13210 PTE. W. CARR. K.O.S.B.

 

William Carr was born in Bamber Bridge on 26 January 1894, and christened at St Saviour’s on February 11.  His father was Silvester Carr, b. 1868 in Bamber Bridge, a stone mason by trade; his mother was Catherine Haydock, b. 1866 in Bamber Bridge.  Silvester and Catherine married at St Saviour’s in 1893 and William was born the following year.  They had 6 children in all, but 3 died in infancy.  William’s surviving siblings were Elizabeth (b. 1895) and Robert (b. 1898).  Shortly after Robert was born, the family moved to Blackburn.  In 1911, they were living at 419 Bolton Road, Ewood.  Silvester continued to work as a stone mason but William and his siblings were weavers; Robert at 12 had just started as a part-timer.

 

According to SDGW, William enlisted at Blackburn in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers.  We don’t have William’s service record, but Robert’s has survived.  He was living at Barrow-in-Furness when he enlisted in the Border Regiment in June 1917 when he was 18, so there seems to be some family connection with southern Scotland.  Robert was posted to India and served on garrison duty with 2/4 Battalion until the end of the War.

 

William signed up in the early days of the War and was posted with 1Bn KOSB to Gallipoli, and he landed at Helles on 25 April 1915.  He fought there throughout the campaign and was finally evacuated with his Battalion in January 1916, after which they were posted to France, where they arrived in March, to prepare for the planned attack on the Somme.

 

William was killed during the slaughter of the first day, on 1 July 1916, he was 22 years old.  His effects of £2 11s 2d were returned to his father, and he later received a War Gratuity of £8 10s. William’s body was never recovered and he is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial.

 

130 officers and men from 1Bn were killed on that opening day of the Battle of the Somme.

 

Rank:  Private

Service No:  13210

Date of Death:  01/07/1916

Age:  22

Regiment/Service:  King's Own Scottish Borderers, 1st Bn.

Panel Reference:  Pier and Face 4 A and 4 D.

Memorial:  THIEPVAL MEMORIAL

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