William Odell

Memorial: Bitton - St Mary's Church

Regiment: 123 Outrams Rifles (attached 125th Napiers Rifles)

Medals: 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Military Cross, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Victory Medal

Rank and number: Captain

Parents: William and Emma (nee Bagge) Odell

Marital status: Married

Home address: See Further Information

Pre-war occupation: Army Officer

Date of birth: 30/04/1884

Place of birth: Dublin

Date of death: 22/02/1917

Buried/Commemorated at: Amara War Cemetery (Present day Iraq)

Age: 32

Further information:

William (Jr) was the son Captain William Odell, of Ardmore, Co. Waterford, Ireland
William was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1904 (Manchester Regiment), joining the Indian Army (123 Outrams Rifles in 1909). He served with them until the outbreak of WW1, when he was attached to the 125th Napiers Rifles. He served with that unit in France and Flanders before moving to Mesopotamia (Iraq) from January 1916, and was killed in action at Sanni-i-yat on 22 Feb 1917.
He was awarded the Military Cross in 1915 (Gazetted 23.6.1915)
He married Eleanor Caroline Foley - St. Marys, The Boltons, London on 24.06.1913. They had one son Dennis Edward born 05.02.1915 (Bristol District), and Dennis was killed at El-Alemein in 1942 whilst serving with the Royal Engineers. Eleanor never remarried and died in 1960.
Eleanor's address is recorded on the commonwealth War Graves records as "Carriglea," Lindenthorpe Road, Broadstairs, Kent, but this may have been from the early 1920's. Her son was born in the Bristol area in 1915, and on the 1921 Census, Eleanor and Dennis were living at The Limes, Willsbridge.

By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):

Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Findmypast (Soldiers Died during the Great War, 1901 and 1911 Census etc), Researcher John Davis.