Search our records : William Bartlett

William Bartlett was born in Beer in 1886, one of the five children of William R. Bartlett, a fisherman, and his wife Hannah. All the members of the family were born in Beer except Hannah, who was from Branscombe.

William Bartlett took his oath of allegiance in Axminster on the 2nd December 1915, but did not actually join the army until the 1^st June 1916. He gave his home address as 2 Mount Hill, Beer, and his occupation was grocer’s assistant[1].

His next of kin was his wife, Emma Blanche Bartlett, and he had one son, Wilfred, who was born in June 1913.  William and Blanche had been married since September 1911.

William initially became a private in 11^th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment, but on 15^th December 1916 he was transferred into the Royal Horse Artillery.   In May 1917 he was transferred into 126 Brigade Royal Field Artillery and then posted to France on 21^st June 1917, travelling from Folkestone to Boulogne.

However, after two months in France he was invalided home with a foot problem in August 1917, and was finally discharged from the army at Warwick on 18^th September 1918.  His discharge papers describe him as ‘no longer physically fit for war service’, and assess his character as ‘sober, honest and steady’.