Private 15807 William Lawrenson

Census details:
1901 - 4 years old William is living at 24 Canarvon Street, Thatto Heath with widowed mother Ann (30) and five siblings: Robert T (10), Joseph (8), Edward (6), John (2), Ann (3 Mths). 1911 - Sees 14 years old 'Pusher at Sheet Glass Works' William living at 9 Sandon Street, Thatto Heath, St Helens with stepfather William Thomas Friar (45), mother Ann Friar (43), half sister Annie Friar (7) and siblings: Robert Thomas (20), Joseph (18), Edward (16), John Clement (12).

Notes:
[url=lmem.php?lmem=20]Remembered on St John the Evangelist, Ravenhead War Memorial[/url] [url=lmem.php?lmem=12]Also Remembered On the Ormskirk Street Memorial, St Helens.[/url] Age taken from census.

The Battalion left Liverpool on 1st July 1915. Sailing via Gibralter, Malta and Alexandria, they arrived in Lemnos on 18th July 1915, and on 21st July landed at Helles on the Gallipoli Peninsular. On 9th August 1915, the Battalion War Diary reads, "At 1:45 a.m. the Battalion left bivouacs accompanied by 6th Lincolns and marched to YILGHIN BURNU reaching positions for deployment just north of the point at 5:00 a.m. where the two battalions were joined by the 7st South Staff who were bivouacing there. The advance started about 5:00 a.m. C&D Companies formed the firing line and supports, C on right and D on left. A & B were Battn Reserve. 3 machine guns under Major Bridges were attached to the Battn. The attack proceeded in a satisfactory manner til 6:30 a.m., the firing line reaching the nalla near ISMAIL UGLUTEPE. The left at this junction about the region of KANLI KEUPRU DERE was driven in, the enemy coming on to Hill 70 and the heights of ABRIKJA thereby enfilading the left of the Battn attack. A & B Companies were now pushed into the firing line. A further retirement on the left caused the Commanding Officer to collect as many men as he could along the road about TORDUT CHESME. This line was held all day until 5:00 p.m. A large number of men had been killed or wounded along this line by machine guns. At 5:00 p.m. the remainder of the Battn & one company of the Staffordshires retired about 150 yards & occupied an old trench and dug in. casualties being 12 Officers killed, 4 wounded and 1 missing. Rank & File - Killed 26, wounded 241, missing 131. 696 men started in the morning with the Battalion. [pic]imgs/WW1_memorials/Johnson-Lawrenson_Borders.jpg[/pic][caption]The panel on the Helles Memorial bearing the inscription for Private William Lawrenson (Photograph courtesy of Phil Wood off GWF )[/caption]