William's Story.
William was the youngest of three surviving children born to William and Emily Wright of Stockport. In the 1901 census William is listed as two years old, the family were living at 9 Hallam Street, Stockport, His father aged 40 was working as a joiner. His mother also age 40 worked as a hat trimmer, he had two older sisters Caroline age 9 and Mary age 6. Ten years on, the 1911 census shows the family had moved to 27 Hallam Street, William age 50, working as a joiner, Emily gave her age as 48, it also shows that they had been married 25 years had ten children of which seven had died. William then age 12 is at school.
In the few years that followed William served as an apprentice butcher and then like many young men of the time William lied about his age when he attested into the Royal Army Corps on the 16 October 1915, he was about 16 but gave his age as 19 years 20 days, he was 5ft 7 inches and weighed 136lbs.
Three days later he was posted to Army Service Corps at Aldershot. His skills were needed so military training would have been limited. Within his surviving service papers there is a note dated 20 October 1915 to certify that he had been tested in the ASC Butchery and proved himself to be a fair butcher. On the 30 December 1915, he left the UK for Italy in preparation to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (MEF). On the 8 January 1916 he was in Brindisi, Italy and boarded the SS Citta di Palermo. This Italian ship was carrying British troops thought to be heading to Salonika, unknown to the British on the 10 December 1915 mines had been laid outside the harbour by UC14 a German minelaying submarine captained by Oblt S Caser Bauer. As the vessel left the harbour it hit a mine and sank very quickly. Several Royal Navy vessels went to help, three of them also hit mines. They were the Frenchy, Cravenwood and Morning Star. 57 lives were lost including William.
Stockport County Express. 20 April 1916.
William’s total service lasted just 85 days his body wasn’t recovered and he is commemorated on the Hollybrook Memorial to the missing at Southampton and the Stockport War Memorial.