No.17848, Private, William Herbert BANHAM
Aged 21
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William Herbert Banham was born in Great Barton on 3rd January 1895 (1st qtr 1895 Thingoe 4a:793) son of Isaac and Elizabeth Ann BANHAM (née HOWE). Baptised in Holy Innocents, Great Barton on 3rd November 1895
1901 census...Aged 5, he was at Thurston Road, Great Barton with his father Isaac BANHAM [43] road surveyor's foreman born Rattlesden; his mother Elizabeth [43] born Ixworth; sister Mabel [13]; brothers John [12], Sidney [9] and Edward [7] all 4 born in Ixworth; sisters Violet [4] and Maud [2], these two born in Great Barton. 1911 census...Aged 15, a farm labourer, he was at 4 Brocklyn Cottages, Great Barton with his parents, father now a farm labourer; brother Edward (farm labourer), sisters Maud, Hilda [10] and Eliza [6]; brothers Thomas [8] and Harry [5]. All the new siblings were born in Great Barton. His mother had lost 2 of her 15 children. On the pension card his mother was at Thurston Road, Great Barton. She died in 1922 His brother Edward was killed in 1915 near Loos see here |
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He enlisted in Bury St.Edmunds on 15th January 1915
On the 13th September, the 9th Suffolks were part of the attack on the Quadrilateral, got through the German outpost line easily but then were checked by machine gun fire from the Quadrilateral. Several attempts were made but eventually they had to dig in only half a mile from their start point. On the 15th the objective for the 71st Brigade was the ridge between Morval and Lesboeufs. This was the opening day of the Flers-Courcelette battle.. Zero hour was 6:20 am, but the Suffolks, in support of the 9th Norfolks, were not required to move until 90 minutes later, by which time the barrage had increased and once again, withering machine gun fire from the Quadrilateral made forward movement impossible. All the senior officers were killed or wounded, leaving Lieut. Allerton in command. They were relieved around midnight. Lt Col Murphy's "History of the Suffolk Regiment" puts the casualties as 4 officers killed and 35 O.R. - 7 Officers wounded, 99 O.R. and 2 officers and 93 O.R. missing. Many of the missing were later reported killed CWGC has 9 killed on 15th, but 100 on the 16th of which only 21 have identified graves.
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