WOODALL, William

William Woodall was the son of William and Mary Woodall who lived at 28 South Road, Stourbridge. He originally served in the Warwickshire Yeomanry, but by 1918 he had been transferred to the 15th Battalion of the Warwicks. This battalion in the 5th Division had been sent to Italy to assist the Italian army against the Austrians after their successes of 1917. In April 1918 the Division returned to the Western Front to serve in the Advance to Victory. Their task in September was the very ambitious breaking of the Hindenburg Line. On the 27th September the Warwicks attacked at Gouzeaucort and cleared the high ground which lay before the immensely strong German defences. In the next two days the British forces captured the Hindenburg Line in this sector taking large numbers of prisoners. Private William Woodall was killed during the first phase on the 27th September. He was 20 years of age and is buried in Gouzeaucourt Cemetery (VII E 2) and commemorated on the Stourbridge and Roman Catholic church Memorials.