221591 Pte. William Henry Girling British Army 2/4th Btn. West Surrey Regiment from:12 Nelson Grove Road, Merton, Surrey Bill Girling was my Grandad. He enlisted on 15th June 1915, one month before his 32nd birthday. He was married to Edith (nee Harding) and at the time had two sons, Will, aged 3 and, my Dad, Ernie, aged 1. He was a shortish man - only 5ft 5ins. But his physical development was good. He was a keen sportsman and was employed as a baker.
His Battalion sailed to Suvla Bay, Gallipoli, arriving on 8th August. They went into battle immediately and became embroiled in fierce fighting which resulted in a huge number of casualties. After the dreadful fighting and atrocious weather conditions of 1915, the Battalion was evacuated and sent to Egypt. There they suffered extremes of heat and freezing nights fighting the Turks. After the fall of Jerusalem they went on to fight in the second battle of the Marne.
Grandad was wounded on several occasions. He was shot or had shrapnel wounds in the neck, abdomen, stomach, thigh and lastly his right arm. This last wound, in Belgium on 19th October 1918, meant the end of the war for him and he was shipped home.
He lasted for 7 years, incapacitated by a bullet in his left lung, shrapnel in the right lung, emphysema (from the gas), asthma, TB, and a pretty useless right arm. He died of these wounds and their effects - but his widow was firstly refused a pension as he died so long after the war. She battled against this decision and was finally awarded the correct and proper pension.
My father was just 11 at the time he died. Luckily, all his diaries, medals and correspondence were kept which enabled me to research his life.
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