Private William John Welsh
| Date of Birth | 1885 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 29 |
| Date of Death | 31 October 1914 |
| Service Number | L/7657 |
| Military Service | 1st Battalion, Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment |
| Merton Address | |
| Local Memorial | St. Lawrence Church, Morden |
Additional Information
William John Welsh was born in Bristol in 1885. By 1911 he was living at 54 East Street, Pontypridd with his wife Eva Ellen and one year old son Alfred. He was working as a colliery ripper. His connection with this parish has not been established but he is believed to have been based at Aldershot when his battalion mobilised on 8th August 1914, just 11 days after the outbreak of the First World War.
William was a private in the 1st Battalion, Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment. His regimental number was L/7657. As a unit in the first division, his battalion was amongst the first to be sent to France. It served on the western front throughout the war but suffered severe losses in the First Battle of Ypres when it was engaged in fierce fighting with the Germans at Gheluvet. The battalion suffered severe losses, losing nine officers and 624 NCOs and other ranks.
Private Welsh was reported missing, presumed dead, on 31st October 1914. He commemorated at the Ypres Menin Gate memorial (Panel 11-13 and 14) by his wife Eva Ellen Marshalsea (formerly Welsh) of Bristol. The Menin Gate is one of four memorials to the missing in the area known as the Ypres Salient.
He is also commemorated at St. Lawrence’s Church, Morden, where his name appears on one of the panels in the Lychgate which serves as the parish war memorial.