1885 - 1916
CPL David Wallace Crawford
1887 - 1916
Lce-Corpl John Joseph Nickle
1894 - 1916
Pte 17911 Morton Neill
1897 - 1916
Lieut Edward Stanley Ashcroft
1883 - 1918
Pte 72325 William Edward Dutch
- Age: 26
- From: Liverpool
- Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
- K.I.A Saturday 23rd March 1918
- Commemorated at: Ham British Cem
Panel Ref: II.C.23
William Edward Dutch was born in Liverpool in 1891 and was baptised on 13th September 1891 at St George's Church, Everton. He was the son of Robert John Dutch and his wife Catherine Charlotte (nee Scarff), who married on 01st July 1888 in Liverpool.
The 1901 Census shows the family are living at 100 Gordon Street, Everton, Liverpool. William is 9 years old and lives with his parents and three siblings. His father, Robert, is a 39 year old general labourer, whilst his mother is 38 years of age. His siblings are recorded as; Robert aged 11, Isabella aged 7 and Samuel aged 4. All family members were born in Liverpool
His father Robert died in 1903.
The 1911 Census shows the family living at 110 Gordon Street, Everton, Liverpool. His widowed mother Catherine Charlotte is aged 48, born 1863 in Liverpool and has no occupation listed. She states that she had been married for twenty three years and had six children of which one had died. At the time of the Census she is living with four of her children; William Edward aged 19 is a labourer in an oil cake mill, Isabella Victoria is aged 17, born 1894 and has no occupation, Samuel aged 14, born 1897 is a shop lad and Elizabeth Jane is aged 9, born 1902. Her children were all born in Liverpool.
He enlisted in Liverpool joining the 18th Battalion as Private 72325 and he was killed in action on 23rd March 1918, aged 26, during the German Spring Offensive. The amount of the War Gratuity suggests that he served about 7 months, enlisting or being conscripted in about July or August 1917.
The Battalion diary gives an outlook into the events of the day:
Saturday 23rd March 1918 – About 1:00 a.m. an order was received to vacate the positions the Battalion was occupying. Companies fell in and marched through Ham to the new positions that were occupied around 2:00 a.m. The 17th Btn Kings Liverpool Regiment was holding the line to the left, and the 21st Entrenching Battlaion to the right, across the canal. A report was received that the enemy had occupied Aubigny and that his patrols were pushing forward from there. There was considerable machine gun and rifle fire from the enemy's left about 4:00 a.m. The O.C No. 4 Company reported that the troops on his left were falling back which he was also conforming to and immediately afterwards a message was received from the O.C 17th Btn Kings Liverpool Regiment to the effect that his Battalion was withdrawing through the village of Ham. The order was then gven for the Battalion to withdraw through Ham, in the direction of Esmery Hallon and this was done with few casualties.
Captain J.S. Edwards with a small party of the Battalion withdrew along the Ham – Nesle road and engaged the enemy throughout the morning, being reinforced by men of all Regiments. Later in the day he gained contact with the O.C 17th Btn Kings Liverpool Regiment on his right and became engaged in operations under the command of their Captain F. Lawless and together with about 40 men from the 18th Battalion withdrew in the direction of Verlaines. They then took up a position on the right of the Ham – Libermont Road line with the 17th Btn. Kings Liverpool Regiment. This party, was engaged in operations under the directions of the 17th Btn. Kings Liverpool Regiment who advanced the line east of Verlaines in the direction of Ham about 2:30 p.m. Capt. F. Lawless collected a mixed force of eighty men and placed them in a position at Verlaines as a reserve under the orders of the O.C 17th Btn. Kings Liverpool Regiment. In the evening this party was used to carry rations etc to the more forward troops.
He was buried by the Germans with three “Unknown British Soldiers” and later was found and identified by the “old cross” marking the grave. His body was removed and reburied in Ham British Cemetery, France, where he now rests.
Ham British Cemetery was begun in January 1918 by the 61st Casualty Clearing Station as an extension of Muille-Villette German Cemetery.
In January, February and March 1918, the 61st (South Midland) Casualty Clearing Station was posted at Ham, but on the 23rd March the Germans, in their advance towards Amiens, crossed the Somme at Ham, and the town remained in German hands until the French First Army re-entered it on the following 6th September 1918.
In 1919 the graves in the British Cemetery were regrouped and others were added
Ham British Cemetery contains 485 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 218 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 14 soldiers, believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of 39 casualties known to have been buried in other cemeteries whose graves were not found.
Other German Cemeteries in the area were HAM CHURCHYARD GERMAN EXTENSION; MUILLE-VILLETTE GERMAN CEMETERY and MUILLE-VILLETTE COMMUNAL CEMETERY GERMAN EXTENSION. The British Graves from these three were moved to either HAM BRITISH CEMETERY or ROYE NEW BRITISH CEMETERY.
MUILLE-VILLETTE GERMAN CEMETERY adjoins the West side of the British Cemetery. It now contains the graves of 1,113 identified and 420 unidentified German soldiers.
William is commemorated on the following Memorials:
J Bibby & Sons (now situated at Cargill, Brocklebank Ltd, Regent Road, Bootle.
Christ Church, Everton (now situated in St St George's Church, Everton).
We currently have no further information on William Edward Dutch. If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.
Killed On This Day.
(109 Years this day)Sunday 22nd April 1917.
Pte 52865 Hyman Barnett Gadansky
28 years old
(108 Years this day)
Monday 22nd April 1918.
Pte 136181 Edwin Williams
19 years old