WARD, William

William Ward was born in Netherton and lived in St. Thomas's Street. He was a member of the Trinity Methodist Chapel and volunteered in 1914 for Kitchener's New Army. He served in the 9th (Service) Battalion of the Worcesters who spent some nine months in training in England. They were then designated as reinforcements for the Expeditionary Force which had landed at Gallipoli to take control of the Turkish Empire. The attack had reached stale-mate and a new landing was planned for August 1915. The Worcesters sailed from Avonmouth on the 24th June and travelled via Gibraltar and Alexandria. They landed on safe territory at Cape Helles and took over quiet trench lines in order to gain some battle experience. The only action was a local Turkish attack which left one man dead. Corporal William Ward was killed in action and was the Worcesters' first New Army fatal casualty. He is commemorated on the Helles, Dudley and Trinity Methodist Chapel, Dudley, Memorials.