320181, Private, William John HEWISH
Aged 36
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Born in Chesterton, Cambridge in Q1-1882 [Chesterton 3b:465], 3rd son of Frederick Henry and Mary Ann HEWISH (née POND).
1891 census...William [9] was at 43 St George Street, Chesterton with his father Frederick H [39], a tailor born in Hertford; his mother Mary Anne [43] born Newmarket; his sisters Alice Mary [17] born Newmarket; Margery Rose [3] and Daisy May [ 6 weeks] both born in Cambridge, and his brothers, all Cambridge born, Frank Harry [13]; Percy;James; [11] Richard Pond [7] and Harry French [5]. 1901 census...William [19] was a waiter at the Trinity Hotel, High Street, Ely. His family were at Garden Walk, Chesterton. On 17th February he was married in Newmarket [3b:909] to Ethel Maud POND.(b.10-8-1887) 1911 census... John was a hotel waiter, living with his wife and 10 month old son Kenneth William at 6 Harwood Terrace, Wellington Street, Newmarket. He went to USA in 1912, but returned when war broke out. He enlisted in Woodbridge. His wife later lived at 5 Foulden Terrace, Exning Road, Newmarket. The pension card has her still there, with their son, Kenneth William (b.8-5-1910) His entry in "Our Exning Heroes" reads: "Born in Cambridge and educated at the schools in Milton Road. He went to America in 1912, and was employed by the late George C.Bolt, in New York City. When war broke out he gave up his work and came to England to enlist in the Suffolk Yeomanry. After training in England for about six months, he went to the Dardanelles in September, 1915. He was at Gallipoli until the British forces were withdrawn, and then was sent to Suez for guarding the Canal, and took part in several skirmishes there. Then he went on to Palestine with the forward troops, and was brought back to France in May, 1918. He was killed on September 13th, 1918. Major F. Goldsmith, his company officer for some time, write of him to his wife:- "No one was more sorry to hear of your husband's death than I. He was a splendid fellow and one of the best men I had in the old squadron". |
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The Suffolk Yeomanry sailed from Liverpool to Gallipoli on the White Star line "Olympic" on September 23rd 1915 as far as Mudros, then transferred to a smaller vessel,
"Abassia", landing at Walkers Pier.in Anzac Cove and were evacuated to Alexandria finally on "Anchises" on December 22nd. In December 1916 the Yeomanry were converted into infantry and became the 15th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment. Withdrawn from Egypt and Palestine after the capture of Jerusalem they were sent from Alexandria to Marseille. During June and July 1918 they were in Reserves in the Abbeville area. In mid-September they were sent to hold the line opposite Templeux le Guerard, a few miles north west of St Quentin. In this quiet spell, William was the sole casualty of the battalion on the 13th |
photo: Commonwealth War Graves Commission 
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