William Cole

William Cole William Cole was at the other end of the age scale to Wilfred Clarke being 37 at the outbreak of war and 40 at the age of his death on 12 October 1917. Willie was the eldest of 7 children of Fred and Betsy Cole who had moved from Worksop to Scunthorpe in 1880 where Fred, a former iron miner, obtained work as a general labourer, an occupation also followed by Willie on becoming an adult. Private William Cole had originally served in the Sherwood Foresters before being moved to the 6th South Staffordshires with whom he was serving in an attack on the village of Poelcappalle in the Ypres Salient when his battalion suffered hevily from German machine gun fire, causing many casuaties, including Willie. Having no known grave he is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial near Ypres. Courtesy of Robert Illett.

Formerly 40766, Notts and Derbys Regt.