William Newrick

A Private with the 2nd Battalion, William died on 18th of February 1917 at the age of 24. 

William was born at Lowestoft on 16 June 1893, a son of John and Mary Ann Newrick. He was baptised at Saint Margaret’s Church, Lowestoft, on 4 July 1893, and his family lived at 15 Saint Margaret’s Plain. By 1901 his family were living at Potts Cottages, Oulton Road, and by 1911 at 3 College Cottages, Oulton Road, and William worked as a domestic gardener. 

William enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft. He joined the Suffolk Regiment, service number 2531, and served with the 6th (Cyclist) Battalion. In 1916 he was posted toe the 2nd Battalion, in France, and renumbered 43770.  

Colonel Murphy’s ‘The History of the Suffolk Regiment 1914-1927’ has the following account of the 2nd Battalion’s attack at Serre on 13 November 1916:

At 5 a.m. the first wave floundered forward into No Man’s Land – in reality, a sea of mud in which movement was barely possible. Three quarters of an hour later the attack began. The mist which hung about the low ground thickened as the smoke of the barrage increased, making direction extremely difficult to maintain. Within a very short time all the officers in the leading companies had fallen, and owing to lack of leaders no real progress was made. In spite of the atrocious weather conditions prevailing, portions of the leading Suffolk companies actually reached the German second line. But all was in vain, and the battalion having been reorganised in its original front line, remained there for the rest of the day, marching back to Courcelles the next morning. Their casualties numbered 272, including eleven officers.  

William was taken prisoner of 13 November. By February 1917 he was at a German military hospital, near Cambrai, where he died on 18 February.