Lance Corporal William Ernest Edgar Twells
| Date of Birth | c. 1896 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 19 |
| Date of Death | 15 April 1915 |
| Service Number | G/2357 |
| Military Service | 14th Battalion Royal Fusiliers |
| Merton Address | 105 Queens Road, Wimbledon |
| Local Memorial | Rutlish School, Merton |
Additional Information
William was born in Derby on 27 February 1896 and baptised on 22 May 1896 in St Luke’s Church, Derby. His father Walter was a Post Office Staff Engineer. Shortly after his birth the family moved to Salford and his younger brother Sidney was born in January 1898. Just 10 weeks later his mother Alice died and William went to live with his mother’s family in Derby.
In 1902 William’s father remarried and in due course his half-brothers Walter Edward (1905) and Maurice Arnold (1909) were born. William returned to live with the family who had moved to Wimbledon and he attended Rutlish School in 1911 although the 1911 census shows the family living in Leicester.
William enlisted in the 14th Battalion Royal Fusiliers, London Regiment, service number G2357. At the time of his death from cerebro-spinal meningitis in Dover on 15 April 1915 his family were living at 105 Queen’s Road Wimbledon. He was a Lance Corporal and is buried in St James Cemetery, Dover.