William Charles Waite

Memorial: Rangeworthy - Holy Trinity Church

Regiment: South Lancashire Regiment

Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal

Rank and number: Private 32855

Parents: Francis Mill and Elizabeth Waite (nee Bezer)

Marital status: Married

Home address: The Avenue, Yate, Bristol

Pre-war occupation: He was working as a poultry dealer in 1911

Date of birth: 21/05/1886

Place of birth: Iron Acton, Bristol

Date of death: 14/04/1918

Buried/Commemorated at: Haringhe (Bandaghem) Military Cemetery (Ref: II. D. 2.), Belgium

Age: 31

Further information:

William Charles Waite was born on 21st May 1886 in Iron Acton. His parents were Francis Mill Waite and Elizabeth Waite (nee Bezer). His parents were both born in Iron Acton and they had married in 1881 in the Holborn district of London. He had six siblings called Florence, Montague, Beatrice, Reginald, Ernest and Lillie

In 1911 William was living with the family at Sunnyside in North Road in Yate and working as a poultry dealer. His parents later moved to Rangeworthy

William married Elizabeth Fletcher at Hope Chapel in Iron Acton on 15th March 1913. They had one child called Ivy who was born on 30th March 1914. The family lived at The Avenue in Yate

William attested as a Private in the General Service Corps on 29th November 1915 and transferred to the reserve. He was mobilized on the 15th June 1916 with the Royal Engineers and transferred to the 93rd Training Reserve Battalion on the 29th November 1916. He was posted to the 1st Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment (Service no. 32266) on 25th December 1916 and deployed to France. He was wounded on 19th November 1917 and evacuated to a UK hospital until the 28th March 1918. He was then posted to the 2nd Battalion of The South Lancashire Regiment (Service no. 32855) and returned to France on the 29th March 1918. He died of wounds at the 62nd Casualty Clearing Station in Popperinge in Belgium on 14th April 1918. He was 31 years old

William is buried at Haringhe (Bandaghem) Military Cemetery in Belgium. He is commemorated on the Rangeworthy Methodist Chapel Memorial Plaque which is now at Rangeworthy Parish Church. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal

Please see the book “Lest We Forget” by Arthur Threlfall Searson for further information

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

Yate and District Heritage Centre and the book “Lest We Forget” by Arthur Threlfall Searson