Pte 17511 William Joseph Winwick

• Age: 20
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: 1st Kings
• Died on Monday 13th November 1916
• Commemorated at: Serre Rd No 2 Cem, B-hamel
  Panel Ref: I.D.1

William Joseph was born on 23rd February 1896 in Liverpool the son of John Charles Winwick and his wife Rose. He was baptised at St Nathaniel's Church, Edge Hill, Liverpool on 25th March 1896 as William Joseph Gifford Winwick. His father's occupation is declared as a hair dresser. 

The 1901 Census finds William living with his mother and two brothers, John Charles and Sidney in his Grandmother's house at 207 Falkner Street, Liverpool. His Grandmother is Annie Hale a 63 year old widow born at Wooton Bassett, Wiltshire in 1838. Her daughter's Nellie, Rose, Minnie V., and Mildred are in the household. William's mother is declared as Rose Warwick, which will obviously be a transcription error as it is likely that her surname was Winwick. She is married and was  born in Liverpool in 1872.   

William was educated at St Saviours School, Falkner Square, Liverpool. 

The 1911 Census finds William Joseph living with his mother and two brothers at 284 Crown Street, Liverpool. He is recorded as being 15 years of age and employed as a railway messanger. His mother, Rose, is head of the household, she declares herself to be married, born at 9 Elliot Street, Liverpool. His siblings are declared as elder brother John Charles Gifford b.1895 in Manchester and younger brother Sidney Gifford b.1898 in Rochdale.  

Prior to the war he was employed by C.P.R.

He enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool on 01st September 1914 and joined the 19th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 17511. He declared his age to be 19 years and 181 days when in fact he would have been underage as he was 18 years of age. He gave his occupation as a clerk and was described as being 5'9 and three quaters tall, weighing 123lbs, and was of dark complexion with hazel eyes and brown hair. 

Formed on 07^th September 1914 the 19^th Battalion trained locally at Sefton Park and remained living at home or in rented accommodation until November 1914. They then moved to the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 19th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. Whilst at Larkhill Camp he was confied to barracks for 8 days and forfeited 3 days pay for being absent from tattoo. He arrived in France on 7^th November 1915. 

He was hospitalised in the immediate aftermath of the horrendous action at Guillemont. He was admitted to the 18th General hospital with gunshot wounds to his head and left shoulder. He remained in hospital until 07/08/1916.

He was transferred to the 1st Battalion of the Kings Liverpool Regiment on 12th August 1916 and was killed in action between 13-15/11/1916, aged 20. 

He now rests at Serre Road No.2 cemetery where his headstone contains the epitaph:

"FREED FROM WEARINESS OR PAIN. FORBIDDING US TO MOURN OR TO FORGET".

In June 1916, the road out of Mailly-Maillet to Serre and Puisieux entered No Man's Land about 1,300 metres south-west of Serre. On 1 July 1916, the 31st and 4th Divisions attacked north and south of this road and although parties of the 31st Division reached Serre, the attack failed. The 3rd and 31st Divisions attacked once more on the 13 November, but again without success.

Early in 1917, the Germans fell back to the Hindenburg Line and on 25 February, Serre was occupied by the 22nd Manchesters. The village changed hands once more in March 1918 and remained under German occupation, until they withdrew in August.

In the spring of 1917, the battlefields of the Somme and Ancre were cleared by V Corps and a number of new cemeteries were made, three of which are now named from the Serre Road. Serre Road Cemetery No.2 was begun in May 1917 and by the end of the war it contained approximately 475 graves (Plots I and II, except for Row E, Plot II which was added in 1922 and Row AA, Plot I which was added in 1927), but it was greatly enlarged after the Armistice by the addition of further graves from the surrounding area, including graves from other smaller cemeteries.

There are now 7,127 Commonwealth burials of the First World War in the cemetery, mostly dating from 1916. Of these, 4,944 are unidentified.

The cemetery, which was not completed until 1934, was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

His personal belongings were sent to his mother on 22nd April 1918 via H. J. Davis & Co. Solicitors, Prudential House, 36 Dale Street, Liverpool. She replied to the War Office in heartbroken terms as follows:

276 Crown Street, Liverpool

I received the disc belonging to my dear son and shall be much obliged to you to forward anything else that might come, but I am afraid all was buried with him.

Yours respectfully

Rose Winwick 

His brother Charles declared in a sworn statement in January 1922 that William Joseph's surviving relatives were Charles and his brother Sidney.

William Joseph Winwick is commemorated in the Hall of Remembrance in Liverpool Town Hall at Panel 31 (19th Bn) and Panel 34 (1st Bn) 

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