11255 Private William Browning
8th(Service) Battalion(Machine Gun Section)
Devonshire Regiment
1st July 1916
Born in Dawlish,near Torquay,Devon in 1897.
His parents were James Browning(1864-1918) and
Fanny Langdon(1859-1954). They were married on 18/04/1893.
He had 2 brothers,James(born in 1895) and
John Langdon(24/02/1904-1990). He also had a sister,
Dorothy Eliza(1898-1960).
In the 1901 census the family were recorded as living at
6 Commercial Road,Dawlish,Devon.Williams father
was employed as a porter on the Great Western Railway.
In the 1911 census,the family were now living at
2 Brunswick Terrace,Torre,Torquay,Devon.William was
employed as an errand boy for a tailors,whilst his father was a farm labourer working for a butcher and farmer.
He enlisted in Exeter and his date of disembarkation into France was on 08/12/1915.
He was killed in action on 01/07/1916.
At the time of his death,the family were living at
25 Rosery Road,Chelston Torquay.
He was awarded the 1914-1915 Star,The British War 1914-1918 and the Allied Victory medals.
Western Times - Tuesday 18 July 1916
Another member of the Torquay Mission Silver Band has been killed in action. Intimation having been received by Mr. and Mrs. Browning of Headingley Avenue-Road, Torquay, that Pte. William Browning of the 8th Devons(machine gun section), had fallen.