William Arthur – Ayres – Great Western Railway – Sapper – 22/07/1917
Title
William Arthur – Ayres – Great Western Railway – Sapper – 22/07/1917
Initials / forenames
William Arthur
Surname
Ayres
Railway company
Great Western Railway
Military unit
Royal Engineers, Inland Water Transport
Military rank
Sapper
Military number
243961
Military awards
Military Medal
Railway department
Reading, Signal Department
Railway job
Brass Finisher
Date died
22/07/1917
Magazine reference
Great Western Railway Magazine, March 1918, p42. Photo, February 1918, p24
Memorial
Merville Communal Cemetery Extension
Notes
Age 19, the son of William Reynolds Ayres and Minnie Ayres of 9 St Edward's Road, Reading. William was the eldest of their five children. In September 1914 he enlisted with the 8th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment. Wounded at the Battle of Loos in 1915 he returned to action in time for the Somme offensive. In July 1916 he was awarded the Military Medal for "good work and bravery" in the area of Mametz Wood. Later that year he transferred to the Royal Engineers. It is believed that he died of meningitis.
Information source
St Paul's Cathedral Order of Service 1919; Commonwealth War Graves Commission; Great Western Railway Magazine (image and research contributed by STEAM: Museum of the Great Western Railway); http://cemeteryjunctionwargraves.org.uk/william-arthur-ayres/
Date entered
08/02/2017
Last updated
08/02/2017
Citation
“William Arthur – Ayres – Great Western Railway – Sapper – 22/07/1917,” Fallen Railwaymen, accessed May 18, 2024, https://fallenrailwaymen.omeka.net/items/show/62068.