William Sanders

Service record:- Royal Naval Division Casualties of the Great War Pte William Sanders CH/10/S, Royal Marine Light Infantry, Chatham Division; born Fotheringhay, Peterborough; Next of Kin John Henry 2 Mill Street Worksop; ex Notts & Derby Regt transferred to RMLI short service 16/9/1914; Chatham Bn MEF 6/2/1915 – 2/6/1915; Invalided to UK (GSW hand 4/5/1915) ; 1st RM Bn2/9/1915 – 6/12/1916 Acute Bronchitis severe, Invalided UK . He is buried in Worksop (Retford Road) Cemetery (grave ref. 15.238). Pte William Sanders Worksop Guardian 11 May 1917 The funeral took place with military honours at the New Cemetery, Worksop, on Tuesday of Pte William Sanders, RMLI, son of Mr and Mrs Sanders, 10 Sandy Lane, one of the gallant band of Worksop men who have laid down their lives for their country. Pte Sanders who was approaching his 39th birthday, enlisted in September 1914, previous to which time he was employed at Creswell Colliery. He was well known in Worksop, where, as in Creswell he had many friends. After a short period of training, he took part with the Royal Marines in the expedition to the Dardanelles and was in some of the thickest fighting. His experiences were of an eventful character. On May 8th 1915 he was badly wounded. One finger was blown off and his wrist and shoulder hit and a bullet was embedded in his leg. He was bought home and in August the same year he was once more at Gallipoli, and though he escaped further wounding, he experienced great hardship and was up to his waist in water for days at a time. There is no doubt that it was here that he contracted the disease from which he died, tuberculosis. He took part in the evacuation of Gallipoli and was transferred to France where he saw much fighting. On December 8th last year, he was invalided home and was for some time in hospital at Birmingham and afterwards at Greenwich and later at Chatham, where he died on Friday. During his long illness, his cheerfulness never deserted him and though the poor fellow must have known his recovery was hopeless, he never said so to his mother, who went to see him and never complained. The doctor and nurses were most kind to him and Mr and Mrs Sanders and family are grateful to them for their attention. The deceased was a widower and leaves two little boys. Pte Sanders was a brother-in-law of the two brothers Pells, who have fallen in the war and also younger brother, Ernest, is in the Sherwood Foresters, so that the family have been well represented in the war. It was at first, proposed for the hospital authorities to bury Pte Sanders at Chatham with military honours, but Mr G H Featherston, clerk to the Worksop Urban County, very kindly interested himself in the matter, with the result that the authorities had the body * closed in a handsome coffin and sent home for internment. Mr W Raines, with customary thoughtfulness, sent a hearse to meet the train and so convey the body to the house of the deceased soldier’s parents. A military escort for the funeral was provided from Clipstone so that the unfortunate occurrence at poor Pte Fre* funeral was not repeated. The Coffin was draped with the Union jack and Mr T Marrison, the undertaker, and Mr Raines, supplied the hearse. The mourners included, father and mother, Mrs Ethel Sanders (sister), Pte Ernest Sanders SF, and Mr J Sanders (brothers), Mrs L Fenton (sister), Mr and Miss Sanders Junr; Mr and Mrs G Wilson, Mr * Sanders (cousin), Mrs Foster; Mrs Foster; Mrs Soorah (mother-in-law), Mrs Jackman; Mrs * Sellers, Mansfield; Mrs Lidster; Mrs Sanders (aunt) and others. The Rev. J H Bligh , Vicar of St Johns officiated and at the close of the service the customary three volley’s were fired over the grave. There were many wreaths from relatives and friends.

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