Battery Serjeant Major William Fordham Leeder - Distinguished Conduct Medal

Battery Serjeant Major William Fordham Leeder was born in Kenninghall, Norfolk in 1883. His father, also William, was a labourer and his mother Ada a laundress. He had an older sister Louisa and two younger siblings, Emily and George. By 1891, age 8, he was still living in Norfolk with his family but ten years later, in 1901, he is shown on the census as serving in the Royal Navy in Gibraltar.

William joined the Royal Artillery in 1904 and served in the Royal Field Artillery throughout the war, first as a Serjeant and then as a Warrant Officer Class 2. His service number was 33553.
He married Mary Emily Weldon in Surrey in 1917, presumably whilst on leave from his war duties. He was posted to India prior to his marriage but during the last year of his life he was serving in the European theatre of war, where he died in action in the field on the 16th April 1918. At the time of his death he was in the 83rd Battalion 11th Brigade. He is buried at Reninghelst New Military Cemetery, Belgium at IV.A.22 and remembered on the memorial tablet on the South Wall of the United Apolostolic Church (formerly St Peter’s Church) in Kohat Road, SW19.

On 19th September 1918 Battery Serjeant Major William Fordham Leeder was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal ‘for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty…his gallantry and coolness under shell fire, both at the wagon lines and on the road when taking up guns and ammunition to the front line, being most conspicuous’ (London Gazette).

Records don’t show whether William ever lived in Wimbledon. However the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Certificate records that his wife of one year, Mary, was living at 38 Havelock Road Wimbledon at the time of his death.