hampshire, Berkshire, London and the last two in Surrey. During the war William served on the Home Front and his battalion (the 5th) was stationed at Chelsea Barracks. His death was registered in Guildford and he died from heart failure following bronchitis, while on active service.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/
Some information supplied by Kingswood Heritage Museum