Pte 50277 William Wade Sheader

• Age: 29
• From: Fleetwood
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Menin Gate Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 4 & 6

William Wade Sheader was born in July 1888 at Fleetwood, the son of Joseph and Jane (nee Adamson) Sheader who married in 1879 in Sheffield. His mother was born in Broughton, Lincolnshire.

His mother died, aged 42, in 1890 and was buried in Rawtenstall Cemetery.

On the 1891Census the family were living at 5 Roberts Row, Lower Booths, Rawtenstall. Widowed father Joseph aged 39, a watchmaker b.Scarborough, Annie Entwistle aged 40, a "lodger" b.Ramsbottom, children Harry W. aged 10 b.Fleetwood, William aged 3 b.Fleetwood.

William cannot be found on the 1901 Census but his father and Annie, both aged 50, have started a new family living at All Saints St, Little Bolton where Lillie is aged 10 and May is aged 5. Brother Henry is aged 19, a bread baker lodging in Manor St, Bolton. 

On the 1911 Census he is lodging with Mrs Shaw at 8 Carriers Row, Colne. His name is recorded as Sheedar, aged 23, a cotton weaver incorrectly born Scarborough.

He  married Mary Ann Halsall in Colne in 1911. His wife was born 3rd May 1891 and they went on to have three children, Elizabeth Ann, born 28th June 1911, Thomas Henry, born 7th July 1913 and William Wade, born 27th August 1917.

He was conscripted in Colne, Lancashire and originally served as Private 38031, East Lancashire Regiment.

A small draft of East Lancashire Regiment soldiers who conscripted in March 1917 and "graduated" into the East Lancashire Regiment but did not serve overseas with that unit. The 15 recruits, all of similar background (East Lancashire Regimental numbers, age and geography) appear on an alpha-numeric list created at 30 IBD, Etaples in June 1917 where they received new numbers. Those with surnames A-L (became 50224-50258) and went to 17th Battalion King's (Liverpool Regiment) and those with surnames M-Z (became 50259-50293) and went to 20th Battalion King's (Liverpool Regiment).

William was serving in the 20th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 50277 when he was killed in action on the 31st July 1917 during the Third Battle of Ypres.

Monday 30 July 1917 10.00pm to Midnight , 17th KLR and 20th KLR move towards Assembly Positions at Maple Copse ready to carry out a supporting role in the attack. 19th KLR is Divisional Reserve.

20^th Battalion

On that day, the 89th Brigade was to follow up the attacks of the 21st and 90th Brigades and once their objectives had been taken, to go through them and secure a line of strong points on the German third line. The 89th Brigade line of attack was from the South West corner of Polygon Wood, to the Menin Road. The 17th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment was on the left of the attack, and the 20th to the right, with the 19th Battalion and the 2nd Battalion The Bedfordshire Regiment, in Divisional Reserve.

On that day, the 89th Brigade was to follow up the attacks of the 21st and 90th Brigades and once their objectives had been taken, to go through them and secure a line of strong points on the German third line. The 89th Brigade line of attack was from the South West corner of Polygon Wood, to the Menin Road. The 17th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment was on the left of the attack, and the 20th to the right, with the 19th Battalion and the 2nd Battalion, The Bedfordshire Regiment, in Divisional Reserve.

The Battalion moved into assembly positions east of Maple Copse between 05.00 and 05.20am, they were heavily shelled and suffered many casualties. At 07.50 they began to advance with the 17^th Battalion on the left, and the 20^th on the right, the whole time under heavy shell fire. On reaching their position which was the Blue Line , troops of both the 21^st and 90^th Brigades were still pinned down  and thus any attempt at further progress were futile.

At this point a message was sent to Brigade HQ advising that Companies were digging in on and consolidating a line running south from Stirling Castle.

Tuesday 31 July 19th and 17th 3.50am:

Zero Hour and the Barrage start’s along the whole Fifth Army front 5.20tham, 17th KLR and 20thth KLR in position at Maple Copse and ready to advance through to Green Line. 7.00 am Both Battalions are heavily shelled by the Germans and take casualties. 7.50 am Both battalions advance. 17th KLR on the left and 20th KLR on the right only to find that Blue Line had not fallen with troops of 21 Brigade and 90 Brigade still pinned down. 11.00am It became obvious that the way ahead was blocked and 17th KLR and 20th KLR dug in on an old German support trench south of Stirling Castle just short of the Division's first objective. A about this time an officer in the Tank Corps who had had his tank destroyed confirmed that Inverness Copse was still in German hands which convinced the 20th KLR officers that they had gone as far as they could.. 11.06am Orders were received for 20th KLR to attack at 10.20tham. Major Watson (acting as Commanding Officer in the absence of Lt Col Douglas) rejected this order and a similar order to attack in the afternoon due to the impossibility of success whilst German machine Guns were still fully operational. Major Watson’s communication to Brigade stated “”front line now roughly along road south of Clapham Junction..... enemy machine guns very active and any movement in forward positions is at once stopped by machine gun fire ...... without further artillery preparation, further attacks will be useless. I am therefore holding on to present line” This was a line just short of 30 Div first objective which was Blue Line. By the end of the day William Sheader was dead.

William's body was not recovered or was subsequenlty lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium.

The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, only those prior 16 August 1917 (with some exceptions). United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. New Zealand casualties that died prior to 16 August 1917 are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery.

The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927.

He was initially reported wounded and missing in the Weekly Casualty List on 25^th September 1917:

King's Liverpool Regiment - Sheader 50277 W. W. (Colne);

Soldiers Effects and war pension went to his widow Mary.

His father, died aged 67, in the March quarter of 1919.

Widow Mary, dob 03^rd May 1891, is found on the 1939 register at 14 Carriers Row, Colne with children Thomas and William. 

A newspaper in 1943 reported the son of the late W.W.Sheader, Thomas Henry married in Trawden, Colne.

His widow never remarried and she died in 1973 aged around 82.  

We currently have no further information on William Wade Sheader, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.