230811 Pte. Walter James Broad British Army 9th Battalion East Surrey Regiment from:St.Albans (d.10th Oct 1917) My great great grandfather, Walter Broad, was born Nov. 1883 Woodford Bridge, Essex. Walter married Emily Elizabeth Barnard 13th Sept. 1903 at Woodford Bridge, Essex. Their only son, Stanley, was born in 1913. Walter enlisted at Bedford, he was resident 32, Castle Rd., Fleetville, St. Albans and the bus ran to Bedford from the end of his road.
G/32330 Private Broad served with 1st & 9th Battalions East Surrey Regt. His Regimental number seems to show a mid-November 1915 enlistment and is prefixed with G/. shows a wartime short attestment as men enlisting with the East Surrey Regiment for wartime service only were given numbers from a separate series prefixed with the letter G/.
He was killed in action aged 35 between 2nd July 1917 -10th October 1917: Maybe at Passchendaele, 3rd Battle of Ypres as his death date is noted as 10th October 1917 which was the last date of the Battle, presumably missing in action before then (see note on effects ledger.)
His remains are buried in Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke, Belgium.
Emily never remarried & was fortunate that her only son grew up, avoided the 2nd War by being in a protected profession. Stanley married Gertie (who also lost her father in the war). Stanley was my partner's Grandad.
As far as I've been able to ascertain so far, 1st Battalion landed at Le Havre 15th August 1914, remaining in France to 12th January 1916 in 5th Division. November 1917 moved with the Division to Italy but returned to France in April 1918.
The 9th (Service) Battalion East Surrey was formed at Kingston-upon-Thames in September 1914 as part of K3 and came under orders of 72nd Brigade in 24th Division.They were moved to billets in Worthing & in April 1915 to Shoreham & Blackdown, Aldershot in June 1915, landing at Boulogne 1 September 1915 & straight into battle at Loos with heavy casualties for green novice troops. The Battalion remained on Western Front until the Armistice.
I may be wrong though so any help or tips on tracing his war very much appreciated.) I have traced some documents but have no pictures of him...yet
Walter James Broad is listed on the St. Albans City World War 1 Memorial in St Peter's Street which lists 634 names of men who died from St. Albans in the Great War.
Unrelated but also commemorated on St Albans memorial: William Raymond Corley, Second Lieutenant, 9th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment. Killed in action 27 March 1918. Aged 23. Son of William and Marian Corley, of 2, Selby Avenue, St. Albans. Mentioned in Despatches. No known grave. Commemorated on Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France.
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