Pte 57686 William Ewart Sims

• Age: 27
• From: York
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Monday 23rd April 1917
• Commemorated at: Arras Memorial
  Panel Ref: Bay 3

William Ewart Sims was born in York on 20th September 1889 the son of Mrs M Sims of 20 Moss Street, York.

He married on 25th August 1913 to Annie Marshall Sims and they had one child.

Prior to joining the Army in June 1916 he was a lithographic artist in the employment of Messrs T Forman and Sons of Nottingham.

He had spent time with the  Nottingham Officers Training Corps before enlisting as a Private in the North Midland Division Cyclist Corps. Soon after he was recommended for a commission but at this time the NMD Cyclist Corps was merged into the Army Cyclist Corps and he was transferred to the 18th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 57686. 

There he was made a runner and was killed at the Battle of Arras on 23rd April 1917, aged 27. Previous to this his name was sent forward for honours for great bravery on April 9th for successfully carrying messages over shell swept ground, when three others had fallen in the attempt.

On that day the Battalion had occupied old German Trenches at Henniel on the Arras sector of the front. In the evening, it moved to a sunken road to support an attack by the 18th and 19th Battalion’s of the Manchester Regiment. Elements of the Pals were to provide mopping up parties for both the Manchester Battalions, who were to move forward at 18.00pm. However, as the orders were not received until 17.45pm,it proved impossible to join the Manchester’s in time for their attack and the mopping up parties followed from where they presumed that the assaulting waves had left.

By this time, the German retaliatory barrage had begun, and the British Front Line was so heavily shelled, that the Battalion took up position in the shell holes in front. As the situation was chaotic, some troops on the right flank had begun to pullback, it was decided to withdraw to the British front line under cover of darkness to consolidate. Eventually, by morning the position became clearer, and the Battalion was able to move forward to occupy the old front line which had been vacated by the Germans, who had retired over the next crest.

Altogether the Battalion’s losses were four officers and one hundred and one other ranks, killed, wounded or missing.

His body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as his name is recorded on the Arras Memorial in France.

The ARRAS MEMORIAL commemorates almost 35,000 servicemen from the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand who died in the Arras sector between the spring of 1916 and 7 August 1918, the eve of the Advance to Victory, and have no known grave. The most conspicuous events of this period were the Arras offensive of April-May 1917, and the German attack in the spring of 1918. Canadian and Australian servicemen killed in these operations are commemorated by memorials at Vimy and Villers-Bretonneux. A separate memorial remembers those killed in the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. Both cemetery and memorial were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, with sculpture by Sir William Reid Dick. The memorial was unveiled by Lord Trenchard, Marshal of the Royal Air Force on the 31 July 1932 (originally it had been scheduled for 15 May, but due to the sudden death of French President Doumer, as a mark of respect, the ceremony was postponed until July).

His widow Annie lived at 66 Heneage Road, Grimsby after the war.  

William is commemorated on the memorial at Holy Trinity Church, Micklegate as well as The King's Book at York Minster.

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