9027 Bombadier William Etherington,Royal Field Artillery

This serviceman was not connected to Liverpool but he was my Great-Grandfather.

William Edward Gordon Delatouche Etherington was born on 16th November 1881 in Blackburn, Lancashire. His parents were William Gordon Delatouche Etherington and Sarah Ann Etherington, his father was an engineering draughtsman and both of his grandfathers were master engineers.

William’s father died in 1895 when William was only 14. A few years later William saw his first military service with the 3rd Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment. We think he served in the Boer War, gaining the King’s South Africa Medal with 1901 and 1902 clasps.

On return to civilian life, William followed in his father’s career and on 8th October 1905, when he was married to Alice Ann Haythornthwaite, his occupation was draughtsman.

By the time war was declared in 1914, William and Alice had 4 children and William was working as a labourer. On 4th September 1914, William volunteered to return to his regiment. Service records show that he was given the regimental number 17775 with the East Lancashire Regiment and was discharged on 4th February 1915 due to his teeth not being good enough to eat rations.

William was determined to fight and re-enlisted with the Royal Field Artillery on the 23rd March 1915, he was given the regimental number 9027. Medical forms show that William was only 5 feet 4 inches tall, he had brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion and he had tattoos on both forearms.

William remained with the Royal Field Artillery throughout the war, in November 1917 he was gazetted for receipt of the Military Medal – the story has been passed down our family that he received the medal for repeatedly going out into no-man’s-land and bringing back wounded men, unfortunately, the battalion war diaries for this period are missing so we don’t know if they recorded the citation. I have not yet found anything in newspapers.

The medical card shown below records that William held the rank of Bombardier with the Royal Field Artillery when he was affected by gas in December 1917. He was treated for ‘disordered action of the heart’ and ‘valvular disease of the heart’ in 113 Field Ambulance and 26 General Hospital. His symptoms were listed as giddiness, weakness, fainting, 3 days of headache, cough, numbness in hands and feet, heart enlarged, pulse not constant, systolic murmur. The doctor noted he had been exposed to gas 1 week before.

William Etherington's Field Medical Card 1917

The date suggests that William was exposed to Gas around the 1st December, the war diary records the following events (bold added by me to highlight relevant facts)

30th November 1917

Enemy artillery opened out at about 6.45am, Villers Guislan in particular being heavily shelled with all calibres including gas shell. Shortly after 7am German attack developed and infantry were forced to retire. The gunners manned the guns until the infantry had retired past the battery positions, when owing to the enemy bringing up machine guns and almost surrounding the positions of the guns of B/275 Battery, A/107 Battery, D/275 Battery and C/275 Battery were stripped of breech blocks and dial sights and the position evacuated. Casualties were Lieutenant Acting Captain S.L Hannan (B/275) killed, 2nd Lieutenant A Limrie (D/275) missing, Captain W. Waikman (B/275) wounded. 2 Other Ranks killed, 8 Other ranks wounded, 32 Other ranks missing added to which A/1-7 lost 2 Other Ranks, wounded and 1 Other Rank missing. Guns captured by the enemy B/275 battery five 18-pounders, C/275 Battery three 18-pounders, D/275 Battery four howitzers, A/107 Battery six 18-pounders. The remaining 3 guns of C/274 Battery R.F.A. ad 5 guns of A/275 which occupied rear positions were withdrawn further back for defence of new line being dug by infantry. Group was reorganised and reinforced by six 18-pounders A/276 Battery R.F.A. The enemy advance was then checked.

1st December 1917 Epehy

D/107 Battery RFA came under orders of OC 275 Brigade RFA and came into position SW of EPEHY – Section of D/275 went into action with D/276 Battery RFA at LEMPIRE.

Although William seems to have been quite ill from the gas, he wasn’t discharged from the army. After he recovered he was posted for home service with the Worcestershire Regiment with the regimental number 52023. He served with them until he was discharged on 13th March 1919. On his discharge William received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal, he also had his Military Medal and could wear two blue chevrons (which means he had 2 years overseas service).

Crown copyright - medal index card of William Etherington

Although William was discharged after the war ended, he also received a Silver War Badge due to sickness (SWBList recorded on the medal card shown above) and a pension for his heart condition which was caused by gas exposure. Pension records show that he was awarded a pension for 20% disability attributable to service, they state that he was discharged on 19th June 1918, a discrepancy I haven't found a reason for yet. Payments were made up until his death.

Family papers show that on 14th April 1921 William volunteered for the Defence Force (during the coal emergency) and served as a Corporal with 42nd Division Signals in Headquarters Burnley Sub Area for 83 days. His discharge paper of 5th July 1921 shows his character was “very good indeed”

This is a little confusing, as the census taken on 19th June 1921 shows that William was at home with his family and states his usual place of work was at a brass foundry but he was "unemployed due to disability received in action." He signed his name with the post nominal M.M. for his gallantry medal.

When he was discharged from the Defence Force, William received the following letter of recommendation for service with the Royal Irish Constabulary.

"I wish to strongly recommend the acceptance of A/Cpl Etherington 42nd Divn Signal D.F. for enlistment in the R.I.C.

This N.C.O. has given very satisfactory service during the emergency, is a good disciplinarian, and thoroughly understands the duties of a signaller,

Blackburn

5th July 1921"

We haven't found any evidence that William served with the R.I.C.

Included with the pension record for William was a grant slip from the Military Service Civil Liabilities Department, awarding him a grant of £15 in 1923 which he stated he was going to use for a confectionary business, I’m not sure if that business ever happened but

you can read more about this grant scheme on the Western Front Association website.

There is no doubt that William’s health was affected by the war, his heart never recovered from the effects of the gas and he died at home in Blackburn on 13th April 1931 of Syncope, Arrhythmia and Myocardial Degeneration. He was 50 years old and left his widow Alice with two young children to support (and three adult children) my grandmother, their youngest child, was only 7 years old. Alice received a widows pension but family stories tell how her struggle to make ends meet led to William's Military Medal being sold.