William Burton

William enlisted at Arnold and was posted to the Sherwood Foresters (34974) but transferred later to the 10th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment.

On the evening of 15 June 1917, the 10th Battalion marched up to the trenches, and relieved the 7th Loyal North Lancashire Regiment in support in the right sector of the Divisional front. Battalion HQ was at Leg Copse and the company’s were in trenches just south-east of Oosttaverne Wood. The relief was completed at 11.30pm. During the period of the relief there was intermittent shelling by the Germans and as a result 'one Other Rank' [Pte Burton] was killed and four others were wounded when caught in the blast from a German shell.

William is buried in Oosttaverne Wood Cemetery, Belgium (grave ref. III.B.4). The history of the Cemetery indicates that William's grave was in the first tranche of burials in the original two cemeteries made for casualties of the Battle of Messines (7-14 June 1917).

CWGC History of Oosttaverne Wood Cemetery (extract): the Cemetery is 6km from the town of Ieper (Ypres). 'The "Oosttaverne Line" was a German work running northward from the river Lys to the Comines Canal, passing just east of Oosttaverne. It was captured on 7 June 1917, the first day of the Battle of Messines, the village and the wood being taken by the 19th (Western) and 11th Divisions. Two cemeteries, No.1 and No.2, were then made by the IX Corps Burial Officer on the present site and used until September 1917. They are contained in Plot I, II, and III of the present cemetery, which was completed after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the surrounding battlefields (including many from Hill 60) and from the following smaller cemeteries (listed).' (www.cwgc.org)

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