William George Neve

A Sergeant with 1/4th Bn., William died on 20th of July 1916 at the age of 23. 

William was born at Lowestoft in 1893, a son of Charles and Jane Neve. In 1901 his family lived at Bishops Buildings, Mariners Street, Lowestoft. By 1911 William’s father had died and his family lived at 3 Mariners Street, Lowestoft. His mother remarried and, later, lived at 15 Albany Road, Lowestoft. 

In 1911 William worked on the trawler All's Well, LT 751, at the Isles of Scilly. 

In late 1912 William volunteered and enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft. He joined the Suffolk Regiment and served with the 1/4th Battalion (Territorial Force). He was mobilized when the war began. He arrived in France with the Battalion on 8 November 1915. 

The 1/4th Battalion War Diary has the following entry for 20 July 1916:

The battalion were relieved by the L.N.Lanc 56th Infantry Brigade, and returned to Shell Valley where improvements to trenches were continued. At 7 a.m. instructions were received to move to a position in the vicinity of the Cemetery in support of the 19th Infantry Brigade in an attack on High Wood and a German trench north of same. D Company was first sent forward, the remaining companies taking shelter and digging in. D Company with 2nd Argylls attempted to take a German string point, but this effort was held up by heavy machine-gun fire, and the Company returned to await darkness. At about 4.30 p.m. A and B Companies under Lieutenant Brown, were sent forward, but they also were compelled to retire. 

The Battalion's casualties were one officer killed, and three officers wounded, and 32 other ranks killed.

William's brother, Percy, was killed in action in 1915 whilst serving with the 8th Battalion Suffolk Regiment.