Kenneth George William Small

A Private with 1/16th Bn., Kenneth died on 29th of August 1916 at the age of 19.

Kenneth was born at Lowestoft in 1897, a son of William and Margaret Annie Isabel Small. He was baptised at Saint John's Church, Lowestoft, on 26 December 1897 and his family lived at Regent Road, Lowestoft. By 1901 his family were living at 32 Grosvenor Road, Kirkley. In 1911 their home was at 2 and 3 Marine Parade, Lowestoft, and Kenneth was a student. At some point his family moved to 34 Cantley Gardens, Clapham Common.

In August 1913 Kenneth was appointed Temporary Boy Clerk with the Post Office.

Kenneth was living at Clapham when he volunteered and enlisted in the Army at Westminster. He joined the 16th London Regiment and served with the 1/16th Battalion in France from 21 September 1915.

Pension record card details show that Kenneth was wounded on 1 July 1916, this is confirmed by his name appearing in the War Office Casualty List of 6 August 1916, a list comprised primarily of the names of the men wounded on 1 July 1916. 

On 1 July the 1/16th Battalion was involved in an attack on Gommecourt. They advanced under machine-gun fire and found that the first two German lines were far more heavily defended than expected. They fought hand-to-hand in the trenches and had to bomb the Germans out of many positions. 
Casualties for 1 July:
Officers killed 2, wounded 9, missing 9
Other ranks killed 16, wounded 224, missing 241
On 2 July the survivors of the Battalion, 198 in total, marched to Bayonne and were billeted for the night.

Kenneth was evacuated to England and admitted to hospital at Manchester where he died from his wounds on 29 August 1916.