216400 Pte. William Needham British Army 17th Btn. Northumberland Fusiliers from:5 Railway Cottages, Sutton Bank, Hull (d.26th April 1918) William Needham was my uncle and came from a family of 7 siblings, two sisters and 5 brothers. Not a lot is known about him and I didn't know he existed until I started researching my family history. The saying "survivors never really talked about the war" was certainly true in this case. My Father, who was twelve when the war ended, never mentioned these events at all. He also had a second brother, who served with the East Yorkshire Regiment and who was also killed during the war.
I can only imagine how his father felt because not only did he lose two sons to the war he also lost his wife and a younger son and daughter during this period which shows that not only did people have to worry about their children fighting in a war but also had to deal with the traumas of every day life as well. Thank God their sacrifices, not only in ww1 but also ww2 and subsequent conflicts, were not in vain and has enabled us to live in freedom as we do today.
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