Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Tyne Cot Memorial | Panel 99 to 102 and 162 to 162A. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.118 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 33C GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Education & Career :
Farrier (1914)
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 10/Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment) |
10th (Service) Battalion Formed at Derby in September 1914 as part of K2 and became part of 51st Brigade in 17th (Northern) Division. Moved to Wool and on to West Lulworth October 1914, returning to Wool on December. Moved to Winchester in June 1915. Landed at Boulogne on 14 July 1915. |
| Action : The Battles of Ypres 1917 (Third Ypres, or Passchendaele) |
31 July - 10 November 1917. By the summer of 1917 the British Army was able for the first time to fight on its chosen ground on its terms. Having secured the southern ridges of Ypres at Messines in June, the main attack started on 31st July 1917 accompanied by what seemed like incessant heavy rain, which coupled with the artillery barrages conspired to turn much of the battlefield into a bog. Initial failure prompted changes in the high command and a strategy evolved to take the ring of ridges running across the Ypres salient in a series of 'bite and hold' operations, finally culminating in the capture of the most easterly ridge on which sat the infamous village of Passchendaele. The Official History carries the footnote ?The clerk power to investigate the exact losses was not available? but estimates of British casualties range from the official figure of 244,000 to almost 400,000. Within five months the Germans pushed the British back to the starting line, which was where they had been since May 1915.
Detail :
From John Cotterill 2. Pte William Bert CANNON (72246) 10th Bn KIA 19/11/17. He was killed by German shelling moving into the trenches after the end of the 3rd Battle of Ypres. Until 19 Nov the 10th Foresters were in huts in the Langemarck II Area area carrying out camp improvements. They moved into the front line that day but were spotted on the duck-board tracks crossing Pilckem Ridge and heavily shelled as they moved towards positions astride the old Ypres-Staden railway to relieve the 7th Yorkshire Regt. As they moved forward the shelling killed 4 men (of whom CANNON was one) and wounded 14.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | West Kent Volunteer No. 2041 E.C. | West Kent |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
16th May 1914 | 15th August 1914 | 19th September 1914 |
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley