244499 Sgt. William Anstiss MM.British Army 8th Btn. Middlesex Regiment from:Southall, Middlesex William Anstiss was a carpenter in Southall Middlesex and volunteered for the army in 1914.
He was awarded the Millitary Medal in 1914. After going over the top, his commanding officer had been severely wounded in no mans land, and whilst under heavy fire, Corporal Anstiss picked up his fallen officer on his own, and managed to get him back into the trench to a first aid station.
William was promoted to Corporal and then to Sergeant which is when he was awarded his bar to the M.M. The bar was for action in the trenches. During a big push by the enemy all the commanding officers in Sergeant Anstiss's trench had been killed by shell fire or gunfire. He alone rallied his men, took command and asked that "every man to stay where he is, keep your heads down and fight on until help arrives". They held the line, giving time to get reinforcements to the trenches. He was wounded and for his bravery and leadership was awarded the bar.
Sergeant Anstiss was twice mentioned in dispatches, he was demobilised in January 1919. In civilian life he carried on as a carpenter and in later years as a caretaker in a school in Southall. He died peacefully in 1963 aged 73.
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