William Hare
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
William was born in 1888 in Henlow, Bedfordshire and was the son of Frederick William Hare a colliery labourer and Sarah Hare née Ward of 6 Byron Terrace Hucknall Torkard, Nottinghamshire. Williams family were all born in Henlow in Bedfordhsire where his father worked as a butcher's labourer. His father Frederick William was born in the town in 1868 as was his mother who was also born in 1868. They were married in Henlow on 17th September 1868 and went on to have 11 children all born in the village, sadly 4 of them died in infancy prior to the 1911 census, their surviving children were Frank b1869, George b1872, John b1875, Emma b1878, Sarah b1880, James b1884, William b1888 and Frederick b1893. In the 1891 census the family are living at High Street, Henlow. Frederick is 43 yrs of age and a butcher's assistant, however it would appear sometime between the census the family moved up to Hucknall when Frederick became a miner. In the 1901 census the family are living at 6 Byron Terrace, Hucknall. Frederick is now 53 yrs and a colliery labourer. In the 1911 census the family are still living at 6 Byron Terrace, Hucknall, Frederick now 63 yrs and a colliery labourer is living with his wife Sarah 63 yrs and their 2 youngest sons, William 23 yrs a colliery ropeman and Frederick 18 yrs a tradesman porter in boots and shoes.
William enlisted in Hucknall and served with the 12th battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps; his medal index car shows he first entered a theatre of war on 24th July 1915. He went missing in action on 25th September 1915 and it was not until a year later that he was officially presumed killed in action. He has no known grave; his name is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial.
Extract from the ‘Hucknall Dispatch’, dated 28th September 1916. “Above we give the photographs of two more Hucknallites concerning whom the sad tidings has been received that they have fallen in the defence of their country. “The first is that of William Hare, aged 30 years, who has been on the missing list since September 25th, 1915. News has just been received from the War Office notifying his parents in Byron terrace, Hucknall, that he was killed on that date. The soldier was in the King’s Royal Rifles, and enlisted in the early stages of the war in the flood tide of recruiting. He was employed at Newstead pit, and was well-known throughout the district, being a player for the Newstead and Hucknall Byron Football Clubs.” Above extract is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918.
