WARD, William

William Ward was the only son of Mrs Ellen Ward of 'Lansdown', later of 'The Orchard Bungalow', Stourbridge. He was educated at Wolverley Grammar School and then articled to William Fiddian, solicitor, of Stourbridge. He volunteered at the start of the war and joined the Public Schools' Battalion. He was commissioned and attached to the 1st Battalion of the Worcesters in the 8th Division. After much fighting on the Somme in 1916 the Worcesters were still on the front line near Bouchavesnes in March 1917 when the German forces started to withdraw to the Hindenburg Line. On the 4th March the Worcesters put in a surprise attack, starting before dawn and without the usual protection of assault trenches. Despite heavy enemy shelling the leading Worcestershire companies quickly overcame the Germans in Pallas Trench and went on to take Fritz Trench. Counter-attacks and heavy artillery fire had to be endured for the next two days, but at the end of the action an important position had been won. The losses for the battalion, however, had been quite heavy with six officers and 44 men killed and 4 officers and 158 men wounded. Among those killed was Second Lieutenant William Ward. Colonel Grogan wrote to his mother to say how much he 'regretted the loss of a good comrade and a very capable officer. Your son has been buried where he fell.' He was 27 years of age and his body was re-buried at Fins New British Cemetery (7 B 25). His name is not on the Stourbridge Memorial.