Private William Arthur Charles Bateman
| Date of Birth | c 1894 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 20 |
| Date of Death | 20th May 1915 |
| Service Number | 6930 |
| Military Service | 19th Queen Alexandra’s Own Royal Hussars |
| Merton Address | 32 Sibthorpe Road, Mitcham |
| Local Memorial | Mitcham War Memorial |
Additional Information
Trumpeter William Arthur Charles Bateman was born in Mitcham c1894. He was baptised in the Church of St. Peter and St Paul in Mitcham in July 1899 at the same time as his brother Herbert Edwin. The family were then living in Church Road, Mitcham.
William’s father, Arthur William Bateman, was a carman/coal contractor. William was educated at Upper Mitcham schools and by 1911, when he was just 16, he had left home and was stationed at Aldershot with 1st Cavalry Brigade, Queen Alexandra’s Own Royal Hussars. He was employed as an army band boy. By this time his parents had moved to 32 Sibthorpe Road, Mitcham together with his brother Herbert (now 12) and his sisters Agnes (10) and Doris (7).
William’s unit was sent to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force in 1914, fighting at Mons and the Marne. It served on the Western Front for the rest of World War One. William arrived in France in August 1914 and died on 20th May 1915.
The exact circumstances of his death are unknown. However, on 14th June 1915 the Mitcham and Tooting Mercury reported that ‘His parents received a letter from Major W. Parsons, in command of the deceased’s squadron, expressing the sympathy of the regiment, and saying he lay buried close to the place where he fell, and a cross had been erected to his memory. The letter added that he was always a good worker and very cheerful, and his comrades were all very sorry to lose him’
Private Bateman has no known grave. He is commemorated on the Mitcham War Memorial on Lower Green, Mitcham and on the Ypres (Menin Gate) memorial West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Panel 5.