No. 8898, Company Sergeant Major, William HEFFER
Aged 22
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William Heffer was born in Worlington in 1896 (Mildenhall Q1-1896 4A:796) son of Charles and Alice Ann HEFFER (née MOSS).
1901 census... Aged 5 William was at Church Lane, Worlington with his father Charles HEFFER [46] a plate layer with GER, born Kings Lynn; his mother Alice A [43] born Kentford; brother Charles [14] Farm Labourer; sister Martha [7]; sister Lily [2] and brother Bert [4 months]. All the children were born in Worlington. 1911 census... Aged 15, a farm labourer, he was still living at home in Church Lane, Worlington with his widower father, sisters Martha and Lily ,brother Bert and sister Emma [8] and brother Stanley [6] Of the 11 children, 3 had died. His mother died in 1906. Brother Charles enlisted in the Suffolk Regiment in 1906. No pension card, but would be due his father dying in 1916 and he therefore had no dependants. |
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He enlisted in Bury St Edmunds. From his number this would have been early in 1914, in the 2nd battalion. His army records do not appear to have survived. At some time he was transferred to the 11th Battalion according to his entry in CWGC and "Soldiers Died". The 11th Battalion was formed when overcrowding at Bury St Edmunds in 1915, led to a detachment being set up in Cambridge to muster recruits from the Fens. Often referred to at the time as The Cambridgeshires, they officially became the 11th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment. It has not been possible to find out where William was wounded or when. Sailly sur Lys was captured by the Germans on April 6th 1918 and held by them until September. His "Soldier's Personal Effects" entry had death from wounds as PoW at Sailly. He has not been found in the International Red Cross records of Prisoners of War. A small mystery to be solved. His brother Charles (Private, No.7095, 2nd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment) was a prisoner of war, captured at le Cateau on 26th August 1914 and survived the war. |
photo: Rodney Gibson photo:Rodney Gibson
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