Hedley George Littleproud

A Private with the 2/7th Battalion, Hedley died on 31st of March 1918 at the age of 25. 

Hedley was born at Dereham in 1893, a son of Alfred and Harriet Littleproud. In 1901 his family lived at Lynn Road, Gayton, Kings Lynn. This was still their address in 1911 when Hedley worked as a baker. 

On 25 October 1915 Hedley married Charlotte Emily Cadamy at Saint Nicholas’ Chapel, King’s Lynn. Hedley was a baker and they both gave their address as 9 Mill Fleet. Subsequently Charlotte lived at 6 Trafalgar Street, Lowestoft.

Hedley enlisted in the Army at King’s Lynn. He joined Norfolk Yeomanry before being transferred to the Lancashire Fusiliers, service number 52601, and was posted to the 2/7th Battalion in France. 

The war diary for the 2/7th Battalion in March 1918 is missing, however, the following notice, which appeared in the Lynn News, 18 May 1918, page 5, explain what happened to Hedley:

A GAYTON LOSS

The death from wounds is reported of Lance Corporal 52601 Hedley George Littleproud, Lancashire Fusiliers, second son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Littleproud, of Gayton. He was badly wounded in France on March 31, and died an hour after reaching hospital without recovering consciousness. He was 25 and formerly was in the Norfolk Yeomanry. Before the war he worked for the Gayton Mills Company and also had been employed by Mr. W. Ely of Lynn. Much sympathy is felt for the widow and also for the parents, for this is a second loss, a brother of the deceased having died from fever in Mesopotamia about nine months ago. Two other brothers are with the forces.