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Remembrance
- The Yorkshire Regiment, First World War Photos, - Individuals, Surname "W" Close window to return to main page |
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Information and photos for the following are to be found on this page;-
 Select the above for for a page that contains a larger sized portrait of Private Waistell, and an Obituary Card. The page opens in a new window. Close the new window to return to this page. |
Private James WAISTELL,
19569. 7th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Son of John and Grace Waistell, of 14, Glebe Terrace, Easington, Co. Durham. Killed 6 November 1916. Aged 20. Born Middleston Moor (Durham), Enlisted Darlington, Resided Easington Colliery. Commemorated on Pier and Face 3 A and 3 D, THIEPVAL MEMORIAL. James' twin brother, Charles, who also served with the 7th Battalion was killed on 1 July at Fricourt. He is buried in Fricourt British Cemetery and is commemorated on the Fricourt Memorial. We are extremely grateful to Mrs Raven Woodburn (<woodburnraven@yahoo.com>) for sending us the images of the postcards commemorating Private James Waistell. |
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 Select the above for a photo of a platoon of the 8th Battalion, in which John Walker is in the back row, fifth from the left. Close the window that opens to return to this page. |
Private John WALKER,
13203 (*). 8th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Born Sheffield, Enlisted Middlesbrough, Resided Middlesbrough. Enlisted 2 September 1914. First landed in France with the 8th Battalion on 26 August 1915. Served throughout the war and was demobilised on 6 May 1919. Awarded the 1914-15 Star, Victory Medal and British Medal. (* John Walker's Service Record exists in the National Archives. Although the cover sheet appears to show the Service Number as 13303, further data shows the number to have been 13203) The photograph is of the 8th Battalion (unidentified) platoon in Folkestone in 1915, and comes from the John Sheen collection. Identification of John Walker is by by Paul Bollands (<paulbollands@googlemail.com>), a grandson of John Walker. Paul provides further information on John Walker;- Born 29 August 1885 in Sheffield. Served in South Africa 1901 - 1902 (though this information is not on his Service Record). Died in 1972 aged 87 (Middlesbrough) |
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 Photo from that of 2nd Battalion Officers, 1914 |
Major Wilfrid Beckett WALKER Born at Scarborough, 5th August, 1876, 2nd son of Captain Edwyn Walker, 15th Hussars. 2nd Lieut., 20th February, 1897 ; Lieut, 15th October, 1898; Capt., 25th June, 1904 ; Major, 3rd December, 1913. Served in the Boer War, 1900-02. Operations in the Orange River Colony, including actions at the Vet and Zand Rivers. In the advance eastwards, actions at Diamond Hill and Belfast. With the 2nd Battn. Mounted Infantry in operations in the Transvaal, 30th November, 1900, to end of the war (mentioned in despatches. Queen's medal and 4 clasps. King's medal and 2 clasps). Proceeded to Zeebrugge with 2nd Battn. in October, 1914, and was killed at Ypres, 29th October, 1914. Aged 38. "He was a most capable and reliable officer, whose loss will be deeply felt in the regiment. Under a quiet and somewhat cynical exterior, there was a true and brave heart. No one did kinder things than he, and certainly no one took more pains to conceal the fact that he had done them. He always had a way out of a difficulty and worked for the good of the regiment " (G.H.G.). Commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Panel 33. His brother, Oswald Bethell Walker, 15th (The King's) Hussars, was killed on 23 August 1914. |
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 Photo from that of 2nd Battalion Officers, 1914 |
Lieutenant Richard WALMESLEY Son of John Walmesley, of Lucknam, Chippenham, Wilts. Killed 21 October 1914, aged 23. Buried in Aeroplane Cemetery, Belgium (3.5 kilometres north east of Ieper town centre on the Zonnebeekseweg road ). |
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Private William Oliver
WATSON, 10885. 6th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Son of George and Margaret Watson, of Albert Row, Bedale, Yorks. Killed 21 August 1915. Age 19. Born Bedale (Yorks), Enlisted Richmond, Resided Bedale. Commemorated on Panels 55 to 58, HELLES MEMORIAL. Photo and additional information provided by the Green Howards Museum. William Oliver Watson was the eldest of three brothers and a sister, born to George and Margaret Watson of Albert Row in Bedale, North Yorkshire. William was born in 1896. His two brothers were Alfred (born 1898) and Frank. His sister was called Lily. (There was another sister, but she died in childhood). The house where this family lived, and where William was born, can still be seen today. William enlisted at Richmond in the 6th Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment (the Green Howards) very soon after the outbreak of the First World War. For photos of the house in which Willam Oliver Watson lived, and documents relating to his final days, select the link below. |
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Private James Charles WATTS,
293. 5th Battalion. Killed 27 February 1916. Born Beverley (Yorks), Enlisted Beverley. . Buried MAPLE COPSE CEMETERY. Photo and additional information provided by great grandson Simon Beeston. "James Charles Watts was born in 1875 in Aldershot to an Army family and went on to be one of fourteen children, several who joined the services. Census records show him to move from Aldershot to Beverley via Sheffield. He married Rosa Butters in 1903 in Beverley and had two children, Charles, Simon Beeston's Grandfather, and Wilfred. He had served in the East Yorks Regiment from 1891 to 1908 and then worked in a local tannery. Judging by his low Battalion number he must have been in the local Territorials some time before the War started. The Battalion Diary records that they were in the trenches in Sanctuary Wood, East of Ypres, at the time of his death, but a family story says that he was a devout Catholic and was trying to "recover" a cross from a church when he lost his life. |
