William Charles Rose

This name is at St Mark's War Memorial, Kennington Oval, London SE11

W. C. Rose

(Rose, William Charles)

Service no. 26846

Private, Durham Light Infantry, 15th Bn.

Died of wounds on 25 March 1918, aged 29

Remembered at St Sever Cemetery, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, France

Information from the 1911 census

The Rose family lived at 20 Bennett Street, Southwark. William Charles Rose, then 21, was a sales assistant for a hatter. His father, James Henry Rose, 60, was a compositor born in the City of Westminster; his mother, Emily Rose, 59, was born in St. Giles. William's sisters Mary Ann, 34, and Florence Alice, 19, had no occupations listed, so presumably they did not work. Maud Ellen, 16, however, worked as a cutter-off in the printing trade. There was a boarder, Arthur E. Lawford, a 31-year-old single salesman, and a servant, Rose Davis, 18.

British Army Service Records

Address: 10 Newington Crescent, Kennington Park Road

Born: 9 November 1889

Age: 26 years and 1 month when joined

NOK: James Henry Rose

Chest: 35 inches with 2 and a half inches expansion

Occupation: tobacco dresser

Note: "He comes over giddy at times due in my opinion to excessive cigarette smoking." - Medical form

Joined: Whitehall Central Recruiting Depot

Posted (BEF): 18 December 1916

Joined battalion: 24 January 1917

Gassed 1 November 1917

Admitted to hospital: 5 May 1917 - 23 June 1917 (18 days)

Also 4 July 1917 - 24 August 1917 (52 days)

Both episodes are annotated "I.C.T." (?) and "Legs"

Died at No 9 General Hospital, Rouen, France - general wounds to the abdomen

Served: 2 years, 105 days

(Records very difficult to decipher - there is a kit list, not transcribed here)