Capt Arthur de Bells Adam (MC)
1885 - 1916

CPL David Wallace Crawford
1887 - 1916

Lce-Corpl John Joseph Nickle
1894 - 1916

Pte 17911 Morton Neill
1897 - 1916

Lieut Edward Stanley Ashcroft
1883 - 1918

Pte 266894 William Hatton

Age: 19
From: Southport, Lancs
Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
D.O.W Tuesday 8th January 1918
Commemorated at: Lijssenthoek M C Poperinghe
Panel Ref: XXVI.C.2

William was born in early 1898 in Southport, the son of Thomas Hatton and his wife Alice (née Wright). Thomas from Liverpool, and Alice from Southport, married in 1892 and had nine children, all born in Southport and all of whom survived.

William had four brothers and four sisters; he had older siblings Ellen, James, Mary, and John, and younger siblings Alice, Thomas, Edith, and Robert.

In 1901 the family is living at 4 Crowland Street, Blowick, Southport, with six children. His father is a general labourer, and William is aged 3.

They are still at 4 Crowland Street in 1911, now with nine children. His father, 43, is a gas works stoker for Liverpool Corporation, his mother is 42; Ellen, 18, and Mary, 16, are laundry hands; James, 18, is a house painter, John, 14, is an iron monger’s errand boy. William is 13, at school, Alice is 10, Thomas 7, Edith 5, Robert is 3.

William enlisted in 1/7th King’s (Liverpool) Regiment in Bootle (HQ at 99 Park Street), as Private 4744. Based on the amount of the War Gratuity, William served for two years, enlisting in about January 1916, possibly when he turned 17 years old.

After training in the U.K. William shipped to France, and by late July 1916 the 7th Battalion had moved to the Somme, taking over a section of front line near the village of Guillemont, where they saw action at the end of the month, then at Ginchy, Flers-Courcelette and Morval in September. The battalion moved to Flanders in October 1916 and went into the line between Wieltje and Railway Wood.

William was wounded in action, reported in the Liverpool Post on 2nd November 1916. It is likely that he was transferred to the 19th Bn K.L.R. after recovering from his wounds, serving as Private 266894.

In April 1917 the 19th Bn saw action at the Battle of Arras, and at the end of May arrived in the Ypres Salient. The Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) began at the end of July and continued until November. It is not known when William was wounded, but he died of his wounds on the 8^th January 1918 aged 19.

He now lies in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Poperinghe. The Inscription on his headstone reads:

“GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN”

During the First World War, the village of Lijssenthoek was situated on the main communication line between the Allied military bases in the rear and the Ypres battlefields. Close to the Front, but out of the extreme range of most German field artillery, it became a natural place to establish casualty clearing stations. The cemetery was first used by the French 15th Hopital D'Evacuation and in June 1915, it began to be used by casualty clearing stations of the Commonwealth forces.

From April to August 1918, the casualty clearing stations fell back before the German advance and field ambulances (including a French ambulance) took their places.

The cemetery contains 9,901 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 24 being unidentified. There are 883 war graves of other nationalities, mostly French and German, 11 of these are unidentified. There is 1 Non World War burial here.

The only concentration burials were 24 added to Plot XXXI in 1920 from isolated positions near Poperinghe and 17 added to Plot XXXII from St. Denijs Churchyard in 1981.

Eight of the headstones are Special Memorials to men known to be buried in this cemetery, these are located together alongside Plot 32 near the Stone of Remembrance.

The cemetery, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield, is the second largest Commonwealth cemetery in Belgium.

His father Thomas received William’s Army effects of £13-3s-9d, and a War Gratuity of £11. The pension card shows his mother Alice, at 147 Wennington Road, received a pension of 5/- a week (showing 7th K.L.R.).

William is commemorated on The Monument, Southport

William is also remembered on the family headstone at Duke Street Cemetery, Southport. William's details are recorded below his parents with the epitaph: AT REST.

His father Thomas died in June 1921 aged 53 whilst his mother lived until 11th July 1945 and was aged 75.

We currently have no further information on William Hatton. If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.

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