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 Photo provided by Stephen Farnell. Select the above image for a larger version that opens in a new window. Close the window that opens to return to this page. |
Lieutenant Colonel Charles
Ramsey WHITE, DSO, Belgian Order of the Crown and the
Croix de Guerre (Belgium) The following information on Lieutenant Colonel White has been provided by John Hamblin (<jc.hamblin@btopenworld.com>);- 2nd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment attached to the 6th (Service) Battalion. Charles Ramsey White was born the son of Sir William K.H.R. and Lady Edith Laura (nee Paris) White of "Leahurst", Tickhill in Rotherham. He was educated at Oatlands School, Harrogate, in Yorkshire leaving there in 1892 for Hazelwood School which he left in the summer of 1895. He went on to Wellington College where he was in Hill House leaving in 1896 He served in the South African War with the Yorkshire Regiment as a Captain and as Regimental Transport Officer from 1900 to 1902. He took part in operations at Cape Colony south of the Orange River from January to August 1900 Orange River Colony from September to the 29th of November 1900 and was there again from January to April 1902. He was awarded the King’s Medal with two clasps, and the Queen's Medal with two clasps. He was promoted to Captain in the 22nd of October 1904.. He left the army in 1907 and went into business in Burma. He rejoined the army on the outbreak of war and went out to France as a Captain in November 1914 as a replacement. He was wounded at Neuve Chappelle on the 10th of March 1915, and invalided home. He went to Egypt as a Major in 1915 and returned to France in 1916. He took command of the 6th Battalion in September 1917 but was sent home sick in May 1918 where the regimental history records “For long he had struggled against illness, in fact it may be doubted whether he had ever really been fit enough to be passed for field service.”. He was awarded the Belgian Order of the Crown and the Croix de Guerre (Belgium) on the 15th of April 1918, and became Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion. He died suddenly on the 31st of March 1921 |
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 Photo from that of 6th Battalion Officers, 1915 |
2nd Lieutenant John Finlayson
WHITE 6th Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment. Died 7 August 1915. Commemorated Panel 55 to 58, Helles Memorial. |
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Private Joseph Edwin WILD,
15601. 2nd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Son of Mr. H. E. Wild, of 19, Simpson St, Thornaby-on-Tees, Yorks. Killed on 13 April 1917. Aged 23. Born Thornaby, Enlisted Thornaby. Buried WARLINCOURT HALTE BRITISH CEMETERY, SAULTY. Photo provided by Mark Gettings (<mark.gettings@gmail.com>). Another photo of Private Joseph Wild can be seen by selecting this link. |
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Captain William Thomas
WILKINSON 9th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Son of John R. and Jane Wilkinson, of Sidney, British Columbia, Canada. Native of Hampstead, London, England. Served with Artists' Rifles 1909-11. Enlisted in Public Schools Bn. Aug., 1914. Commissioned Sept., 1914. Killed 5 July 1916. Aged 29. Buried Becourt Military Cemetery, Becordel-Becourt. The photo of Captain Williamson has been sent by Amanda Forbis (<forbis@shaw.ca>), a great niece, to whom we are very grateful. |
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 Photo from that of 6th Battalion Officers, 1915 |
Lieutenant Ian McLean WILSON 6th Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment. Son of H. Maclean Wilson, M.D., and S. O'Connell Wilson, of Woodthorpe Lane, Wakefield. Died 7 August 1915. Aged 20. Commemorated Panel 55 to 58, Helles Memorial. |
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 Select the above thumbnail image for a brief biography and larger sized photos that open in a new window. |
Private
John William WILSON, 2370. 5th Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment. Son of John Henry and Kate Eliza Wilson (nee Birkett), of 18, St. John's Walk, Bridlington; husband of Ethel Wilson (nee Madden, later married Otto Kirby), of 32 Havelock Crescent, Bridlington. Killed 25 April 1915. Aged 32. Born Bridlington, Enlisted Bridlington. Commemorated Panel 33, YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL. Photo kindly provided by Mike Wilson, grandson of John William Wilson, from the book "The Great War Heroes of Bridlington". Select the thumbnail image on the left for further brief biographical details of John William Wilson, together with larger sized photos. |
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 Photo from that of 2nd Battalion Officers, 1914 |
Lieutenant William Arthington
WORSLEY Born at Hovingham, 5th April, 1890, eldest son of Sir William Arthington Worsley, Bart., of Hovingham Hall, Yorkshire. 2nd Lieut, 4th December, 1912 ; Lieut., 30th October, 1914; Capt., 17th June, 1917 ; Adjt, 18th February, 1920; retired with a gratuity, 7th March, 1923. Went to Belgium with 2nd Battn. in 1914. Was wounded and taken prisoner at Gheluvelt, near Ypres, about 30th October, 1914 (1914 star silver and bronze medals). Elected Captain of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club in December 1927. |
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2nd Lieutenant Herbert
Melville WRIGHT 2nd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Son of Francis Henry and Agnes Mary Wright, of 7, Addington Rd., Reading. Killed 2 April 1917. Aged 19. Buried HENIN COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION. (A biography of Lieutenant Wright can be found on the Christ Church College, Oxford, website.) We are extremely grateful to John Chapman for This photo and information on Lietenant Wright. |
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