13024 Private William Henry Lawrence
9th (Service)Battalion
Devonshire Regiment
1st July 1916
Born in Llanfabon Glamorgan, Wales in 1892.
His parents were Henry Charles Lawrence(1866-1944) and Ellen Parry(1871-1955). They were married on 16/06/1891.
William had 2 brothers; Arthur(born in 1898) and
Charles(1904-1978).
He also had 3 sisters; Ethel(1893-1979),
Winifred Maud(1895-1990) and Edith Mabel(1900-1985).
In the 1901 Welsh census, the family were recorded as living at 1 Susannah Place Merthyr,Wales. His father was employed as a coal miner hewer.
By the time of the 1911 Welsh census, William was also employed as a coal miner hewer and the family were now living at
2 Brook Cottage, Pwllmeyric,Chepstow,Monmouthshire,Wales.
On 23/01/1913 William married Adeline Rose Raines(1890-1965) and they had 2 sons Donald Harry (02/01/1914-06/05/2001) and Arthur Victor(1916-1997).
He enlisted in Merthyr and his date of disembarkation into France was on 27/07/1915.
He was servant to 2nd Lieutenant H.L. Rayner and both men were killed in action by machine gun fire in the Danube Trench,reportedly by the same bullet on 01/07/1916.
He was awarded the 1914-1915 Star,the 1914-1918 British War and Allied Victory Medals.
Williams wife remarried in 1921 to George E Steadman.