254871 Pte. William Edward Sherwood British Army 19th (St Pancras) Battalion London Regiment from:Limehouse, London (d.5th December 1917) At the outbreak of the war in 1914, Bill Sherwood was a 36 year old wharf foreman living with his wife, Emily and their 2 children, Stanley aged 11 and Doris aged 8 in London's Limehouse. His life was turned upside down in 1915 as firstly his wife died in early in the year and then his mother died suddenly on Christmas Day at her home on Salmon Lane of a brain haemorrhage. The family had been ripped to shreds and with the introduction of government conscription the following year, Bill found himself having to leave his children behind.
Bill joined 19th Battalion, London Regiment on 11th of December 1916 and saw action at the Battle of Messines, the 3rd Battle of Ypres and at Cambrai, where on 29th November the unit took over the recently-captured Bourlon Wood just in time to be hit by a German counter-attack the following morning.
The 1/19th Londons were badly affected by the enemy bombardment, particularly by gas shells. Out of 15 officers and over 600 men of the battalion who took up position in the wood, only 5 officers and 65 other ranks remained in the line by the end of the day, and many of those were later evacuated to hospital suffering the effects of gas. Unfortunately, it appears that Bill was one of those men. He was transported to No. 3 Stationary Hospital in Rouen and he succumbed to his injuries on 5th December 1917. He was laid to rest at the St Sever Cemetery Extension in Rouen
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