William Hawkins, Royal Welsh Fusiliers

He enlisted at Holyhead and arrived in France 1 December 1915 with the RWF. Not known when he transferred to the 216th Divisional Employed Company but it was probably sometime in 1917. The 216th DEC was transferred to the 15th (Scottish) Division on 22 May 1917. The role of the Salvage Section was to collect and salvage unused material and equipment from the battlefield for reuse.

Private Hawkins was born at Holyhead, the son of William Henry and Elizabeth Hawkins (nee Bellis), of 26 Wynne Street, Holyhead. In 1911 the family resided at 26 Wynne Street, Holyhead and comprised William Henry Hawkins (53), Elizabeth Hawkins (54), Catherine (25) - employed as a Domestic Servant, William (21) - employed as a Labourer in a Stone Quarry and Elizabeth (16) - employed as a General Servant. An older brother, John H Hawkins (b. about 1881) lived with the family in 1901 and was employed as a Boilermaker's Labourer. The family had previously lived at 33 Wynne Street, Mill Street and Edmund Street, Holyhead. His father was employed as a Labourer. All the family originated from Holyhead with the exception of the youngest child, Elizabeth, who was born at Liverpool.

Records show that in 1912, whilst working as a Labourer at the Silica Works at Holyhead Mountain, he sustained an injury - "Belt slipping on pulley and used bar to tighten it when bar was struck and sprang out and struck his arm".

His older brother John Henry Hawkins was lost on the Holyhead ship HMT Scotia at Dunkirk in June 1940, aged 59.

Awarded the 1915 Star, Victory Medal and British War Medal.

Buried in the Hersin Communal Cemetery Extension, France. Grave location III.E.13.

With thanks to Margaret Breedon for the photograph of her great-uncle.