William Rossell
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
William was born in 1897 in Radford and was the son of the late Thomas a house painter and Annie Rossell née Hardy. His father Thomas was born in 1856 in Nottingham and his mother was born in 1859 in Rolleston, Nottinghamshire. They were married in Nottingham in 1880 and went onto have a large family of 11 children sadly one of which was to die in infancy their surviving 10 children were: - George b1880 Fiskerton, Ada b1882 Fiskerton, Amy b1884 Newport Lincs, Laura b1885 Newport Lincs, Rose b1887 Newport Lincs, Lottie b1889 Nottingham, Walter b1895 Nottingham, Arthur b1895 Radford, William b1897 Radford and Alfred b1901 Radford. His father Thomas died in Nottingham in 1901 aged 45 yrs leaving his mother to bring up 10 children. In the 1911 census Annie now 52 yrs and a widow is living at 19 Foxhall Road, Sherwood Rise, Nottingham, she is living with 5 of her children , Laura 26 yrs a tobacco packer (imperial tobacco ) Rose 24 yrs a lace mender, Arthur 16 yrs a baker, William 14 yrs a bobbin and carriage maker in the lace trade and Alfred 10 yrs a scholar.
Private William Rossell, enlisted in Nottingham and served with the 9th Battalion King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, he was killed in action 26th January 1916 and is buried in Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery. Armentieres grave reference 9.E.56
His elder brother Arhtur also joined up during the Great War, he attested in Nottingham on 10th December 1915, he gave his age as 20 yrs and 9 months he gave his occupation as a baker. He was placed into the reserves the following day . He was mobilised on 19th June 1916 and posted to the Army Service Corps. However on 6th September 1916 he was discharged from the army as unlikely to become an efficient soldier , he suffered from tuberculosis . Obituaries published in the Nottingham Evening Post dated 3rd February 1916 “ROSSELL. - Killed in action, January 26th, Private W. Rossell, 9th Battalion K.O.Y.L.I., aged 19 years, beloved brother of Mr. and Mrs. Percy Clay (née Rossell). He nobly answered his country's call. R.I.P. “ROSSELL. - Killed in action, January 26th, 1916, Private W. Rossell, K.O.Y.L.I., the dearly-beloved son of Mrs. and the late Thomas Rossell, of 19, Foxhall-road, aged 19 years. Duty nobly done. Father in Thy gracious keeping, leave we Thee our dear one sleeping. - From his sorrowing mother, brothers, and sisters.” Above obituaries courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918.
