Thursday 14 May 2015

Taylor, William - Private (5886)

Private William Taylor
1st Battalion,
East Lancashire Regiment,
Killed in Action,
7th July 1915
Age 27

Buried at Talana Farm Cemetery


Pte. William Taylor was born in Haslingden on 2 January 1888. He was the son of William and Sarah Taylor of 9 Rising Bridge Road, Rising Bridge and was baptised at St. James Church, Haslingden on 26 February 1888. In 1901 William was living at 14, Hoyle Street with his parents, brothers John Francis and James and sisters Martha Ellen, Mary Jane, Betsy, Sarah, and Ann Alice. He was employed as a card room hand in one of the local cotton mills. Prior to the war he was employed as a spinner at William Robinson's Mill, Haslingden. He was formerly a member of St. John’s Church, Stonefold, but latterly he had attended Jacob Street Mission, Accrington, where he was a scholar and member of the choir. News of his death came as a great shock as he was very popular and was one of the first men to be killed from the Rising Bridge area. William enlisted on 12 August 1914 and went to France on 12 December of that year being a member of D Company, 1st Battalion East Lancashire’s British Expeditionary Force. He should have been home on leave during July 1915 (a fortnight before his obituary appeared in the newspaper) to be married.   He was killed near Ypres, Belgium on 7 July 1915. He was 27 years of age. Memorial Services were held on 8th August at both Stonefold Church and Jacob Street Mission.  William Taylor is buried in Talana Farm Cemetery, near Ypres 


"On the night of 5 July 1915 the 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment took part in a successful attack on German positions on the Yser Canal, near Ypres. From then on the Battalion spent five consecutive days under heavy German shellfire, including gas shells, during which they sustained many casualties.
In spite of this they occupied several German trenches. They were not relieved until the night of 10 July when they went to a rest camp behind the lines. The total casualties were one officer and 42 men killed and 6 officers and 142 men wounded.
Pte. Taylor was killed during this period".
From – Bill Turner’s Book. 

Newspaper Report:

Private William Taylor, whose death occurred in Flanders on July 7th.  Private Taylor enlisted in the 1st East lancashire Regiment last November, and has been in the trenches since about Christmas.  He was 27 years of age, and should have been over on furlough about a fortnight ago to have been married.  He was a spinner by trade, and a member of the Jacob Street Mission Hall choir, and a scholar in the Sunday School.  He is one a dozen members of the school who joined the colours, and the first of them to fall on the field of battle.  There will be a memorial service in the Mission Hall tomorrow (Sunday) evening.  Private Taylor's parents reside at 9 Rising Brdige Road, Baxenden, and they received the official notification of his death last Sunday.